You may, like me, already have had your summer panic moment. Perhaps you were getting ready to go out on a warm evening and you slipped on the thing you wore on these occasions this time last year, not thinking twice, assuming nothing will have changed. But Oh Lord… it definitely has.
In the nine months since you last tried on whatever it is (mine was a print dress), you look five years older. Suddenly the arms are too short, the front too low, the fabric too slippery, the colour too sugary, the ruching that looked so flattering now seems to be in the wrong place.
These moments are no fun at all, which is why it pays to take an inventory of what might just turn on you, and consider what you can do to avoid it.
Here are the summer clothes and accessories that can suddenly age you and some hacks to keep you on track. Hope it helps…
Ditch the kaftan
If there’s anything more ageing than a floaty beach cover up, I can’t think of it. A pop-over long shirt to wear on its own, or over shorts, is the fresher alternative and a pop-over towelling dress is this year’s cool and practical solution (no need for a beach towel) if you’re holidaying somewhere with a milder climate (too hot for the Canaries).
This summer wear: Boden’s notch-collared towelling dress (£98, boden.com) with elbow-length sleeves and a side split in a pink and red tile print is a classy alternative to the classic beach cover up. Otherwise towelling shorts like Boden’s smock waisted pair (£46) are fun to wear at the beach under a longer shirt.
Say no to novelty jewellery
It sounds Grinchy – why not the pineapple necklace and chili pepper earrings? But the answer is what used to look fun and quirky can look cheap and try hard now. Likewise, cat’s cradles of gold chain necklaces have made their way onto the Daughter’s Only list. Bold beats busy as you get older and you’re much better off with a simple sculptural necklace or earrings (though dangly chandelier earrings are also Daughter’s Only).
This summer wear: A strong link chain beats several dainty necklaces. Boden’s chunky T-bar gold chain necklace (£46, boden.com) is a good place to start and take a look at Sezane’s earring collection (from £50, sezane.com).
Eliminate the fussy
Fussy looks frumpy over 50 and, over 60, you’re easily tipped into Whatever Happened To Baby Jane territory. That ruffle-edged wrap dress; those lace-up espadrilles; spriggy embroidery; fringing; bows (unless so slim and floppy they’re more like substantial ties); a frill-trim on a swimsuit; multiple tiers on a skirt or, God forbid, a little pelmet skirt; all now come under the heading of Just Say No.
This summer wear: a single tier skirt is doable if you like a feminine flourish, as is a big puffy sleeve – just not worn together – fuller skirts need neater tops for balance.
Bin tropical prints
Too many bright colours all in one cartoonish print has a whiff of Florida retirement home. Make that in a highly flammable fabric with a bit of a sheen and you’re adding 15 years just like that. Likewise Indian block prints can drag you into boho territory that is no longer our best look.
This summer wear: sophisticated prints – botanicals or tile prints or stripes – in strong but not ultra bright colours, in a limited palette (three works well with florals). Flowers on a black background are the most grown up and versatile.
Avoid sorbet-coloured swimwear
Black is the fashionable choice until it starts to look hard against your skin. A floral print swimsuit is definitely on the Daughter’s Only list, as are light sorbet colours (too revealing).
This summer wear: dark blue, chocolate brown or khaki – all infinitely more flattering – and swap prints for colour-blocked swimsuits.
Rein in black
Summer black can look wonderful, but it has to be the right sort of black worn the right way and therein lies the problem. If it’s a little bit washed out, floppy, happens to be jersey or man-made satin, then it will look cheap and draining in the way only black can.
This summer wear: midnight blue – that shade that’s barely distinguishable from black but is a lot more forgiving and versatile (it works well with black accessories too). I have a dark blue cheesecloth, gathered, elbow-length-sleeve, long midi dress (£175, meandem.com) that I’m already wearing day and night.
Beware maxi dresses
Show me a woman who was a teenager in the Seventies and I will show you a woman who can never quite get out of her head the possibility of revisiting that Monsoon/Laura Ashley long summer dress.
In fairness to us, maxis have a lot going for them – comfortable, feminine, easy (no leg maintenance required) – but as someone who used to be a keen maxi wearer until a couple of years ago, I can confirm they need to be approached with extreme caution.
This summer wear: something slightly shorter. What makes all the difference is an ankle-revealing gap between hem and floor (which still gets labelled maxi in 2025). It’s a different look, not least because you can wear a counterbalancing plain flat sandal or chunky shoe. Keep the shape A-line, the top simple and fitted and no puff in the sleeves.
Determined maxi wearers should note that the leaner the line the better. See Coco Fennell’s garden tea dresses (£165, cocofennel.com).
Slip off your heels
A medium-high wedge is fine – they look best just visible under trousers or an almost long skirt – but actual high heels are out for all ages; they look either too formal or prissy, neither of which are helpful.
This summer wear: 2 to 2.5 inch block or kitten-heel sling backs for smart. The fact they’re sling back means you can get away with wearing black and darker colours, and you can walk in them.
Don’t sling on a little denim jacket
Sling on a bigger four-pocket denim jacket, or a khaki chore jacket or a little tan suede jacket, or a light blazer. Those cropped denim trucker jackets need to be passed down now.
This summer wear: Marks & Spencer’s lightweight cotton utility jacket with a stand-up collar in pale hunter green (£49.50, marksandspencer.com) and you have a khaki safari jacket and denim jacket in one.
Put away long print scarves
You might reach for these to liven up the neck of a jacket, but most scarves – unless they are cotton pocket handkerchief style, knotted at the throat, or fine wool in one block colour – are high up on the ageing list. Pretty much guaranteed to make you look older.
This summer wear: a light wool scarf. Avoid pale and pretty and try colours like burnt orange, saffron, dark yellow, olive green.
Keep your cardigan boxy
Cardigans don’t have to remind you of granny if they’re cropped and neat with chunky buttons in a colour that demonstrates its fashion cred (tangerine not royal blue).
This summer wear: a sleeveless sweater – the fresher option that will never look like something borrowed from your mum. You can always wear your old cardigan slung around your neck like a scarf.
Ensure hair is smooth and sleek
Back in the early Noughties we were all mad about a John Frieda product that gave you ‘just got out of the surf’ messy hair to match your T shirt and sawn off denim Daisy Dukes. Not anymore. Sun and salt frazzled hair (and the T shirt and shorts) is strictly Daughter’s Only; us grown-ups need hair that looks healthy and glossy, all the time.
This summer wear: your hair in a ponytail – it’s an instant polisher – plus a hat. The naturally gorgeous can afford to shove anything on their heads, but the rest of us look best in a baseball cap or a deep crown, medium brim hat (a wide brim tips you into ageing screen star territory along with XL sunglasses, and high-heeled sandals). If you go for a cap make sure it has a structured crown: it’s smarter, and makes that ponytail look swish.
Stash your black leather bag
Only because it might make you look stuck in a rut.
This summer wear: a tan or white or – my favourite in high summer – a striped jute bag (from £48, maisonbengal.co.uk). Instant chic.
