Article by Ceri Wheeldon
When I first started Fab after Fifty one of the biggest gripes from people reading my posts was that there were no 50plus models – with models wearing clothes deemed ‘appropriate’ for our age group being worn on the catwalk and advertising features by young, stick thin models. They would look very different if we were to wear them.
But is that finally starting to change?
A number of brands are starting to listen – and recognise our spending power. There are campaigns for ‘real women’ to model collections, and at New York Fashion Week a number of 50plus models took the catwalk by storm- and they all looked fabulous. High profile designers used models ranging in age up to 70. Christy Turlington closed the Marc Jacobs show while Christie Brinkley, Patti Hansen and Alva Chinn. It will be interesting to see if London Fashion Week follows suit. You can read a full article about the over 50s at New York Fashion week in the New York Post.
More options for women over 50 on the high street
Increasingly there are more options in terms of buying clothes that are wearable – plenty of dresses with sleeves on the high street, and current trend for tailoring is great for women over 50.
Has the fashion industry finally recognised that we don’t stop wanting to look good just because we have reached a landmark birthday. We know what we like to wear, and are happy to spend our money on quality clothing that reflects who we are. We are not looking to be pigeon holed into specialist stores or departments, but want to see fashion as being inclusive, We mix and match from high end to Zara and H&M. We don’t slavishly follow trends, but update our wardrobes with subtle additions to refresh our look. We know that wearing the right clothes can reflect the confidence we feel on the inside.
We are not about to become invisible and fade into the background- although ironically head to toe beige is ‘on trend’ this season . I love this look from Burberry.
Perhaps the fashion industry is trying to woo us back!!
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