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How to avoid looking ridiculous in the shine trend

by Nicole Mölders
how to wear the shine trend over 40

For whom designers seem to design …

This season’s trends look like a homework in designing school to come up with the most unpractical and hard to pull off trends for the customers. An important sub-assignment was that these trends, of course, must look awesome on a size 0 or 2 skinny 5 ft 7 or taller twenty something manikin. Recall that

A manikin is a model of a woman. #fashionmodel Click To Tweet

Let’s be realistic. Even when we look at 40+ models, their bodies are quite different than those of most women, and us other gals over 40. Kate Moss (now 42), for instance, is 5 ft 7 (1.70 m) and 121 lbs (55 kg).

#fashionover50 midlife woman in shiny leather pants with a pop of color
Shiny leather pants in jeans cut, GNW Luxe cashmere wool sweater, Puma sneakers (all own), and India Hicks scarf c/o ambassador Tammy Gray

… doesn’t match who  can afford to buy clothes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average adult US woman is 5 ft 4 inches (1.63 m) and 166.2 lbs (75.4 kg). In Germany, the average weight and height of an adult women are 148.8 lb (67.5 kg) and 5 ft 5.5 inches (169 m) overall, and an inch taller when just considering German rural areas. Looking at Europe, women are typically taller in the North than in the South.

#fashionover50 midlife woman wearing shiny pants
Shiny leather pants, Kieselstein Cord belt, statement snake tail buckle, GNW Luxe sweater, Puma sneakers (all own), and India Hicks scarf c/o Tammy Gray

I could create a worldwide list, but these examples already illustrate the mismatch. The women the designer ought to design for and the women they use to show off the trends are as similar as apples and oranges. We have to conclude that
The models do not even represent the mean of the actual sample of women. #runway #fashion Click To Tweet
From a statistical point of view, the models are even more than a deviation from the standard! Sorry, there speaks the scientist in me. How can we tackle the problem?

First, let’s talk the pitfalls of shine

Shine draws attention to the body parts that are shiny.  At 40+, we all have learned that shine seems to add  pounds. This adding of pounds makes the models look better than their skinny self, while it can make us look heavier, which is percepted as unhealthy.

Every shiny fabric gives the illusion of a more heavier you. #style #fashion Click To Tweet
#maturestyle midlife woman in shiny pants
Back view on shiny leather pants, GNW Luxe sweater, and Puma sneakers (all own)

See how to wear the shine trend over 40

Here are my tips to solve the designer caused shine trend problem.

  1. Keep shine to just one or two items per outfit. Thus, avoid to shine on all burners.
  2. When you are on the right side of the mean weight, i.e heavier than the average woman, and at the same time, on the left side of the mean height, i.e. tinier than the average woman, try the following: Go for items that have shine just as an accent, e.g., a T-shirt with a shiny graphic print, a shiny pleated skirt (The pleats create vertical lines that give the illustion of height and may off set the “pounds added” by shine, a jacket with shiny trim, a brocade skirt or jacket with s shiny thread waved vertically thru them.
  3. The easiest way to get the shine trend right. Shiny patent leather pumps or clutches are the safest bet to add the shine trend.
  4. Keep your shine grounded. Shiny is a girl’s thing. Thus, pair a shiny silk blouse with menswear pieces to look work appropriate when wearing the shine trend. Another way to ground the shine is to go for a monochromatic look with shiny and textured items.
  5. Keep your outfit color-coordinated. Shine is a statement already. Thus, pairing shine with neutrals is a safe bet to look elegant, sophisticated and work appropriate in neutral colors like navy, brown, gray, black or even teal.
  6. Go for a neutral color shiny item. Pick a shiny item in a neutral color like silver, black, or champagne and pair it with just a pop of color (see OOTD).
  7. Fit and cut are key. Since any shine grabs attention, go for tailored items when buying the trend. Also stay away from anything shiny and tight at the same time. It is a recipe to visually add a few pounds, but 10 pounds. Who needs that? Not even Kate Moss!
shiny pants with a pop of color
Zoom-in on the outfit with shiny leather pants, Kieselstein Cord belt, statement snake tail buckle, GNW Luxe sweater, Puma sneakers (all own), and India Hicks scarf c/o Tammy Gray

It would mean the world to me when let your friends know by tweeting them to have a look at this post on how to wear the shine trend! Thanks. 🙂

Do you like the shiny trend? Have you jumped the bandwagon already or are still looking for the perfect piece? If so what did you pick and how do you style it? Which trend of the fall/winter season do you like the most? Which trend is your greatest challenge? Please let me know by email. I am curious.

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You may also like to read how to wear the ethnic trend or the 70s trend.

Photos: G. Kramm

© 2013-2019 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved

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