17 Life-Changing Pieces Every Over-40 Woman Should Have In Their Warm-Weather Wardrobe
We might even venture to call it a “capsule wardrobe.”
by The Candidly Team
Spring is full of pretty clothes. And that’s all well and good apart from the fact that we’re adults now, and we don’t just need our clothes to be pretty.
We need clothes that fit us extraordinarily well. Clothes that feel like joyful little solutions to getting dressed every - single - day.
Skirts that flatter our waists. Sandals with arch support. Tops we can wear a bra with. Bras that don’t feel like sweaty torture chambers.
We found 16 pieces that work miracles for us, as over 40-women who need more from our clothes than to just look good on a hanger. Or a 6-ft tall model.
Owning these things made us feel 87% more confident about heading into the season. And they made us look 92% better.
You could question our math. Or you could just take a look for yourself.
1. The Single Most Flattering Cropped Pant
Anthropologie The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants by Maeve: Linen Edition
The original version of these pants have long ranked amongst our favorites year-round. But the linen is perfection in the spring and summer. The stretchy, smoothing fit is just unreal on bellies and butts. And every season they surprise us with new colors we end up lusting after because we imagine how they’ll turn all our dull, neutral clothes into outfits. Like this blue, for instance…
That said, if you buy them in black, you’ll have yourself the best work/ going out/ everyday pant in your closet.
Price: $130
2. The Unexpected Piece Of Outerwear That Will Complete Your Wardrobe
Z Supply All Day Knit Denim Jacket
Very few pieces of clothing simultaneously make you look cooler and younger without looking like you’re trying to look cooler and younger. And even fewer pieces are as cozy as your old, go-to sweater you reach for every time the AC sends a chill up your spine. But then you have this knit jean jacket from Z Supply (correct, we said “knit”). It’s soft. It’s light. It has stretch. It’s a little like a pony tail in that it magically unleashes a sort of carefree cuteness. We got so excited by the gap-filling powers of this jacket, we wrote a whole ARTICLE about it. We’re also wearing it pretty much daily.
Throw it on over skirts, dresses, shorts, and any pair of pants, and you will look more put-together.
Price: $129
3. The Chic, Strappy Sandal With Actual Support
Nisolo Stella Go-To Block Heel Sandal
This particular shoe ended a decades-long search for a sleek, graceful, HEELED sandal that gave us cushioned support and comfort and height. Nisolo makes some of the most timeless, well-crafted shoes in the world, and since we are hard on our shoes and will no longer do foot pain, this shoe has climbed the leaderboard to become our fav sandal.
Our feelings about this shoe left us with no choice but to write an entire (unsponsored) tribute to them, which you can find HERE. Reads a little like a Shakespearean sonnet. What can we say? We’re that in love.
Use the code CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off! (Also not sponsored)
Price: $170
4. The Top That Turns Your Outfit Into a “Look”
Anthropologie The Keira Collared Button-Front Blouse by Pilcro
It’s weirdly hard to find tops that are interesting and make us look forward to wearing them out in the world. So when we uncover one that makes us feel like all we have to do is throw it on with jeans, and poof, we’ll look put-together, we get excited. This is that top for us this season. It has such a light, summery sensibility about it. It’s like a Dôen shirt but half the price. Wearing it reminds us of something between English cottage and 60s flower child and 70s cool girl (with the below jeans in particular), but it’s also just a very attractive, great-fitting top we don’t have to think about to look good in.
Also comes in black and white, petite and plus.
Price: $88 - $98
5. The Softest Lounge/ Pajama Set Known To Man
Z Supply Dawn Smocked Rib Pant and Zoe Silky Rib Tank Bra
We are not joking when we tell you that when this silky knit material touched our skin, we didn’t want to ever take it off. And considering we’re “expert loungers” who spend 87% of our lives at home, we scarcely do. Wearing it as a set makes it feel a bit chic. Also, it’s crazily flattering. Because the fabric is somehow also light and airy, we can wear it as a warm-weather set.
Price: $59 for the pants, $34 for the bra
6. The Absolute Easiest Everyday Dress
This is one of those problem-solving pieces we keep talking about, because a dress is already an outfit unto itself and the fit of this one is unquestionably gorgeous. The scooped neckline is amazing on chests and very flattering on a thicker arm. The pocketed poplin skirt is delightfully airy and great on hips, thighs, and lower bellies. The top is a luxe European ponte, so it’s soft and stretchy and feels like a buttery tank. But add a belt and cushioned heels, and you’re fancy enough for a party.
Price: $118
7. The Flat-Out Dream Skirt
Aritzia Wilfred Twirl Pleated Skirt
Ah yes, another skirt. It is spring after all, and good skirts, though so hard to find, are so gloriously easy to wear. This skirt is essentially the less unhinged, more wearable version of Carrie’s from SATC. Take a look.
The light, chiffon pleating hangs beautifully, but the fact that it has an elastic waistband even though it’s a “dressier” skirt is what outright tipped this one into perfection territory.
Price: $150
8. The $30 Pullover That Everyone Keeps Asking Us About
Narural Lightweight Cotton Sweater
If we had to name a single thing that could turn a casj and cozy everyday sweater into a chic statement, it’s this: stripes. This one has the best of them in countless combinations. And an amazing size range.
