Meet Alex: A Montreal-based renaissance woman whose passion for evolution has shaped an extraordinary path. At 59, she embodies lifelong learning – from her foundations as a computer scientist to earning her MBA, and taking courses on fashion, styling and skincare to now emerging as a beauty and lifestyle influencer transforming women's lives.
Today, she works in Telecommunications by day and runs a growing social media channel by night where she combines her technical precision, business savvy, and beauty expertise. Her message resonates because she's walking proof that it's never too late to reinvent yourself or master new skills, while staying true to who you are.
"Self-Care is not selfish" with Alex
- From USSR to Canada: Overcoming early hardships
- An unhappy self: Self care is selfish!
- Breaking Barriers
- Style and Fashion: Beyond Appearances
- Minimalist Fashion
- Comfort and Sustainability
- Discovering your style!
- Instagram Success: My Life After 50
Self-Care is not self indulgence
In many cultural contexts, we are taught to prioritize others to the point of neglecting our own well-being. This ingrained belief often leaves individuals feeling guilty for taking time for themselves, labeling self-care as indulgent or selfish.
My generation was taught to put everyone ahead of you
Alex confesses about the cultural background that stresses upon the fact that your family comes ahead of you, society comes ahead of you, your colleagues, your coworkers, your friends and even neighbors to come ahead of you. The exposure to podcasts and self-help books, helped Alex realized that it is wrong to put everyone else ahead of you because the negativity accumulates and gets projected on your loved ones. Practicing self-care allows us to recharge and show up more fully for others.
If you don't love yourself, you accumulate this negative emotions and this resentment is bound to be translated into your loved ones
Love of Lifetime Learning
Alex started taking online courses in an attempt to reinvent and rediscover her passion. She started with interior decoration trying to make beautiful decor for her house. She then moved on to a course on makeup and started developing beautiful makeup everyday. So much so that her coworkers did not even recognize her!
Soon she took a course on color theory that focused on how to dress. These new aspects of life brought immense joy to her. During Covid, Alex started exercising more, eating better and taking care of herself. When everyone returned to work, Alex was basically a new person.
Eventually, Alex changed her job. And the new colleagues started asking her help to go shop and be more stylish. That's when Alex realized that she should start an online blog to reach more people.
This is like a creative outlet for me. I love filming those videos and telling women that with small changes, they can look so much better
Style and Fashion
Staying stylish and confident as we age is not just about appearances. It’s a way of expressing self-respect and showing the world that we value ourselves. Alex emphasizes that subconsciously we are wired to make quick judgement based on appearance of other people. It is thus critical that through our appearance and styling, other people place us in a certain perspective.
Alex approach to fashion are -
- Minimalist : Every day we end up making around 60,000 decisions. In moments of morning rush to our workplace, this decision leads to more stress and unnecessary fatigue. That's why most people end up wearing only 20% of their wardrobe clothes. Focusing on minimalist approach saves us from decision fatigue and at the same time maintains our style.
What are capsule wardrobe ?
Capsule wardrobe is where we select a small assortment of clothes and accessories with matching palettes giving an option to mix and match creating multiple outfits.
Having a conscious mix of accessory with classic and essential clothings is at the core of creating a capsule wardrobe. This streamlines our process of everyday choice of clothing and saves us from stress and fatigue. This also takes less space in your house and is much easier to organize, maintain and clean.
- Comfort: One of the most important thing that Alex incorporates in her choice of cloth is comfort. She requests her followers to keep a balance between comfort and style. For example, wide-fitting jeans, flat shoes or sneakers, Chelsea boots etc.
"Post-Covid, we now have a much more relaxed fashion. So it is totally appropriate to incorporate some comfortable shoes, t-shirts and fabrics in our wardrobe"
- Classics: Alex accepts the importance of buying trendy clothing, but she also suggests mature women to go for classics. While making a choice, it may be helpful to determine if a certain trend will last or not. For example, full-length coats maintain their fashion longevity while cropped ones may not last multiple seasons. Additionally, Alex warns against bright colors for those who have a busy schedule. Because, if it is not handled properly, one might appear old fashioned wearing colors, flowers or patterns. A similar scientific study on Color Theory was covered in Oseterics about it -
Be Inspired
- Attention to Fit: It is important to buy clothes that fit. Fitting is one of the most undercooked aspect of fashion. With many of us having different types of body sizes, it is even more tiring to keep trying on. The clothes you may like may not fit and vice-versa. That's why, Alex says that even if it is a small change, one must use a tailor to get the clothes fitted because it has an overall impact on the look.
- Quality or Sustainability : Alex confesses that she has not created much content around quality products but has focused more on affordable ones and wants to shift more towards sustainability next year. She suggests that we should look for more quality options such that is classical, comfortable and stays longer. Alex encourages to go for thrift stores for both repurposing and discovering new clothes.
How to discover your style?
Alex spent significant time researching fashion on Pinterest and social media, focusing on affordable choices for women in their 50s. She followed a systematic approach to finding her style:
- Collected inspiration from social media especially Pinterest.
- Analyzed her existing wardrobe and what she actually wears focusing on pragmatism.
- Evaluated her lifestyle needs (work, gym, groceries, church, dining out).
- Let go of her "fantasy self" to focus on practical clothing choices.
"You have to get rid of your fantasy self in your head and think about your practical self"
Her key insights for building a functional wardrobe include:
- Focus on basics that can be mixed and matched (blouses, blazers, cardigans, well-fitting pants)
- Choose neutral pieces that work well together and avoid bright colors or patterns unless you have studied your style & color palettes
- Add personality through trendy accessories (like her signature baseball caps, scarves, bags, or shoes)
- Remove unworn items and donate them so others can use them
- Build a wardrobe that serves real lifestyle needs rather than imagined ones
Exercise and Diet
Alex maintains a consistent routine centered around Yoga, which she practices both at gym classes and online. She commits to walking 10,000 steps daily, adapting to Canada's harsh weather by using the treadmill when necessary. Recently, she's incorporated about 30 minutes of weight training into her gym sessions, taking a moderate approach to maintain muscle mass without exhausting herself.
Alex emphasizes balanced, nutrient-rich meals rather than restrictive eating. She particularly believes in the importance of organ meats like liver and includes eggs in her diet for essential nutrients like vitamin D3, which is especially crucial given the limited sun exposure in Canada.
When we model self-compassion, we teach our children, friends, and communities to value their well-being. This ripple effect demonstrates that self-care is not a solitary act but a communal one, encouraging others to follow suit.
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you"
Alex’s approach to self-care through fashion and beauty is a testament to her individuality. Let Alex’s story inspire you to embrace self-care unapologetically and to challenge any narrative that tells you it’s selfish.
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