Cancun vacation……help dress a 50s mom

[Ottakee]

I am heading to Cancun with a friend in a few weeks.   I am early 50s size 14/16 and build solid.    Bigger bust and very thick legs but not a huge tummy….more tree trunk shape.

i have heavy thighs, knees and calves with varicose veins, etc.   Add in problem feet which limits me to Chacós and my tennis shoes for any sort of walking…..or crocs.

We will not be fancy and will be walking the beach, snorkeling, kayaking, hitting fitness classes and the gym but also need clothes for shoes and excursions.

don't want to be frumpy but also have a tighter budget.   
 

what styles look good?   I have more top options here than pants/shorts, and possibly one dress.  I can hit some nicer consignment stores, etc or Walmart level stuff.

picture below is last week hiking.  I am much more comfortable in hiking clothes than resort clothes 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Ottakee

[WildflowerMom]

Our thrift stores usually have some Chicos available.   I know they are popular with cruisers because of less wrinkles and you can dress up or down and be very casual.  I would look for that brand and see what you think.  Hth! 

[bolt.]

I have a lot in common with you for body type, and I was in Cancun at a resort last fall.

Ordinary camping/fitness clothes work fine for most of the activities you are listing. Usually on beach vacation I wear a 2-pc tankini style bathing suit instead of undergarments, and then add a t-shirt and shorts. I also have a tight-fitting t-shirt that is designated to be my wet shirt for wearing in the water on beach days.

So it sounds like you have your everyday daytime wear sorted out, as long as you have a swimsuit of some kind.

I guess I'm wondering what you mean by having 'resort wear' or 'excursions'. At the resort, in the daytime, shorts and t-shirts or swimsuits are really normal. Going to the restaurant(s) for dinner or going to a bar-area for evening fun are really the only thing you would need another type of clothing for.

For those things, I had a few dresses, and also a pair of dressy black slacks paired with my nicer tops. Some of the young attractive people were dressing up a little further than that, but most women in our age group seemed simply to be dressed 'nicely' and a bit 'put together' -- not really going into 'fancy' territory. I took 4 dinner outfits for a week's stay and one pair of evening shoes.

I have trouble with my feet too, but I wore simple cheap black flats from a store that caters to cheap teenagers and young adults. I found that the short walk between the room and the restaurant wasn't hard on me -- but walking any further without supportive shoes would have been a problem.

[Faith-manor]

Old Navy has some cute sundresses. Maybe you could find one or two that you like for dressing up in the evening. Otherwise, your casual clothes are probably just fine. There is a simple black one right now that could be worn back to back evenings if you just changed accessories like scarves and bracelet.

For bathing suit, I have a tankini top that I wear with swim capris. I have a large, damaged, swollen, ugly knee that is a left over of the car accident 8 years ago and I am self conscious. The swim capris keep them covered and also keep me warmer. I really like them. When I want to look "cuter", I have a retro swim dress I wear with the capris. It looks nice.

Mostly I think people will be very casual during the day and wearing whatever makes them happy. You do you.

[Ottakee]

I Have a nice lands end tankini swim suit that has more shorts with it.

Chicos stuff tends to fit me well so I can check the consignment store near me for a few more items.

 

my issues is i don’t really wear shorts at all.   I own one pair of gym shorts for painting etc but I don’t usually wear them 

[Frances]

1 hour ago, Ottakee said:

I Have a nice lands end tankini swim suit that has more shorts with it.

Chicos stuff tends to fit me well so I can check the consignment store near me for a few more items.

 

my issues is i don’t really wear shorts at all.   I own one pair of gym shorts for painting etc but I don’t usually wear them 

If you wear them, I think capris or a skort or even a super casual skirt could be substituted for shorts in most situations. It’s what I do. I don’t even own a pair of shorts.

[Starr]

or light weight loose pants. I don't wear shorts. I wouldn't worry if you wear the same thing to dinner. I would take some solid color summer pants and a couple of tops for dinner. You'll have a great time!