Turning 50 a decade ago, I felt mortified. Working in the ever-youthful fashion industry the pressure to be young went hand-in-hand with being “relevant”.
Fast forward to now, and I’ve just hit 60. I’m still working in fashion PR and I’m staggered by how different I feel. Overlook me if you wish, but this is who I am: more confident, more fabulous, and more free.
The menopause is a distant memory now. I can knock back cocktails without suffering teeth-shattering headaches, I know my style, and where to go for the best tweakments and I have finessed a cabinet full of the most effective skincare products.
Earlier this year I lost my father which was a wake-up call. I realised life is no dress rehearsal, and so with a now-or-never attitude, I started party planning to mark my entry into what I’m calling, the sassy 60s.
My husband and my two 20-something-year-old children were at the top of the guest list, and I booked a fabulous family house on the beach in the south of France. Luckily my birthday, on Aug 1, fell in the height of the French summer and we decided to host the “Fete de Marie-Louise” with an open invite to friends and family.
I set a dress code – inspired by photographer Slim Aarons and 1970s pool parties – and 40 of my closest friends from all over the world came to celebrate me. It was a night I will never forget.
Since the big birthday bash, I’ve held on to many of the positive lessons I’ve learned from turning 60. Here are some tips and changes I’ve adopted that turned this milestone birthday from something to dread into something to celebrate.
1. Know your style and nod to the trends
After decades of working in fashion, and more recently sharing my looks on my Instagram account @mrsmlmode, I know my style and what looks good on me; tailoring, denim and block colours. I can accentuate my best points now – small waist, long legs and height – so I’m confident when it comes to my fashion choices.
If I want to inject some youthful energy into my outfit then I’ll take a small part of a fashion trend such as a waistcoat and determine how to make it work within my personal wardrobe.
My favourite “trend” of the moment is the three-piece suit, which you can wear in so many ways, mixed together or separate giving you a great bang for your buck. Jigsaw and LK Bennett do excellent tailoring but for a similar price, you can get something more unique from lesser known labels such as Aspiga or Celia B.
Cotton jacket, £245; vest, £127; trousers, £146, all Celia B
2. Engage in cross-generational dressing
I wanted to look ageless on the big day, so I picked a “young” dress label that my daughter and nieces are equally obsessed with. It’s called House of CB and they have a flagship store on London’s Oxford Street. They have a vast range of styles to suit all body shapes and ages – from body-con maxi dresses to Bridgerton-esque statement pieces, and the prices are good, around £150.
I bought the Carmen bustier sundress in a soft vintage light blue floral print. It has a flattering corset bodice which you can cinch in with lace ties at the back, and a swirly skirt to deliver just the right level of feminine sass. Sure enough, my daughter nabbed it to wear to the birthday party that night which suited me fine as my vintage yellow maxi dress from a Madrid flea market fitted the Slim Aarons dress code better.
Cotton dress, £169, Celia B; Leather espadrilles, £139, Penelope Chilvers; Basket bag, £345, Lulu Guinness
3. Calculate your cost per wear
I can now confidently justify an investment buy with the “girl math” calculation of cost per wear. My daughter, Angelica, has a very similar body shape to mine, and we both love designer denim labels like Citizens of Humanity and Paige. For the design, cut and high-quality fabric, I’ve found over the years that designer denim is always worth the investment.
I’ve had this denim maxi skirt by Essentiel Antwerp for years and Angelica seems to want to share it on an almost weekly basis. I’ll be doubling it up with an oversized shirt, and adding a blazer for an elevated look, or relaxing things for everyday with a logo sweatshirt and trainers. If you don’t have a daughter, buddy up with a girlfriend who has a similar-shaped body and start crunching the numbers before making future purchases.
Denim shirt, £260, Citizens of Humanity; Denim skirt, from a selection, Essentiel Antwerp; Boots, Marie Louise’s own
4. Get an investment haircut
It’s been years since I had an investment haircut and with my big birthday on the horizon I booked in with the legendary Michael Van Clarke, famous for his diamond hair cutting technique.
My fine straight, fine hair has little body. There’s not much I can do with it apart from tie it back into a ponytail when it needs a wash. Michael suggested long layers, in a rock-chic style.
His technique of cutting hair dry gives greater accuracy creating a look in line with how your hair naturally falls.
I left with loads more volume and shaggy long layers which are easy to style at home. A few years ago I switched up my colour with a balayage, replacing highlights for this softer effect. I go to Josh Wood, the leaders in colour and see Chivraa Alongi, one of the youngsters there who is a whizz when it comes to honey brown hues.
5. Consider some tweakments
I was very late to the tweakment party and had my first anti-wrinkle injection when I was 56. It was just after the 2020 Covid lockdown was lifted and I was lacking confidence and looking tired, when I got invited to a glitzy beauty event.
Everyone else looked dewy and youthful and when I was given a goody bag of samples for mature skin, I took it as a sign.
A friend recommended The Cosmetic Skin Clinic in London W1, which offers a wide range of tweakments from energy based treatments to injectables. Dr Matthew Jarvie Thomas advised a combination of treatments which included Sculptra, a collagen stimulating injection that gradually lifts, plump and smooths. It lasts for up to two years, and gives a more natural looking result than fillers.
Now I receive loads of compliments on my skin. Just before my big birthday, I wanted a skin refresh, so I went to The Ardour Clinic in Marylebone. There was just enough time for the anti-wrinkle injections to kick in and smooth away the fine lines. I also had a bespoke, medical facial which combined ultrasound, radio frequency and a hydro peel. My skin looked radiant.
6. Get a Fitness buddy
Finding the time and motivation to exercise gets harder the older you are, but finding a fitness buddy helped me back into a form of exercise I always loved, yoga. I had given it up in my late 40s as it triggered migraines and chronic headaches, so I switched to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and jogging for a bit.
I missed the flexibility and joint mobility yoga gives you. Having sorted out the headaches my great friend Victoria Woodhall got me on the mat again four years ago, and I haven’t looked back. She lives around the corner, and three times a week we catch-up for a natter and head to Sangye Yoga School in Notting Hill for Mysore, an Ashtanga self-practice series. It’s so much more fun with a friend and I love the serenity and community of this little West London studio. My body has never looked and felt so good thanks to the excellent strengthening, stretching of yoga. No urgent, last minute beach body conditioning was required for the big birthday.
Sports bra, £65 and leggings, £110, Vuori; Leather trainers, £118, Woden
7. Enjoy a cocktail
For most of my 50s I suffered from chronic headaches, triggered by the menopause and stress. It has been tough, and I found the biggest trigger was alcohol. I stopped drinking at the age of 47. I have never been a big drinker but it does make a party more fun. Anxiety stepped in and I’d struggle to enjoy social situations.
Now my headaches are much better, thanks to my hormones being more settled, and specialist injections for migraines from Dr Hoffman at Kings College Hospital, I can now drink the occasional cocktail and it’s complete heaven. To be able to enjoy a delicious drink with friends and family again has re-opened a whole new social world. This year I enjoyed the Notting Hill Carnival for the first time in aeons, sipping rum cocktails and dancing in the sun. I feel like me again.
Follow Marie Louise at @mrsmlmode and www.mlpr.co.uk
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