A British study has found that an outfit can make all the difference to how old a woman’s face looks.

Researchers put the same 55-year-old in 12 different ensembles and asked the public to guess her age. The results revealed that a well-cut wardrobe miraculously sheds up to eight years from a woman’s face. In contrast, ill-fitting, unflattering items can age her by seven years in the blink of an eye.

Former Clothes Show presenter Caryn Franklin who helped to carry out the tests, said: “This confirms what I have always known: that clothes are a very powerful beauty aid, and when women make clever clothing choices they are more youthful and fully of vitality in the eyes of others.

“This is about taking control and feeling good about ourselves from the inside. Well-made, well-designed clothes, that create definition and enhance our appearance, can also empower us to feel good about who we are. When a woman is confident and radiant she is always beautiful.”

A 55-year-old size 12 model was pictured in different outfits with identical hair, makeup, lighting and posture.

Of the 2,400 people polled their guesses varied greatly from 47 to 62-years-old depending on the outfit.

A well-cut wardrobe miraculously sheds up to eight years from a woman’s face

Ill-fitting, unflattering items can age a woman by seven years

Six outfits were taken from the isme.com, a mature women’s online retailer who commissioned the research, while another six were taken from the wardrobes of everyday fifty-plus women.

The team discovered that not only did all participants believe the model was much younger-looking when wearing the correctly fitted and styled clothing, they were also more likely to base their age assessment on her face.

Nearly two thirds (65%) said it was the face that gave their age assessment rather than the clothes themselves which were judged by just 31% – suggesting that style has a powerful subliminal effect on the appearance of physical features.

When sporting on-trend skinny jeans and a short summer mac, three quarters of respondents believed that the 55-year-old model had the face of a 47-year-old.

However, when the same model was dressed at the other end of the sartorial spectrum, in a loose polo shirt over boot-cut jeans, her average perceived age was 62 – adding on an unwanted 15 years on the previous perception of 47.

Caryn Franklin continued: “Women my age are experiencing increasing age-hysteria from companies selling expensive beauty treatments and invasive procedures that cost a fortune.

“This research can reassure every woman that the best and most effective way to shed years and shine is to dress well.”