Peruse these great women’s travel clothes, which will help gals look ten pounds less. Try these flattering Baby Boomers’ travel wear dresses along with my other clothing tips.
Clothes for Women - Same Color Head to Toe
To look taller and thinner, wear the same (or similar) color from head to toe. With lighter colors or summer looks, wear flesh-toned shoes or boots so there’s no cutoff at the leg. Avoid anything that chops up the look. Beige sandals, with a wedge, give one longer legs. Beige heeled boots do the same.
For darker or winter looks, wear dark boots, or dark shoes and tights. No matter what younger stylists say, a mid calf dress lengthens and flatters more women than a mid knee length. Exceptions are usually: Petites and gals with Tina Turner legs.
Travel Dress for Boomers
Why is a travel dress better than jeans or slacks for comfort? Ever eat too much Bavarian Leberknodel Soup or too many Bruges chocolate cherries? Dresses also look more urbane. Look for these features in a travel dress:
- No waist - wear belt as needed
- Stretch fabric for good fit
- Substantial fabric - enough weight so no bulges show
- Right length - Too short (silly), too long (dowdy on some)
- No zippers - Easy changes, no snagging
- Wrinkle free
- Dark colors - darker reds absorb light
TravelSmith.com
There are many online sites that have caught on to the Baby Boomer travel style, but not all clothes have the right qualities. Shiny jersey shows bulges. Look for matte fabrics like these at TravelSmith.com:
- Women's Voyager Knit Wrap Dress: A good wrap dress, with stretch, will give a better fit than anything else. For head-to-toe color, wear tights or stockings to match your dress and footwear.
- Women’s Twist-Front Cap-Sleeve Dress: This dress makes pear-shaped women look 10 pounds thinner (dark color) and cap-sleeves balance large hips. Stout, round, and short-necked women are better off with deeper V-necks when possible.
Travel Clothes - Look Thinner
Spiegel.com: Look for clothing without pockets for sleekness. Here are two possibilities, though apple-shaped women should know that Spiegel cuts are long and tight through the tummy.
- Ribbed Tank Dress:
- Nice summer length for Italy or Hawaii
- Check tummy in three-way mirror
Or try this:
- Jersey Wrap Dress:
- Creates waist with the tie
- If black is not your color, wear a scarf to brighten up those bags under your eyes.
With true wrap dresses, make sure the skirt is not tight in rear and the wrap closes enough to sit down. Get a size that skims but doesn’t cling.
Color Blocking Dresses
If this Shape FX Hold-You-In Belted Dress fits, buy it. A similar look can be achieved with a white jersey dress and a long black cardigan with a tie waist. Heavy apple-shaped gals should avoid some empire waists, which look like maternity-wear.
Grace Elements Sleeveless Colorblock Knit Sheath: Check this out at Macys.com. The dress is black with a skinny-inducing red block of color down the front.
Travel Wear for Women
TerritoryAhead.com: See their Mon Amie Knit Dress in charcoal. This elegant wrinkle-free dress will go anywhere from London to Madrid. Well, it's not right for Hawaii, but it would be comfortable and perfect for your 4-hour+ trip in coach, to get there.
Clothes for Women - NormThompson.com
NormThompson.com: The Jet Set Dress is perfect for traveling skinny. It can be worn with a cute sun hat in Australia (add a front wrap tissue weight cardigan for NZ), a scarf and lightweight cardigan in Paris, a trench coat in New York, or layered under a sheer sundress in LA. It’s the absolutely perfect layering piece for any destination.
Women's Apparel - Zappos.com
Free People Merries Crushed Velvet Dress: If you want to go back to your true funky self, you can try this dress, which uses "smoke and mirrors". I'm using this dress to illustrate a point, but I'm not in love with its shine. If you wear something that distracts and redirects people's attention from your butt or your tummy, it makes you look skinnier because people will see your face and your weird detailing. For this frock, I suggest going head-to-toe in black. Skip the amethyst unless you are channeling Janis Joplin and you know how to pull it off.
Best Colors for Dresses
As you have heard a hundred times, darker dresses are best for hiding bulges, but make sure every dress has no shine or it will highlight your bad parts. On the other hand, I believe that if bright yellow or baby blue is your best color, you should consider a travel dress in that tint. To be practical, find a print that has your best color near your face, because a pastel will show the travel grime that lurks in every corner.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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