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!
Love your choices, Karen. You look great!
Karen looks great! Those jeans fit so well! You are a beautiful girl! Now get out there!
Karen is beautiful all decked out! I bought the tie dyed shirt with fringe in Greenville Stein Mart & took back here as too much fringe on my petite self but I got another one that pulls on one side and is longer. It flatters my smaller waist. My favorite look on her is the wedges with white pants & striped top. Coral jewelry………….so super cute! Love Karen’s haircut with bangs too. Great job on putting together smashing outfits!
Karen looks amazing! Y’all picked some great pieces that she’ll enjoy.
Beautiful choices for a beautiful lady!!! Any man would be luck to have a date with her. I love mixing and matching things and sometimes just changing the jewelry will change the whole outfit.
Are the pants in the jeans or pants section? Love all the looks and am on the lookout for new clothing. Will the skinny legs still be “in” for fall or what is the trend? Not that I am ever “in” at the right time. Love reading your blog.
Martha, I’ll ask Karen about the pants section. As far as skinny leg pants, I think they have been around for a few years and will continue. I am seeing some wide leg pants coming back around too, but I just don’t think I’m going to do those.
And she can wear her sandals with the maxi and also add a cardigan to it in the fall. I love the white pants. They fit her well and are not tight for skinny jeans. I hope she enjoys her new outfits!
May I ask what size shoe Karen is wearing? I shop TJ Maxx sporadically, and have NEVER found a pair of stylish shoes in my size (7 M). Seems all the trendy or cute shoes are in size 6 or 8-9 (or larger) and the 7’s are scarce. Any one else have that issue, or do I just go on the wrong day? I do like shopping at Steinmart and can always find a bargain in that store. You and Karen made some excellent purchases.
Becky, Karen too wears a size 7. All of these were found in the same TJ Maxx. Maybe it just depends on the store.
Thanks! Guess I’m going on the wrong days…. MORE SHOPPING!
My daughter worked at TJ Maxx a few years ago. At that time they got in all their merchandise in Wednesday and put it out Thursdays and Fridays and it goes fast. You can probably ask the sales people.
Karen looks beautiful-hope she finds some great men! Y’all need to look at a blog called “The Rich Life on a Budget” Karen could be the twin of the woman who writes it. The resemblance, at least to me, is amazing!
Gorgeous!!! Especially love the haircut!!!
such cute outfits!! I love this series!
Cute outfits. Being properly sized with a professional bra fitting will eliminate that bulging area between her chest and arm/shoulder that is especially visible in her sleeveless dress. Most women wear the wrong size bra and it makes a difference in the way clothing looks.
Didn’t notice…..I was admiring her awesome smile! All of the outfits look great!
Haircut is super cute and jewelry too. Wish I could have a fashion makeover too!
Karen looks beautiful! I love her haircut and color – so pretty!
My 13 year old just walked past and said, “She’s pretty.”
She’s right.
Karen Looks GREAT!!!
She looks darling in everything. You girls did good!
I’m an average-looking, plus-size 61-year-old who has been trying to date for just over 2 years. I’m afraid there isn’t much demand for people like me. Most of the men around my age want someone beautiful, slim and 20 years younger than they are. I’ve heard from (literally) hundreds of online dating scammers, several 80-year-olds and some 20-somethings who want to “date” an older woman. Not one of the men I’ve sent cheerful, upbeat messages to has bothered to reply. Not one.
I hope your dating experience is much better than mine!
I know, it’s not much fun out there at this age. I go through similar things, but have met some decent men, just not the right one for me. You are right about the men wanting younger women. I hardly hear from anyone my own age, most of them are 10 years older than I am. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to maintain a good attitude about it all. My girlfriends and I stay busy with activities and don’t depend on a man to make us happy.
Karen is very pretty, and the new clothes look great!!!!!!!!
But what I want to know is, what color is the front door painted? Love that gray!
Judy, the door is painted Urban Bronze, I think it’s Sherwin Williams.
She looks fabulous but it is the smile that looks the best. Definitely like the bangs!
And love those wedges with the gold strap! My favorite outfit is the fringed top with the coral close to her face. It just brings color to her face, and the monochromatic from the waist down is so slimming! I love it!!!
Karen is one hot mama! Great outfits! I love the coral necklace.
Karen has a pretty color of hair. I was hoping you would show a before shot of how she may have dressed.
Tammie, she didn’t dress that much differently, but she didn’t have a lot of updated clothes, like the skinny pants and tops to choose from. Shoes and jewelry make a difference too, but it’s not a huge makeover.