Yes, You Can Age Gracefully -- and Fashionably

Barbara Walsh is 75 years young and likes stylish clothes.

She isn't trying to impress the editors at Vogue, but she's tired of going shopping and finding the "same senior uniform -- pants and top."

Walsh is sick of leaving stores empty-handed and wants to know where she can find age-appropriate clothes that don't make her look -- and feel -- old and matronly.

"Age is a passage of time; it doesn't affect how I feel," says the New Port Richey resident, who enjoys traveling and going to the theater. "I don't want to dress old. I want to be elegant, but age-appropriate."

During our conversation, Walsh asked if I'd seen the 2005 movie "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," because its star, Joan Plowright, who is 79, has a style of dress Walsh finds appealing. Plowright, who plays Mrs. Palfrey, wears lots of skirts, suits, pearls and colorful scarves.

"She's very stylish, but she dresses her age," Walsh said. "Her clothes fit well, and they match her personality."

I took Walsh's fashion concerns to Sherrie Mathieson, a style consultant and author of "Steal this Style: Moms and Daughters Swap Wardrobe Secrets" (Clarkson Potter, $22.95).

As women age, it becomes trickier for them to choose outfits that are modern, stylish and age-appropriate, Mathieson says. But women can age gracefully and intelligently through their wardrobe selections.

The key is to bridge timeless and trendy by combining classic, enduring core pieces with a variety of styles and accessories that reflect what's in the pages of the latest magazines.

"As you age, you must buy the best quality you can afford," says Mathieson, 63, a former costume designer. "Your skin ages, and it needs to be bolstered by better fabrics, such as good cottons or good cashmeres. Pay more attention to classic clothes, but do it with a twist so it doesn't look boring."

Mathieson said woman shouldn't shop their age, they should shop by fashion, personality and body type.