At 67, I'm Still Proud to Be a Fashionista

Confessions from an older woman who loves the wild style.

By

Michele Weldon

 
Published April 02, 2026
Colorful editorial-style illustration of an older adult wearing round blue glasses, a leopard-print coat, and a striped shirt against a pink background decorated with stars and polka dots. Speech bubbles display the words “Cool,” “Confident,” “Take Me Seriously,” and “Fashionista.”
Andrea D'Aquino (Getty Images)

The voluminous jacket is to my ankles, bright orange, collarless, with wide bell sleeves, ablaze with alternating pink and magenta stripes neck to toe. I ordered it on sale (under $40) from a global fashion site. It is so red-carpet worthy that I may host a party just to debut it. Or I will wear it over jeans and go to the grocery store.

At 67, I am not a fashion victim. I consider myself a fashion victor. Within a budget, I buy stylish outfits online, in department stores, boutique clearance sections and vintage stores, applauding myself for each expressively artistic look scored at a great price. I relish a gorgeous item discounted up to 80%. And I keep it for a long time.

Most women are not slaves to fashion and don’t go into debt for their clothes. Women in this country aged 16 and older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, spend an average of $655 a year on apparel and $208 a year on footwear. Altogether, all women spend 2.5% of their income on apparel; men spend 1.83%.

For women over 50, who account for $15 trillion in annual consumer spending, “87% of Boomer women use their incomes as a tool to fulfill a personal purpose,” according to CustomerThink. That purpose could be feeling great in what they wear.

“Your clothing is a visual representation that speaks before you do,” says Jennefer Witter, 64, CEO and founder of The Boreland Group Inc., based in New York.

An author, public speaker and business communications strategist, Witter says she wears vintage jewelry that makes her stand out, as it is part of her personal brand. “Wear bright colors and whatever you can do to make yourself memorable,” says Witter. She stresses your clothes must always be comfortable “because your body language will communicate that discomfort.”

Swati Saxena, 50, a Chicagoland realtor, agrees. “When I’m putting together pieces from my wardrobe and using thoughtful accessories, I’m also showcasing my unique style, which feeds into my confidence.” She adds, “The perception is that if I care enough about my own presentation, I will care enough about the clients as well. People treat a well-dressed person with more respect too; I’m taken more seriously in the world.”

In her new book, The Look, former First Lady Michelle Obama writes about her shift in how she presents herself after turning 60. “I’m grateful that I’ve reached the stage in my life in which I feel empowered and free to do what I want and wear what I want. And the clothes I wear continue to help support those messages, now in even more bold and powerful ways.”

Do I feel more powerful in my bright yellow maxi skirt with large red flowers? Yes. I am not surrendering to what is prescribed for women my age in clothes that seem predictable, dull.

I am not imitating younger women prancing about in performative clothes that are not authentic to who I am. I wear what fits my shape and lets me move, eat, work and dance.

Comfort, not conformity, is key.

“The connection between fashion and mental health has gained prominence in recent years, illuminating how our wardrobe selections can affect our emotional states and general mental health,” according to a 2025 study in the International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews.

Calling it “enclothed cognition,” the study shows that when someone feels their clothing reflects who they are, it can define a positive self-image. “We may use fashion to harness the psychological benefits of color, selecting colors that uplift and elevate our spirits,” according to the study.

I am not new to a love of fashion and style. A journalist since my early 20s, fashion was one of the topics I wrote about early on for a fashion trade publication, then for two major daily newspapers. Interviewing designers and writing about changes in trends, colors, shapes and fit was exhilarating.

In my two closets (three if you count the coat closet), I store new clothes as well as items that are up to 30 years old (mine and my late mother’s) that I modify when needed by removing shoulder pads, hemming pants or adding belts.

I have lots of leopard print items: boots, skirts, pants, sweaters, jackets and hats — and wear them proudly. The frequent compliments I get from strangers on what I’m wearing fill me up — if only for a moment.

Fellow fashionista Saxena would agree. “Just wearing clothes is one thing, but when I'm putting together pieces from my wardrobe and using thoughtful accessories, I'm also showcasing my unique style, which again feeds into my confidence.”

Today as I prepare to lead a workshop, I am wearing a shocking pink silk blazer I got for 80% off, a 20-year-old leopard-print silk skirt, a white blouse from a vintage store — and carrying an orange leather designer purse that was my late mother’s.

When I arrive, I want to convey without saying a word that “I am ready for anything!”

How have YOUR fashion tastes changed as you age? Let us know in the comments below.

Michele Weldon is an author of seven award-winning nonfiction books, journalist, emerita faculty at Northwestern University, senior leader with The OpEd Project, TEDx speaker, and editorial director at Take The Lead. Her most recent book is The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, USA Today, Time, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, MSNBC, NBC Think, Chicago Tribune, Slate, and more. She has appeared on CNN, BBC, NBC, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” NPR and many other outlets. The mother of three grown sons, she now spends her free time oil painting in oils.