Recommend a fashion blog/site for 40+ yo?

[TartyTart]

I have lost my fashion mojo.

Boots (ankle, knee), jeans (boot, skinnies), knitwear (chunky, cashmere) etc... I am paralysed with indecision.

Just seeing some pics of normal people might help get me out of this rut.

I like to look at a range of different styles. Myfashionable40s is probably the most realistic one I look at. midlifechic does good product reviews but agree she has quite a conservative and classic style.

To go to the other extreme from midlifechic I like fakefabulous, some of her outfits are mad (she wore a green hairy dress recently), she buys a lot from charity shops and doesn't really follow fashion but I love her attitude (How to wear leather when over 40: 1) choose a colour that suits you 2) choose a style you love).

😮 I thought the midlifechic woman was 50 odd too! Its a very suburban safe conservative look.

I love iwontwearsludgebrown and its unusual as shes based in the north and is rather normal and is an inverted triangle bodyshape. she also shops the high street unlike some. shes 50 soon.

Doesmybumlook40 looks good but she has that thin, edgy, slightly scruffy London look thats hard to pull off if youre not size 8 young and beautiful.

myfashionable40s looks great but a bit samey and always seems to wesr black white and red.

EveAllWornOut is a stunning girl and looks fantastic dressed up but fails at casual I think as she doesnt dress for her figure.

Knickers Models Own not so much for the 'fashion' (this charity shop stuff so you couldn't just go out and copy) but ideas of how to put things together - and her confidence in wearing her outfits is clear and desirable

Woops! mymidlifefashion is the one who wears red black and white.

Thanks for the blog tips sortthetacheout love those! Agree re the rest, I'm 43 I don't want to dress head to toe in Boden, in dresses and leggings or as if I'm 60!

Thank you so much for your balanced comments Methenyouplus4 and for the recommendation countyhall. I don't think people realise how much this kind of thing hurts but then I guess they would say that I'm putting myself out there so I should expect it...

Midlife Chic doesn't look 60 , or 50 (she's stunning).

But she is dressing 60, all of a sudden. The blog seemed to change direction after she gave up her outside job - perhaps she needed to monetise it? There seems to me be an emphasis now on adopting a look lock, stock, and barrel from 'partners' rather than just finding bits she likes in the shops to stick with other bits she likes?

Anyway, I like the discussion, and the insights - but not the clothes at the moment.

(I am 54, and perhaps deluded about what that should mean)

I found Midlife Chic through this thread and like her writing style, but her clothes (and hair) are really frumpy. (I also do not much like her "we" assumptions that women over 40 will wear particular things - my life and style are totally different from hers!) I thought the post on dressing in Hush was really interesting, and also the one on candles.

My fashionable 40s is really the only one I actually occasionally copy.

She always looks quite comfortable and buys high street stuff. Lots of flat shoes lol.

Mybumlooks40 is useful for sheer output as she posts links to stuff every day (and she has apparently taken on board previous critiques & changed her tone a little which I respect). Though you have to wade through the affiliates somewhat. Endless M&S at the moment.

Bum40 only shops m&s and Biden when they gift her stuff I'm sure. She's definitely much more high end recently.

Much debated boots last year and saying Chloe's were far too much moneynetc and how she loved toga pulla much better but then this year it's all Chloe and Gucci.

I read midlifechics blog regularly. I enjoy the family stories and am very familiar with her bit of the country after being a student there myself. I'm a little bit older and less formal, if I'm honest I probably preferred the clothes from much earlier this year. However it's intelligent and interesting and if you're still reading I'm sorry you've been upset by this.

Thank you mrsrhodgilbert - everyone here is telling me to walk away from the laptop but it's compelling, even thought it's tough to read. I take on board what you all say. I'm pretty exhausted just now so maybe I've lost it a bit. I'm trying to manage my day job as well as the blog, the kids, my sick mum-in-law ... you know how it goes. I'll have a dig in my wardrobe and try a bit harder. x

Oh don't let a few careless comments get under your skin midlife. You'll never please all of the people etc. I think blogging is incredibly brave actually and i really enjoy your writing. I prefer blogs with few 'partnership' posts but hell I guess that's the name of the game and to be expected, Hope you feel better soon.

I love Schoolgate style and Does my bum look 40 tbh. I'm larger than both of them though a similar age at least. I don't suddenly want to look like my mother just because I'm in my mid 40s and I don't do over groomed or over dressed for day to day which is why I prefer these ones.

I do read Midlife chic - I enjoy the lifestyle bits etc but the clothes and style is just not me. Far too formal and I don't have the budget for statement pieces.

Don't be too hard on yourself, I know from reading your blog you've had a tough year. I'm 52 and don't work so my style is more casual, I wouldn't particularly wear the smart dresses etc that you feature. I do love clothes though and constantly try to look current but not like my daughters. I've a pretty good capsule wardrobe and like to find different ways of putting things together, although I do buy far too much. I've discovered a few new brands through your blogs and living close to a very recently opened John Lewis have been able to see them irl. I love the photos you take in my old university city, trying to work out where they are. Please don't be upset.

Today 06:28 FrustratedFrugal

Midlifechic I'm new to your blog but I really enjoy your writing, your style is really warm, positive and engaging. Your life right now seems really tough - hope things will be easier for you soon!

What I've found useful: your posts on Christmas jumpers (I would never buy one but you found some really nice ones), Hush and Uniqlo (I bought three items based on your recent post). And some of your casual weekend and travel outfits.

