I'm 53 & the Golden Bachelor's stylist – you can look sexy at any age, I throw the rules out the window with my tips
LONGTIME Bachelor franchise fashion designer Randi Rahm helped dress the age-defying contestants on the first-ever season of the Golden Bachelor.
Randi, a former pianist who has a showroom on Madison Avenue in New York, definitely had the golden touch when it came to keeping Gary's love interests looking – and most importantly feeling – their best.
Don't be fooled by the season's senior stars – they wanted to look just as sexy as any other bachelorette vying for the attention of her suitor.
The 53-year-old designer shared her tips for dressing as you age – just don't forget to feel good in whatever you wear.
"My advice is always to listen to your insight. You have to know who you are and even if it's a trend, it doesn't mean you need it head to toe," Randi told The U.S. Sun.
"As a designer, I have to know what shapes look good on you, but some people don't realize when they do.
"When you look in the mirror and think you look good, trust me – you look good.
"You walk taller, stand up straighter, have a cockiness in attitude.
"You should be as comfortable in evening clothes as jeans and a T-shirt.
"It doesn't matter your age – it's about your body type, and whether you look elongated.
"If you feel comfortable showing your arms, you should show your arms.
"Now oversized people walk around and if they feel comfortable that's great, that's beautiful.
"A stylist can help you add to your wardrobe and assist in allowing you to make the right choices.
"But ultimately you know if you look good."
When it comes to showing off your assets, Randi knows more than ever now that age is just a number.
After all, the golden bachelorettes seemed to enjoy baring it all.
"People should be embracing aging. I'm a strong supporter of women and if you look great and feel comfortable having a slit or a backless dress, why not?
"Anything goes in today's world."
I think ageism is one of the last prejudices
Randi Rahm
"These women were feeling themselves and wore what they felt was right for them," she added of the most recent contestants.
"They say 'old women can't have long hair or can't show legs or arms, or you're a mom,' but that all went out the window.
"It was a chance for everyone to feel good no matter how old you are, and just be fun and giggly and wear beautiful clothing.
"All these women were loving him so it was a big ego trip.
"The world got to see how beautiful aging is. I think ageism is one of the last prejudices," she said.
Randi also has a golden rule when it comes to dressing her contestants and clients alike.
"It doesn't really matter how old you are because fashion is about who you are and how you feel. That is more important than what's trending," she said.
"You have to know who you are and be comfortable with that and build your own wardrobe and feel good about yourself."
"Dressing is what every designer does and every individual is a blank canvas. We create for them individually.
"It doesn't matter if you're old, young, big-busted, small, in the middle, on the bigger size. That's the whole beauty of it, no matter what age they are."
I think older women today are forgotten. This season just showed how physically and mentally beautiful they are
Randi Rahm
Randi, who wasn't limited by any restrictions when sending gowns for the golden bachelorettes, pointed to the stars who are the epitome of dressing however they desire – Dolly Parton, Cher, and Madonna.
"They are still out here sexy as hell, doing their thing and it's the same thing as with real women.
"We take care of ourselves better physically and mentally and know how to help ourselves grow older and age gracefully.
"These women were in great shape and happy with themselves so when you wear something it's all about how you perceive yourself.
"You pull it off because you feel good in it.
"With the show, I thought thank goodness that we can now see people who are older and want to be loved and want to have sex and do odd silly things and fall in love that's meant to be as we age."
She also spilled the behind-the-scenes dressing beans on this very first of its kind Golden Bachelor season.
"The two finalists had very different aesthetics but were still sensual, sexy, beautiful. They wore what made them feel great. They went for it," she explained.
Randi, who designed both proposal dresses, shared how the chosen love interest Theresa Nist, 70, wore a very sexy, glam dress that another – much younger – bachelorette from a previous season had worn in another color.
"The other contestant was 20-something years old. I just made a few tweaks but the gown had a classic shape.
"These are my evolutions, not collections – I can just adjust everything with a belt or sequins," she said.
Runner-up Leslie Fhima, 65, also rolled up to her would-be proposal in a more elegant Randi Rahm original – and the dress drama ensued.
After Leslie famously blurted out 'thank God you didn't make me come down in a $60,000 dress,' the designer wanted to set the record straight.
"Just clarifying that her dress was not $60,000. She said it out of sadness and anger. It was still a costly dress, don't get me wrong and she looked gorgeous," she explained.
She also recalled how rather than fighting over who wore what best, the women's maturity showed through their style choices.
"I think older women today are forgotten. This season just showed how physically and mentally beautiful they are, and the friendships were amazing.
"They are all united. I thought it was a great season and why it was so popular was because everyone, young and old, wanted to see what love was like in the later years of your life."
"There were little conflicts here and there but all in all those women really bonded and were happy for one another.
"They were not like kids fighting they were grown adults who had experienced life and sadness and happiness and all they wanted was to enjoy the ride."
Randi explained how the women chose their gowns out of thousands of samples from various designers.
Love might not cost a thing, but her gowns certainly do.
The dresses typically range in price from $8,000 to $70,000.
This has translated into millions of dollars worth of clothing with the franchise over the last two decades.
Randi works with Bachelor Nation's head stylist, a longtime friend who has she been working on the reality show with since it first aired over 20 years ago.
When she originally asked if the women wanted to be more conservative and cover their arms or other features, he laughed.
"They all had great figures so he pulled the same kind of clothing he would pull for the younger bachelorettes," she said.
Another style secret from the show – the guy will sometimes purchase a proposal dress for his leading lady.
One of Randi's most mortifying moments in Bachelor history came when a bachelorette wearing one of her light pink gowns got picked up and carried into the ocean following a proposal.
Rachel Lindsay's fiance Bryan also wasn't expecting her dress to weigh 50 pounds when he attempted to lift her up during the finale episode.
"It was in the heat of the moment and he wasn't thinking but it was pretty traumatic for me. It was tens of thousands of dollars."
The couple is now making headlines for heading towards divorce.
Randi, who remains friends with many contestants from various seasons, typically has an idea of what the ladies look like before she sends dresses over.
This includes their height as well as filming location so that she can choose items that will look better in certain settings. She also tries to get a sense of their personalities.
"About a week before the finale of whatever the show I get a phone call that I have to send some gowns. I usually never know who it but now things get leaked so quickly."
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