Plus Size Fashion After 50 – Classic Black & White

Beautiful and classic black and white fashionable outfits for the over 50 set!

Welcome to the first installment of Plus Size Fashion After 50!

Before we get started, let me say how touched and overwhelmed I was by all of the comments and emails that everyone sent to me showing your interest in this topic.  I wasn’t able to respond to each and every one of them, but trust me – I read them all and took them to heart.  Thank you, thank you for your responses.  Many of you got a little personal and shared your personal struggles.  We all have them in one form or another, don’t we? Hopefully, you’ll come away from these posts feeling supported, encouraged and inspired.

Let’s kick off the series with some classic black and white for summer.  A casual outfit that’s just dressy enough for church, work or a special outing.

Classic white linen pants and a short sleeved black and white knit top. make a great summer outfit that's dressy enough for church, work or a special outing.Pin

I’m all about staying cool and comfortable in the hot summer months, so no bulky layers or anything too fussy for me.  White linen pants scream summer fashion.  Pair them with a short sleeved black and white knit top for an easy breezy fashionable look.

A simple black and white short sleeved knit top looks great with white linen pants. A classic summer outfit.Pin

Just like decorating my home, I try to be frugal with my clothing shopping opting for classic clothing pieces that will stand the test of time.  My favorite places to shop for clothes are TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Belk.  This top is a Jones NY piece that came from Marshalls.  The pants are by Madison and came from Belk.  The shoes are simple white stappy sandals by Life Stride and have a 2″ heel.

I enjoy shopping for inexpensive costume jewelry that can totally update an outfit that you might have had for a while.  Charming Charlie’s is one of my favorite places to shop for affordable jewelry, but I’ve recently discovered that Walmart has upped their jewelry game.  Their prices are uber affordable.  In fact, the necklace that I’m wearing came from Walmart and was only $5.  The watch came from Charming Charlie’s and the earrings and bangle bracelet are pieces that I’ve had for a while.

Classic black and white jewlery on the black and white outfit.Pin

I love to wear my hair up when it’s hot and humid and so muggy outside.  It may look like I have my hair up in a French twist, but it’s actually just swept back with my hands then twisted around and held together with a French twist comb.  It’s a super easy style that works even though my hair isn’t very long.

A French twist comb makes an up-do easy!Pin

 

Classic white linen pants and a soft black and white knit shirt make for a comfy, yet slightly dressy, summer outfit.Pin

If you’d like to recreate this same look, I’ve pulled together some similar products for you. Just click on the item name below the photo to be taken to the website.

Resource list for a classic black and white summer outfit.Pin

Top,  Pants,   Shoes,  Necklace,  Bracelet,   Watch,  Earrings,  French Twist Comb

 

When I first inquired to see if there was any interest in this topic, I mentioned that Pookie and I are working to eat healthier and to get moving.  The first thing that I did was to start creating a weekly supper menu.  This may not sound like a big deal to many of you, but I had gotten into a bad habit of eating out almost every night.  Not that there’s anything wrong with eating out – it’s just that it’s really tough to eat a healthy diet that way.  Plus, I am not a fan of grocery shopping, but sticking to a menu forces me to hit the grocery store about once every week or so.  I’m actually learning to enjoy it.  Go figure.

I’ve been doing a lot of searching for healthy recipes on Pinterst and came across this one for Zucchini Lasagna.  It is delicious!  It was a bit time consuming to make, but so totally worth it.  I did all of the prep and assembled the lasagna in the morning and popped it in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake it that night for supper.  There were plenty of leftovers for us to eat on for a couple of days.

 

Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Recipe for healthy zucchini lasagna.Pin

 

And that my friends brings me to this month’s challenge.  I challenge you to stop eating with no plan in mind.  I challenge you to set aside some time to put together some healthy meals, grocery shop for them and actually prepare them.  It’s one of the most important things you can do for yourself!  I’ll check back in with you next time to see how you’re doing.

 

I’m sharing at these great parties.

 

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30 Comments

  1. Heather C says:

    You go girl, you look great and I too am looking for a healthier lifestyle so keep the recipes coming, will try your lasagna

    1. Thank you, Heather. I hope you enjoy the lasagna!

  2. You look wonderful and let’s hear it for a healthier lifestyle. Now! I love to cook and I’m most at home in the kitchen. I’m “beh” at decorating. Oh! I guess I can paint and I’m great at sewing but putting things together that says they “go” together gets me looking crosseyed. When you said something about planning I thought of the saying “Fail to plan; plan to fail”. I will be trailing along after you in your journey — yes! I do have weight to lose and I’m always looking for good ideas for putting outfits together. Buona giornata!

    1. Hi Marisa. You’re one step ahead of me since you love to cook! I don’t hate it, but was tired of it after spending years working full time and then coming home to cook. Once I retired, that excuse made it WAY too easy for me to go out to eat all of the time. LOL That’s a great saying and so true. Buona giornato to you as well! Had to look it up on Google Translate to see what that means. Ha!

  3. Love the outfit! I’ve never been one to accessorize much but am re-thinking that 🙂
    Gonna have to try that lasagna — looks delish! We have totally changed how we eat since I received a diagnosis of celiac disease at the end of January. We’re also walking almost daily (some days life gets crazy and we don’t get our walk in, but that’s rare). I haven’t lost a ton of weight but I didn’t expect to — at my age I know it comes off a lot harder than it used to, but I’m pleased with the improvements we’re both seeing.

