Here is some #coastalgrandmother inspiration from instagram
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Let’s Talk Coastal Grandma Style- Yes It’s a Thing
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I receitei tis poem when I was 11. I think the must have been a predictive moment, as when I'm a grandma I have a feeling it's going to be the less polished/Hamptons/wearing white and stone on the beach way. I certainly will NOT be leaning to spit.
When I am Old
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
We already grow our own veg and I 'do' female friends and Book Club - and wear 'matronly' structured bags and square scarves (if I hear one more time 'matronly' in the same sentence as 'frumpy' I will).
Jenny Joseph
I hear you! So I think the issue is this was the only aging alternative, either you got fat, wore polyester pant suits and became invisible, giving up your dreams and living vicariously through your grandchildren, OR, you TRIED Really Hard and had face lifts and broke your hip wearing 6” heels and looked scary while trying to look 20, OR, you started acting insane and wandered around other people’s yards spitting and wearing purple dresses with red hats. Right? That was it. That was how you were allowed to age as a woman.
Enter Nancy Meyers and her sophisticated, educated, smart, women that were divorced but still friends with their Exs, took up French and Italian, started businesses, dressed well, had gorgeous houses, funny friends and full lives. Diane Keaton’s character gave women permission to keep living. Take care of yourself for you, don’t let it all go just because you aren’t 30 anymore. If he doesn’t love you, okay, cry your eyes out WHILE you write your Broadway play.
Thanks for the posts @Cosmopolitan! They've inspired me to put together a CG outfit for when I go winetasting tomorrow. Hope there's a Sauvignon Blanc as mentioned above to really tie in together.
There are many elements of CG style I've liked all my life, and I'm 51. I've always had off-white sofas (currently a washable slip-covered cotton twill). I fell in love with the Something's Gotta Give house when I saw that movie in the theater. While I don't live on the coast, I love the light, bright, neutral palette. It's serene and homey to me. In the years since the movie came out, I've often googled photos of that house for inspiration.
I love wine! Although it's more of a special occasion thing now. Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are my favorite varietals.
I still wear a lot of black, though. Black and gray is the uniform of the architectural profession (I'm an interior designer). J.Jill Wearever has been my work attire for years, but I am buying and wearing their clothes less as their quality has declined. If I had my way, I'd wear jeans (white, blue, gray or black), tunic style blouses or twin sets (when will those come back in style, like everything else from the '90s?) as my uniform. Maybe white, beige or black loose linen dresses too. I also love a good ruana or poncho - don't care if it's in style or not. I like it, I wear it.
Overall I love wearing whites, creams, beiges, khakis, sage and olive greens, soft aquas and chambray blues, grays, tans, navy blues and black. I may go for a pop of color in my accessories, but my clothes are pretty basic. I have enough decision fatigue from life, and don't need my closet adding to it.
So yeah, I may not be 100% CG, but some of it is more lifestyle than trend for me.
I love wine! Although it's more of a special occasion thing now. Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are my favorite varietals.
I still wear a lot of black, though. Black and gray is the uniform of the architectural profession (I'm an interior designer). J.Jill Wearever has been my work attire for years, but I am buying and wearing their clothes less as their quality has declined. If I had my way, I'd wear jeans (white, blue, gray or black), tunic style blouses or twin sets (when will those come back in style, like everything else from the '90s?) as my uniform. Maybe white, beige or black loose linen dresses too. I also love a good ruana or poncho - don't care if it's in style or not. I like it, I wear it.
Overall I love wearing whites, creams, beiges, khakis, sage and olive greens, soft aquas and chambray blues, grays, tans, navy blues and black. I may go for a pop of color in my accessories, but my clothes are pretty basic. I have enough decision fatigue from life, and don't need my closet adding to it.
So yeah, I may not be 100% CG, but some of it is more lifestyle than trend for me.
^I love the same palette though I do add burgundy in the colder months. My husband, however, likes lots of color so our house is a cacophony of hues. I have my natural palette rooms and he has his rainbow rooms. At least all the main first floor rooms are neutral. 
