These Awesome 40+ European Bloggers Get Style Right

This edition of the Ageless Style Series features midlife European bloggers who share inspiring fashion. The European Community is too large to feature one awesome fashion and style blogger over 40 from each country. And, yes, of course, these countries have much more great 40+ fashion and style bloggers than just one. 🙂 My selection focused on providing an idea about the diversity of personal style that nevertheless is rooted in the respective country’s fashion and style culture.

Updated: 5/27/2021

Europe – A posh chic fashion metro-pole

Which fashionister or fashionista fail to watch the highlights and street style of Milano, Paris or London fashion week? Everyone interested in fashion knows Euro Chic style. However, there are various nuances to it. Interestingly, the Mediterranean countries use a lot of black in summer. The French women are known for their Je ne sais pas French Chic style. The British variation of Euro Chic relies heavily on wool. And yes, in the more continental eastern countries, outfits requires more layering in the very cold winters and light clothing in the very warm summers.

A Brief Overview on European Fashion History

Over the last 400 years or so, European fashion had been strongly interconnected with politics, industrialization, development of technology, science and art. All of them influenced the European countries’ culture of style. Prior to the Great War and WWII, the European public turned to the Courts and Rich merchants as well as industriels for fashion inspirations. Those in power tried to prohibit the lower classes to wear the clothing of the upper class. Thus, many sumptuary laws to ban everyday luxe for the commoners were made over the centuries.

After the Great War, the actors and celebrities of Hollywood and New York as well as in the European film capitals joined the Aristocates in being style icons. After WWII, Christian Dior and many others put Europe as one of the World’s fashion centers back on the map.

Many personal style directions have their origin in Europe. Against common believe, the Bohemian Style has its roots in Paris, and not in the Flower Power movement in San Francisco.

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The features below are in no particular order and don’t imply any ranking or whatever. I thank these chic ladies for their permission to use their photos.

Poland: Grażyna Wojdon from Nieco Starsza Dziewczyna

Grażyna Wojdon at Nieco Starsza Dziewczyna (slightly older girl) is a Polish fashion and style blogger in her 40s. She blogs in Polish, but even when the translator fails, her outfits alone are worth looking at. I love the great the classic Eastern European vibe of her looks. Due to the continental location of Poland, winter weather can have harsh cold days. Grażyna stands the elements in styled outerwear outfits. Her outerwear looks leave no room for winter boredom. They are all interesting and in tasteful colors that up the mood. She really knows how to style outerwear. Isn’t her outfit looking friendly?

Italy: Dan of Pretty Cute

Dan, the blogger at The Pretty Cute is an Italian style blogger in her early 50s. I love her confident Italian take on turning fashion into style while looking so classic, timeless Italian. Her style could have been the blueprint for the outfits in the 1987 romantic movie Moonstruck with Cher playing the main role. Well, Dan even beats Cher in cuteness. 😉 Don’t you think so?

Spain: Carmen Gimeno at Cocoolook

I have been a big fan of Carmen Grimeno’s blog Cocoolook since a while. In spring 2016, she turned from a blogger to instagrammer where I follow her now. She masters the style stretch from modern Bohemian to Euro Chic and always gets the look to the perfection. My favorite outfits of hers are those with unexpected combinations of classics (here the Glen check pants) with a bold color leather jacket instead of a blazer. So (Euro) chic. The Adidas sneakers are the icing on the cake. Pumps wouldn’t feel so right with the look. Don’t you agree?

Germany: Chrissie from Die Edelfabrik

As you may know, I lived in Germany for more than 38 years. I still have an interest in the latest in German fashion. Thus, I have bookmarked a couple of Ü30 – as the 40+ bloggers are called over there – German fashion and style blogs. The spectrum of what German 40+ bloggers wear is very wide. It seems that there is no such thing like a typical German look. No, the dirndl is just in the Alpine region. Thus, it is shared among the Bavarian, Austrian, and Italian Alps. However, even then, you can tell which region a dirndl comes from. Again, the reason for the diversity can be pinpointed to politics. Germany had been split into many states very often in her history.

Here I want to introduce you to Chrissie at Die Edelfabrik (the noble factory). She has great, unexpected color combinations (see above) that feel so right! She is also a master of mixing prints and/or patterns in such a way that her outfits look like she is wearing a dress (see collage at the top of this post). However, she did style the look from separates! Just amazing!

The Netherlands: Greetje from No Fear of Fashion

Greetje at No Fear of Fashion was one of the first fashion over 40 bloggers I had contact with when I started blogging. She has a unique way to make great fashion statements with her shoes. She has the most amazing shoes and probably one of the best edited shoe collections in the blogosphere. Greetje did the dress-over-pants look long before it became a trend. In her outfits, she isn’t shy either to go for bold color like here the hunter green. I also love her great posts on her European shopping tours. Paris, Turin, Amsterdam, Haarlem … you name it. Not to mention that Alkmaar makes for a perfect canvas for her bold fearless, great outfits. Two words – red bricks.

Czech: Martina from Elegant 40

Martina at Elegant 40 blogs just for fun and inspiration to share outfit ideas and creations in fashion and style. She focuses on clothing, makeup and hairstyles to be one great unit. Every outfit of hers is just such – like a piece of art. I like how she manages to style dresses in a unique personal way. She is the living proof that you can wear a dress many ways without looking like you wear the same outfit over and over again.

United Kingdom: Samantha Blair from Fake Fabulous

Of course, the United Kingdom or Great Britain at-large has been a fashion hot-spot since the Renaissance. It is a go-to for great fashion and style still today. Samantha Blair’s outfits at Fake Fabulous are color fireworks, beautifully arranged like a flower bouquet and wow worthy, well plain fabulous. An important element of her personal, very British style is comfort and mixing pieces from different seasons, style and/or occasional background or purpose, and getting it right! The photo above expresses what I mean. This beautiful summer dress seems so natural in this fall outfit as if it was designed for just that – fall.

Finland: Tiina from Elegance Revisited

Living in a cold climate region, Tiina L at Elegance Revisited needs to wear coats a lot and for a long time. She shows how to best fight winter outerwear boredom with bold colored coats that have a classic cut. Since she sticks to her personal most flattering colors she achieves a timeless personal style. Another big style element of hers are geometric pattern, especially stripes. You also can recognize her by her signature umbrella worn in summer.

La France: Shauna from Chic over 50

On the continent, Paris was the other big fashion and style center in the Renaissance. Today, French style seems to be about simplicity and quality. Historically, the British style used to be more relaxed, and simple than the French style at the Courts of Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Napoleon III.

When I lived in France in the 1980s, I loved the cool look of the French women of any age. What exactly makes this French vibe is so hard to point your finger at. What makes French women look so effortlessly chic? Shauna at Chic over 50 is the personification of the French Je ne sais quois? cool. On first thought, the items wouldn’t go together, but in the outfit, they feel so right together. Don’t you agree? How does she do that? Check the post at the link for how to get the ultimate French Woman Style.

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Wrapping Up

These style blogs introduced here are featuring western European style influenced by moderate oceanic climate. You may find more Euro blogs focusing on fashion suitable for continental climate in my post on Eastern European style.

Aren’t these ladies inspiring? I hope you enjoyed this fashion and style trip thru Europe. If so, why not taking your girlfriends on a ride? Let them know about this post via Twitter.

References

Döbler, Hannsferdinand, 1972. Kultur und Sittengeschichte der Welt – Kleidung, Mode, Schmuck. Bertelsmann Verlag, München, Germany.

Photos from these Ladies’ blogs with their permission.

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