‘Wardrobe Wakeup’
Book is a guide to looking great at any age
“The Wardrobe Wakeup” by former fashion editor Lois Joy Johnson is aimed at women 40 and older who aspire at looking fabulous as they enter new phases of life. According to the author, changes in weight, hormones, lifestyle and attitude all have a major impact on a woman’s closet and her style.
The book offers many solutions to fashion dilemmas specific to women 40-plus such as: changes in skin that make baring legs, arms, and chest an uncomfortable experience; working with colleagues half your age or a boss 20 years younger; or going on job interviews where the competition is 30 years old. She also addresses fashion problems surrounding lifestyle changes, including the horrors of dating again, what’s sexy vs. sleazy and rethinking spending on clothes if living on retirement or investments.
Johnson was one of the founding editors of “More” magazine and was beauty and fashion director from 1998 to 2008.
Before that she was the beauty and fashion director of Ladies’ Home Journal. In these jobs, she interviewed and photographed hundreds of women, including top news anchors and iconic models such as Lauren Hutton and Christie Brinkley and celebrities Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton and Ann Curry.
The book is a fun read and offers some good advice, but it is written by a fashion editor who drops designer names the average reader probably can’t afford.
An example is when Johnson offers tips on work attire mistakes, such as pulling a dirty, ragged wallet or makeup case out of your bag.
“Keep makeup in a small plastic bag and replace it every few days if a black nylon Prada one is out of the question,” she writes.
A nylon Prada makeup bag costs $195 on a Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s safe to say it might be out of the question for readers who have to count their pennies just to shop at a local mall.
She even admits her former love for “totally recognizable labels and logos” and writes that anchoring a lower-cost look with an expensive item is the way to go.
“You always need the push of one posh item or accessory to lift the look,” she said.
For example, Johnson recommends combining a dress from Target with a Prada belt.
A positive the book offers is a woman’s psychological relationship with clothes and fashion.
Johnson points out many women stop buying new clothes as they age because they are discouraged by trends that are “too young” or have other priorities such as travel or home renovations.
Johnson basically encourages readers to reinvent the wheel and give up on clothes, brands or stores that are no longer working for them.
“We used to dress to fit in, stand out, or move up. Now we dress only for ourselves,” Johnson writes in chapter one.
Other closet-reviving tricks in the book include:
How to get more style and flattery from your same old clothes.
How to look contemporary but not silly and dress for comfort without giving up on fashion.
How to find solutions to the fashion dilemmas specific to your life now.
“The Wardrobe Wakeup” is published by Running Press and is available at Amazon.com.