11 Style Swaps That Will Make You Look Younger While Also Looking Chic
And you can keep your chunky, white sneaks.
by The Candidly Team
If there’s one fear most of us can probably let go of this very instant without batting an eyelash, it’s that we’re dressing too “young” for our age.
The reality is that most of us are not out here in Daisy Dukes and chunky pumps or UGGs and mini skirts or low-rise Juicy suits (yes, all that stuff is back by the way). So we can just let go of that fear.
Because when we worry too much about trying to look younger, we often overcorrect. And we do it in small, subtle ways that make us dress in less flattering pieces and also to just have less fun with our clothes.
So how do we swap out those bad habits and choose things that make our natural, over-35 selves look our finest? Sure, maybe younger, but also just cooler? Chicer? More styled but with less effort?
We found 11 staple pieces that, when put on in place of certain items in our closet, do kind of Benjamin Button us. They fit. They flatter. They require zero thought.
So, let’s get to them, shall we?
1. The “Cool Girl” Tee
We’re starting with the most basic building block in our closet. Yes, some might call it boring, but think about how critical a t-shirt is to the daily act of getting dressed. And how silly is it that we choose ones that are so shapeless and meh and basically just make us look like beige rectangles? Behold this exact breed of sad tee.
And now for the swap to our new favorite, much, much better tee:
So why is this particular tee so superior to most, in general?
It’s whisper soft and thin so it doesn’t fall stiffly and add bulk.
It’s long enough to tuck but short enough to leave out and not look like a slob. The shape is very skimming and flattering both in and out.
The sleeve is sliiiiightly dropped, so it makes your shoulders look narrower unlike so many tees that cut into the thickest part of your arm and make you look like a linebacker.
It comes in every color you could want, so you could easily just own 3-4 of them and not really have to bother filling your drawers any with sub-par others.
We love the brand so much, we asked them for a code, and they gave us one for 20% off! Use THECANDIDLY20.
Price: $39
2. The Correctly Cut Jean Jacket
J. Crew New Classic Denim Jacket In Bianca Wash
We feel very obvious but also very true to our 80s and 90s upbringing when we say a jean jacket is cool. Cooler than a blazer. Or a windbreaker. Or whatever we call that weird puffy piece of outerwear we wear all the time just because it’s the only thing that semi-matches our outfit. But because a jean jacket is also classic, we can wear it with everything, and it will up-level any outfit.
But here’s the not-so-obvious bit. There’s a certain way a jean jacket has to fit for it to be really, really flattering. Don’t get scared, but you want one that’s a smidge cropped. The reason is it will make you look longer and leaner and will hit in a much better spot on your waistline.
Here’s an example. Take a look at one of us in an oversized sweater we actually love and reach for a lot, but that’s styled more for comfort as the length sort of swallows us up:
Now take a look at the length of the jean jacket. See how it makes legs look inches longer, and how the lines, proportions, all those fashion-y terms are just better?
In addiiton to the perfect shape, this jacket from J. Crew has some stretch, so we can move our arms with no restriction. A requirement.
Price: $138
3. The Smocked Summer Dress
J. Crew Clio Dress In Textured Gauze
Come hotter months, a part of us just wants to throw on a breezy, nothing dress that’s basically a muumuu and be done with it. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to make a spacious dress into the most flattering thing we wear in the summer. It’s called smocking.
Nothing is more flattering on curves. Nothing holds you in as well or gives you a lovelier hourglass. A good, smocked dress does all this, while still feeling like an airy, oversized t-shirt.
Take a look at your average, shapeless summer frock next to what might be perfection in sundress form.
See how it gives you more shape while still having all that gauzy coverage? Plus, the size range is amazing. And it also comes in black.
Price: $138
4. The Strapless Top and Maxi Skirt Combo
Free People Love Letter Tube Top and By Anthropologie Button-Front Midi Skirt
Ok, deep breaths. Because we’re about to bust two myths about what we should and shouldn’t wear after 40.
1. Say no to sleeveless: This is just plain wrong. We mistakenly think strapless things will be unflattering on our chests and arms when, in fact, they’re actually better on broad shoulders and all size boobs than most tees. Plus, they hold you in like shapewear, basically eliminating need for a bra, which means you’ll live in comfort.
2. Stick with solids and neutrals to look chic: We, of course, agree with this idea 87% of the time. But not to the degree that we’ll never wear a bold color or pretty print again. Especially when it comes in maxi skirt form.
Now, here’s why these two things work together. Proportions. A fitted bandeau (or fine, we’ll give in and call it a tube top) paired with a floaty maxi skirt will give you your absolute prettiest proportions.
Of course, you can do this with many combinations of skirt and top, but our Editor-in-Chief wore this exact ensemble out recently and got stopped 3 times to be asked where she got it. Take a look.
