Dear Wendy,

We’ve had a lot of responses to last week’s post on the agony of trying to find attractive, appropriate, interesting clothing once you’re a “woman of a certain age.”

(I have to add that I’ve never been sure what that “certain age” is—I used to think it meant “over 30,” and then when I hit my mid-thirties I decided it might actually mean “over 45.” But lately I’ve thought it might actually mean “I really don’t want to talk about it.”)

Anyway, I wanted to share just a couple of responses with you (and our readers), to avert further dressing room meltdowns. (Not that I’m saying I had one of those, you understand. It’s purely hypothetical—you know, in case anyone else might have one. And it’s not true that I started gnawing on my own wrists during my last major shopping trip, and had to be sedated. This is merely a rumour spread by my enemies.)

First, allow me to introduce Jessica Gold, who blogs at Truth Plus. Jessica wrote to tell me about her company, Dobbin Clothing. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words:

We recognized the dearth of options out there for the 35+ woman and set out to design a line/e-commerce brand for women of all ages. We use luxury Italian stretch fabrics, fit for real women of all ages (on a size 8 fit model, as opposed to the industry standard size 2), we manufacture everything here in NYC’s Garment Center, and we price everything under $200 because we don’t wholesale to department stores or boutiques who would mark our stuff up 2.5 – 3 times past our prices. We also have a philosophy that clothes should be simple, flattering, sophisticated and versatile. Dobbin is an old English word for workhorse, and we want our clothes to be workhorses-things you can wear day or night. Hope you’ll check us out.

Bottom line? I went straight to the site, and immediately wanted ALL THE THINGS. Granted, the selection seems to be a bit limited so far, but let’s give the lady a break: it takes a lot of time and effort to bring just one piece to market, let alone an entire clothing line. And who knows? If women like us support businesses like this, we give them a chance to grow beyond their small beginnings.

Here’s a tiny sampling (hope this is okay, Jessica…):

This dress says “trendy but dignified.” A bit flirty, and I think it flatters those of us with large…tracts of land. If you get my drift.

And I’m partial to this combo, as well. Granted, the pants might be a bit problematic for 5’10″ me (I’m eschewing ankle length pants this season, and I don’t care what the designers say), but I think they’d look fab on you!

In a whole other vein, I want to share one of my perennial favourites. Kaliyana Artwear originated here in dear old Ottawa, and much of their stuff is now available online. The line is not for everyone—you either love it or hate it—and to be honest I really don’t care for one of their taglines, “Most men just don’t get it.”

But whatever. I’m not buying their promo copy, I’m buying their clothes. Which are beautifully constructed, with unusual lines and asymmetrical cuts…and they fit sizes 6 to 24. Do I hear, “Amen”?

Currently, I covet their “Anti-Suit,” which I have the feeling I’d wear anywhere that jeans weren’t an option. Okay, maybe not so much a wedding, but meetings? Brunches? Dinners out? Hell, yeah.

I don’t have the Japanese-chic haircut, or the chiseled cheekbones and jawline, but I still have a feeling I could rock the Anti-Suit. What do you think?

Okay, enough burbling. I just wanted to point out that perhaps my early pessimism was not quite as warranted as I’d originally thought.

And with that, dear sister, I’m off to peruse more shopping sites. I seem to have caught the bug.

Over and out,

Karen