Looks that offer comfort, confidence best bets for boomer wardrobes

Finding the right clothes when you reach middle age can be like wandering around in a fashion limbo somewhere between baggy dad jeans and the latest pages in Vogue — even retailers seem confused about whether boomers should dress like their parents or fashion-forward children. For a generation that wants to look younger but not too young, it actually isn’t as bad as it seems. There are some advantages to being somewhere in the middle. The fashion industry right now is a criss-cross of trends and styles, with an emphasis on staying true to oneself. For folks who came of age during the ’60s and ’70s, that has a nice ring to it. “There are no rules. That’s the fun thing that’s going on with fashion. You know, fashion is more about individuality right now rather than so much about one specific trend,” said local fashion stylist Christie Moeller. Making the current styles accessible is also taken more seriously in the retail world than one might imagine. Geoffrey Henning, vice president of women’s design and fashion at JCPenney, noted that the company has design teams that look for ways to adapt the latest trends to the boomer customer, including her changing figure, through characteristics such as color, texture, fit and proportion. It could mean a material or cut of fabric that allows more give in the hip area, a boho blouse in crepe instead of sheer fabric, cardigans to cover the arms or longer blouses that don’t have to be tucked in. “I don’t think fashion is necessarily an age thing, I think it’s really about understanding your body and where your comfort level is. And you can be just as stylish being a baby boomer as a 20-year- FASHION,