Okay, so let me tell you about this phase I went through, trying to figure out what makes an older woman truly “classy.” It wasn’t some academic study, mind you. This was me, in the trenches, trying stuff out. Because, honestly, I hit a point where I looked in the mirror and thought, “Whoa, what happened here?”
My Little Experiment in Classiness
It really kicked off after I was clearing out my late grandma’s house a while back. I found some of her old clothes, you know, stuff from way back when. Nothing super flashy or designer label, but everything was made so well. It just had this… quality. And it got me thinking hard about my own stuff. My closet was basically a testament to impulse buys and things I’d worn maybe once. A real mess, if I’m being honest.
So, the first thing I did was a massive clear-out. I mean, bags and bags of clothes went out the door. It felt like I was shedding an old skin, no kidding. After that, I started to actually pay attention to women I thought had it – that certain something. Some were folks I knew, others just women I’d see out and about, at the grocery store or whatever.
I tried to break down what it was:
- It definitely wasn’t about being plastered in makeup or having the latest crazy hairstyle. Most of the time, their look was pretty understated.
- Their clothes just… fit. Not too tight, not like they were swimming in them. Just right. That seemed super important.
- And they didn’t look like they were desperately trying to keep up with every single trend that came along. They just had their own consistent style.
So, I decided to try a little experiment on myself. I stopped buying loads of cheap, throwaway clothes. Instead, I tried to save up for a few pieces that were actually decent quality. Think a good pair of pants that fit well, a proper coat, a couple of really nice, simple shirts. Sounds dead simple, I know, but it was a game changer for me. Suddenly, I felt more pulled together, even if I was just popping out to grab coffee. I even started trying to remember to stand up straighter – my grandma used to nag me about that constantly, and turns out, she knew what she was talking about.
Then there was the whole way they carried themselves. These women often seemed so calm, so self-assured. They weren’t getting all worked up over little things. Now, I’m naturally a bit of a whirlwind, always feeling like I’m rushing. So, I made a real effort to just… slow down. To actually listen when people were talking, instead of just thinking about what I was going to say next. Let me tell you, that was, and still is, a tough one. It takes constant practice.
You might be wondering why I even bothered with all this. Well, like I said, it started with that look in the mirror and my grandma’s things. But also, I’d had a pretty rough couple of years before that. I’d lost a job that I really loved, the kind you think you’ll have forever, and then I had a bit of a health scare right after. It really took the stuffing out of me. I felt like I’d lost my spark. So, this whole “classy” endeavor wasn’t about trying to be someone I wasn’t, or being snobby. It was about trying to get back some self-respect, some poise, at a time when I felt pretty adrift.
I vividly remember one day, I’d put on one of my carefully chosen, better-quality outfits. I was actually feeling pretty good about myself. And who do I bump into? An old boss from that job I’d lost. Before, I probably would have felt super awkward, maybe even a bit defensive or small. But this time, we had a perfectly normal, polite conversation, and I just felt… okay. Solid. It wasn’t about trying to impress her; it was about me feeling okay in my own skin. That was a big moment for me.
So yeah, that was my journey with it. It wasn’t about following some strict set of rules from a magazine. It was more about figuring out how to carry myself, how to feel good from the inside out, especially after life had thrown a few curveballs. It’s still a work in progress, believe me. Some days I feel like I’ve got it, other days I’m a total mess. But the act of trying, of being mindful about it, that’s been the real deal.
