NEW YORK -- There's a telling scene early in "Sex and the City 2" when 52-year-old Samantha, played by 53-year-old Kim Cattrall, spots a gold, beaded bustier minidress that she thinks will be perfect for a big red-carpet moment.
No limits: Sarah Jessica Parker and her "Sex and the City" friends are fashion free-wheelers. - Craig Blankenhorn / Associated Press
The saleswoman is the first doubter. "Is it maybe a little young?" she asks.
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda have fashion confidence like few others, but their microminis, harem pants and stiletto heels raise a question: Do they dress their age?
Samantha's friends question the minidress, too. But Samantha rocks the outfit, putting conventionalists and teenager Miley Cyrus, who is on the same red carpet in the same dress, in their place.
Throughout the movie, the posse parades around in the most au courant clothes, seemingly undeterred that designers often use lithe, lean teenage runway models as muses instead of the 40-plus successful shopaholics the characters now represent.
Some of the outfits are incredibly flattering, but there also are the misses.
It shouldn't be assumed, though, that Charlotte's dorky strapless candy-cane get-up or Carrie's ill-conceived logo-T-and-poufy-ballskirt combination would look any better on a 25-year-old.
"I think it's all about where the individual is in what they are comfortable and confident wearing," said accessories designer Brian Atwood, who crafted two pairs of 6-inch heels for Carrie's closet, including studded, purple-suede peeptoes. "I don't like to dictate boundaries to anyone."
A chic, sophisticated stiletto is another story, Atwood said. "Some women just like high heels. They help give you great legs and they give you height. Women like how they feel in heels and what it projects."
An honest analysis of one's assets will get you further in developing a flattering, appropriate wardrobe than counting birthday candles, say the experts.
Deborah Lloyd, creative director of Kate Spade New York, points to first lady Michelle Obama as an example of a woman who highlights her strengths -- those toned arms, in particular -- and maintains a youthful, modern look with interesting silhouettes and bright colors, while never trying to dress too young.
"Fashion as you get older is about an evolution, not just about changing your look because you're older. You can't get stuck," Lloyd said.
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