A woman with the kind of refined
beauty and attractiveness that requires poise, dignity, and strength of mind and character, things that often come with age; not merely sex-appeal. Usually applied to a woman who is also very well-groomed and from an upper class background.
This phrase is very dated and rarely used in today'
s English. Those who
don't understand the term could almost be insulted by the word "handsome" being applied to a woman, mistakenly thinking you're saying she is masculine.
"Though she had lost
long ago her virginal loveliness, she had ripened into a handsome and
fruitful looking woman." - Ellen
Glasgow
"What a handsome woman she has become; she carries herself so well".