Blog posts

I Always Wanted to Marry You

I Always Wanted to Marry You

Ageless Provocateurs
“I always wanted to marry you!”   These were the words that I read on the email from HIM. I was ending my second marriage (just wrong from the very beginning) when I had the strong spiritual urge to let the one guy who I couldn’t shake out of my heart know how great he was to me and for me during our high school and college years. The email was sent…and this was the response. My intent was simple. “Clear the path for a new and lasting love.” Yes, I am the romantic…but somehow this love that lingered had to be dealt with and released so that I could truly find a life partner that I could live out…
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Encore Bride Nikki Goodhew, celebrated her 50th birthday on her honeymoon in the Maldives

Encore Bride Nikki Goodhew, celebrated her 50th birthday on her honeymoon in the Maldives

Ageless Provocateurs
As a school girl it seemed insanely impressive to roll “Esse Quam Videri” off the tongue, it was after all, our school motto at St. Audries. We had no real idea what it meant, learning the Latin was enough. As a woman, having been married before and just about to enter her fifties, as I returned to my school to get married, Esse Quam Videri resonated with me on a cellular level. On the 4th May, 2013 I finally married the man of my dreams. St Audries School had been transformed in to St Audries Park Wedding Venue. A stunning Elizabethan Manor where the Quantock Hill’s meet the Bristol Channel, in Somerset. Think a cross between Mallory Towers & St…
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Self-Published and Proud!

Self-Published and Proud!

Ageless Provocateurs
I am a self-published author. I say that with a lot of pride. Why? Because I had the courage to share my words with the world. I believe every person should have the opportunity to tell their stories. Self-publishing allows all writers to be equal and not stopped at the gates of a few publishing companies. I love to read. I love diverse opinions. I support self-published authors and encourage people everywhere to self-publish if they are inclined. My book is called Ageless Bride. Recently, I was trolled on social media by a woman who claimed a self-published author has no character, is not a serious person, and only publishes for their own ego. Trolls are more than ridiculous. They…
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New Mrs. Scharf, Vintage Bob Mackie

New Mrs. Scharf, Vintage Bob Mackie

Ageless Provocateurs
Well, I finally did it. It was the world’s longest walk down the aisle. Only a few short yards, and yet it took 50 years. My long journey to the altar had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock movie, more starts and stops than a NASCAR race, and more bumps and bruises than a mixed martial arts match. That’s what it feels like when you’re single forever: a long, never ending slog, with just enough high hopes and heartbreak to keep things interesting. But on May 24th 2014, I finally did it. I GOT MARRIED. All said and done, I went from Miss Brandon to Mrs. Scharf in 50 years flat. Catch your breath everyone, it was record time…
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Announcing my book Ageless Bride!

Announcing my book Ageless Bride!

Ageless Provocateurs
When it comes to love, I am hopelessly romantic. I believe that love enhances our lives in so many rich ways. As the old proverb goes, “Love makes the impossible possible.” Or to borrow from Maya Angelou, “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” We are all deserving of love, no matter the age. So when I became 50, I turned my attention to women who are too often ignored: the over 50 and ageless bride. I saw all around that instead of feeling joy about getting married, they were so focused on a number. And they felt that they had to dress a certain way because of…
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Checks, Balance and Serendipity!

Checks, Balance and Serendipity!

Ageless Provocateurs
I always took it as a complement when friends and colleagues described me as Type A. High energy? Check. Ambitious? Check. Detail-oriented? Check. In fact, writing checklists seems to be part of my DNA. My mother’s to-do lists are the stuff of legend. My goal-oriented, deadline-driven personality served me well in the three decades I spent as a fashion magazine editor. I loved the ever-changing cycle of fashion, the challenge of coming up with a new way to spin a story I’d told 30 times before, the camaraderie of a team, the travel, the parties, the hoopla. I prided myself on helping to produce a very large, successful magazine, InStyle, on time and on budget, month after month. Looking back, I…
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Owning Your Age

Owning Your Age

Ageless Provocateurs
Today I turn 49. I went back and forth on announcing this on my site, not because I want to solicit more birthday wishes than I get on Facebook, but because I honestly think women would rather not discuss how old they are. And today being #DayWithoutAWoman and International Women’s Day, I thought it an appropriate topic. Your 40th birthday is a big deal—everyone can’t believe how great you look, you still feel pretty good and anything seems possible. Fifty is the big “damn you’re old” birthday and then until you get so old it’s just a blessing to be alive, most women would rather not say their age. Hollywood and fashion magazines may be ageist, but I think women—by…
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Discovering Your Personal Style

Discovering Your Personal Style

Ageless Provocateurs
I love showing women how to command attention when they walk into a room, and feel beautiful regardless of their insecurities. I’ve been helping women feel great about how they look since I was 21 (and let’s not talk about how long ago that was).  At the time I worked for a cosmetic company, and actually got my first promotion largely in part because I understood how the way you looked affected the way people perceive you. People would often ask me for style advice because I always dressed “different” and didn’t necessarily follow trends, but had a natural knack for finding bargains and clothes that flattered me. Never would I have dreamed that years later, shortly before turning 50, I decided…
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SILVER IS THE NEW BLONDE™

SILVER IS THE NEW BLONDE™

Ageless Provocateurs
I never thought I would age. I am serious. Why for some odd reason, I don’t know, I thought the clock would stop for me! Then reality hit me in the head, literally. At 35, my hair began to gray. I had some stress, but not a hard life. I could not figure it out… aging prematurely! So I did what any young female professional would do and I covered it! My hair was important to me. My hair framed my face and I thought it defined who I was. So I did this FOR YEARS! Until my 50th birthday approached when I said no more! I was done. I felt fake. I was covering up who I was. I…
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