The hottest fashion stars are 50-plus

Amid growing criticism over the return of the narrow, white and ultra-thin beauty on the runway, the latest fashion weeks, which closed Tuesday in Paris, offered a variety of styles. Although plus-size representation seems to be on the decline, this season there was a significant number of models and celebrities over 50.

They have appeared in some of the most prominent shows of the season, from Michael Kors in New York to Gucci in Milan and Chanel in Paris. As the luxury market faces increasing challenges, fashion houses are also appealing to older customers, women who have significant time and money to spend.

The Chanel show on Monday evening was opened by the 50-year-old model, Stephanie Cavalli. Dressed in a black skirt suit, paired with a deep purple handbag and matching shoes, and wearing her blond hair, she exuded confidence and ease. It was the second time in a row that he opened Chanel under the designer Matthieu Blazy, after his appearance at the haute couture show in Paris a few weeks earlier, a step that shows the direction of style and business aimed at specific customers.

“Vintage styles bring a completely different dimension to clothing,” Blazy told The New York Times. “They have life; they have seen the world.”

Cavalli is not new to the fashion industry. She modeled in the 1990s and early 2000s, and recently returned to the runway after years out of the limelight. Although it was not part of the top supermodels like Christy Turlington or Naomi Campbell, it was a model of the wanted plane that appeared in the shows of leading fashion houses.

“I never thought that I would do something like opening a Chanel show. It was completely unexpected, especially at my age,” he said to Vogue. “When Matthieu (Blazy) wanted me to open the show, I was happy, of course, and also scared, because I feel like it’s a big responsibility to open such a big show.”

On her gray hair, she told Vogue: “I was tired of coloring it all the time, and I felt that sometimes the color would come out good, but sometimes it wouldn’t”. During the COVID pandemic, she chose to stop coloring her hair, “But once I realized it made a difference in my hair life and at work, I stuck with it,” she added.

Cavalli was far from the only classic model on the runway. Christy Turlington, 57, one of the supermodels of the 1990s, walked in the 40th anniversary show for Michael Kors. Artist and model Anh Duong, 65, appeared in Carolina Herrera, while Calvin Klein also presented several classics, all during New York Fashion Week.

In Milan last month, Kate Moss, 52, closed the Gucci show in a thong with the brand’s logo, revealing her rear. Meanwhile, Jil Sander’s runway included many styles from the 40s and 50s.

At the latest Miu Miu Paris show, model Kristen McMenamy, 61, and actresses Gillian Anderson, 57, and Chloë Sevigny, 51, walked the runway. Sevigny marked 30 years since she first appeared for the genre.