In your 50s it can become a case of what not to wear, more so than what to wear. Here’s a look at how to make your wardrobe stylish, comfortable and befitting of your intelligence and experience.
Out With the Fads
Think quality over quantity and invest in items that will last the test of time rather than trending or fad designs. There’s also little point to holding on to items from years long gone in the hope that they’ll come back into fashion. Revivals, like shell suits, bucket hats and dungarees are usually for the younger generations, so give this a miss.
Sling the Sneakers
Sneakers and Converse can go from cool in your former years to suggesting a man clinging onto his youth when he’s in his 50s. For footwear, try non-branded alternatives that are on the border of the sneaker/shoe divide.
Camo and combats
Youthfully styled combats and baggier trousers with numerous zips, pockets, and other decoration need to go. Camouflage print has also seen its day. Trousers are best kept simple, so think smart casual for an understated appeal that’s more classic than preppy.
Dad Friendly
When browsing online, anything that prefixes an item with ‘Dad’ is used ironically. Those ‘dad jeans’ and ‘dad blazers’ are a bandwagon you should let pass by. There’s also little point to holding on to items from years long gone in the hope that they’ll come back into fashion. Revivals, like shell suits, bucket hats and dungarees are usually for the younger generations, so give this a miss.
What to Wear
When it comes to footwear, go for a shoe/trainer mix, with a rubber sole and a leather upper for comfort and versatility. To pad out your footwear collection, try deck shoes, monk straps, Chelsea boots, and loafers, all of which Colin Firth at 58 has been able to pull off effortlessly.
To add a dash of color, try expanding your wardrobe’s palette with different tones of roll-necks and sweaters. Sweatshirts can be understated but age-appropriately casual, so check out the likes of the men’s Farah sweatshirt at www.ejmenswear.com/men/farah/sweatshirt for comfort and style whatever your age.
Our suggestion is to hold things in the trouser department easy and simple, with a casual/formal margin – that’s fashion speak for more at ease than a suit trouser but more fit to be seen than a pajama. We are pondering here of a classic jean cut made in an expensive material, as conflicting to denim, or a chino that has an anxious vibe and isn’t very box-fresh or classy. A credo to adopt across your whole wardrobe is that less is more. Now that the time span to chase the vogues which have indebted come to an end, it is better to have a chosen number of investment things that charge a bit more and will endure than a landfill of inexpensive options.
Chinos are a good alternative to the too-casual combat or too-formal pressed trouser suit. Keep the length hitting your foot, and try fabrics with a bit of stretch for movability. Opt for fitted or tailored jackets that can give a smart finish. Softer fabrics for blazers provide a gently casual edge if you don’t want to appear overly formal, while also being very comfortable.