You know, this topic got me thinking more about my own style over the years. Birkenstocks have been my weekend shoes since college. I love Navajo and Zuni jewelry, thanks to spending my teen years in New Mexico. I now own enough to know I'll be that old lady who wears lots of turquoise. I've always been drawn to bohemian or hippie styles, but also have a taste for the finer things. Think high quality materials, skilled craftsmanship.
So maybe there are different regions of grandma aesthetic (like desert southwest). However, by the time I reached my 40's, some friends remarked how my Birks were "so granola goddess" yet my clothes were higher end (high end compared to Forever 21). This led me to respond by declaring "so I guess my style is 'upscale granola!'"
I would still say I'm 'upscale granola' and it shares some common themes with it's cousin on the coast.
So maybe there are different regions of grandma aesthetic (like desert southwest). However, by the time I reached my 40's, some friends remarked how my Birks were "so granola goddess" yet my clothes were higher end (high end compared to Forever 21). This led me to respond by declaring "so I guess my style is 'upscale granola!'"
I would still say I'm 'upscale granola' and it shares some common themes with it's cousin on the coast.
I don't think this look has anything to do with age. Never has.
It's very pared down Ralph Lauren or (vintage) Tommy Hilfiger, off-duty East Coat style. Europeans have worn this style even longer, it comes from Summer yachting. The 'bucket' hat is a fishing hat.
Brunello cuchinelli does a high end version of this.
The Gap did a mass market version for years
i think Birkenstocks have become mainstream
navy can sub for black in many contexts IMO
The Gap did a mass market version for years
i think Birkenstocks have become mainstream
navy can sub for black in many contexts IMO
I’m still side eyeing the grandma bit. You know if this were about men, no way it would include the word grandfather. Women are more than their age and their relation to their family. The whole point of this lifestyle is a focus on the individual. Why box them in?
agree with @A1aGypsy . Then again, I agree the intention was part tongue in cheek, part aspirational lifestyle.
Labels can be so odd. Brunello classifies some of its mens RTW as athleisure. Which made DH balk (he was a husky size in middle school, but slimmed down in HS. He still has issues with elastic waistbands on non gym wear.
I’m still debating what my comfy price range is on long white shirts similar to those @diane278 wears.
found these which seem to fit the aesthetic
www.eileenfisher.com
Labels can be so odd. Brunello classifies some of its mens RTW as athleisure. Which made DH balk (he was a husky size in middle school, but slimmed down in HS. He still has issues with elastic waistbands on non gym wear.
I’m still debating what my comfy price range is on long white shirts similar to those @diane278 wears.
found these which seem to fit the aesthetic
Simple Tops, Tees & Shirts for Women made with Organic Fabrics | EILEEN FISHER
Shop our collection of women's simple tops, tees and blouses for an effortlessly casual look. Available in silk, organic linen and organic cotton. Find your perfect top. Free shipping and returns on all continental US orders.
www.eileenfisher.com
Totally agree with you on the grandma thing. The weird thing is that the person widely credited with coining the term “Coastal Grandmother” is a 26 yr old, Lex Nicoleta, see article below. Maybe to her every woman over 50 is a grandma, idk?
TikTok Is Suddenly Obsessed With Living Like A Middle-Aged Divorcé
You don’t need a beach house or grandkids to be a “coastal grandmother” — just a white button-down and a zest for life.
Nicoleta, a 26-year-old who lives in California, went viral in March with a video explaining the “coastal grandmother” aesthetic. A coastal grandmother is “a successful woman who creates a beautiful life for herself” by “embodying elements of coastal living and homemaking,” she told BuzzFeed News. The visual element of being a coastal grandmother is aspirational, Nicoleta said.
“It’s a marriage of everything that I am and everything that I want to be: fresh flowers in the living room, making coffee in the morning, listening to cozy music,” she said. “I was getting comments like, ‘you just described MY grandmother’ or ‘life goals,’ and I could see that it was resonating with people.”
found these which seem to fit the aesthetic
Simple Tops, Tees & Shirts for Women made with Organic Fabrics | EILEEN FISHER
Shop our collection of women's simple tops, tees and blouses for an effortlessly casual look. Available in silk, organic linen and organic cotton. Find your perfect top. Free shipping and returns on all continental US orders.
Spot on there! Eileen Fisher is 1000% the coastal grandmother style, and JJill in a lower price range. I have both in my closet.