Sonya Shields
Fashion is often thought of as a youth industry, but that’s actually not the case. In recent years, the industry has trended toward becoming a space where people of all ages feel welcome and included. Let’s face it, influencers and style gurus who skew towards the 50+ age group are showing off their everyday looks that are interesting and flattering. Especially with his rise on TikTok, we’re paying attention.
Whether your relationship with clothing and accessories is directly related to your roots, inspired by a core member of your family, or something else, there is one What is clear is that fashion provides a means for many people to tell their own stories. Clothing choices can make a person appear bold and fearless. But most importantly, age is not the deciding factor when it comes to being considered stylish or not. Style is something that is developed over many years, but for some people it is an instinct they are born with. This concept is worth pondering, especially at a time when trends seem to be driving the cyclical global fashion market. Interestingly, not relying on trends is a guiding light for those who know the power of relying on individuality.
We spoke to three women from different generations who have an affinity for fashion and aren’t shy about letting it guide their style. She also shared why she always relies on patterns and key colors to feel confident.
Sonya Shields, 60, Brooklyn
“Throughout my life, fashion has been a way for me to express myself.” Sonya Shields, executive director and board chair of a nonprofit organization. Shields, a native of Great Neck Village on Long Island, said she was influenced by women like her mother and grandmother growing up. Looking back at her parents’ style decisions, she says her mother was always impeccably dressed. “She remembers feeling the beauty of her mother and grandmother as a child,” Shields said in our call, adding that her parents also dressed themselves through multiple eras, especially in the 70s. He said they were a good couple. At that point, she says, they accepted being afros and were wearing the same thing Black Panther wore. Her mother’s deliberate choice to mix trends while keeping her classics has been a constant guiding principle for Shields over the years.
When she attended Howard University as an undergraduate many years ago, preppy style was all the rage. Since she is a New Yorker, she was not used to such an approach to fashion. She said she wore pinafores and sweaters that were considered her style, but each time she used Kangol sneakers and a hat to inject her own style into it. Shields used her time at her college in historically black Washington, D.C. to experiment with her own style.
Having worked in the nonprofit sector for 30 years, she said the space is usually filled with people in suits. Since the beginning of Shields’ career, she said, she has subverted what a typical person in the industry is expected to wear. “When I entered this field, there was no one to express myself to. [through their style]” Now, she is doing just that as a leader. For example, at a recent gala, she decided to wear a tuxedo without a jacket. Although she may have found it off-putting to some, Shields prefers a “funky” look. And that’s what makes her fashion journey all the more fascinating. She says that as she gets older, she tends to show her skin without shame.
Denim also plays a big role in a SEAL’s wardrobe. She stated that she had been told many times that jeans were inappropriate for her workplace, and rather than allow herself to be criticized by naysayers, she approached her work with confidence. Masu.
For those who want to stop relying on trends, Shields says to rely on pops of color and bases like denim, black pieces, and white staples. “It would be a mistake to follow trends,” the director general said. She says the base can guide you and create memorable costumes. Additional advice: “Don’t buy costumes.” Instead, build a foundation of well-made clothes that you can wear over and over again.
Patrice Alexander, 57, Atlanta
For lovers of unique clothing and items, it is a normal occurrence to transition into something specific. It’s the feeling you get when you’re in a store, see a certain product, and suddenly feel energized. Atlanta-based consultant Patrice Alexander says that’s exactly how she shops. Rather than walking around her store with a list, she lets her heart guide her. “I’ve never been one to be into trends,” she says. “I’ve always loved fashion. I buy what I like and wear it until I can’t wear it anymore.”
During the Zoom call, she further said that she is a natural for wearing chic outfits made up of pieces from Roger Vivier, Chanel, and Gucci. “I always bought things that I liked without thinking,” says Alexander, adding that she has always loved fashion. Her upbringing in the suburbs of Macon, Georgia may explain why. She recalls that both her paternal grandmother and her maternal grandmother were considered stylish. The former was particularly inspiring, she says, since she often wore mink hats and jackets with church-approved items. She remembers going shopping together and trying on clothes when she was a child. “Her mother’s mother wore her clothes.” [not according] For her age, she always had a sense of style, which I appreciated. ” All these moments will be meaningful as her preliminary experience that will add a special touch to her costume.
upon Alexander’s Instagram page It was launched by her daughter Brianna over a year ago for her so she can document her sophisticated outfits. Scroll through her page and you’ll see that her fashion brings her joy. There’s one of her reels that she’s wearing. Red and baby blue floral print top with bell sleeves and flared Free People denim, in which she dances and smiles. In another, She’s wearing a striped Alice + Olivia collared shirt with a bow down the middle, vintage Chanel platform shoes, and flattering ’70s-inspired Veronica Beard jeans (she also danced in these). Masu). This profile allows her to showcase her playful approach to fashion.
“My style has been pretty much the same all my life, but it’s improved because I have more disposable income,” Alexander said. At one point a few years ago, she was a single mother and couldn’t splurge on items like she does now. She feels that as she gets older, she is also able to purchase pieces that are important to her. For anyone wondering what to spend enough money on, this is solid advice: don’t spend it often, save it for times when your bank account won’t be strained. Investment items look like vintage leather she-she coats, durable work-she-she totes, and loafers that can be worn in all seasons.
Naaisha Austin, 40, Atlanta
Nysha Austin She showed up for a morning video call wearing a black, orange, teal, and yellow color-block long-sleeve sweater dress by Christopher John Rogers. This is the brand of author Austin from St. Louis, Missouri. She has fashion in her blood. Her mother is a designer known to many in the Midwestern town where she grew up. She said Kimora Lee Simmons was wearing a design made by her mother when she was 16 years old. “I’ve been immersed in this world my whole life,” she says. Tasked with explaining her relationship with clothes, Austen eloquently expressed that her clothes were a way for her to live her dreams and cheer herself up. During her childhood, she attended a predominantly white school where she was teased and therefore chose to wear certain clothes to protect herself and at the same time express herself creatively. I chose it.
Austin explains that she was attracted to different clothes in her 20s and 30s. In her 20s, she was into bohemian-style items and she felt she was reinventing herself. Looking back, she says, she wasn’t buying investment products back then. But now she’s buying a lot of Christopher John Rogers’ colorful work, which she thinks will stand the test of time. She owns her 25 runway looks by Rogers, a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design. She said in an email that she feels it is important for Black consumers to support the haute couture work of her in-house designers. Austin connected with Rogers’ team and attended his latest presentation in New York City.
“My style, it’s evolved, but I’ve always worn bold colors,” she says. “I love statement pieces,” Austin says statement pieces make her feel her most confident self. She typically buys items with bold textures such as taffeta, silk, and wool, which she feels drawn to. “I use my fashion to emphasize who I am,” she said. For those who feel that fashion is a useless expression, she may not care so much. She dresses for herself, she says, rather than adhering to this concept. Austin also buys items she hopes to pass down to her daughter someday, she says.
To elevate your style, she says you first need to find what you love, whether it’s pastel-colored pieces or a particular jewelry brand you frequently support. Once that step is complete, she can move on to understanding which pieces feel most authentic to her. It may or may not strictly support black designers. An additional tip she offers is to always be intentional with your purchases.
