I can’t remember the year I became a crow.
It must have happened over time because it never occurred to me that something was missing in my closet full of black dresses, pants and tops, with a few oversized white shirts breaking up the monotony.
I recall that at a certain age, my mother’s wardrobe consisted entirely of white shirts and black pants.
She didn’t have much of a choice.
The youth-obsessed fashion world had relegated seniors to house dresses and fuzzy slippers for a while.
Nothing says “you’re old,” like a muumuu dress or a closet full of dresses fit for a funeral.
Thankfully, the dowdy trend appears to be changing.
Older women are showing up on runways as models for women who have the resources to dress in the latest styles, from head to handbag.
I’m also beginning to see older women looking just as chic on the street.
One day last summer, I was walking down Michigan Avenue, and this stylishly dressed woman was walking toward me.
She was wearing a loose-fitting garment made of linen or cotton (I’m no expert), but the garment flowed.
Everything from her silver hair to Mary Janes said, “I’m here, and I have it going on.”
As she glided past, I resisted the urge to whisper: “You are rocking that outfit.”
Melanie Whaley, owner of Essential Elements, a popular boutique on the South Side founded in 1987, has a loyal clientele that attracts such women.
Women older than 50 are more wealthy, healthy and active than any previous generation, according to experts who monitor spending habits.
“My older customers are retiring and redistributing their money to take on a more classy look,” Whaley said. “These are women who loved fashion. We used to think that dressing up meant having a suit on or a skirt and a jacket and that your handbag had to match your shoes.”
Whaley added: “We pulled them out from feeling like they needed to dress in a corporate [style] with suits and brought them into a more artistic style of dressing.”
“Once clients got so many compliments on their individuality, they realized they had a more individual look than they could get at a department store,” Whaley said.
She’s right about that.
After shopping at Essential Elements, I had to rethink my entire wardrobe.
Barbara Bates, a celebrated fashion designer and philanthropist, agrees that designers are taking note of seniors. She defines seniors as those 55 and older.
“So many of my clients are seniors,” she said. “I agree with the latest cliché that ‘50 is the new 30’ because of the products and procedures that have been developed.”
Bates added that her mother didn’t have the same lifestyle she had.
“My mother and her mother weren’t talking about going to some exercise classes,” she said. “They would have run a trainer away from their doors.”
Bates said her generation is more informed about ways to stay healthy.
“We still want to be in the running and have a seat at the table,” Bates said. “We also have more money. My clients are mature women, and they have been able to keep me relevant. They are still shopping. We are not going down without a fight.”
So don’t count us out.
We’re done with being crows.
