Dressing your age for women over 50

Fashion tips for baby boomers

Women over 50 tend to get frustrated when it comes to finding something perfect to wear. Baby boomers can get lost in a sea of rules, fashion trends and age-appropriate concerns. Dressing after a certain age can be quite challenging.

Stacy London, TODAY’s fashion expert and co-host of TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” shares a few fashion tips for mature, successful women who might have trouble finding up-to-date outfits for different occasions.
Fit and quality A great fit is the most important thing! Also, by buying high-quality clothing, you get better fabrics and better cuts, which make a better fit.
Softer, neutral colors
Softer neutrals — navy, charcoal, black and khaki — are better for day: But a warning: Be careful how much black you have against your face during the day; it can look harsh.
For bright colors: Stay away from primary colors; instead go with jewel tones. Black and white should be saved for evening.
Big and bold accessories When it comes to accessories, a bigger, bolder piece is better then lots of small items of sentimental jewelry. One strong piece is a very chic statement and very age appropriate.
It can be difficult to find the perfect casual outfit for a baby boomer. You want clothes that fit well and are age appropriate. Remember, when putting a look together, that you do not need to follow your mother's rules. You do not need to match perfectly! Think outside the box — and get out of the fashion rut.
Seductively smart
Wrap dresses are great, but women with larger chests can have problems with fit. Some are so low-cut that you can cross the line from sexy to slutty. To keep from looking inappropriate, wear a sexy cami underneath your dress. You can be sexy and draw attention to your cleavage without showing everything!
Also, when wearing a dress, the right bra is critical. Make sure you get fitted for your right-size bra!
Suit up
When purchasing the right suit, color and fit are everything.
Instead of bright-colored suits, wear neutral tones. You will get more use out of a neutral color, and it won't look age specific. To add some color, wear a jewel-toned shirt under the suit!

Moms to moguls

Moms to moguls

 

Moms to moguls. Before they were millionaires, these women were working moms trying to put food on the table. From a makeup mogul to a former file clerk to a home design icon, each one has her own rags-to-riches story.

J.K. Rowling
She's the author of some of the best-selling books in history who used to be on welfare and worked on her first books in cafes with her young daughter in tow.

Paula Deen
The Food Network star, famous for her deep-fried cooking, started her catering business as a divorced mom of two sons and eventually opened her own restaurant.

Sarah Palin
The mother of five began her political career as a small-town city council member before becoming a governor and vice presidential candidate. Now she's written a second book and has a multi-year contract with a cable network.

Mary Kay Ash
The woman whose name is synonymous with the color pink started with one store and fostered her business into a makeup empire before her death in 2001.

Bette Graham
The single mom was a secretary when she invented this helpful substance still used in offices today. She left quite a fortune when she died in 1980.

Linda McMahon
She and her husband once filed for bankruptcy, but they went on to run a successful sports entertainment company. She took a shot at political office.

Susan Powter
She lost a lot of weight as a single mom and became a fitness guru with a popular catchphrase in the '90s.

Rosie Herman
The former manicurist was the new mom of premature twins when she mixed up a batch of nail product in her kitchen. Today she's a millionaire.

Lisa Lloyd
She was a 23-year-old single mom when she invented a popular hairstyling tool. Now she runs her own marketing company.

Erin Brockovich
She was a law firm file clerk and divorced mother of three when she helped win one of the biggest civil lawsuits in U.S. history. Her story inspired an Oscar-winning performance.

Irene Rosenfeld
The widow and mother of two worked her way up to the top spot at this food company and now earns millions each year.

Martha Stewart
She was a wife and mom with a catering company when she published the book that started her entertaining empire.

Jeanne Bice
The happy host went from being a home crafter to making millions each year by selling her own line of clothing on QVC.

Rachel Ashwell
The English-born mom designed her first kid- and pet-friendly slipcovers in the '80s and now heads a hugely successful home goods business.

Cheryl Womack
She started her company selling insurance to independent truckers around the same time she had her two kids; she later sold the lucrative business for millions.

Famous explorers

Famous explorers

 The anniversary of Lewis and Clark's trailblazing expedition is reason to delve into the history of North American exploration. There's the epic and controversial story of Christopher Columbus as well as lesser-known stories of ill repute, colonial cruelty and peace.

 Hernando de Soto
De Soto was the first European known to cross this mighty river  which has an ironic tie to his death. He was an ambitious man in search of a certain mineral and a far passage. 

 Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
Coronado was a Spaniard who was tricked by Native Americans in his quest for the Seven Cities of Gold. Coronado married a Mexican aristocrat for great gain, but he died in obscurity. 

 Giovanni da Verrazano
Verrazano whose origins are disputed, explored the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and appropriately named modern-day New York. Verrazano was overshadowed by another famous explorer.

 Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Native Americans killed many men of the Panfilo de Narváez expedition. The few who survived resourcefully reached the Island of Doom and became faith healers. 

 Sir Francis Drake 
Drake was a jack-of-all-trades and a pirate. He was an English hero but a Spanish enemy, who claimed a North American mass for Great Britain. 

