One of the new popular spring trends that have been forecasted is the short cardigans. If you really analyze how styles have been changing over the last couple of years, it only makes sense that we will see more short cardigan outfits.
More about that and how Lesley styled her look below.
Quote of the day: “Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein
This quote should make you stop and think. Why? Because we “think” we know which clothing styles look good on us and how to get dressed by this time in our life.
Yet getting stuck with the same ole clothing styles, colors, and pieces year after year can give off the “frumpy” concept.
Instead, what if you use your imagination and be a tad brave by trying some of the spring trends that I just wrote about. You can also see gingham styled and crochet as we embraced the spring trends.
Insider tip: Having fun with the styles of the new seasons can make you feel young and hip!! And don’t worry if you have already worn these trends in the past. Everything comes around again, and that’s a good thing.
It’s great if you kept some of these older styles from before, but sometimes it’s even better to splurge on a new item from time to time. The materials can change over time and make them easier to wear.
Lesley decided to style a short cardigan outfit as one of the spring trends. This isn’t the first time this style has been showcased on the blog, so keep scrolling to see many other articles where they have been worn.
Shorts: Chicos~~ Cardigan: purchased online~~ Top: Charter Club~~ Shoes: Walking Cradles c/o ~~ Scarf: no label ~~ Purse: purchased at Bealls
Short Cardigan Outfit for the Zuchini Shaped Woman
Lesley is the one who said her shape is more of a zucchini. And I’m sure many of you can relate. The menopausal years have added to the waist area so the usual thinking is to hide it away.
Yet, I applaud Lesley for taking this spring trend head-on and creating a fabulous look that is purely brilliant.
In fact, let me quote Lesley about this particular short cardigan outfit that she wore this day. “Yes, I have a short waist. I also have a roll of fluff at/above my waist. Cropped tops are not a style that I can buy into. I’d rather have a top that skims this area rather than stops right there.
Yet by wearing a bottom that is loose, I let the sweater sit right at my waist and give a slight hint that I DO have a waist.”
There are many reasons this look is wonderful. The one that Lesley touches on with her words above is the fact that instead of always trying to “hide” the area we don’t like, you can use other tactics.
Therefore, Lesley has “created” a waist by having the short cardigan hit at the area. Since there is a change of color and contrast there, your eyes “see” a waist.
In fact, many women with a thickening or short waist think they can never wear belts. And I think Lesley and Nancy have proven that wrong many times.
Related posts: Short waisted woman wearing a belt
White fit and flare dress with a belt
Can Older Women Wear Shorts?
The saddest thing I hear from women is how they feel limited about clothes to wear once their bodies have changed over time. Honestly, I understand because we are inundated with photoshopped pictures of “perfect” women, and we feel intimidated that we can’t compete with that.
Yet our bodies have changed throughout our lives. So why should these changes be considered “bad” and need to be covered?
Yes, we have scars, wrinkles, veins, and crepey skin. Have you ever analyzed WHY that is considered bad?
The answer to the question above is only the youth-driven society that we’ve gotten caught up in. Slowly and surely it’s changing, but the first thing we need to do to make it aging-friendly is CHANGE OUR OWN MINDSET.
We tend to be the first ones who judge us and others that someone that age shouldn’t wear this or that. OR that our bodies are ugly because of these changes.
Insider tip: The secret to a happier life is to practice gratitude. (We use this gratitude journal to help). And with that comes loving our bodies even with the changes you aren’t happy about. It’s extremely freeing to have a positive mindset and not be limited by beauty standards that don’t make sense.
Therefore the answer to can older women wear shorts is a resounding yes. The length of your shorts is dictated by your comfort level.
Insider tip: Can’t find shorts with the inseam you prefer? Cut off a pair of pants (or have them altered by a professional) to make them the length you want. Lesley has done this in the past to make cropped pants. And there’s no reason you can’t do it for shorts.
The Extras For the Short Cardigan Outfit
As I said above, there are many details of this look that make it look intentional and fabulously chic. Both my mother and I were in love with this yellow color, but Lesley was not as enthralled. She purchased it online and isn’t too happy with the shade of yellow.
However, she uses a fabulous secret to incorporate her “better” colors near her face by grabbing one of her many scarves and using it as a fabric necklace.
Then she even mirrors a couple of those same colors from the scarf with her bracelets.
Insider tip: Using these tricks with our accessories, takes an outfit that looks thrown together into one that is more intentional.
Color and Style
After Lesley told me that she didn’t love this color after ordering it online, it reminded me that color is the one aspect of online shopping that is very subjective. In fact, it’s the one detail that you just can’t count on when searching online.
Heck, even in the stores, the lighting can make some colors look different than you think they are.
You may be wary about online shopping but it’s truly part of the future of shopping for so many reasons. In fact, if you have signed up for my emails, then you know I’ve shared a document about how to make it more successful. (If you need me to share it with you again, feel free to email me).
Becoming more comfortable with online purchases makes shopping much more fun and successful.
Insider tip: Don’t be afraid to order from different stores than you normally frequent. This will create a much more interesting closet and you won’t look like you stepped from the pages of only one store’s catalog.
In fact, one of my favorite white blazers is from BooHoo (a site you might consider a “young girl’s” store.) The secret is to make sure you know the return policy BEFORE you fall in love with anything.
Loafers and a Neutral Purse
These are not the first time that Lesley has worn these loafers. They are the newer style of Walking Cradles loafers called the Winnie 2 (search for Winnie 2 to find them). These are the almond nubuck version, but they also just came out with the gorgeous multi leather version.
You can see how Lesley styled these with a dress last fall, yet they can work wonderfully for the springtime too. The neutral color is always a great way to keep the focal point on a different aspect of the outfit. In this case, the beautiful yellow cardigan and colorful scarf catch your eye.
Insider tip: The rule about matching your shoes to your purse is long gone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Just make sure there is a focal point somewhere in the look.
Short Cardigan Outfits
Of course, your definition of a short cardigan may vary since “long” and “short” are very subjective. While many of the runway’s short cardigan outfits used more of the cropped sweaters for their examples, I think just the fact that we are going shorter makes our choices look modern too.
Not that the long cardigans won’t be fashionable once the weather cools down again, but the fact we are seeing higher waisted bottoms PLUS the warmer weather makes the short cardigan outfits very functional.
Other times we have concentrated on short cardigan outfits:
1-Wear them with a dress
2-Style them backward
3- Worn 3 ways
4- Creative styling 5 ways
My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Charlotte, Lesley, and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun?
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Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
It’s not just about me on this blog, but also my mother and friend. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.
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