In 2002, Dame Maggie Smith – A family friend — asked me to help her find something to wear to the Oscars. She had been nominated for her performance in Gosford Park as Constance, the sharp and scathing Countess of Trentham. At the time, I was editor of British Vogueso the request seemed obvious.
“No!” “No!” and “No!” was the shocking response from the major fashion houses I asked to dress her. “She’s a bit old for us,” they told me. She was 67, with two Oscars and a handful of other prestigious awards to her name. “Not really our clientele,” they added. Finally, after much persuasion, Armani he graciously “allowed” the actress to borrow something from the shelf.
Times have changed. Today, many designers who historically targeted very young women are also targeting an audience of sixties and over. At 88, Dame Maggie Smith is one of the new faces of fashion. Loeweposed against a brick wall, wearing an oversized, shaggy brown faux fur coat and holding the house’s best-selling book Puzzle bag for its spring/summer 2024 campaign. Pictured here, taken by Jürgen Tellerthe wrinkles on his face and his bony fingers remain intact.
Photography by Juergen Teller/Courtesy of LOEWE
And it happens everywhere. Dame Vanessa Redgrave86 years old, was chosen by Daniel Lee join Burberryand made a front row appearance at the show in one of his classic trench coats, his mid-length silver square tucked into the collar, sporting his favorite comfy Ugg boots (she wears them all the time). In the footsteps of the iconic Catherine Deneuvelong duration Saint Laurent friend of the house, who reappeared in a campaign in 2021 — at age 77 — we now have Diana Ross79, opposite his Spring/Summer 2024 campaign.
We have also just seen a 63 year old man Kristin Scott Thomasher gray hair pulled back, her face almost without makeup, walking at Miu Miu. And, at 67 years old, Jerry Hall — who was walking Karl Lagerfeldin the 70s — starred in a series of portraits published before Chloefirst show of Chemena Kamaliits new creative director.
Embracing the beauty of older women first became a “thing” in 2015, when Phoebe Philo writer then aged 80 Joan Didion as a model in his sunglasses campaign during his tenure as CEO Celine. She was rarely seen without her oversized glasses, but Didion was widely regarded in her day as not only a writer but also an extremely stylish woman. So there was logic – and relevance – in the choice. Today, it’s no longer about shocking by using older styles, but about celebrating them. And the trend seems to be eliciting a positive response from consumers.
Photograph by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
“Today,” he said The TelegraphFashion Director of Lisa Armstrong“you see a 50 year old man Victoria Beckham “She runs around in a miniskirt or wears a slip dress as the mother of the groom, and no one says, ‘Oh, my God, look at her!’ They say, ‘Oh! Where can I find that dress?’
Of course, attracting an older audience also makes good business sense. In 2020, consumers aged 50 and over contributed $45 trillion to global GDP, or 34% of the total, according to Association of Office Property Owners (AARP)” “Global Economic Outlook Report on Longevity“Millennials and Generation X have significantly less purchasing power.
I am 62 years old. I have loved fashion since I was a young teenager, I wanted to walk in platform heels and find the courage to set foot in the ultra-cool world Biba I still love her. I take care of myself, stay fit, and get regular adjustments; I don’t plan on stopping now. When I think about how my mother dressed when she was my age, I’m amazed at how “dressing your age” was defined back then. There was so much talk about being “age appropriate” and not looking like “a sheep in sheep’s clothing.” My mother had transformed into a stern middle-aged woman in her 30s, and by her 60s she wore a uniform of elastic-waisted pants, “comfortable” shirts, and sensible shoes. She dressed like her peers. Now, when I can’t find something in my closet, I know my 25-year-old daughter has helped herself. Our styles are similar. I wear sweatpants and hoodies, and I’m obsessed with On sneakers, like her. But I also treat myself to classic designer investment pieces. The market places me at both ends of the age spectrum. Donatella Versace — a 68-year-old woman — told me, “If I think back to how my mother dressed and compare it to mine, she would have been shocked by what I wear! Today, we see huge benefits in representing all generations.”
Photography by Dia Dipasupil
Instagram is now flooded with silver hair style. My current favorite is the old Fordham Graduate School of Social Work Teacher Lyn Slater, Ph.D., aka the Accidental Icon. As she writes in her fashion blog, “I was struggling to find blogs about women who live interesting but ordinary lives in cities. Women who are not famous or celebrated but who are smart, creative, fashion-forward, fit, thoughtful, engaged, and comfortable with who they are.” Her refreshingly exuberant blog has landed her brand partnerships and, most recently, a publishing deal.
Like Slater, fashion houses have understood that women of all ages need confidence. Earlier this year, when I had tea with a Pamela AndersonThe 56-year-old bombshell told me how her career was revived after she couldn’t cope with the routine of a “glamour squad” at Paris Fashion WeekSo she opted for a bare face. The result? Mass hysteria. The public was so obsessed that she was soon on the cover of at least four major fashion magazines, featuring Proenza Schouler‘s Spring/Summer 2024 campaignturning heads at The Met Ball and serving as the face of her own clean skincare brand, Sonsie‘We have to accept age,’ says makeup expert Bobbi Brown told me on a recent visit to London. (At 67, she has learned to use Tik Tok (to organize beauty tutorials for women of all ages.) “We have character lines on our faces and that’s normal.”
In March, a 74-year-old man Miuccia Prada honored the blanket of British Vogue. The message couldn’t be clearer: older women are here to stay and are still as chic as ever. I plan on living to be 100; I’m just wondering what I’ll wear to my party?
Read this article as it appears in the magazine.
#Fashion #Finally #Catering #Older #Women #Artful #Living #Magazine