I like to dress trendy, to a point. Some of the current trends are great for women over 60. Like breezy midi dresses that come down past the knee, not to the floor. Swing dresses that don’t fit too snugly with comfy t-shirt fabric. Tunic tops that cover the bottom yet are made of summer linen-like material. Then top everything off with a jeans jacket for cooler evenings.

My goal is to dress classy as a 60+ woman whether dressing trendy or not. These suggestions will help you get that classy look without spending or changing much in your wardrobe.

Bra or Bra Straps Showing

It all started with the popular show Sex and the City where the main character had various colored bra straps showing on most of what she wore. This look became trendy but it’s not a classy put-together look. Neither is having a black bra or underwear show through your clothing.

I’ve found it’s best to buy a skin toned bra, in several strap types where straps can be manipulated to hide under your clothes. Automatically, you have a classier look if your bra or bra straps don’t show.

Sometimes bras don’t fit well, resulting in an overflow at the top, the bra itself stands out under clothing, or there’s back bulge. I’ve tried to fix this myself with size adjustments, but I might take advantage of help at a nice department store near me, where an expert can help me tackle this issue.

Scruffy Shoes or Rounded Shoes

Due to my 60 + foot issues, I can only wear flats. Flats that have a pointed toe, rather than rounded, can make a big difference on the classy meter. I don’t like overly pointy shoes, but slightly pointy works. Try comparing rounded to slightly pointy with your next outfit. What do you think?

I don’t particularly like buying shoes, so sometimes the ones I have get dirty, scruffy, or worn out looking. Polishing or cleaning can bring back their life. If they can’t be made to look good again, it’s time to drag myself out to shop for new shoes.

After a recent vacation where I did a massive amount of walking, I took a cleaning brush to my white tennis shoes. Happily, they look brand new again. No tennis shoe shopping needed for now.

I’m particularly bad about cleaning my boots in the winter. They get salt and grime on them from our snowy streets. This winter, I’ll try to do better.

Distracting Gawdy Jewelry

If you like costume jewelry, go ahead and complete your outfit with a bit of bling. There’s a fine line in overdoing it with accessories then slip right out of the category “classy.” Trust your instincts here to accessorize classy versus gawdy. Less seems to be more in the accessory arena.

I recently bought a fun bracelet on sale. It looks like it’s made of some sort of stone. When wearing it, I’ve noticed it upgrades my outfit. In fact, I’ve been noticing women wearing small groupings of bracelets lately. They instantly add a touch of class to dressy or casual outfits.

Too Baggy or Too Tight

I have both baggy and snug clothes in my closet. When I’m in the baggy stuff, I sort of disappear. No waistline, no bulges anywhere, and no style. In fact, when I view pictures of myself in baggy stuff, I look heavier. I love the baggy stuff for comfort. Classy or not, heavier, or not, I’m wearing them sometimes!

What about those clothing items I love but are too tight? When viewing pictures, a size bigger would be just right. Too tight of clothing makes me look heavier too! I’m not going to wear those sometimes. That is, until they fit properly.

If you desire a classy look, go through your closet to find the things that fit well without bagging out or clinging to every bulge.

Wrinkled Clothes

I’m donating my ironing board. It’s big and takes up too much space. I don’t use it, even when I probably should. What I’ve done to fix the wrinkle problem, is purchase a small inexpensive steamer for clothes.

I love this thing. It heats up in a minute and steams the wrinkles right out of anything. If it weren’t for my periodic sewing, where I need to press seams, I’d donate my iron and small ironing board too.

I feel better knowing I started out of the house with wrinkle-free clothes. It makes me feel confident that I look classy and with a steamer, it’s super easy to do.

Who do you know that is a classy dresser? Can you think of a time when they had their bra straps showing, they over accessorized, wore wrinkled clothing and their shoes looked like they got them out of their dusty basement? Probably not.

It doesn’t cost much to dress classy. Use what you already have and see if it builds your own confidence in how you think you look.

I’m very interested in your comments on classy dressing. Do you have any other ideas that would be helpful? Is dressing classy your style? What style do you like? Do you think these suggestions are silly? Or are there ones you’d like to try?