What I do not need in my life: any of those outfits you term elegant and chic. I'm a 40+ senior professional, I live in a city with two growing children, I love clothes and have a decent disposable income. For some reason, there are no longer any situations in my life where I would need a new dress with heels. Dressing has become much more casual and everyone seems to be going for a more relaxed and undone look. Look at what Gwyneth and Garance are wearing.

My mother is 75 and has a wardrobe full of coordinated outfits of jewel bright dresses and heels. She never wears them either. I think this pic says it all - you are wearing a formal outfit; your potential, highly opionionated readers are sporting jeans and tees

I've had a bit of a lightbulb moment with so called style blogs/instagram feeds and as a result have unfollowed them all. I realised that not one of them has any actual "style". They regurgitate fashion "looks" which is not the same thing and only attractive to those with a certain disposable income and lifestyle. At best, they have the ability to co-ordinate a jumper, skirt and shoes so that it looks decent standing still against a wall.

What makes is worse is that for every single one, the jumper is from Hush, the trousers Me & Em, the shoes Air and Grace or Seven Boot Lane, the bag LK Bennett...entire outfits made entirely of gifted or heavily discounted product. M&S seem to have cottoned on the blogging £ recently too, and they all suddenly have new coats from Jaeger.

What I'm trying to say, and as a backhanded compliment to Midlifechic, is that these women are nothing more than walking shop dummies, they have no individuality, flair or...style. You wear what you want, what you think looks good, and you write about this...some will like it, some won't but it is YOU. Stick with it....

I want to say to midlife chic that I religiously read your blog and in the past have bought a lot of wardrobe items after being inspired by your posts.
This has tailed off because it feels your blog has recently become a platform for designers with you as the model and somehow not as authentic as before. A while ago the posts felt much more like your own style journey, with clothes paid for by you and your honest opinion given. Plus the outfits were wearable for lots of us. The new outfits, I think are ageing and frumpier than you used to look. If I can be blunt, and I don't mean to be hurtful, some of the recent looks remind me of my elderly aunts who would get dressed up in a good jaegar coat and court shoes for a day's shopping in Chester.
I hope your blog can recapture some of its personal voice and honesty again. Your day to day outfits were good to read about. I do still enjoy many of your posts, e.g. Christmas jumpers, but the over 40 collective is yawn, as is the sponsored jaeger, sponsored winser london etc. I am missing a blog I used to really enjoy!

I'll be turning 40 next year. Do I need to change what I wear? I already don't wear very young things like mini skirts or extremely fashionable things. Why not just carry on?

Midlifechic has a grown up, classic style I agree, some of us like that and prefer it over edgy or flash in the pan style. She writes beautifully, makes a real effort to write useful posts on what's in the shops currently and I agree with the previous poster....it's so refreshing that you're not going to see her in the exact same item as 4 or 5 other 40ish bloggers are posting about that week.

For outfit ideas I also like myfashionable40s, susiesoso, fashionmumof40

A few more thoughts on the midlifechic blog, all meant kindly. I have been reading your blog for over a year, I used to look forward to the Friday evening updates and I've followed you taking on a full time job, as it became, again and then deciding to become freelance again. I think what has struck me is that recently, out of an office environment again your outfits have actually become more formal. I think you're very creative and this surprises me, I guess I would expect a less regimented style. You look like you work in a business in a city and I know you have given up that life, yet your current outfits seem to be reflecting that.

I know you have written about feeling uncomfortable endorsing clothes that have been gifted to you and getting too involved with brands, you're very honest about that. You are obviously speaking to various big names though, some of these I like and some are just not my thing- too 'grown up' I suppose. I think what recent posts are saying is that you're a young woman and very attractive with interesting things to say, let the creative side show through again.

I like midlifechic blog and have dipped in for some time.
I think you stand out from most other blogs in that you come across as far more genuine, warm and a genuinely decent person (as much as one can judge from a blog). I like the writing style and the personal posts. I have found the posts about your oldest leaving home really moving; I am about 10 years younger so haven't got to that stage but it has made me think about it.
I also think different things suit different people. I personally think that 40bum and some of the others look ridiculous in some of their choices as if they are desperate to follow every trend/ desperate to look young regardless of whether it suits them.
I totally disagree that you look older than you age but think that you are dressing older at times particularly in recent posts.
I do think that frugal and mrsdurrell have valid points.

I can't say that I have found any one blog that I love. I dip in and out of a number but mostly I find that they buy far more clothes than I can, have a much bigger budget and are generally more set on following fashion than I am (see above). I do like Unfancy blog for her style (more similar to mine) and imaginative ways to make outfits out of a small number of clothes though she is only in her 20s, I think.

What makes is worse is that for every single one, the jumper is from Hush, the trousers Me & Em, the shoes Air and Grace or Seven Boot Lane, the bag LK Bennett...entire outfits made entirely of gifted or heavily discounted product. M&S seem to have cottoned on the blogging £ recently too, and they all suddenly have new coats from Jaeger.

OMG so much!

It has actually caused a reverse bias in me - I ignore those links on purpose cos I refuse to be a sheep and it's all so obvious that the blogger is the sheepdog driving us into the affiliated pen. No thanks!

Susie So So is great though. Very rarely sponsored at all. And My Fashionable 40's isn't too bad - it's mainly jewellery she partners with which I can easily ignore.

You can always tell the ones who are sponsor averse as they shop in Primark, lol.

Agree Susiesoso is great. Her style is different to mine but she comes across really well and seems to express her own genuine opinions as opposed to jumping on the blogging bandwagon.