How do I look chic in my 70s … without looking like a try-hard?

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I’m in my 70s: how can I look chic without looking like a try-hard?

Oprah Winfrey keeps it cool with wide-leg track pants and sneakers.GC Images

Back when The Golden Girls was prime-time viewing, there was an expectation that women of a certain age would adopt a uniform: a floral Osti frock, perhaps, or tartan trousers with a navy jumper and pearls and a set-and-forget hairstyle. The show ended in 1992 and this expectation ended when actresses such as Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Helen Mirren and Charlotte Rampling continued to embrace fashion, without compromise, on the red carpet.

Away from Hollywood, the easiest way to do this is to jump in feet-first and embrace sneakers. A youthful pair of Adidas or New Balance sneakers in an eye-catching colour works in business and casual settings and can even save your feet beneath a full skirt at formal events. This season, I’m gravitating towards pale pink and chocolate.

Wide-leg track pants, as seen on Brooke Shields, Oprah Winfrey and Sarah Jessica Parker, are another basic that bestows contemporary cool. Wear them with a well-starched, business-style shirt, chunky turtleneck jumper or matching jacket for an elevated approach to athleisure. Play it safe with neutral block colours, adding colour on top or with accessories.

Read more: What suit should I wear this winter?

Finally, pay close attention to your eyewear. You might be proud that you haven’t lost your reading specs in a few years, but it might be time for an update. Metal frames are popular this season, but perhaps skip the tinted lenses: they can be mistaken for those ageing transition (or photochromic) lenses.

Got a style conundrum? Email damien.woolnough@nine.com.au

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