January | Alyson Walsh

after taking a brief break for the holidays,  november and december, it is with great pleasure that over | under premiers in january with the spectacular alyson walsh. alyson is a London-based  freelance fashion journalist and author of the book Style Forever. She writes for the Guardian, the FT’s How To Spend It and the Daily Mail and blogs as That’s Not My Age.

as so often happens in the blogging world i first met alyson through the airwaves. we chat back-an-forth from time-to-time, visit each other’s instagram or facebook pages, and cheer each other on. it’s funny how once-upon-a-time this mother of three would warn her teenage boys of the ills of the internet. you can imagine the kick they’re getting out of their mother these days… but i have said it before, and i’ll say it again, the one benefit of blogging has been all of the wonderful, sweet-spirited, like-minded women that are out and about, making their presence known. and alyson is one such woman. i love her matter-of-fact take on life, aging, and fashion. let’s face-it ladies, if we are lucky enough to wake up to greet another day we’re also one day older. don’t you just love the fact that we’re also able to embark on new adventures? like alyson writing her first book after the age of 50. i’m happy to report she didn’t read the memo that women become invisible at a certain age. alyson is also a big fan of casual glamour – fabulous flat shoes, silk shirts, and boy-oh-boy can she rock a pair of jeans. but today i’d like to zero-in our her recently published book Style Forever. let me share a synopsis with you:

“Alyson Walsh celebrates the world s most stylish women and finds out how they look so amazing. She shares the tricks picked up during her years working with glossy magazines and offers expert advice on looking fabulous, no matter your age or budget things like investing in a kick ass jacket, a good haircut, and a pair of shoes you can damn well walk in. Featuring a list of the best-ever products from six beauty editors as well as the grown-up wardrobe essentials and the best fashion hot spots in New York and London, this is the only fashion bible you will ever need. Beautifully illustrated throughout by fashion illustrator Leo Greenfield, “Style Forever “is for any woman who refuses to be invisible.”

can i hear an “amen” to that? style is for any woman who refuses to be invisible. and it is. so without further adieu let’s dig in and see what makes alyson walsh tick.

photo credit:Good Housekeeping magazine

1. Alyson, you recently published your first book. What made you decide to sit down and actually write a book?

I’ve been blogging as That’s Not My Age for nearly eight years now, and about three years ago, one of my friends Emma (a freelance journalist who works a lot in book publishing) said, ‘There’s a book in your blog.’ So, I wrote a synopsis and sent it out to a few publishers, had several meetings and there was interest, but nothing concrete. It was too soon. I just forgot about it until early 2014 when what the artist Sue Kreitzman calls the Old Lady Revolution was getting quite zeitgeist-y and I thought it was worth giving it another go. I updated my proposal, pinged out a few emails and Hardie Grant, who’d been quite keen initially, came straight back to me and said yes.

2.  What’s next?

I plan to carry on with my freelance career as a journalist (I write for the Guardian and The FT), I also lecture part-time at university and after a crazy-busy, book-focused 2015, I feel like I need to pay that a bit more attention. To keep developing That’s Not My Age and start researching my next book – my publishers have asked me to do another one (and that’s a world exclusive!

photo credit:Dvora @Fashionistable

3. What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Style Forever had a very tight deadline and I was panicking slightly when Mr That’s Not My Age said, ‘You can do it. Great first albums are often knocked out in about five weeks; then bands spend years going to the Bahamas to try and find some creativity…’ It worked.

4. Having found success in a field that requires self-motivation what advice would you give to someone just starting out?
It’s a bit of a cliché but I don’t think you can go wrong if you ‘work hard and be nice to people.

photo credit: Dvora @Fashionistable

5. Everyone has to start somewhere. What was your first job?
My very first job was working on a market stall in Blackpool selling swimwear. And it sounds crazy now, but I also pierced ears (without any proper training), can’t believe they allowed me to do that!
6. Who designed your book cover?

Leo Greenfield a lovely Australian illustrator who was living in London at the time, and has since gone back home.

photo credit: Dvora @Fashionistable

7. What would you tell your 20something self if you could?

Have confidence in yourself. At that age, we tend to worry unnecessarily about ability, appearance,  everything – as we get older we learn to put things into perspective.

8. Ocean, lake, or pool?
Ocean. I grew up by the seaside and love being by the coast. It has such a calming influence.

photo credit: Dvora @Fashionistable

9. Who inspires you the most in fashion? Anyone who stands out?

I love the British designer Margaret Howell’s philosophy, who says, ‘I enjoy pulling these threads of British tradition, quality and skill together in clothes that are meant to be worn in the real world, where good design is about living with thoughtful style.’ She has stuck to the same understated approach for decades, and produces beautiful clothes in the UK. Her catwalk shows are always first thing on a Sunday morning but they’re worth getting out of bed for.
10. How do you describe your personal style?
Casual Glamour. It’s a blend of day and evening wear and it’s how women like to dress today. Easy-to-wear, effortlessly chic separates form the basis of the look (I live in jeans), then crank up the glamour-factor with a standout jacket or a piece of fabulous costume jewelery.

photo credit:L+K for the Daily Mail

11. What do you think of first impressions?
They count! And so do second, third and fourth. Be nice to people.

12. What is your favorite book? And Why?
This is such a hard question to answer – I really do need to start reading more books, again. I loved Just Kids by Patti Smith because it’s so beautifully written and captures the New York of the 70s so well.

photo credit: Kristin Perers

13. Do you have a favorite quote?

‘Young. Old. Just words.’ George Burns

14. How do you relax?
Walking, swimming, eating out, going to the cinema – and I need to get back on my bicycle and start running again.

photo credit:L+K for the Daily Mail

15. What 3 words describe your current life?
Busy. Busy. Busy

photo credit: Dvora @Fashionistable

and she is a busy woman! what do you think ladies? i think a few style steals might be in order. i can’t decide between the red t-shirt/black blazer or that fabulous sequin sweater. didn’t i tell you alyson can rock a pair of jeans? so now that your interest is piqued please check out alyson’s book Style Forever available in the U.S. here as well as the UK here. thanks, alyson for taking the time to answer these questions. it was so much fun to get to know you a little better!

xxoo beth

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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