Last weekend I had the great pleasure of meeting one of my favorite designers, Chiara Boni, at Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles; and speaking as a woman Over Fifty, when I first saw her dresses, there was  an instant Agelessly chic appeal. It was such a pleasure talking to Chiara who is almost 70. She has been designing since she was in her 20’s, which means she has been doing this for almost 50 years. Chiara has designed through every era; hippie; disco; punk rock; ’80’s glam, and on and on. It tugged at my heart as she was telling me this because I would have so loved to have been around this creative woman during those years.

You can see Chiara’s innate sense of style below, and check out those cool sunglasses she was trying on. Chiara just has this natural sense of style that oozes from her pores.

There were of course models, at least 6 feet tall, meandering throughout the store wearing Chiara’s new Spring Summer collection. These lovely dresses below could easily be a nice choice for the mother of the bride.

Chiara has no idea how “cool” she is.  However, she is very down to earth as well.  One reason she chose the fabric that she uses for her dresses is because you can throw them in the washing machine without a problem. The fabric is almost like Spandex, which holds you in, but it has a silky feel.

This is one of Chiara’s dresses from a few years ago. It is difficult to see in the photo, but the fabric has a smooth as satin look to it.  Most women Over Fifty have a hard time wearing dresses without sleeves, I know that very well. However, I have skinny arms and legs, but a great big belly!! One day, I will write a blog about how to hide a great big belly for women Over Fifty.

This is another of Chiara’s dresses from about 2 seasons ago, I think. I wore this to the grand opening of a Mall owned by the Westfield company.  I didn’t realize I would be matching the surroundings!! As you can see, I truly do love Chiara’s style.  It does take some shape wear with my tummy, but it’s worth it!!

You can find Chiara’s dresses on line, but I suggest going to Saks, Neiman’s or Bloomingdales to try them on first. This would be a hard dress to buy without seeing where it fits and doesn’t fit!! But if you find one you love, buy it. You won’t regret it, I have worn mine so many times.  Don’t forget, you can save on dry cleaning bills too!!