When age is worn as a badge of honor

Vogue Philippines has been regularly featuring more mature women like the 91-year-old National Scientist Dr. Dolores Ramirez on the cover of an issue that included National Artist Alice Reyes, culinary historian Felice Prudente Santa Maria, and celebrated chef and restaurateur Glenda Barretto, all seniors styled in designer fashion. They even made history with Kalinga tattooist Apo Whang-Od, who, at 106 years old, was the oldest person to ever appear on the cover of any Vogue magazine. 

Carmen Dell’Orefice has the longest modeling career, starting in 1947 and still walking the runway at 94. Twiggy, the British icon from the ’60s, was chosen, at age 76, to be the face for Burberry’s summer campaign. Nineties supermodels Christy Turlington closed Michael Kors’ 45th anniversary show, Naomi Campbell can be seen at many designers’ collections, and Kate Moss made headlines at the Gucci FW 2026 show in a sparkling gown with the deepest open back revealing a matching thong. Susie Cave did the sexiest campaign of the season for Tom Ford. Celebrities were just as popular: Jane Fonda and Eva Longoria modeled for L’Oreal while Gillian Anderson and Chloë Sevigny did Miu Miu.

And it’s not just on the runway, since the front rows are also peppered with gray: 76-year-old Oscar winner Sissy Spacek of Carrie fame was the guest of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, while Joan Juliet Buck, the French Vogue editor turned Substacker, actor and radio host, was invited by Michael Rider of Celine together with Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, and Tracee Ellis Ross.

On Instagram, age is worn as a badge of honor with the likes of former supermodel and Estée Lauder ambassador Paulina Porizkova appearing in her underwear without makeup to reveal her wrinkles and age-related weight gain as she encourages her followers to “embrace your imperfect self and give it some love because our imperfections are what make us a perfect original.”

This is one reason why older women are having a moment, even with the younger generation who value authenticity most of all, reflecting a fear that individual style has been increasingly dictated by algorithms. Blazy, in fact, didn’t want to change the look of the models to appear younger since it was their maturity that he valued: “They have life, they’ve seen the world, bringing a completely different dimension to the clothes.” He laments how Instagram culture has everything “so velvety and well arranged, where everyone lives in the same apartment, with the same chair, that being yourself became the ultimate luxury.” This has made him feel “a deep hunger for difference.”

It’s also a pushback against a culture of eternal youth peddled by influencers who are terrified by the prospect of turning 30, even promoting early-in-life facelifts, which are increasingly becoming the norm. Kim Kardashian even said she would “eat poop” if it would help her look younger, just showing how the burden of maintaining a youthful appearance has reached ridiculous and distasteful levels. In the case of former supermodel Linda Evangelista, it led to disfigurement when a CoolSculpting procedure went awry.

Ultimately, the practical reality is that older women have the purchasing power to buy the luxury goods being presented and “they have the desire to see themselves and their lived experiences in these spaces,” says Romae Gordon, a 52-year-old former model who is back on the catwalk.

Talisa Carling, director of IMG Models, notes the demand for these mature models who are called “generational.” At a time when the growth of luxury has slowed down, this segment of the market is more important than ever since “half of the spending power is in the 50-plus cohort,” says Gemma D’Auria at the McKinsey consulting firm.

This is reflected in the new visibility of older women in public like Martha Stewart on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 81 and Demi Moore at 61, all over the awards and fashion circuits. “But it’s a paradox, because they don’t look their age. The message is you need to do work to look good,” says Ashley Mears, a former model turned sociology professor. Not all have Stewart’s means, though, to connect youth with class and wealth, creating barriers to entry at a time when fashion needs to take them down.

That’s why new attitudes like that of Blazy are most welcome now. Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga is on the same wavelength, sharing that “We all want to show powerful women, even in their vulnerability. And pride in showing your age is a symbol of strength and power.”

This perspective that is more rooted in reality bodes well even for younger women since they don’t have to be burdened by traditional beauty standards and can now aspire to pieces that have a classic, timeless appeal, which they can grow old with.