Age Appropriate Style: Debunking Old Myths
Madonna turned 59 yesterday and as I poured through post after post and photo after photo of the Material Girl through the years I couldn’t help but think about age appropriate style. In fairness, no less than Vogue has made note of her prominent role in fashion as both an inspiration to designers and a trendsetter for the masses. That makes her fair game for any discussion about her fashion choices. And though she looks amazing at 59, she has been raising eyebrows of late with some of her sartorial selections.
MADONNA pictured at the 1991 Oscars, where she sported a Marilyn Monroe-type look
Iconic style. Madonna in her 20s
Madonna dressed in a classic fur collar in a scene from her 1996 movie Evita
Madonna 2008
Age Appropriate style in question. Madonna, 53 with daughter Lourdes at the 2011 Vanity Fair party after the Academy Awards
56 year old Madonna rocking a gold grill at the 2015 Grammy Awards
Madonna bared it all in a blush-worthy Givenchy matador costume at 2015 Grammy Awards
Madonna with her son David making their way through the airport in 2015
Madonna’s 2016 Met Gala red carpet look
Age Appropriate Style: Is It Still Relevant?
But just what exactly does “age appropriate dressing” mean? Who gets to decide what “age appropriate style” is all about? Much is written about what to wear in your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and so on. Harper’s Bazaar has become famous for their “Fabulous at Every Age” feature. But in an era where few 30 year olds can rock it like Jane Fonda and Cindy Crawford, Halle Berry and Elle MacPherson look like time is running backwards, aren’t we redefining the notion of age appropriate dressing? Here at Furinsider we devoted an entire series of posts dedicated to age defying beautiful women proving that 70 is the new 50, 50 is the new 30 and so on.
what exactly does “age appropriate dressing” mean? Who gets to decide what “age appropriate style” is all about?
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: Jane Fonda attends the Premiere of “The Sea Of Trees” during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2015 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Jane Fonda at 78
Jane Fonda in 2016 at 79 years old
Jane Fonda on the cover of The Edit March 2nd 2017
Cindy Crawford on the red carpet at Marie Claire’s Image Maker Awards 2017
Ageless beauty! Cindy Crawford at 50 years old donned a memorable 2016 Meta Gala look by Balmain
Cindy Crawford, Golden Globes, 2015
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 15: Actress Halle Berry arrives at the 2015 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 15, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Halle Berry in Atelier Versace at 2016 Oscars
Halle Berry at Kidnap film premiere, Los Angeles USA, 31 Jul 2017
Elle Macpherson in 2013 at the GDay Black Tie Gala
Elle Macpherson, 51, looks as youthful as ever
Elle Macpherson Winter Style steps out in Aspen December 2014
Elle Macpherson Harper’s Bazaar Australia June July 2017
Elle Fanning and Hailee Steinfled prove that grown-up, sophisticated elegance has a place among the teen set. A mini-skirt may be the domain of the teens and twenty-somethings, but at 44 Gwyneth Paltrow can pull off the look just fine. On the other end of the spectrum Iris Apfel proves that even at 92 you can live your life bold and out loud and show it in your dress code.
Elle Fanning hits the streets of NYC in a Fendi Karlito black leather jacket and matching with hard-to-pull-off harem pants
Elle Fanning Cannes Film Festival 2017
Hailee Steinfeld in a polished Valentino dress at the designer’s Paris Fashion Week show in October 2016
Hailee Steinfeld 2016 street style
Hailee Steinfeld performs at 2016 L.A. Pride in the perfect outfit
Hailee Steinfeld
Gweneth Paltrow
Examples of Gwyneth Paltrow’s age appropriate style from the streets in 2017
Iris Apfel is a style icon for women of all ages
Iris Apfel showing her advanced style at the Dries Van Noten Fall 2016 fashion
Iris Apfel in 2017
Clearly, the concept of “age appropriate style” choice is no longer as simple as a number. Lifestyle, energy and confidence matter. If a woman has worked hard to stay in shape and she feels comfortable in her own skin why shouldn’t her fashion choices reflect this?
Helen Mirren is still as sexy at 70 as she has always been.
The rules for age appropriate style are not what they used to be. Don’t you agree?
