My friend, Karen, has been on a mission to update her wardrobe, so today I’m featuring some of her new finds.  She is 56, slim and looks great for this stage of life.  She’s a single mom and she has gone too long without updating her wardrobe, so it was time for some updates.  And now she’s thinking about venturing out to the dating world again, for the first time in 16 years.  She’s been watching me date and we have had many (funny!) conversations about that in the last year.  You just have to have a good sense of humor dating at this age!
Karen went shopping at Steinmart and bought a lot of new clothes and then she and I went out to TJ Maxx to fill in with updated shoes and jewelry for her new clothes. Â We found plenty to update her wardrobe and she is ready to go out now, dressed in style.
She found all these clothes at Steinmart. Â Her basics are 2 pair of pants, one in white and one in light gray, both skinny style (Brand is Earl Jeans Skinny Ankle). Â Karen recently got a haircut and added bangs, which I think look great on her.
She can mix up these tops with both pair of pants, along with skinny jeans too. Â This turquoise and green top is from Rafaella Studio. Â We pulled out all her jewelry along with some new pieces she found at TJ Maxx and the jewelry makes a difference too.
All shoes came from TJ Maxx as well and these jeweled slip on sandals will work with many things.
The light gray skinny pants mix well with this coral and white tie dyed fringed top (by BLEU).
We added some simple aqua jewelry in gold tones for accent.
Gold sandals finish out this casual outfit.
This red white and blue top (Nine West Jeans) also mixes well with the gray or white pants. Â She already had that bold coral necklace and it looks great with this top.
Pretty in blue and gold bracelets add a nice touch.
This blue and white striped top (Cha Cha Vente) skims over any problem areas and looks great with the white pants.
The coral necklace adds a nice contrast in color.
I love how jewelry can just make an outfit.
These neutral wedge shoes look great with white as well and they have an accent of gold. Â She can wear these shoes with many things.
A neutral maxi dress is next, with some pretty black and silver jewelry. Â This flowy dress is so pretty and feminine.
Karen already had this necklace which is a nice mix with the dress. Simple silver earrings are all that is needed.
Looking good for a night out! This dress is by V Cristina.
She picked up this pretty silver cuff bracelet at TJ Maxx.
Again, the neutral wedge shoes look great with this dress.
Karen is smiling from ear to ear with her new clothes, ready to get out there and show them off.
It’s fun to talk fashion with my friends too and I’m glad some of them are willing to be my models for this series.
Here are some women’s tops and shoes I spotted that I thought were pretty and a decent deal!
Karen looks fabulous! She will have no trouble attracting nice looking gentlemen.
She looks very nice and put together and the hair looks great! That coral necklace is wonderful! Would she mind sharing where she purchased it or if there’s a name? Thanks!
Karen is beautiful, such a lovely smile and such gorgeous hair. I have a story about online dating. (that’s why I signed my note amonymous, Rhoda will be one of few to sort-of know my secret, I guess). I received a gift from my previous husband, herpes. When I got the courage to try online dating, I discovered a site for people with this, HIV, etc. In my late 50s, with much trepidation, I signed up and posted one picture! I was so scared. In the “about me” section I noted I am a devout Catholic and live according to teachings of the Church. And if you don’t know what means for dating, perhaps you should pass on by. A few men wrote “good luck” which even now makes me laugh out loud. Three nice men did write with an interest and I finally went out with one. And God has blessed me with the best and most wonderful husband you can dream of. I never understood the statement “being married to my best friend” until we married. My children and my family love him and his family loves me.
So, for us, herpes really is a gift. Can you imagine? I don’t think God brought me to this, but He surely brought me through it, in a spectacular way.
I love your story, thanks for sharing. Congrats on finding love again!
I loved that post, too. I was divorced in my late 20’s with a young child. I can’t imagine trying to date now. It was difficult then, too. I have been married for 32 years this time. It is nice to be married to your best friend. I have a close friend who was dumped after 25 years. She fell victim to a scammer she met on line. He sounded too good to be true but she wanted it to be true. Fortunately that is over and she is dating a nice man now. I enjoy how transparent you are about this Rhoda and your friends, too.
Karen, I love your new hairstyle and how it frames your pretty face! You look great in the outfits! I know you had fun shopping with Rhoda, our fashionista friend! Blessings to you as you step out into the dating scene! Vicki
Rhoda I love these Fashion over 50 posts. You have the cutest friends. Also some interesting comments here about dating. I am 56 yr old curvy girl. I have been single for 12 years. I have had no luck with dating. I have been reluctant to go the on-line dating route. I have recently been contacted by someone I met through Facebook so I guess that is basically the same. Still reluctant meet him.
HI, Melly, it’s definitely not easy out there. I am not having much luck at all with finding the right fit for me. But, I’ll continue to be open to the possibilities and see what happens. Meeting someone is the first step, so why not do that, if it feels comfortable?
Karen looks fabulous!! She deserves the best… And they are out there. I found my soulmate in my 50’s!!
~Nancy from Arizona and not Ohio anymore!!