at 45 can I?

[teahouse]

wear a mini skirt occasionally (only with black tights)?

keep my long hair (often just in a pony tail as I can't afford a hairdresser)?

start to wear a bit of make-up (not really done it before)?

continue wearing stupidly high heels most of the time?

continue to avoid boring lingerie?

continue to avoid slippers?

continue to pretend I'm not middle-aged?

i do NOT smell like a chippy!!!

the white vinegar takes all teh shampoo and conditioner residue out which can leave it greasy or cause itchy skin. and the cold water seals the hair cuticle down which gives it a great shine.

you can wear anything you want except for excessively high heels (which make people flinch to look at them because they are so obviously uncomfortable) and bad, harsh, all-one-colour hair colour which looks desperate, like you are so terrified of going grey that anything is better. That is the most ageing thing of all IMO. (and increasingly men are doing it too which is a bit sad).

Well it all depends on how one wears them.

Minis - well cut, wool, over the knee with fab tights and shoe boots= yes.
Bottom skimming, Hollister floral number= not a chance.

Hair - if well cut and in good condition. Long and straight can be very unflattering.

Make up - how have you gone this long? But rememeber, too much is aging.

Slippers - I only do socks, but those slipper boots look comfy.

High heels - if you can walk properly.

Yes, of course you can.

I am a bit older than you and i tick all your boxes but not the first one.
Then again i didn't wore mini skirts even in my 20s because i always hated my knees.

Well I think yes to all but am now worried about my long hair - is that not ok? (I am 43). Perhaps not as I did think recently that Jerry Hall might benefit from a judicious clipping!

As for lingerie, well, it need not be boring but it must do its job.

So your bra must fit well and enhance your bust. No point having some snazzy little number that makes you look like Nora Batty in a sweater.
Ditto pants. They must be comfortable, and entirely invisible through your clothes.

But there are plenty of things that do their job and look nice, which is afterall the oint of clothes, no?

MrsEB - I think long hair is fine, particularly naturally dark and thick. Long, striahgt, blonde is very difficult...which is why I keep mine to the jaw.

Phew Litchick - is long and dark and hopefully not too witchy (yet!). Wary of being someone who looks one age from the back and quite eanother from the front.

All except the last one - you ARE middle aged let's face it, it's nothing to be ashamed of (so am I BTW!). But that does not mean you can't be whoever you want to be.

I'm 41 and dye my hair because I seriously cannot bear the thought of being grey. At what age do you stop tho? My hair is 'medium brown', but I won't get away with that when I'm 60 will I?

And I've noticed my teeth are also greying. Ughh. Tried tooth polish to no avail and couldn't afford (or have the courage to) to go to the dentist for bleaching or whatever.

Think I'm becoming a grey shadow....

The hair-dye thing is a dilema, but I think grey hair can look great if it is cut well. There seems to be a generic short hair cut that most 60+ ladies have but it shouldn't have to be like that! My dad's "ladyfriend" is 67 and has lovely golden blonde hair - dad told me and Dsis that it is entirely natural. Dsis & I exchanged knowing glances

My mother is 73 and she has a light golden bob and looks fab and my FILs lady friend has mid brown hair and also looks good - definitely not artificial or odd even though must be dyed.

No long hair after 35?
Erm...
Jennifer Aniston
Demi Moore
Julianne Moore
Cindy Crawford
Courtney Cox
Elle Macpherson
Yasmin Le Bon
Nigella Lawson
Marcia Cross
I rest my case.

Nickiename, good to see that list. I consider myself on that level of attractiveness and 'able to pull it off-ness'

I think they would all, despite lovely bones and bodies, be significantly less attractive and look much older without their long hair.

I think the view was that long hair is fine as long as its in good condition, well cut and a flattering colour

not thinning grey hair scraped back into a scraggy pony tail

What's wrong with slippers????
What else to you wear at home in winter?? (bare feet only works if you have under-floor heating...)
I consider myself young (30s) and fashionble and have always worn slippers.... Slippers don't have to be ugly.

fartmeister, I think you can have brown hair that age, esp. if a soft natural colour.

My mum is 72 and still has 90% of her natural (brown) colour, only some grey at temples.

Funnily everyone assumes she dyes her hair!

Black or blonde hair go grey quickest, brown can stay brown until well into your seventies.

I am 41 and wear mini's . With no tights in the summer! Legs are my best feature (so I'm told, anyway!)

I wear slap every day.

I adore 4 inch heels.

I have short hair because I look like a hair bear if it's long.

I love slippers.

I only ever wear matching underwear.

All the above keep me looking and feeling in my mid 30's. Lovely!