Cougars: The New Style Icons

All of us here know that cougars are the true arbiters of style today, not the run-of-the-mill pop tarts that so fascinate the gossip rags, but it's good to see others are catching on. Louise Chunn, editor of Good Housekeeping, discusses "how women over 40 became the new style icons" in her recent editorial in The Guardian.

The article is full of great insight into how older women are redefining fashion and offers some useful fashion tips for cougars.

Some excerpts (in bold):


And the thing about these women who are over 40 (or 50, or 60) is that they have wardrobes that go back a long way - and the confidence to haul something from the back of it another whirl. They may no always pull it off, but in a sea of sameness their chutzpah is admirable - and now it's also fashionable.

Our take: The retro look is indeed fashionable, but doesn't it feel more natural on a woman who actually lived through the period she's evoking? We certainly think so. Chunn cites Blondie lead singer Deborah Harry as an older woman who has reached back in time to reinvent herself for the moment. She's a great example. Harry pioneered the New Wave aesthetic and has gracefully updated it for the present.

I believe the important point is not about looking young, it's about looking good. Lauren Hutton... looks her age - but fabulous with it. Like most models once they have finished full-time work, she has put on a little weight and her face looks lived-in and lively.

Our take: Ah, Lauren Hutton. We couldn't agree with Chunn more. At nearly 65, she's more beautiful now than she was during the heydey of her modeling career. She was in one of the great cougar flicks of all time - Once Bitten - so obviously we're big fans. But the point is well-taken. What makes older women so appealing to younger men is that combination of confidence and experience. It's often thought of relative only to bedroom antics, but it's true even moreso of style. Cougars who embrace that "lived-in" quality - who don't attempt to disguise their age with teeny-bopper clothes and too-obvious make-up - but rather accentuate their experience with a sophisticated sense of style that is entirely consistent with who they are, well, they're basically irresistible.

Chunn sums this up nicely here:

What makes over-40s stand out from the fashion crowd is their sense of style. They're not slaves to every trend; if something doesn't suit them, they won't go near it.


Chunn knows what she's talking about. The whole article is worth a read. Check it out.



Photo Source: LaurenHutton.com