Clinton Kelly Doesn't Want You To Dress Your Age Ever Again
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Indulge me for a minute and picture this: We’re at the airport, and you recognize me from my decade of hosting What Not to Wear. Our flight is delayed, and we look at each other with annoyance and resignation. Because you seem like a lovely person, I ask if you want to grab a coffee. You do! Yay! We sit down, and I ask you about your style.
And you say, “At my age, I don’t care.”
My head explodes. Girl, we need to talk.
Maybe by “I don’t care” you mean “I don’t care what people think of my clothes because I deliberately chose them and they serve my purposes and make me happy.” If so, I am thrilled for you. That’s exactly what clothes should be: tools to keep you from getting sunburned or arrested. They help you communicate some positive aspect of yourself to other people—I’m confident! I’m fun! I’m adulting and I’m nailing it!
Maybe by “I don’t care” you mean “I don’t care about fashion.” I’m cool with that too, because I don’t care too much about “fashion” either. I do, however, care about style. Here’s the difference: Fashion is the stuff designers offer for sale in any given season. Style is the stuff you choose to put on your body, based on all the fashion that is offered to you. Style is the plate you take from the fashion buffet. Just because some high-profile designer is serving up booty shorts (“Fashion!”) and people are all “Brilliant! Fabulous! Booty shorts are everything this season!” doesn’t mean you have to give a horse’s patootie about booty shorts.
You might harbor a little resentment toward the fashion industry because you think it’s forgotten you. Don’t. You have more power than you think. The fashion industry courts younger women because they’re more impressionable (so they buy more stuff, even if they look silly wearing it). You, however, have a better idea of who you are as a human being, so you’re not wasting your money on ill-fitting, disposable clothes. You have control over your cash.
OK, let’s move on to the last possible scenario, which, quite frankly, makes me a little sad. Maybe by “I don’t care” you mean “I’ve given up.” Giving up is frequently part of a much larger self-esteem issue. Certainly there are women who have given up caring about external appearances and are happier. But if there’s even a teeny-tiny voice in your head that wishes you could feel more beautiful, I encourage you to listen to it and act upon that.
You don’t need a head-to-toe makeover. I’ve done hundreds; they’re exhausting. Just get a blouse in your favorite color. Or a pair of sparkly earrings. Or red shoes. Whatever you think might make you two percent happier with your appearance this week. Then, do the same thing next week. A new haircut, a different shade of lipstick. Donate an old hoodie. Those two percents eventually add up. You deserve to look in the mirror and say, “I like that woman. She’s adorable.” Sure, you might never make it to 100 percent, but imagine being 50 percent happier about your appearance in about six months. It’s possible. I know it.
I also know we should get back to our gate. The flight’s boarding, and we all have a lot of baggage to deal with. (Do we ever.)
Style expert Clinton Kelly spent 10 years giving women makeovers on What Not to Wear and seven years as a co-host on The Chew. Follow him on Instagram and buy his book of essays.
This story originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Woman's Day.
You Might Also Like