Price: $30
9. The Jeans That Always Look Great On You
Madewell Curvy Kick Out Crop Jean
These jeans are immensely flattering and have loads of stretch without ever losing their shape. They’re amazing on curves if nothing fits your waist but then also CREATE curves if you’re self-conscious about a flat butt or a poochy tum. We turn to them maybe more than any other jeans in our closet. Scroll for proof.
Price: $138
10. The Tee We’re Always Searching For
We all just want that one easy tee that fits like a little bit of magic. Whisper soft. Not too long. Skimming instead of adding bulk. It’s sort of a mystery to us why some tees work and some don’t. But the subtleties of the cut have A LOT to do with it. And this cut from Z Supply just feels different. Special. Perfect, I guess you could say. Long enough to tuck and cover our midsection, but short enough to wear loose and still look effortless and not like we’re being swallowed up by a lazy, baggy, widening sack (sorry, we have a lot of feelings about bad t-shirts). This is how it looks out, but here’s one of us wearing it tucked.
Comes in all the colors. Black and white sell out a lot, so be swift.
Price: $39
11. The Stunning Skirt That Singlehandedly Solves What To Wear To That Event
Lilysilk A-Line Silk Maxi Skirt
Finding an occasion dress is one of those sounds-fun-but-quickly-turns-hellish experiences. It’s just so hard to find things that fit us on the top and bottom exactly how we want it to. Which is why this skirt might be the most worth-it splurge of this or any other season. It’s silk charmeuse and completely stunning. But the cut is so easily flattering. It doesn’t poof out on the hips. Even the pockets (which are amazing) don’t even look like they’re there.
And the beauty is we can wear it with any pretty top we’ve ever purchased and suddenly we have our easiest, most comfortable “occasion outfit.”
It gives you such a nice silhouette without requiring a single piece of shapewear you can’t wait to rip from your skin. It’s not cheap, but the cost-per-wear is very low once you account for the hours/ money it saves you having to pick out yet another event dress you wear only once.
Price: $269
12. The Best-Fitting Parisian Tee
J. Crew Cropped Boatneck T-Shirt
This is another piece we rant about ALL the time, and the reason it creates “looks” all on its own and happens to fit in such a way that covers our tum while narrowing us AND making our legs look longer, because it’s not long and frumpy. We live by the rule that once you find the best version of a thing, and this tee is a perfect example. Also, because it’s J. Crew, it’s chronically on sale for as much as 50% off.
Price: $59.50 (but always on sale)
13. The Stretchy Little Audrey Hepburn Pant
Everlane The Bi-Stretch Work Pant
Marvelously stretchy and oh sooooo good on curves. Is this not the ponte pante we’ve been longing for since we watched Audrey Hepburn basically do anything? Wear it with the above stripe tee to complete your Parisian look. And maybe even add both #13 and #14 on this very list, because we’re fairly sure we just created a highly foolproof spring “look” as the fashion people say.
Price: $23
14. The Perfect Transitional Trench
Another one of those classic things that just instantly makes look like 27x more sophisticated versions of ourselves. This trench is so light and layerable, making it perfect for spring. And the color matches everything.
Price: $168
15. The Prettiest Flat Sandals That Will Replace Your Flip Flops
Nisolo Women’s Huarache Sandal
Shoes are the last thing we put on, and while some of us have artfully mastered them in a Carrie Bradshaw kind of way, the less fortunate/ fashiony among us have no damn clue what shoes will work with our outfit. On top of that, we just want to be comfortable. So we end up wearing the same dull pair of flats or flip flops that sort of downgrade our whole look. However, these sandals solved a HUGE problem for us in that they don’t just match everything we wear in spring/ summer, they make it better. They’re wildly comfortable (Nisolo coming through again for our over-40 feet), and they come in the chicest, neutral colors. Desert rose is perfection. We also bought them in white, because pretty, white shoes are almost impossible to find.
Don’t forget the code. Use CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $138
16. The Short-Sleeve Going-Out Top That Still Covers Your Arms
This is another gem we dug up from Lilysilk, and we’re eager to tell all who will listen just how wild we are about it, because the shape is sooo, sooo smart. See how the arms drape just enough to feel like we have a bit of coverage and how that high (albeit dramatic) neckline allows us to wear whatever damn bra feels good (see #16)? And then there’s the very soft, not at all restrictive elastic band to nip the waist and make it sit perfectly with any pant or skirt we choose. We wear it with jeans, and it is hands-down our best going-out top.
It’s real silk, of course, and repeatedly makes getting dressed up a million times easier.
Price: $129
17. The Most Comfortable, Breathable, Feels-Like-Nothing Bra
Truekind® Daily Comfort Wireless Shaper Bra
It ain’t a looker and it’s certainly not the sexiest thing we own, but don’t we just want our bra to feel like air itself, to create zero bulges on the back and sides, and to make our boobs look very, very good and round and natural but also lifted? Is that too tall an order? It took far too many years but we found THE ONE. And just in time for warmer weather!
Price: $29 - $48
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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