I’m 62 and dress like I’m 20… people call me tarty and desperate but they’re just jealous – I’ll wear minis when I’m 90
STRUTTING through the frozen food section at the supermarket, Kimberley Foskett stops to pick up ice cream for her grandkids.
But as she opens the freezer door, the retired factory worker hears two women whispering behind her.
“I cannot believe she’s wearing high-cut denim shorts and stockings. She should dress her age,” says one.
“And cowboy boots — 60 is not the new 20,” sneers her pal.
Instead of giving the two ‘trolley trolls’ an earful, Kimberley smiles and flashes them a cheeky wink.
Her response leaves the women blushing with embarrassment.
For Kimberley, 62, comments like these are nothing new.
She is often called out for her daring outfits, which include high-cut ‘Daisy Duke’ shorts, fishnets, miniskirts, tight jeans and low-cut tops.
But it only makes her more determined to dress how she likes.
Bucking convention
“I am a proud mum and gran and I refuse to dress my age,” she says.
“I love my fashion sense and so does Mark, my hubby.
“I do not care if people call me ‘mutton dressed as lamb’. They are just jealous.”
Kimberley is not the only woman of a certain age who is bucking convention when it comes to how they dress.
A recent survey found that 86 per cent of women over 50 say style should not be defined by age.
But research by the Centre for Ageing Better revealed almost a third — 31 per cent — of women and men believe people over the age of 50 should always wear ‘age-appropriate’ outfits.
Kimberley, who lives in Southampton with Mark, 66, a retired electrical fitter, says she relishes ruffling feathers with her risque fashion choices.
“I love my denim shorts and usually pair them with fishnets, Doc Marten boots and a leather jacket for date night with Mark,” she says.
‘I dress how I want’
For the weekly grocery shop, Kimberley will wear a miniskirt with cowboy boots and a corset-style top.
“I’ve heard people remark that my style is tarty, inappropriate, or even desperate,” she says.
“People say I should cover up or set a good example, but that is their view, not mine.
“Most will not say it to my face. Usually, it’s just loud enough for me to hear. Or I get an eye roll and an up and down stare.
“But I don’t give a damn. I want more ladies my age to do the same thing.”
I have always dressed how I want, even as a teen
Kimberley
Kimberley says she prefers to kill her critics with kindness.
“Trolley trolls and wardrobe warriors just want you to react,” she says.
“I won’t give people the satisfaction.
“I have always dressed how I want, even as a teen.”
Kimberley — who is mum to flight attendant daughter Lauren, 30, and has two stepchildren, Michael and Nadine, aged 35 and 29 — also has rock ’n’ roll and motor racing-themed T-shirts, which she loves to wear with tight jeans or denim shorts for lunch with the girls.
For running errands or babysitting her six grandkids and step-grandkids, she will opt for a figure-hugging jumpsuit and T-shirt, or leggings and a vest.
Her shoe collection includes clear Perspex high heels, which she wears with tight jeans or a tight-fitting dress.
“I love shopping at Boohoo, ASOS and Primark,” she says.
“I also enjoy a good charity shop rummage and am still wearing clothes I had in my twenties.
“They still fit, so I will not throw them out.”
Kimberley met Mark at work in November 1991 and three years later the pair welcomed their daughter Lauren.
When the couple married in March 2008, Kimberley wore a tight-fitting off-the-shoulder wedding dress with a basque and fishtail.
“Mark loves my look. He constantly tells me I am hot and encourages me to dress like I do,” she says. “It is amazing being with a man who thinks like that.
“If I showed up in a twinset, or frocks that hid my figure, I think he would leave me.”
Kimberley says she looks up to singers like Madonna, 66, and Cher, 78, who regularly take to the stage in revealing outfits.
“They’re my fashion inspiration and style sisters,” she says. “I love being ‘granny cool’ or a ‘hot nan’.”
At 5ft 2in, size eight Kimberley boasts 36D boobs and works out in her home garage gym, lifting weights and doing cardio.
“I have always been into fitness. If I don’t move it, I lose it,” she says.
“I still have the boobs, body and legs to pull off a mini skirt and even if I didn’t, I’d still be wearing them.
“I love my fake tan, but I have not had Botox, filler, or plastic surgery. I am all real.”
While husband Mark is a fan, Kimberley’s fashion choices don’t always go down well with her family.
“My daughter occasionally rolls her eyes,” she admits.
“Growing up there were times she said I should dress ‘more like normal mums’.
“And my eldest grandkid is almost a teen, so I am preparing for a lecture or a ‘Granny, please cover up’ plea. But that is a teen’s job, isn’t it?”
‘Zest for life’
Kimberley scoffs at recent research which claims fashion experts believe women should stop wearing short skirts at 40.
I still wear bikinis at 62 — just like actress Helen Mirren, who is sexy at 79
“I don’t care what the so-called experts say,” she says.
“My style suits my outgoing personality, zest for life and youthful looks.”
In fact, Kimberley reckons she will still don mini-skirts and fishnets when she is 90.
“I still wear bikinis at 62 — just like actress Helen Mirren, who is sexy at 79,” she says.
“If I still have the figure, then I plan to dress like I do — no matter how old I get.
“I am sure the trolley trolls will be out in force, but I don’t care. Let them.”