Creative Dressing After 40 a Woman with a Cause

Yesterday, I (JoJami)  was standing outside of Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills when I noticed this stunning woman!

When you spot a gorgeous woman with flaming red hair and a man’s dress shirt and tie, you can’t help but stare a bit!

It takes a strong and confident personality paired with a sense of creativity to dress so out of the box and this gal just had me intrigued. I could not wait to see if she would be willing to allow me to take a few photos.

She said yes.  As I was snapping away, she said that she has always had a deep love of fashion with a desire to create windows for such stores as Barneys or Saks.  Then she dove in with some savvy fashion advise and said,  ” I combine everything, old and new. I have many designers that I love and some pieces I have had for years.  Good design and quality will always hold up. If something is gorgeous from the start, it will always be gorgeous.”

Her bright red hair set the tone for this unconventional ensemble.

The secret to this layered look is that she has kept all the elements simple and sleek.

1) Start with a crisp white blouse

2) Black loose wide legged ankle pants

3) Added her husbands tie

4) Long blue vest that goes over the hips

5) Thin black leather belt wrapped around a few times

6) Over the shoulder Gucci messenger bag

7)  Simple gold flats

Bold red lips

9) Updated sunglasses

It turns out that she certainly is one strong lady.  As she handed me her card she never mentioned what she did, but continued to share with me her passionate feelings and  love of fashion.  However, when I got home I looked her up and discovered an interesting back story.   After the death of her teenage son from a brain tumor she lost her husband who committed suicide.   Valerie Sobel picked herself up and turned tragedy around by founding the River of Life Foundation.   This is an amazing organization that provides immediate support to single parents with urgent expenses so that they can stay at their child’s bedside during catastrophic illness.

It goes to show although Valerie has a serious side to her,  by dressing with dramatic  flair she can allow her creative and dynamic personality to shine.

She confessed that at age 72,  although she is very busy with her philanthropic work, she would one day enjoy the chance to dabble in the fashion industry.  With her spunky everyday style, it seems she already is!