LAST week, on a flight to Tasmania, an older couple sat in the seats in front of mine.
I’m going to call them Fabio and Natalie.
Fabio had the most beautiful hair I’d ever seen (hence the name).
It was light blonde and fell down to his lower back silky and smooth.
His hair didn’t appear deliberately coloured and I spent far too much time trying to work out if it was a natural or the work of a talented hairdresser.
We first noticed them in the boarding queue.
My husband was admiring the beautiful blonde hair until Fabio turned around and he realised it belonged to a bloke.
It was still beautiful though.
Fabio wore large white rimmed sunglasses, a trendy tan and a dark green striped button up shirt, khaki jeans that stopped just below his calves with pristine white sneakers.
Natalie wore a dress that hung off one shoulder. It clung to her small frame showing off a tanned, muscular physique.
I’m describing them in detail because they weren’t young by any stretch of the imagination.
They would have been in their late 70s, early 80s.
No Botox there.
I’m being careful with my words because age is very subjective.
Your perspective depends on your age in relation to the person you’re referring to.
For example, I am in my early 50s.
Someone I’d consider to be elderly is in their mid to late eighties and upwards.
Contrast that with when I was in my 30s, then it was the 60 to 70 age bracket.
My nine-year-old no doubt thinks 20-year-olds are ancient.
Where that leaves me, who knows?
Back to plane Fabio and his eccentric wife.
I wouldn’t describe them as mutton dressed as lamb, in any way.
Their sense of style and dress suited their persona.
There was a confidence to them that matched their appearance.
They weren’t trying to dress or act younger than they were, they were as they always have been.
Do we have to change to fit a particular mould when we are older?
I know many people do, but is it necessary?
Is it confidence that fades and pulling on a loose-fitting sweater and comfy baggy pants make us feel less conspicuous?
Fabio and Natalie dressed well, their fashion sense was paired with confidence.
The lines on their faces told their ages and it was this that made them truly classy.