HINGHAM, Mass. (July 28, 2005) – Remember the adage, “men age gracefully, women just age”? Well, forget it. When asked to compare how they feel about their looks today versus their high school yearbook photo, 79% of women 35 and older say they look as good or better now than they did then. According to a recent national telephone survey commissioned by Talbots, women’s confidence in their looks holds steady at every age. While 86% of women 35-44 say they feel as good or better about how they look today, 79% of women 45-54 and 76% of women age 55+ feel just as positive.

Feel at Least 10 Years Younger
While women are feeling good about how they look on the outside, they’re also feeling young on the inside. Over two-thirds (69%) of the more than 700 women surveyed feel younger than their age. Of those women, the majority (64%) feel at least 10 years younger.

Look Better than Men
Women don’t just feel good either. When it comes to who looked better at their high school reunion - men or women - both sexes vote overwhelmingly for the women. Seventy-one percent of women who attended their most recent high school reunion say the women look better than the men, with 60% of the men agreeing. These numbers remain fairly consistent as women celebrate more birthdays, with 75% of the women age 35-44, 73% of the women age 45-54, and 68% of the women age 55+ saying the women looked better at their last high school reunion.

More Confident
Not surprisingly, women’s confidence in their appearance extends to their confidence in their sense of style. Some other results from the survey include:

• 59% of women say they are more confident in their fashion style now than 10 years ago
• 34% are more willing to take a fashion risk than 10 years ago
• 26% are more interested in fashion now than 10 years ago

Still on Hunt for Perfect Fitting Jeans
And when it comes to her wardrobe, when asked what is the hardest to find - jeans, blazer/jacket, black pants, handbag, black pumps or tee-shirt – jeans emerge as women’s number one fashion challenge. Forty-one percent of women 35+ are searching for perfect-fitting jeans, with nearly one-third (30%) of women 55+ still on the hunt.

The questions were part of a national telephone survey conducted by an independent research firm on June 16-20, 2005, of 724 women 35 years of age and older residing in private households in the continental United States. The margin of error is ±3%.

Founded in 1947, Talbots is a leading specialty retailer, cataloger and e-tailer of women’s classic apparel, shoes and accessories. Talbots offers an extensive breadth of clothing styles in four size ranges – Misses, Petites, Woman’s and Woman’s Petites – under its own private label. For the Talbots store near you, call 1-800-TALBOTS (1-800-825-2687) or visit talbots.com.