    1. So glad you like the outfit, Kim! I’m not a big accessory person either, so any jewelry that I wear is usually pretty simple. I think you’ll love that lasagna! I used to be able to drop weight so easily, but not anymore. :/ Forcing myself to exercise is the really hard part for me. I figure that even if I don’t lose much weight, I’ll still be generally healthier – at least that’s my goal.

  4. You are such an inspiration. Love the outfit AND accessories. Also love the recipe addition. I hope you continue to add new ones. I’m with you when it comes to cooking. Our eating is a social event with other couples and we go out to eat way too much–or eat too much period! This month I gave up all artificial sweetners/diet drinks/sodas to see if it would help with a few problems I was having. I can’t believe how much my energy levels have bounced back in only 3 weeks. Pushing 60, I feel the need to get my ‘healthy’ life back now…and with your inspiration–look good, feel good right?– I just might stay on track. Baby steps, as my mother always says.

    1. Aw – you’re so sweet, Heather. So glad you like my very first outfit. I do plan to continue to add recipes as I run across those that are tasty. We’ve been cutting way back on anything with artificial sweeteners too, having read that your body and insulin production reacts to them the same way as with regular sugar. Mother’s are always right – right? lol

  5. Beautiful and classy !! Cant wait to see what you have for us in the future.
    Good luck on your weight loss journey. I will be following your progress.

    Thanks and good luck !
    Karen

    1. Thanks so much, Karen. Glad you’ll be following along!

  6. Love the topic. It’s nice to look good even if you’re not happy where you are. I’m on the same journey and will look forward to your fashion and food for plus size women. Can we organize a FFF Club? Fluffy Fifty-ish Females 😀

    1. Oops. make the Fashionable Fluffy Fifty-ish Females!

      1. Haha! Great idea, Janet!

  7. Great outfit! Black and white always looks sharp! I’m not one for a lot of jewelry…but it looks so nice on you…might have to give it a try. Our problem is I’m still cooking for 5, when it’s just the 2 of us most evenings. I have to learn to cook for just “us”. That lasagna looks delicious….have to give it a try! 😉

    1. Other than a simple pair of earrings, I don’t wear jewelry very often either. I especially don’t wear things that match – like matching necklace and earrings. It just isn’t me. I know what you mean about learning not to cook too much! I’ve struggled with it for years. Thankfully, Pookie loves leftovers. 😀

    1. Awww…thank you, sweet pea!

  8. Mandy Miller says:

    Great job! You look great!

  9. Lanita Anderson says:

    Thanks so much for sharing, Suzy! While I’m not a plus size, I do have weight I would like to lose, as well as the desire to eat healthy ! And I love seeing women’s fashions, especially in my age range. I’ll be turning 50 next year and like seeing what other women are wearing! I enjoyed everything about the post and look forward to the next one! Thanks for including the zucchini lasagna recipe – I’ve already pinned it and can’t wait to make it!
    Blessings,
    Lanita

    1. I’m so, so glad that you enjoyed the post, Lanita! If you love lasagna, you’re going to love this one. I can’t wait to make it again!

  10. Kirby Carespodi says:

    As a former size 6 who has added 10 to that number, I find that it’s difficult to feel stylish. This is a great addition to your blog!

    1. You’re so right, Kirby. Somehow those cute outfits that I see in stores, in catalogs and online never look so cute and stylish on myself. lol

  11. Your outfit looks great! I’m with you as to how you approach clothing. Weight issues have been my nemesis for too many years. I’ll check out the links for the clothing. I usually make a few meals at home during the week but on the weekends we often eat out which I hate to give up- but should! I gave up pop a few years ago to cut back on sugar but also because of the carbonation which I’ve been told reduces your body’s ability to absorb calcium. I have avoided artificial sweeteners because I never trusted that they were safe. Now I’ve heard they help increase your body’s desire for more sweets. This should be a great series!

    1. I have fought with my weight for my whole life, Liz, and it’s a tough battle for sure. Even though I’m cooking much, much more, we still usually eat out on the weekends. I gotta get out of the kitchen at least a little! 😀 I too have heard that artificial sweeteners make you crave even more sweets, but I didn’t know that about carbonation impacting your body’s ability to absorb calcium. Interesting fact!

  12. You look great and that is a stylish outfit. I too struggle with my weight and look forward to this series. My problem area is my abdomen, where I carry almost all my extra weight. Finding pants that fit my waist but aren’t big and baggy on my much smaller thighs and butt is a challenge. I have compromised by only buying pants with a zipper/button and a certain fit from one store and wearing a belt (I fight the ‘pants slide’ constantly haha.) We always pack lunches for work and we try to make meals with leftovers for lunches and our older picky teens. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will give it a try.

    1. Hi Elizabeth. I’m glad that you like the outfit! This is going to be a learning curve for me. I’m always in awe at how each of us is made so differently. I carry my weight ALL over and am very self conscious of my legs, even when I’ve lost weight in the past. The lasagna is great for leftovers!

    1. Awww…you are so sweet, Debbie. Thank you, thank you!