Seven style tips for Baby Boomers on how to appear youthful and cool

With another book that gently guides Baby Boomers from dowdy to wow-y, Sherrie Mathieson has made a career out of wardrobe advice for middle-age moda mavens.

Mathiesen will be at a book signing for her latest how-to tome Steal This Style: Moms and Daughters Swap Wardrobe Secrets Thursday, Dec. 17th at Books and Books in Coral Gables (265 Aragon Ave.; 305-442-4408) starting at 8 p.m.

We asked the style consultant and former costume designer for her best style tips for women over the age of 40. The basic trick is to combine classic core pieces with current accents and accessories. For more information, visit SherrieMathieson.com.

Here are her lucky seven universal truths and tips. For instance, did you know that:

The older you are the more natural your look should become. "Women need to understand that minimalism is not boring and is a very modern twenty-first-century concept. Too much obvious artifice will age you."

Crossing the threshold of boomer-marketed shops will instantaneously age you. . . . Poof! You're a senior. "Segregating this age group by concentrating on elastic-waisted, non-wrinkle, and overly embellished clothing that looks either boringly dowdy or flamboyant ends up alienating women who want to look modern, ageless and youthful."SherrieMathiesonPortrait

Women should spend more on their "investment" accessories than on total outfits. "Your accessories define your look. An authentic bracelet from Morocco, a superb pair of designer shoes, a gorgeous coral necklace, or a bag that is extremely well made and/or has an exquisite design, can be worn forever and inherited by future generations. These items may be expensive - or sometimes not - but the cost amortized through the years will prove well worth it."

The sportier your image, the less 'lady-like' the more vibrant and energetic you'll look. "[Those] ladies-who-lunch, wearing knit suits and matched ladylike outfits look more fragile, and curiously unproductive, than women who adopt modern and stylishly mixed sporty looks."

Wear a big (men's size), masculine silver or gold watch. It's a youthful look. "Something as basic as the watch you wear daily tells everything about your personal style - more than any outfit or accessory. Are you ultraconservative? Are you very daintily feminine? Are you about showing affluence? Are you very active and sporty? Are you into quality? Are you hip and modern, or the opposite? Your watch provides the best clue."

People can't perceive quality as much on a totally black outfit - nor notice its details. "Conventional wisdom says that black is always 'in' and practical - surely a safe haven. People might falsely assume that persons dressed in all black are artsy or sophisticated. Or...black can provide an unforgiving harsh contrast next to aging skin and that black is rarely a real standout."

Personal style is often confused with fashion. "Fashion is only a component of the larger context - style. You need to learn to 'walk' in terms of style so that you can 'run' well with fashion. This knowledge allows you to be confident in what you are doing and present yourself skillfully to the world. Happily, it's never too late to learn."