Page 22 Daily Mail, Wednesday, June 19, 2013

my style on trialFor a woman of 53, I like to think I dress well. Age-appropriate — but with a sense of fun. I’ve always enjoyed clothes and, at 5ft 4in, think I know what suits me. But lately I’ve begun to feel that some things in my wardrobe belong firmly in the past.I tend to keep items I love for years, sometimes decades, and have no interest in high fashion or spending a lot of money on clothes. I do make a point of dressing up to go out, because I spend so much time in scruffy sweatpants and T-shirts when working from home in Yorkshire.But with my wardrobe bulging at the seams, I knew it was time for a sartorial sort-out. So I decided to line up and photograph every outfit I wore for a whole month. That way, I’d be able to see which outfits made me look marvellously modern — and which made me look, well, hideously mutton ...

I ADORE this Per Una mac, which I wore on my early morning walk. It’s cosy and stylish and, teamed with black trousers and trainers, looks youthful but practical

WOkE up to sunshine, went to the beach. This Next swimsuit flatters my boobs and shoulders, which look satisfyingly shapely. Sarong covers my thighs. Result!

LIkE most older women, I’m nervous of white and was only brave enough to wear this skin-tight number from Closet to a job in London because I’ve lost weight

I LOVE this dress from Phase Eight. It’s age-appropriate and manages to be figure-hugging yet classy. The silk panels make me feel super-sharp and professional

WENT for drinks with a friend in York in this sequinned number from Nordstrom in the U.S., telling myself it was a classic. But I now realise I am way too old for sparkle

I WORE this floaty top and trousers (from a local boutique) to a Bruce Springsteen concert. I feel younger and more rebellious in this hairpiece

DONNED this for a glass of wine with my neighbour. What a ghastly outfit. The French Connection top and M&S shorts make me look dumpy ... and those knees!

WENT hiking and it poured with rain. The walking gear from Cotswold did a good job of keeping me dry and I didn’t give two hoots what I looked like

THE only time I’ll ever be seen in public in my dressing gown. Spent all day in it as I was under the weather. It is the most comforting item in my wardrobe

EEk! Mutton alert! It was a girls’ night out but this floral dress is for someone 30 years younger — even with a Monsoon cardi over slightly wobbly upper arms

THIS is a Boden tunic that I wore for a lazy day in the garden. I love their prints. I hate my baggy knees, which are showing their age, but as I was alone, I dared to bare

DANCED the night away at a wedding. I’ve always felt this dress is too short. But worn with the hairpiece my friend calls ‘the ferret’ I think I just about pulled this look off

WALkED my friend’s Border terrier, Jim, on the common before work. Again, I think this look is a great way for a woman my age to be stylish but not ridiculously youthful

WHENEVER I put on this ruched dress from Isabel Oliver, I take it off again because it’s so tight. But I braved it for a dinner in York. Muttonish? I hope not

EVERY woman of any age or size would look good in this. It’s black, so hides a multitude of sins. Another day at the home office

NO, NO, no! The Jigsaw skirt is too tight and long, and the Coast shirt makes me look awfully busty. I wore this to a business meeting but never again

THIS is how I dress most days — casual and youthful but not muttonish. The Zara jacket is fun because it’s a good fit and has zips. Black trousers are slimming

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Pictures: Paul Jones Photo direction: Tracy Thompson

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my style on trial

It’s fascinating to see the outfits all lined up. I’m definitely resisting the middle-age slide into beige, but I think my tassled mini-dress days are over. My legs aren’t good enough to get away with shorts at this stage in life, and the hairpiece makes me look as if I’m trying desperately to cling to my youth.It’s not easy to get fashion right at 53. I refuse to succumb to an anorak, waterfall cardigans and elasticated waists — but this exercise has given me a timely reality check. Anything too tight or above the knee is a no-no, and the cleavage is a definite danger area.

So what’S the verdict?

Daily Mail, Wednesday, June 19, 2013

CyCleD about 25 miles wearing an old shirt and helmet I inherited from Dad. Not a good look, but this one’s all about comfort and safety

What was I thinking? I wore this Dorothy Perkins’ citrus dress to meet an old flame for dinner. What a dreadful sight — it triples my hip size. One for the charity shop

hMMM. I bought this red Karen Millen dress six years ago for a magazine launch and wore it out to a posh drinks do. It looks so dated, I could be an extra on Dynasty

a quIet day at home on the computer. I never work in pyjamas, so wore this burnt orange Benetton top, which looks nice with a tan. Cut-off trousers are fun and comfy

Met Mum for afternoon tea on a lovely day so this floaty cream dress was perfect. It covers a multitude of sins and is remarkably cool and easy to wear

a Day at york Races and an excuse to put my gladrags on — a four-year-old orange dress from Coast. What the hell. If you can’t take a risk at the races, when can you?

WORe these trousers and boxy Jigsaw jacket to do an interview — and they look dreadful. the jacket is more suited to edwina Currie. My least favourite outfit

I lOve this floaty pink top I bought in Mallorca last year — it’s fun and funky. Worn with M&S trousers and high shoes, I look stylish and age-appropriate

DReaDful. I wore this Debenhams jacket and M&S skirt to pitch for new business but it looks as if I’m stuck in thatcher’s eighties

the military-style Isme jacket looks like something Michael Jackson would have worn. It’s way too frumpy for me

ahh, I wear this M&S skirt too much, especially considering I bought it ten years ago. It’s too tight and screams out ‘cougar’

MaNageD a yoga class after work, in the world’s oldest jogging pants and vest. But who cares, yoga’s not about the look after all

My fRIeND persuaded me to wear this jade tasseled dress from h&M to a cocktail party. It’s way too short — I usually wear this as a top, not a dress — and while it’s fun, I have to admit with my wrinkly knees I look like mutton. Sad but true

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Your wardrobe’s full – but which outfits actually suit you?MaNdY aPPLeYard kept this diary for a month to find out