Beyond the clothes, merchants have spent considerable time designing stores that appeal to older women. For J. Jill, which plans to open at least 40 locations this year, that meant adding waterfalls, soft music and a so-called "wall of women" that displays portraits of beautiful women of all ages. Talbots has created wider dressing rooms and bigger mirrors for women of larger sizes. Gap's Forth & Towne offers fitting rooms with three-way mirrors, dimmers and enough room to seat a friend.

Retail analysts say the push to please older females is likely to remake the look of malls much in the way teen brands like Abercrombie & Fitch have done over the past decade. Merchant after merchant jumped on the youth bandwagon and even department stores — once a haven for women over 35 — focused on juniors, expanding collections and moving them to the front of the stores.

Some change is already visible, such as at outdoor shopping centers like the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. "This is very good for malls. It will bring in different kinds of customers," said Darrell Rigby, head of Bain & Co.'s global retail practice in Boston. Another bonus: Older women "control much of the household spending beyond the apparel they buy for themselves."

And for women like 54-year-old Jennifer Caccamo, the era of the older woman can't arrive fast enough. "We can't wear the belly shirts and short shorts you see everywhere," Caccamo said. "But we still want to be stylish. We need something that makes us feel good."