I know I said I was going to do something about jeans for this Friday’s Fashion Lab, but I just can’t bring myself to ask my model to re-shoot after I got the light wrong. Not to mention the fact that I am experiencing a variety of strange symptoms hinting at the coming fall season:
- I’ve been craving and wearing jeans.
- I am in extreme wardrobe organization mode (more on that in another post).
- I badly need a haircut. But it’s August. I never want to do anything ordinary in August. (Did I mention I had an anniversary this week?)
As I’ve been hunting for internet inspiration, I’ve found two distinct possibilities.
Contender #1, as pictured on the September cover of Glamour magazine – Glamour [2-year subscription]
The cover story is about looking your best at your age and Mariska Hargitay, picture on the right, is my age (43). I’m confident my hair would do that.
How do you think that cut would look with silver hair?
Contender #2
Emmylou Harris is more than 15 years older than I am. Still, her long silver hair looks stunning.
With my hair, this is probably an option too.
Which look do you like? Or do you have an alternative to suggest? Either way, I will keep the gray. And I’ve accepted the fact that neat and tidy hair is just not me.
Update: my sister suggests the graduated bob. I’m afraid it’s a little bit of pride that makes me reluctant to revisit a haircut I had 5 years ago (along with some age issues, see complete discussion in comments). But, anyway, I did find a picture.
1) I’m obsessed with jeans. I’d love to do a fashion lab for you sometime. I could take a friend to the mall with me to take pix. I have a hard shape to fit, though. I’m tall and thin but I have very square hips and a flat butt and then really thin legs, so I don’t do the skinny jean well. I look like a giraffe.
2) The hair. I dunno, I have no vision. I can’t see you with long hair at all, but I think that’s b/c I’m not used to it. I can’t wait to see what you decide.
Thanks for being willing to do another lab. This’ll be fun! I was just thinking about you today, as in – I haven’t gotten to visiting everybody’s blogs since I got back from my travels.
I have the hardest time envisioning hair stuff. And going longer is harder to envision, I think. I’m sorta hoping my sister will have some thoughts about it.
Rebecca, I’m not a tidy hair person either!
That said, bangs that get in my eyes … not for me either.
But I do love the Emmylou Harris pic, and the piece-y feel to her hairdo.
Definitely the Emmylou Harris cut! I like how it frames the face, and the chunky layers are so “wash and go”. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I responded to your comment, and I love your fashion site!
I think it the Emmylou Harris style cut would suit simply because it accentuates both you face and neck line, by using your hair to frame the neck and face. the other one in glamor just accentuates you face and nothing else. If you look at Queen Latifah in the middle you will see what I mean, the hair cuts frames both her face and her neck.
I’m growing my hair long again, too. But eventually will do something about the fact that it’s graying because that’s not me… yet. Even though I recently found a picture of “Mireille” – French in Action – in her 40’s and with greying hair! Not silver, greying.
Shaggy EmmyLour Harris silver hair – yes.
Stringy Mariska Hargitay silver hair – no.
I have heard it said that graying hair is aging and unattractive until at least 40 or 50% gray. And I rather believe it, although I know plenty of exceptions to that (none under 50 that I can think of).
Here is a fun site to try out new hair styles on your own picture! You should try and have a poll to see which one people like the best.
http://www.marieclaire.com/hair/hairstyles/virtual-salon/
I think the EmmyLou Harris look would look great on you!
I love that you keep it silver! You have the most gorgeous silver, it’d be a shame to hide it!
EmmyLou Harris for sure! So trendy!
i like the emmylou harris cut, but maybe 2 inches shorter. i like the side swept bangs a lot
MamaArcher ~ Thanks for the link! When I was working on this post, I came across one of those I wanted to try but it cost money. I’ll check this one out!
erin ~ I’m glad you suggested doing it shorter, since my hair isn’t that long yet.
Also, you may be interested to know that my younger daughter, the one with the very practical style idiom, got her hair cut very short recently (it frames her eyes nicely). It looks super cute on her and the consensus is she looks MORE feminine. It helps that she likes it so much that she just generally looks happy, but it shows her pretty face so much better. 🙂
Thank you to everyone who answered! I am developing the thought that perhaps if I kept it up better, a longer haircut would be more age-appropriate for me. Honestly, the only thing more aging than gray hair is short gray hair, right? I guess I’d rather look like a 43 yo hippie chick than a 53 yo traditional clone.
But I think with cultural perceptions of beauty and aging lightening up, as well as all the “rules” being questioned in a healthy way, there is another alternative. And I’m willing to take a risk and be different. 😉
OK, I have been thinking about this for a couple of days. Here is my suggestion. I think you should consider going for the graduated bob (short in back, longer in front). I declined to do it because it was too trendy for me, but I think it would look soooo good on you. You could do longish piece-y bangs, and a side part if you like. It would leave NO DOUBT that you are not a hippie. A hippie would never have such a stylish cut.
I’ll try to find some pictures.
Oh no! That is so not what I wanted you to say. I had the graduated bob – 5 years ago. (No need to send pictures.) I’m surprised you thought it was too trendy for you, it’s ubiquitous around here. But you are right, that would totally eliminate the hippie impression.
But it doesn’t eliminate the “old” impression. I know 70 & 80 yos with graduated bobs.
I’ll upload a picture, though.
Well, it is ubiquitous around here, which is why I thought it was too trendy. Also, my friend got that cut when she thought she was moving back to LA. I think another question that must be asked in tandem with the haircut discussion is: will you wear makeup? I have found that make up makes a huge difference in how my (same) hair looks (stylishly mussed with makeup, sloppy without).
The Emmylou is very similar (in my mind) to that great long layered cut you had in 2000 (my wedding).
Yeah, I always wear makeup. Occasionally in the summer not, but that doesn’t really count because I wear my sunglasses and lipgloss. For me I think the trick is to schedule my appts closer, not get shaggy in between.
Why would I want to have the same haircut as everyone else, but you wouldn’t want to?
We’ll see what happens. I printed the Emmylou pic and I’m going in at 10:30 tomorrow. The good thing is, if I decide in two months I want something else, I can always go shorter. I’m keeping my options open.
After your earlier comment, what I was thinking about your hair was how cute it looked at your reunion in ML. Do you have pictures? I don’t even remember what it was that was special, but it was definitely the cut!
The EmmyLou one, definitely! I’ve always loved that messy, layered look around the face, some of my best hair cuts were exactly like that!
I’m SO glad such a fashionable chick like you doesn’t mind going gray! Maybe there’s hope for me to not look like a grandma in 2 years…
Because the gray is definitely coming in and I’m only 32!
“Why would I want to have the same haircut as everyone else, but you wouldn’t want to?”
Excellent question. I hesitated to even give my suggestion, just for that reason. But I have two good excuses:
1. It looks great on you. Obviously, you discovered that five years ago.
2. It solves your “hippie” problem.
I did find a picture from my reunion and will send it. Your hair was fabulously blonde (or so it seems in the photo)
Admittedly excellent reasons! 🙂
I like the Mariska H haircut! In fact, it’s a lot like what I think I’m going to. I finally got some more layers, but not enough, so I think I need to do that.
Also, in regards to your more recent post, I am exactly the same way with haircuts (your current way).
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