10 Fashion Tricks Every 50-Plus Woman Should Know

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Have you ever gotten dressed, left the house feeling like a million bucks and an hour later your shoes hurt, your zipper gets stuck, your blouse buttons are gaping and you want to go home?

We've all been there. Fashion faux pas can be prevented or fixed with a little know-how. Here are 10 of the most useful tips fashion stylists rely on for celebrity clients.

Arquette, Valeria Golino, Lynn Whitfield Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Hulu, Marc Piasecki/WireImage, Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

1. Lose five pounds instantly by wearing shapely black.

Black slims you down and firms you up best when it's head to toe and shaped at the middle by a belt, a tucked-in top or a waist-nipped silhouette like a fit-and-flare dress or curvy blazer.

Since black also disguises cheap fabrics, uneven stitching and seams, we get to wear our fast fashion markdowns with attitude and edge.

2. Break in new shoes and boots with sock training.

Sometimes we buy shoes impulsively at a final sale or buy and never wear till we need them and discover the “ouch” factor. Here's the trick pros use: Slip on a pair of socks and wear them

and the shoes around the house for an entire week before going public. Then on the first outing, pad the insides with inserts and gel liners at strategic points of irritation — small toes,

heels and balls of feet — and rub a clear gel deodorant on any potential hot spots that might get red or sore too to create a slip barrier.