reiterating...

As poor in quality as this photo is, I'm reposting it because it says so much about why I do this blog. I was talking to my daughter about how beautiful this woman is, how perfect the dress is and the way it just nails a sort of Palm Springs elegance. And oh by the way, this woman is not 26. I look at Vogue (note: do not often read) and am a dedicated follower of many street style blogs, and it's tough to find even one image of a woman over the age of 40. That hits close to the bone. The daughter proffered the excuse that of course everyone wants to look at attractive people who make the clothes look good. As hard as this is to swallow, it's a completely legitimate philosophy for advertisers, and almost acceptable for editorial purposes in a fashion magazine, but showing only young, thin, attractive women in a style blog is an unacceptable failing. Style is about how people use clothing to express themselves. Trust me, this gets trickier past 40, but there are plenty of women who have taken on the extra challenges and exhibit style sense that's every bit as fit and toned as a 27-year-old's legs. Which seems to be the requirement for many style bloggers -- The Sartorialist, Facehunter, Garance Dore (who should know better), Jak & Jil, Wayne Tippetts. Older men, yes, you see them on The Sartorialist frequently. Older women display that same richness and history in the way they dress, the same ease with themselves, and often significantly more grace and humor in the way they dress than young women.
This woman doesn't look good for her age, she looks good. Period. And style? Pitch perfect, adroit, fluent. There, got that off my chest.