I became a fashion influencer at 70. Here's my secret to finding your style
For the record, Jo Good has always dressed up for her radio shows. Always. 'Even when there were no webcams in the studio, I turned up dressed and camera-ready,' says the actress, presenter and influencer. 'People teased me for it in the beginning, but when they moved the cameras in and everyone else was upset, I loved it. I thought, 'Great. Now I can get full value out of my clothes.''
Whether she's playing Elton John and Sabrina Carpenter tracks on Late Night Jo, her BBC Sounds show, or presenting a segment on spring jackets on This Morning, Good, 70, is an advocate of seizing any opportunity to dress up. Her approach to personal style is to wear whatever makes her feel most expressive and happiest in a given context: 'My love of fashion came from being an actress. I do think of what I wear almost as a costume. I'm authentic to myself, but I like to be seen. You'll never find me in muted colours, sinking into the background. It's a lot of colour and statement pieces. It's a performance.'
As @middleagedminx, Good shares her enthusiasm for fashion with more than 95,000 Instagram followers – many of whom approach her for chats and shopping advice when they see her strolling through the city (she's lived in Marylebone, central London, for 25 years). 'What I've realised is that the women who follow me, most of whom are 50-70, have disposable income and integrity, [but] they have no confidence. I hope I can show them that it's never too late to discover or create your own style.'
She often points them towards local shops and designers such as Bella Freud for tailoring and knitwear ('I love her 1970 sweater, that was my decade'), Rixo for party dresses, O Pioneers for Liberty-print everything, Frame for jeans, and Charlotte Simone for outerwear. The latter's Penny Lane coat and other designs remind Good of the Afghan coats she wore in the 1970s. 'They're a modern take on a very vintage look that I love,' she says.
Good is 5ft 1in. Over the years, she has learnt a thing or two about how to dress a petite frame. Footwear is a constant consideration. 'Before putting together any outfit, I think, 'What am I going to do about my height?'' Her go-to with casual looks is a pair of Stella McCartney flatforms. For nights out, she loves her Miu Miu slingbacks, Jimmy Choo high-heel sandals or Amina Muaddi stiletto boots (a recent acquisition). 'I'm always in heels. I would never go to an event in flats, because I would disappear.'
She swears by long, lean suits and knitted dresses. 'For someone short they are a gift – you look like [ Popeye character] Olive Oyl, the way they elongate your body.'
Before you ask: Good knows that none of this comes cheap. She relishes being able to afford to dress the way she likes. 'I come from a very working-class background – I grew up with a lot of love, but certainly not affluence. So I do spend a lot on my clothes now. I think it's because it's one way I can show myself how well I've done… Which is why I'm not much of a sale shopper. I want to pay the true value of the clothes, because I'm worth it.'
Her style has grown bolder. She scoffs at received wisdom about what women her age should or shouldn't wear. 'Don't wear sleeves above your elbow? Don't show your knees? Rubbish. I say ignore the old dictums. Maybe some people have to play by the rules, but thank God we don't.'
Five personal style rules
Don't match your handbag to your shoes. It's so dated and far too neat.
It's never too late to create your own style. If you haven't figured it out, trust the people around you whose style you like, and ask for help.
You can't put vintage on vintage. It doesn't look cool or hip; it looks dusty or forgotten.
Don't be afraid of the oversized look. I try never to have anything tailored or taken up – I know that sounds ridiculous, but it works for me.
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