 Don Juan de Oñate
Oñate, one of the richest men in his country, explored what became New Mexico. He was reprimanded for cruel treatment and remembered as the last conquistador. 

 Jacques Marquette & Louis Jolliet
Frenchmen Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to explore up the Mississippi River. Marquette was a holy man. 

Robert de La Salle
La Salle was a religious man who found himself adrift and destitute before following his brother to North America. He was given a seigneurie and helped colonize Louisiana, while befriending indigenous people. 

 Juan Bautista de Anza
De Anza had a major influence on the development of a large swath of the United States He defeated one tribe and made an alliance with another. 

 George Vancouver
Vancouver trailblazed the Pacific Northwest for Britain. He nearly collided with another British explorer. 

Lewis & Clark explorers
A U.S. president hired Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find a key trade route. Their remarkable journey serendipitously advanced science.

Iconic beauties

Iconic Beauties

 Many women are beautiful, but not all have achieved icon status. Some women just have "it" -- the attitude, the allure and the enchanting looks that make them unforgettable and endlessly fascinating. Meet the iconic beauties of yesterday and today that we just can't get enough of.

Lauren Bacall

Trademark looks: husky voice and The Look -- chin down, eyes up

Most known for: "The Big Sleep," "How to Marry a Millionaire"

Husbands: Humphrey Bogart, Jason Robards

Lucille Ball

Trademark looks: red hair, heart-shaped lips

Most known for: impeccable comedic timing, hit TV show "I Love Lucy"

Husbands: Desi Arnaz, standup comedian Gary Morton

Brigitte Bardot

Trademark looks: smoky eyes, pouty lips, the Bardot updo hairstyle

Most known for: popularizing the bikini, the original "sex kitten," many French films, animal rights activism

Husbands: Roger Vadim, Jacques Charrier, Gunter Sachs, Bernard d'Ormale

Ingrid Bergman

Trademark looks: Film critic Wanda Hale said of Ingrid: "She has a combination of rare beauty, freshness, vitality and ability that is as uncommon as a century plant in bloom."

Most known for: "Casablanca," "The Bells of St. Mary's"

Husbands: Petter Lindstrom, Roberto Rossellini, Lars Schmidt

Halle Berry

Trademark looks: beauty-queen looks and the official face of Revlon and Versace

Most known for: "Jungle Fever," "Monster's Ball," Bond girl, first African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar.

Husbands: baseball player David Justice, Eric Benet

Cyd Charisse

Trademark looks: great gams

Most known for: dancing with Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain"

Husbands: Nico Charise, Tony Martin

Cleopatra

Trademark looks: Plutarch wrote of her: "what ultimately made Cleopatra attractive were her wit, charm and sweetness in the tones of her voice."

Most known for: last pharaoh of Egypt, affair with Mark Antony, suicide by asp

Husbands: royal consorts, including Julius Caesar and Marc Antony

Cindy Crawford

Trademark looks: mole above her upper lip, all-American girl

Most known for: supermodel status

Husbands: Richard Gere, Rande Gerber

Dorothy Dandridge

Trademark looks: sultry, flirtatious style, dark eyes and beauty mark on her chin

Most known for: singer-dancer-actress, "Carmen Jones," "Porgy and Bess," first African-American woman to earn Academy Award nomination for Best Actress

Husbands: Harold Nicholas, Jack Denison

Bette Davis

Trademark looks: those pretty peepers

Most known for: "Jezebel," "All About Eve," "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Husbands: Ham Nelson, Arthur Farnsworth, William Grant Sherry, Gary Merrill

Catherine Deneuve

Trademark looks: flawless Gallic features

Most known for: "Repulsion," "Belle de Jour"

Husband: British photographer David Bailey, relationship with Marcello Mastroianni produced a daughter

Princess Diana

Trademark looks: short blond hair, shy demeanor, glamorous gowns

Most known for: fairy-tale wedding, two princely sons, charity work, international style icon, paparazzi frenzy, untimely death

Husband: Prince Charles

Marlene Dietrich

Trademark looks: blue eyes, arched eyebrows; her New York Times obituary observed that "Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men."

Most known for: "The Blue Angel" (German), "Morocco"

Husband: Rudolf Sieber

Greta Garbo

Trademark looks: A New York Times film critic once wrote of her: "Set in the face of classic structure were large, sad, luminous eyes that expressed a limited but intense emotional range."

