Getting Chic with George: Dressing For Your Age

The style expert shares advice on how to look amazing, young or old

The other day I was shopping at H&M with my 72-year-old mother, my 53-year-old sister and my 18-year-old niece, and came to the strangest conclusion about style for your age and cross-generational dressing.

Of course the crazy leopard coat and funky lace motorcycle jacket worked on my niece, and much to my surprise, they looked even better on my mom!

As for my sister? She looked plain silly.

You see, depending on your age, there are unwritten rules about spicing up your style, embracing simplicity or amping up the sex appeal.

Here are some examples of our favorite stars:

Elle Fanning: The 14-year-old is definitely having fun with clothes right now, and good for her! Of course she could have worn a more traditional kitten heel with this Rochas dress, but she chose to go with the wacky boots that were shown on the runway instead.

And while she may be wearing clothes most girls her age could never afford, she rarely looks like she's dressing beyond her years. I mean, who else can pull off the Japanese geta-inspired Prada platforms she always rocks?

Selena Gomez: First of all, the gorgeous girl always looks like perfection on the red carpet. But that's part of the problem! She almost looks too good. What's the big hurry to be all grown up and serious, Selena?

She dresses like the Jennifers (Lopez and Aniston), who are almost twice her age. Sure, she looks great in this Pucci dress but a crazy, cool shoe would have taken a few of the years off her look.

Nicole Kidman: The stunning actress usually dresses pretty sexy, but never too sexy. That's important for women in their early 40s because if you don't show a little something off, you run the risk of looking matronly.

This is a rare example of Nicole wearing a look that would be better suited for a teen or 20-something (even a gal in her early 30s would be fine in this.) There is something about a full-skirted, high-necked dress that ages a woman, and her retro hairdo doesn't help!