Too many people in society believe that older women aren’t interested in fashion or that mature women should stick to boring, conservative clothing in neutral shades.

Luckily, more and more mature women are changing these ideas, including today’s guest, Josephine Lawlan, former image consultant and owner of her own website, Chic at Any Age. Josephine speaks with Margaret about how mature women are changing these ideas every day.

I Don’t Have Anything to Wear!

Who hasn’t looked into their closet and thought “I don’t have a single thing to wear!”? Josephine says that most of us have plenty of clothing options, we simply need to think outside the box.

She demonstrates her point by showing off a leather jacket, which can be worn in the traditional manner with a white t-shirt and jeans, but why not mix it up by pairing it with navy A-line midi-skirt and a cream or white pussycat blouse?

White Shoes: You Love Them or Hate Them

Your choice of footwear will vary tremendously, regardless of which outfit you choose. Josephine loves her white Adidas tennis shoes while Margaret says she’s never, ever owned a pair of white shoes!

White tennis shoes are the current funky fashion you will see all over Instagram, but if you don’t like white or dislike tennis shoes, that’s fine. Most women either love their white tennis shoes or they hate them. There is no right or wrong. When it comes to shoes, as long as you are comfortable wearing them, then whatever shoes you choose to wear are the perfect ones.

Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Different Items

Margaret mentions how she once saw an outfit that paired a black and white striped top with a deep colored, large floral print skirt. She says that she never would have thought to mix those two patterns and perhaps not all patterns would work together, but in this case, it was a beautiful pairing.

She demonstrates with a floral kimono and black and white striped pants and Josephine agrees- it was a good match!

Think of Dressing Down Your Dress Up Items

One way to spice up your wardrobe is to “dress down” items that you usually reserve for dressy occasions. For example, a classic cut Armani jacket with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Alternatively, you could take an everyday denim jacket and combine it with a more upscale type of formal dress and heels.

Go Extreme with Colors

You can also add an unusual splash of color to make your outfit stand out. The same navy Armani jacket that was mentioned earlier, paired with perhaps a purple or red scarf or orange beret will cause people to take notice.

Josephine demonstrates how you can take a pair of plain white pants or a plain white dress and put a sheer red leopard print blouse over the top and create a dramatic statement.

Don’t Forget Accessories

You can take the most basic top in a solid color and add a chunky necklace or a sparkling brooch and create something that can’t be overlooked.

Other unusual touches that can be used to create funky new fashion include leopard print anything, wide knit hair bands in bright colors, and brooches or pins placed in unusual spots, such as on hats or jacket collars.

Margaret and Josephine talk about current trends and how they have used wardrobe items to create new looks, when you watch this video, you will wish it was much longer!

What are your favorite mix and match wardrobe items? Are there any prints that you feel should not be worn together? How many pairs of white sneakers do you own, and would you wear them with dressy outfits? Tell us your favorite funky fashion mixes and join in the conversation!