Most known for: "Anna Karenina," "Anna Christie" and the nickname "Swedish Sphinx"

Husbands: none, though reportedly had liaisons with both men and women

Ava Gardner

Trademark looks: her "earthy femininity"

Most known for: "Mogambo," "The Barefoot Contessa"

Husbands: Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra

Jean Harlow

Trademark looks: platinum-blond hair, she was the "original blond bombshell"

Most known for: "Hell's Angels," "Dinner at Eight"

Husbands: Charles McGrew, Paul Bern, Harold Rosson, William Powell (she died before they wed)

Rita Hayworth

Trademark looks: Red hair

Most known for: dancing with Fred Astaire; the films "Gilda," "The Strawberry Blonde," "You'll Never Get Rich"

Husbands: Edward Charles Holmgren Judson, Orson Welles, Prince Aly Khan, Dick Haymes, James Hill

Helen of Troy

Trademark looks: the face that launched a thousand ships

Most known for: overwhelming beauty that triggered the Trojan War; daughter of Leda and Zeus

Husband: Menelaus

Audrey Hepburn

Trademark looks: angelic face, poise, elegance

Most known for: Holly Golightly, "Roman Holiday," the little black dress, UNICEF ambassador

Husbands: Mel Ferrer, Andrea Dotti

Katharine Hepburn

Trademark looks: "a lithe, horsey beauty with a haughty voice" (American Theater Guide)

Most known for: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter," "African Queen," "The Philadelphia Story"

Husband: Ludlow Ogden Smith, lifelong affair with Spencer Tracy; romance with Howard Hughes

Lena Horne

Trademark looks: sparkling smile, smooth-as-silk voice

Most known for: pioneering jazz singer and actress, career lasting six decades; signature song "Stormy Weather," triumphant Broadway show "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music."

Husbands: Louis Jordan Jones, songwriter Lennie Hayton

Angelina Jolie

Trademark looks: pouty lips, long brown hair, sultry eyes

Most known for: humanitarian work, her large family, films "Girl, Interrupted," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

Husbands: Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, domestic partner Brad Pitt

Grace Kelly

Trademark looks: With her white gloves and string of pearls, this classic beauty was sometimes described as "virginal"

Most known for: "Dial M for Murder," "Rear Window," princess of Monaco, tragic death

Husband: Prince Rainier III of Monaco

Vivien Leigh

Trademark looks: Catlike smile, raised right eyebrow

Most known for: "Gone With the Wind," "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Husbands: Herbert Leigh Holman, Lawrence Olivier

Sophia Loren

Trademark looks: voluptuous brunette, the "Italian Marilyn Monroe"

Most known for: "La Ciociara," "The Black Orchid," "It Started in Naples"

Husband: Carlo Ponti

Jayne Mansfield

Trademark looks: ample cleavage, platinum-blond hair

Most known for: films "The Wayward Bus," "The Girl Can't Help It"; sexy pinup girl and first leading actress to pose nude in a mainstream film ("Promises! Promises!"); dying young

Husbands: Paul Mansfield, bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, Matt Cimber

Marilyn Monroe

Trademark looks: Platinum blond, buxom bombshell

Most known for: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "Seven Year Itch," singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK

Husbands: James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller

Nefertiti

Trademark looks: long neck, delicate features

Most known for: Queen of Egypt, the limestone bust of her uncovered in a dig at Marna; a name meaning "the beautiful one has come"

Husband: Pharaoh Akhenaten

Kim Novak

Trademarks: Husky, seductive voice

Most known for: "The Man With the Golden Arm," "Vertigo"

Husbands: Richard Johnson, Robert Malloy

Julia Roberts

Trademark looks: megawatt smile, voluminous hair, her laugh

Most known for: "Pretty Woman," "Erin Brockovich"

Husbands: Lyle Lovett, Daniel Moder

Jane Russell

Trademark looks: statuesque (aka busty) figure

Most known for: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," World War II pinup girl, later in life was popular spokeswoman for Playtex full-figure bras

Husbands: high school sweetheart & NFL Hall of Famer Bob Waterfield, actor Roger Barrett, John Calvin Peoples

Brooke Shields

Trademark looks: teenage model of virginal innocence

Most known for: "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins," "Suddenly Susan" TV show, speaking out about postpartum depression

Husbands: Andre Agassi, Chris Henchy

Elizabeth Taylor

Trademark looks: dark hair, dramatic eyebrows, porcelain skin

Most known for: "National Velvet," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and befriending Michael Jackson

Husbands: Conrad Hilton Jr., Michael Wilding, Michael Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton (twice), John Warner, Larry Fortensky

Gene Tierney

Trademark looks: green eyes and a slight overbite

Most known for: "Laura," "Leave Her to Heaven"

Husbands: Oleg Cassini, W. Howard Lee

Lana Turner

Trademark looks: "The Sweater Girl," WWII pinup

Most known for: "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "Peyton Place" and a stormy affair with a mobster who was stabbed and killed by Turner's daughter during an altercation

Husbands: Artie Shaw, Stephen Crane, Henry Topping, Lex Barker, Fred May, Robert Eaton, Ronald Dante

Twiggy

Trademark looks: doe eyes, boyish bob and waifish figure

Most known for: supermodel and icon of the "psychedelic '60s," movie "The Boy Friend"

Husbands: Michael Whitney, Leigh Lawson

Mae West

Trademark looks: 38-24-38

Most known for: "Night After Night," "She Done Him Wrong"

Husbands: Guido Deiro, Paul Novak

Natalie Wood

Trademark looks: Life magazine called her "The Most Beautiful Teenager in the World" in 1956

Most known for: "Rebel Without a Cause," "Splendor in the Grass," mysterious death by drowning

Husbands: Robert Wagner (married twice), Richard Gregson