We tested stylists' tips for dressing in your 50s & taking years off your age – here's whether they work | The Sun

FASHION has lots of room for personal tastes, but stylists say there are rules to follow if you want to look younger than your age.

But tips for achieving a more youthful look differ depending on who you ask – so which ones do the trick?


My 55-year-old mom always had an affinity for dressing stylishly.

Whether it was accessorizing with gold jewelry at 18 or adding colorful clutches at 50, her appreciation for fashion never wavered.

But as you get older, your classic looks can start to feel a bit worn. Heels transition into flats, while tight dresses become boxy.

It's easy to get caught in a routine of wearing baggy clothing when you have more of a need to dress comfy.

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So what do you do? Do you give in to the concept of dressing according to your age? 

Style experts on YouTube say no: You can use simple tips to adjust your wardrobe and prioritize comfort but look years younger.

Leonie from The Style Insider, Dominique Sachse, and Erin from Busbee Style have all posted YouTube videos offering advice on how to look 10 years younger when you're over 40.

Based on all three women's instructions, I created five different outfits for my mom to try and see if they worked.

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LOOK #1: BELTED SLIP DRESS

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A baggy black slip dress is transformed into a younger look by adding a belt, green bag, neutral overcoat, and platform shoe

For the base of the first look, I decided on a long black slip dress my mom just recently got from H&M.

The dress on its own fits loosely from the chest down to the ankles.

Erin from Busbee Style explains how easy it is for older women to gravitate toward the oversized, baggy look because they typically want to cover their bodies.

"But what you can do instead is pick a more modern silhouette, and pick one that fits and flatters your body," she says.

Leonie from The Style Insider agreed with this, advising women to add some shape to their outfits – and she says the best way to do that is with a belt.

"If you don't like feeling like you are cinched in at the waist… then wear a slightly longer-line piece that just skims your body over the top," she adds.

Following Erin and Leonie's tips, I used a gold chain belt to cinch the dress in the middle and paired the slip with a neutral overcoat.

Dominique Sachse explains in her video that an all-black outfit is never good.

"Now, black is tricky. It can be really harsh against skin tone that gets lighter and more ashy when we age, and it can accentuate the hollows under the neck, and under the eyes," she explains.

Leonie urges viewers to always add colorful accessories, saying: "This is such an easy and cost-effective way to give your seasonal outfits a little bit of a modern, fresh, youthful edge."

So, for accessories, I added a pop of color with a green bag.

The shoe choice was influenced by one of Erin's recommendations.

"The footwear choice is a huge deal when it comes to dressing and looking younger," she says, adding that viewers should find a shoe that's comfortable but still trendy.

Since platforms are hitching a ride with the current Y2K trend, I decided to go with a chic black platform sandal to complete the first look.

LOOK #2: YELLOW PATTERNED DRESS

This second look definitely had the color Dominique and Leonie are looking for, but the tricky part was finding the right pattern.

Erin emphasizes the difficulty behind finding and wearing the right print, admitting: "Finding a sophisticated, modern, youthful print is incredibly hard."

Instead of going for an oversized, blown-up print, Erin says you need to find one that's small-scale.

And let me tell you, this was not easy.

Focusing on the perfect patterned dress that had color, and again cinched in the waist, I landed on this yellow and white option.

Combining these three style tips didn't do the trick. Because patterns pose problems, I wouldn't recommend trying to do all three tips at once.

In this case, a solid black option may have been better than this cinched yellow patterned pick.

However, the pop of purple in the comfy kitten heels from Zara did add an unexpected color pairing that turned out beautifully.

Leonie recommends trying to do this more.

"Some of these unexpected color combinations are really gorgeous. They're perhaps color combos you haven't thought of before, but pairing some of these unexpected colors can actually give you a really modern, youthful look," she says.

And the gold clutch sprinkled some spice too.

LOOK #3: PURPLE MAXI DRESS

Still staying away from an easy all-black look, I dressed my mom in another long H&M dress, but this time a lavender option.

The purple dress paired with the magenta heels gave way to a continued monochrome trend and complimented her skin tone.

For this look, I added sunglasses.

In Dominique's video, she suggests avoiding long rectangular frames that sit low on the face.

"They only draw attention to the hollows under your eyes. Horn-rimmed, tortoiseshell especially, I'd be wary of," she points out.

Leonie agrees that updating your eyewear is key because it's easy to get left behind in pairs that used to be popular.

A pair of black cat-eye sunglasses it is!

These glasses brought a youthful, fun feel to what could be considered a more conservative style dress.

LOOK #4: A TROUSER MOMENT

A pair of black H&M trousers were the star of look number four.

All three stylists urge viewers to highlight their silhouettes and refrain from wearing pants that cut the mid area off.

Although the trousers are baggy, the fit sits nicely along the top of the hips, adding dimension to the whole outfit.

The gray blazer broke up the black in the pants and bag but also added a trendy business-chic vibe.

I switched up the black sunglasses for a fresh pair but kept the color in the shoe.

This look was my mom's favorite as it left her feeling on point in recent fashion trends.

LOOK #5: JEANS AND A LEATHER JACKET

For the final look, I combined all three women's denim tips with their jacket advice.

"I just find that jeans are a wardrobe essential," Leonie says.

Even though jeans are a staple wardrobe item that can be worn over and over again, she explains that they do need to be updated.

Leonie recommends updating your jeans to an indigo pair for a modern look that automatically feels more youthful.

Erin says: "Ditch the dated jeans."

And Dominique pushes for viewers to add ankle jeans more than any other pair.

"I personally love high-rise jeans because they really elongate the leg and they prevent muffin top," she adds.

For my mom, a high-rise option wasn't accessible, so we settled for a mid-rise pair that did the trick.

The cuffed ankle-length jeans were the perfect fit to flatter the body.

The jacket was a no-brainer once Erin made it clear that they should always hug your frame rather than stretch it out.

Leonie points out that outerwear should also be updated, which means I needed to make sure it was a trendy style – and this leather biker jacket was an excellent choice.

Not only was this final look comfy and cute, but my mom even mentioned how this was worthy enough to be a go-to look.

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