Everyday, it gets harder to look younger. But, with a few style tricks, you can create a more youthful appearance with fashion that take years off your appearance. Learn how to choose and style the outfits that will make you look instantly younger.

By following a few easy style guidelines, you can look younger, slimmer and more stylish in your clothes. You`ll be amazed at the before and after if you follow these fashion rules for how to dress younger.
1. Edge Up Your Pretty Outfits

After a certain age, girlish clothing items like ruffled blouses can be aging in that mutton-dressed-as-lamb way if you wear them "straight." But, you can still wear your favorite feminine pieces, just match them up with something tougher. Wearing a motorcycle jacket or a fierce pair of studded heels (or both!) will give those sweet clothing items a major dose of style that looks cool and young.
2. Choose Perfect-Fitting Pieces

Baggy clothes, such as "mom jeans" or oversized shirts, are aging and add pounds. You`ll look younger in perfectly-fitting dark wash jeans, gently snug wrap dresses and other tailored separates that conform to your curves, without being too tight. When you go shopping, look for well-made, structured items that give you a streamlined silhouette and flatter your favorite body parts, whether that`s your shapely legs, toned arms, or graceful collarbone. Remember, too, you can always get clothing altered by a tailor if it needs some streamlining, but items can`t be made bigger. Make sure whatever you buy fits your largest parts.
3. Add Pops of Bright Color

Many women gravitate to wearing neutral colors of clothing as they get older, such as black, navy and beige. But, while a closet full of subdued separates is easy to mix and match, there`s a fine line between classic and dull. Bright colors, especially worn near the face, can brighten your complexion and take years off your age. Don`t worry, though, you don`t have to start dressing like a rainbow to look younger. If you`re not a fan of bright clothing, add small doses of color near the face to spice up your neutral outfits. Try a brightly colored or patterned scarf (bonus, it also hides your neck), or a pair of colorful earrings.

4. Experiment With Texture

Can`t stand to stray from your neutral palette? Try mixing textures in your outfits for a stylish and youthful effect. An all-black outfit can look severe and drag down your face, but simply adding in textures can make you look younger. Try wearing a shiny satin blouse with flat linen pants. Match a leather tank top with a matte pencil skirt, or just throw a chunky wool scarf over a simple sheath dress.
5. Wear the Right Bra

Want to look younger in all your clothing? You need to make sure your "girls" are front and center (nothing says over the hill like a sagging bustline). The right bra will not only make you look younger, it will instantly take five pounds off your appearance by helping your clothes fit you better. Visit a department store or specialty lingerie shop to get properly fitted for a bra. If your existing bras fit well in the cups, try tightening the straps for an extra, youthful lift.
6. Have Fun With Belts

Young women know that belts are for fashion, not holding up your pants. Stop thinking of belts as functional and start using them as fashionable accessories that can make you look younger in your outfits. Add fun to your work trousers or go-to dark jeans by wearing a skinny belt in a metallic or bright color, or an interesting texture such as animal print. When you wear a classic skirt-and-sweater combo, play up your waistline by adding a wide, dark-colored belt. Ditto for when you`re wearing dresses.
7. Play With Accessories

Experimenting with accessories looks young. Add a bold piece of statement jewelry to liven up your look. You don`t have to spend a fortune, either, as plenty of retailers offer inexpensive, faux designer costume jewelry that could fool all but the most expert eye. A fabulous bag is also a major asset to any outfit. Try one in a bold color for a youthful addition to any classic look.

Nothing... and I mean nothing... makes you look older than trying to dress like someone half your age. By all means, experiment with the latest styles. But for heaven`s sake, choose high quality pieces that are inspired by the high fashion runways, and not the latest, disposable mallrat clothing trends. If you`re a woman of a certain age, in other words, you shouldn`t be wearing micro-mini skirts, jeans with huge holes in them, or crop tops that expose your navel.

BDST: 1629 HRS, Sep-17, 2013
SIS/GCP