40 Over 40: 40 Things Every Woman Over 40 Needs to Know about Getting Dressed

This book is fabulous especially for someone who hated to go shopping for herself. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it because I quickly learned my clothing/shopping mistakes and thought the author knew me personally. I read only half the book so far and decided to stop and do the exercises she requested. I will now make sure clothes fit me properly before I purchase, add some "fun" items to my wardrobe and make sure my outfits are complete. Got to go and finish reading and learning from Brenda. I am recommending this book to all the women I know.

I bought this book a year ago. In my 40s, I was having tough time finding appropriate things to wear. I was too young to shop at the old ladies' department at Robinson's May, yet I felt too old to shop at Junior department or some boutiques likes of Express or Gap. The author taught me so much, and the learning process was truly enjoyable, because some sections of this book were very funny. I followed her advise and got lid of bags after bags of matronly looking clothes. Now I know exactly what I like to wear and what I look good in, and best of all, I feel very good about myself.

I hate to shop! I have to look good (on occasion) and I am definitely over 40.This book is really great. For example, I spend far less on clothes now that I took the advice of creating a working a wardrobe around just a few good pieces. I don't throw away or give away so many failed pieces. I use the accessories to change the core outfits and I think I look a lot better.If you go to the mall, it's plain that clothes are geared to younger women who shop often, wear somethink a short while and then move on to the next fad. These kinds of clothes don't work for me, don't fit me and cost plenty. You can save a lot of time and money by figuring out what is right for you and then building a working wardrobe around it. About time someone wrote a fashion book "for the rest of us."

This is the kind of book that looks like it might be great--but you never know if it will really deliver as hoped. Well--this one does! It was every bit what I hoped it would be (and I'm truly grateful to the author--I'm just hitting that age group, and I think her solid advice will stick with me and help me the rest of my life. So this IS a helpful book!). You don't have to agree with everything the author holds true. You can read it with a "take the meat and leave the bones" approach--discarding, for instance (as I did!) the advice about always paying full price because you're worth it. (It's not that I don't think I'm worth it--it's just that I happen to LOVE "bargain shopping"--plus we're hand-to-mouth poor--so I'm going to have to regretfully pass on that piece of advice!). But even so, there's plenty, plenty of "meat" to make this book a gem and reading it well worth it. It was for me, anyway! (P.S.--to the author--I'm sorry, but it's my M.O.--I bought the book second-hand!)

I LOVED this book. As an art major, a lot of the advice was common sense/second nature, but the underlying theme of the book (to me)was PAMPER yourself. If you have a closet FULL of shoddy bargains, thrift store has beens, hasn't fit in 10 years knits and poor gift choices from sis/hubby/kids-you have NOTHING to wear and you truly are NOT taking care of yourself. There is a very wise emphasis on buying one or two items you adore, and building around them. The book does not preach shop 'til you drop, or only buy designer things-it says love yourself. You can build a wardrobe around really well made pieces. Most of us readers have spent 40+ years taking care of/looking after others. Now the focus is doing unto ourselves. It will be hard for a lot of readers to embrace ("I don't deserve this expensive-fill in the blank")-but the author gently convinces us WE CAN. We've earned it, and the pay off is more than just pandering to vanity. It's going with a stylish sense of entitlement into the second (better) half of life!