We find out how to age gracefully and still look good into your later life, with tips on making the most of your assets and how to dress to impress.

In the past women were expected to fade into the background as they got older. The rebels fought back with 'Ronald McDonald' dyed hair, coral lipsticks, bright red rouge and beige foundation - which only served to accentuate their age rather than honour it.

What is it about getting old and looking it that's always been difficult for us? Luckily, there are enough women ageing gracefully today to show us how it can be done: Twiggy, Lulu, Marianne Faithful and Dames Judi Dench and Helen Mirren are all women to be inspired by. In short, there's never been a better time to embrace getting older. It's just a question of doing it right.

Dressing the part

"Older women either go too tight, too short and too low or they go the opposite way and think 'I'm too old for this' and end up dressing like their mothers," says Amanda Slader, chief fashion adviser at John Lewis. "A woman in her 50s or 60s needs to grasp what colours suit her best and which shapes best fit her body.

"Are you a column or a curve, are you straight through the hip or do you go out through the hip?" she asks.

"If you have long, beautiful legs but carry your weight through your tum, wear long fitted trousers that show off your legs but hide your middle.

"If you've got a pear-shaped body, with a big bum and thighs but a smaller chest, you can wear a flouncy skirt that will hide the bum and legs with a top that shows off your lovely bust line."

That might sound easy, but how can you actually make High Street fashion work for you?

"Don't rule anything out just because you're getting older," says Amanda. "This season's strong colours will look great if you've got the skin colour for it. If you're going grey, and have a yellowness to your skin tone, you'd look terrific in black and white and red, strong, bold colours. Fair-skinned women look great in soft greens and blues.

"But you don't want to look like you've just fallen out of Miss Selfridge or borrowed your daughter's clothes," she laughs. "A woman's confidence and signature really come in at this age. Wear your own style with panache: Marianne Faithful has aged well and still kept her bohemian style alive."

"You can take a trend but don't wear the whole trend - just take an element," adds celebrity stylist Ceril Campbell, who has dressed Jane Seymour, Trinny Woodall and Shakira Caine. "Leather is in this season, but I wouldn't suggest wearing leather trousers or a skirt. But there's no reason why you can't wear a leather jacket. Brown is less severe than black and it's in style this season too."

"The important thing is to go with a softer line, to avoid anything too harsh or formal," clarifies Amanda. "For example, Joan Collins always looks too severe, too suited, while Helen Mirren has gone much more classic and elegant than eight years ago, when she was doing that sexy biker look. She's softened all that now, going with her ageing and not fighting against it."

Mixing fabrics and textures helps to soften a look, as does avoiding black: "A lot of women in their 50s wear black as they feel safer in it, but it drains the colour from you," says Ceril. "Look for colours that will lift your skin instead."

"There's mileage in texture," adds Amanda. "Velvets and satins are kinder on older skin, as they bounce off light and lift the face."

Making up for lost time

"Every woman I've ever styled has had some sort of hang-up about her body," confides Ceril, author of Discover The New You: Celebrity Secrets to Transform Your Life (Summersdale £7.99), "and even I struggle on a daily basis, being in my 50s.

"As you get older, your skin tone and hair colour change, so you need to work with what is flattering now rather than what used to work before. You need colours that are warmer and more flattering as opposed to colder and draining colours.

"Working from the top down, take a look at your hair. There's a premise that women over 45 shouldn't have long hair, but look at Jerry Hall, she can. It's about your face shape, not your age, and how your hair suits you. As a rule of thumb, you want a hair cut that lifts: long hair with layers or a chin-length bob. A smart cut will take 10 years off of you.

"Should you go grey? If your grey is coming in, get high or lowlights so that it blends in. Never have your hair dyed one colour to get rid of the grey. One whole shade will drain the colour from your face, but streaks will help to make regrowth less visible."

Mature skin care

A combination of a healthy diet, lots of water, and rich moisturiser will do wonders for mature skin, says Ceril.

"You need to know what kind of skin you have, dry or oily or combination, and what its requirements are," she says. "Mature skins need richer, more hydrating products to nourish the skin, especially overnight.

"Rose oils are especially good. You can mix them in with your night creams or buy creams like Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream. Moisturise twice daily and, when you do, be gentle with your skin, don't pull it around.

"A gentle face massage will stimulate the muscles and give you a gentle glow."

But the biggest problem with older women, says Ceril, is their choice of make-up. "Don't use the same make-up routine in cleansing and toning and moisturising, nor the same make-up products, that you've been using for the last 20 years!" vents Ceril. "Now's the time to have that spring clean.

"Don't use foundation to give you colour, it's only there to even out your skin tone. Choose a light foundation that fits lightly on your skin and that doesn't fit into the creases of your face. Look at yourself very clearly in daylight, not the department store, with it on, and find one that matches your skin colour.

"Apply blusher on the apple (middle) of your cheek, not on the cheekbone: as you get older your face becomes more drawn in and it's more flattering to to put it on the apple. Don't blob it on, though, blend it in gently."

Taking care of your eyes is far more important than you think, says Ceril: "Older women forget about their eyebrows as they age. Eyebrows close up your eyes, so pluck regularly to open up the space between your lashes and browline and give you a more youthful look. Touche Eclat and Clinique Airbrush Concealer work wonders, giving an instant lift to dark under-eye circles.

"But lipstick is usually the culprit in telling a woman's age. Choose colours that work with you and are softer than the brassy colours you'd wear in your youth."

No matter what kind or how much make-up you wear, feeling comfortable in your own (albeit ageing) skin is key, says Ceril: "If you feel old or boring or stuck in a rut, you'll give off that feeling. You need to feel positive and good about yourself: it's always your sparkle that draws people to you."