mutton dressed as lamb...

A how-to guide on how to become one of the most ridiculous and low of human types, an older woman who just won't accept the reality of years. This type of woman is called with much disparagement, mutton dressed as lamb.

Did a high schooler title this book? Forever Cool??? Suggestions for other titles might be, Forever Foolish, Forever Denying Reality, Forever Shallow...

I want to age with serene acceptance... I may not always be so serene about it, but I'm going to try. If I go to my grave a silly twit obsessed with youth when I should be working on relationships, wisdom, compassion -- character development-- then I would know my life was a total waste..., but that's just me.

GROW UP!!!

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I Was A Mid-Life Emmett Kelly

Few women of a certain age have the panache to get away dressing up like a cross between Ronald McDonald and Auntie Mame; most can't and wouldn't want to even if they could. With that in mind, take this highly subjective style guide with a couple pounds of salt.

If you're an AARP member trying to land a job as a manager of a Melrose Avenue boutique or get hired as a clown car diva by Ringling Bros., this may be the book for you. All others, beware. (Cover photo suggests that the author fancies herself a late-life "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"-era Cyndi Lauper--an extremely dated look that Cyndi herself has wisely avoided.)

If all the women in the "before" shots weren't grimacing and the ones in the "after" shots beaming, it would even be difficult in most cases to determine which get-ups the author had deemed cool and which uncool. But no matter how you slice it, "cool" is often just another way to say "not so hot"--which pretty much sums up this lukewarm primer on "ageless" cool.

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Perfect For Seniors in a Rut

For years, I've searched for a current style book that speaks to seniors, and have found "Forever Cool" to be a great investment for a sixtysomething couple.

We live in a small community where senior style isn't a major concern. But when we travel, we feel like aliens. We've never quite known how to bridge the gap between sleek urban, and dowdy small-town.

Thanks to "Forever Cool," we're finally on the right track. This book is extremely well formatted, with plenty of "cool" and "uncool" photos, and the author's riotous sense of humor makes the commentary thoroughly entertaining.

The book ends with a valuable list of clothing retailers for every budget, from mainstream catalogs to high-end department stores.

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