Over 50s influencers

[ComeBackPeterComeBackPaul]

Inspired by the over 30s thread I would love some recommendations for some over 50s influencers. Nothing too dressy - I have two dogs and two teenage children and a full time job.

@emsiewill

My friend *@welshtomboy* on Instagram is not an influencer as such, but she has bags of style and looks amazing for her age (62)

Actually, she just looks amazing (have followed her for a while). There is no ‘for her age’ about it.

Are there any on Twitter? I'm not an Insta gal.

@ilovecherries you are right of course, after I posted I wished I hadn't put that bit about her age. I've known her since our dds were 5 (now 22) and she's always looked the same. She's an amazing artist as well and a runner, as well as a really nice person!

@ShrikeAttack I only shop online, am virtually housebound as I look after a very sick adult daughter who cannot be left who has needs too complex for care workers. But I dress every single day in something that brings me happiness. So I need to see clothes on a real person. Flat on screen doesn't work and I hate the environmental impact of returning stuff. So seeing clothing that I like on someone who has a similar body to me is extremely helpful. I've only shopped exclusively online for about 10 years but cannot envisage ever being able to shop in a real life shop

[quote emsiewill]@ilovecherries you are right of course, after I posted I wished I hadn't put that bit about her age. I've known her since our dds were 5 (now 22) and she's always looked the same. She's an amazing artist as well and a runner, as well as a really nice person![/quote]
She sounds lovely, and so do you to appreciate her so much . Also glad to know my little girl-crush is justified!

Followed Welshtomboy great style and lovely skin!

Another one I like for capsule wardrobes, tips on putting outfits together is livelovesara She’s Canadian and has a slightly grunge rock chick thing going on. Her blog is good and the capsule wardrobes are excellent.

I think Midlifechic might be worth reading but can't get past her claim "the thinking woman's style blog"....I find that so irritating that it puts me off the whole thing!

@HumourReplacementTherapy I've started watching her too, after reading on here about her, she's great, younger then me but we are similar in shape, I saw the kimono she wore and would love to try it, but I didn't see where it was from, can you inlighten me.

@mrsjellaby given the blog comments go way beyond the typical “you look gorgeous hun” I think the strap line is appropriate!

I like midlifechic - she's obviously really knowledgeable about the industry and works hard on her blog posts.

She's much smarter and more put together than I am but surely the reason you're reading a blog called midlifechic is because you are 40+ and want tips on how to be more chic (even if you don't use them) :P

I find even when people go higher end than I can afford, you can still learn a lot about fashion and if you like the look of something, can probably find a cheaper knock off or wait for sales (so I kind of wish she'd write a bit more about the higher end stuff that I couldn't afford but she probably does wear more often :) ).

It's a shame midlifechic hasn't been honest about being dropped by Hush - if that is the case. All this Boden is screaming of her blog circa 2017. At a time when so many people seem to be deserting Boden for bad ethics and stupidly high pricing I'm surprised she's waxing lyrical about them but if no one else is seeing her as a selling tool for them then maybe that's why.

Would be interesting to know how much she gets paid by these brands. I wouldn't call M&S and Hush upmarket.

Midlifechic regularly works with leading upmarket high street brands including John Lewis & Partners; Marks and Spencer and Hush Homewear who see strong sales whenever their product is featured.

Midlifechic is one of my favourite bloggers. I like the clothes she wears and the way she reflects on life and shares her life experiences. Nikki writes honestly and beautifully in my opinion. As the mother of two teenagers, her reflections on her boys leaving the nest are very poignant and strike a chord. I will continue to read and enjoy the clothes, fashion/retail insights and midlife musings. Thank you Nikki.

I think most followers of fashion people on social media get that they are paid by the brands! And I’m not sure why there’s any obligation to say why they don’t feature any particular brand any more - if they don’t get offered work from one brand but do for another then what’s the issue? I seriously don’t get this attitude that influencers owe anybody anything. They put up their pics/blogs/swipe ups or whatever on the internet and if you want to invest in that then fine, if you don’t like it then on to the next one.

It's a shame, I think, how it all turned out. Those early fashion bloggers, before 'influencer' became a thing, who just did it because they had something to say, they were so interesting some of them. I was pissed off when it all got monetised, particularly at the way they'd try and talk to me like they were my best friend when what they really meant was, 'Buy this bag'.
There's better disclosure now but it's too little too late as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather just watch real people - they've paid for the clothes themselves and you know it's not photoshopped or pinned at the back.

I occasionally watch Fashion and Style Edit on Youtube. Although this vlogger isn't over 50, I quite enjoy her videos.

@mamacoast i feel the same.
I love reading her blog and wish I had her figure.
I bought some Uniqlo items she featured.

@Floisme I agree. I think in the early days before they had to disclose and before the public had caught on, there was some morally dubious flogging. I got caught out with a couple of things and it really pissed me off when I realised they’d been paid to flog things/given presents to promote a brand. Trust lost and I deleted them.

@doorornottodoor - genuine question: if you liked something that someone on Instagram (or whatever) featured and so bought it for yourself, what difference does it make if the person was paid? Would you feel the same if you saw the same item in a traditional magazine (where brands pay to have their wares featured in fashion shoots)?

@VanCleefArpels from my perspective that comes back to the “trusted friend” thing which is long gone now. A magazine ad screams BUY ME and is clearly a paid promotion. Susie on Instagram saying “this moisturiser is a game changer” but not letting on she’s been paid to say that is a different kettle of fish. I think there is still a lot of dubious goings on with swipe-up links on Instagram stories which are impossible to police because they disappear after 24 hours.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses I don’t disagree with your summation of the issue, but I come back to the question which is, if one buys the moisturiser that Susie promoted (or the jumper she wears etc) , and like it, why is it a problem that Susie was paid? I see that as a win win: I’ve got a new face cream which I enjoy (and may not have discovered were it not for Susie) and Susie is earning a living. I can’t imagine feeling betrayed or disappointed by Susie in that scenario

But would they have bought it if they weren’t given it? Are they saying they like it just because it was free? That’s dishonest.

But howdoes that impact your enjoyment of the product?

For me it's about transparency. If they were saying something along the lines of, 'I've got this deal with Hush and if you buy through this link you'll get a fiver off and I'll take a cut too' then fair enough. But when they say,'I just love my new Hush jacket - I haven't taken it off for a week' and then the next time you see them, they're raving about a different jacket, then they can piss off.

I understand things have improved and that there's more transparency now than there was a few years ago, but it's too late. The trust has gone plus I'm no longer interested because frankly I was also bored senseless with them all going on and on about the same brands.

Same goes for magazines. I occasionally get sucked in and I still enjoy a bonkers fantastical photo shoot but mostly when I buy one I end up feeling like I've eaten too much cake. As I've said, I'd rather watch real people now.

I'd be far more interested if they wore the same clothes for a while, styling them in different ways etc. Also far more interested if they weren't all suddenly wearing exactly the same thing. Dullsville.