Quote of the week: Celia Birtwell

Look, it's lovely Celia Birtwell, again. The 70-year-old designer concurs with Mary Portas when she says shopping beyond a certain age isn't easy:



'There's nobody who designs for us. I find it really difficult to get dresses now, I'd love to do something like that. But people (in the fashion industry) are scared of it. They say, "Oh no, nobody buys clothes when they're over 60! Old people don't shop, only to go to a party or a funeral." I've had that,' she says. 'Somebody quite important said that to me.'





Do you have difficulty finding flattering, age-appropriate clothes? And don't you think Mary & House of Fraser should commission a Celia Birtwell range?









Photo: Independent

Quote: Telegraph

Age-appropriate style

Forget tweenies in push-up bras and thongs and let's focus on a more important issue - the Mutton/Lamb conundrum. That's Not My Age doesn't need Government guidelines on what's age-appropriate - does anyone, really?! I nailed the art of bright summer trousers weeks ago, so now I'm thinking of 'pushing the boundaries' with a pair of floral pants. You know, a bit like the ones seen at Erdem's S/S 2011 show (above), but cheaper. Actually, during the latest round of de-cluttering I've emptied a bookcase, thrown out some old bedlinen and re-discovered a pair of floral pants. They've been lying at the bottom of my holiday box since the late eighties. No idea what happened to the Katharine Hamnett denim I flounced around in as a student but I've still got a pair of stretch Capri pants from Hobbs. How did that happen?



My rules for wearing floral pants are pretty much the same as for coloured denim; good with an over-sized shirt and flat pumps, and, because Erdem's double floral arrangement is tricky to pull off, it's best to keep things simple. I've opted for a simple navy jersey top and Michelle Obama-inspired kitten heels.

If you fancy a pair of er, fancy pants Comptoir des Cotonniers have a lovely faded floral pair:



Do you have any age-appropriate style tips? Would you wear floral pants?