It’s our most joy-sparking summer uniform. We’re not taking rebuttals at this time.
Price: $38 for the top, $88 for the skirt
5. The Tank That Beautifully Frames Your Décolletage
Artfish Women's Sleeveless Tank Top
The time has come to replace our thick strapped, high-necked, meh-fitting tank tops with a version that’s actually gonna make us look good. We’d be remiss not to alert you about this $19 tank we found on Amazon that has all the elements we require in a perfect, perfect tank, and that many designers charge around $78 for. The ribbing, the scooped neckline, the skinny straps, all of it works together to frame your upper body in the most flattering way possible. It comes in a wide range of colors and sizes, and even in two lengths, so if you’re not into tucking, you can choose the shorter version and have it hit right at the top of your high-waisted pants. Like we said, perfection.
Price: $19
6. The French Girl Ankle Jeans
Anthropologie The Colette Cropped High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans by Maeve
We settle for too many bad pairs of jeans in our lifetime. And then, inevitably, each year, there’s a new shape that rolls along and forces us to ask ourselves, are we actually going to do this?
Some, are just outright bad. Exhibit A:
But others are a dream. Exhibit B:
A sailor jean isn’t exactly a budding trend. More like a longtime classic that’s been reimagined lately to have all the other things we require as real, curvy women. This pair from Anthropologie, for example, has that chic shape but also has plenty of stretch and support, so we feel sort of sculpted into them but also like we can breath. Swapping out any sad pair of jeans in our closet for these is maybe our easiest hack on this list for looking instantly styled. Not to mention a little French.
Price: $130
7. The Fitted Dress And Button Down Combo
Kule The Harlow and J. Crew Classic-Fit Gauze Shirt
Tight is another word we avoid pretty much the minute we exit our 20s. Yet, we miss out on so many sleek, elegant looks by shaming ourselves into thinking we look bad in anything fitted. There are many tricks we have up our sleeve to make us feel comfortable and balanced in a fitted midi dress, and this is maybe our favorite, especially when the weather gets warm. Choose something classic, like THIS striped midi dress from Kule (which, by the way, comes in incredibly nice ribbing that has just the right amount of hold and stretch). Then layer a light button-down over it. We love THIS gauzy, breathable one from J. Crew. You can leave it open or tie it at the waist or tie it round your waist. And there you have it, all the clean-lined chicness without an ounce of concern about a belly pooch.
Price: $54 for the dress, $89.50 for the shirt
8. The Exact Right Denim Shorts
Madewell The Curvy Perfect Vintage Short in Dewberry Wash
We have our own contentious relationship with shorts. Either we feel like we’re popping out of them Pillsbury-biscuit-dough-style, or we feel like we’re our 98 year-old-grandmother in culottes. There’s so little in between. But Madewell is doing spectacular things with shorts: the perfect length where you don’t feel self-conscious and an a-line shape that looks great on tummies and hips. Because none of us want to have to settle for something like this:
When we can have the balance of this:
Also, comes in plus.
Price: $78
9. The Petit Crossbody Bag
We love a “ludicrously capacious" bag as much as the next girl, but we admit there’s something carefree and youthful and unencumbered about carrying a small, chic bag that holds your essentials. THIS one from Clare V. feels like it was custom made for every woman we know, because in addition to being the petit version of our favorite everyday bag period, it comes in a sea of colors and textures and patterns that win over every woman we know. There’s something quietly genius about black and brown in that it matches everything. But we’re equally obsessed with black and white. Case in point:
There are also plenty of solids to choose from. And choosing just one is definitely the hardest bit.
Price: $335
10. The 90s Wide-Leg Pant
Madewell The Harlow Wide-Leg Pant in 100% Linen
If you’re asking how a pair of long, linen pants will make you look more youthful, point taken. But here’s the irony of it all. When you put on something tailored and classic, you can then pair it with all those things that typically get categorized as “younger,” “cooler,” or “trendier” and still look balanced and not like you’re trying to look younger.
Take these pants for example. Because they’re drapey and chic, you can wear them with a tight tank, a cropped jean jacket or a literal baseball cap and still look put-together. Just in a much more interesting way.
Also, they’re so flattering, we bought them in white.
Price: $88
11. The Admittedly Trendy Sneaks That Feel Like A Cloud
The minute we hit 35, comfort edged out beauty where our feet were concerned. So the fact that gloriously cozy, white tennis shoes are considered in fashion is one trend we wholeheartedly support. We wear these heavenly sneaks with jeans and skirts and dresses and trousers in place of sandals and heels and ballet flats, and we especially love how it gives us that little hint of high/ low that makes us seem like we know what we’re doing when it comes to clothes.
And just to further prove how we follow our own rules, here is one of us recently on vacation, wearing like 6 of the concepts we wrote about today, including the sneaks. Can you spot the rest?
Price: $100
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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