Bardot's Birthday

Former sex kitten (now just mad about cats), Brigitte Bardot is 75 on the 28th September 2009. And to commemorate, the James Hyman gallery, Savile Row, London has an exhibition of vintage paparazzi shots, plus newspaper clippings of a failed suicide attempt. It's refreshing to see these rare photographs, some of which are not-so-flattering; 'Brigitte Bardot pouting' looks more like BB sulking, with a double chin and pudgy face, surely a taste of things to come? Whilst a Sam Levin picture of BB in orange striped Carnaby Street trousers with the flies undone, looks less like the pneumatic starlet in an erotic state of undress and more like she can't get the zip done up.

The Observer recently featured a beauty and ageing story on Bardot and Sophia Loren at 75; two screen goddesses - two ways to grow old. Comparing Loren, who has 'embraced the idea of being attractive and sexual as an older woman,'(probably with a little nip and tuck) and Bardot who has rejected plastic surgery, devoted her life to animal welfare and recently turned into a fascist. Which approach is the best? We'll leave you to decide.

Style icon: Julie Christie

Wow have we got a story for you.... on our second trip out looking for fabulous over-forties to photograph, That's Not My Age was feeling decidedly uninspired. Maybe all the super-stylish people had left town for the Bank Holiday weekend, or maybe they were avoiding the busy Southbank. Whatever. After an hour or so it was time for a toilet break. So heading back to the Royal Festival Hall, we spotted a very fine looking woman sitting out front with friends. hair casually tied back with a scarf, cute sunglasses and a real life boyfriend jacket, " I'm wearing this jacket because I'm cold. it's my boyfriend's,' she told us later.Yes, really!

A couple of minutes of dithering ensued before photographer, Dvora went over to ask if we could take a picture. After a bit of persuading by friends, the lovely lady nervously agreed. We chatted for a few minutes and Dvora started snapping,' What's your name?' asked the photographer, 'Julie,' came the reply. Ohmigod, this stunning woman with her very own bohemian style was Julie Christie! Star of some of our favourite films - Billy Liar, Darling, Far from the Madding Crowd, Shampoo, Don't Look Now - and of course, more recently an Oscar-nominated role in Away from Her. Stunned and in a complete tizzy, That's Not My Age's mind went blank:

TNMA: 'Oh blimey, I've just realised who you are. I love your work!That film in Canada - you were fantastic.'
JC: 'Oh I thought that's why you'd asked for my photo.'
Dvora: ' No, we just thought you looked cool!'


And then it was over, Julie Christie went back to her friends, Dvora and That's Not My Age went off for a stiff drink. Completely dumbstruck. Well and truly stunned by the style, beauty and genuine loveliness of a proper movie star. Swoon. We Love JC.

Street Style

That's Not My Age and photographer, Dvora have been out and about looking for stylish people over forty - and there are plenty out there! Check out our favourites from Columbia Road flower market, London, 28th August 2009.



Susan Greenleaf, 39 (nearly there Susan!) was at the market with her ever-so-stylish twins Quinn and Hansen. She's wearing an old APC top and a neat little chapeau. We like her laid-back style.



Leon Herbert, 54, says, 'I'm wearing white because it makes me feel angelic!" His jacket only cost a fiver from an old army & navy store.



Irene Duffy, 88, runs a market stall and loves wearing fitted shirts and trousers - but top marks to this stylish lady who always finishes off the look with a sassy scarf.



Krt (and no, that's not a typo) Williams, over 40, works for fabulous fashion company, Junky Styling. We love Krt's nonchalantly piled on necklaces and recycled cuff.





Young Soo Park - can you believe it, is 60 years old? Yes six-o, amazing eh? He's a fashion designer from south Korea and is head-to-toe 10 Corso Como, which has just opened a store in Seoul.

Hot pots and hot flushes

There’s more to Betty Turpin than her tried and trusted hotpots – as we found in Coronation Street last night. Ageing temptress, Liz Macdonald revealed she’d chucked cab driver, Lloyd before he got the chance to trade her in for a younger model, ‘I’m having my menopause Betty,’ blubbed Liz, mourning the end of her fertility. ‘Hot flushes?’ replied Ma Turpin, not one to shy away when it comes to giving advice, ‘Wear layers. Then when you get warm, whip yer cardi off. And don’t worry about facial hair, when you go grey they’ll not notice it at all.’ And so, Betty’s wise words instantly put a nation of women-of-a-certain-age at ease.

Granny takes a trip

OK so I may not be the first to feature this but there's been a bit of a break in blogging. Nothing for a year and now twice in one day! But this is well worth waiting for...in fact it's the perfect fashion news story for That's Not My Age.

Twenty-something designer Fanny Karst believes that life begins at 70. And, in the spirit of reluctant pensioner, Ronnie Wood, the French-born designer behind the Old Ladies Rebellion label feels you’re never to old to rock ‘n’ roll. The niece of Jean Charles de Castalbajac trained at Central St Martin’s and now works for Savile Row tailors Chittleborough & Morgan. Inspired by her granny, young Miss Karst has come up with the ‘Old Ladies Rebellion’, a fabulous collection of digitally-printed jersey dresses and logo t-shirts bearing witty slogans such as 'Begin with the end’ and “Not at your age.' Figure flattering garments feature trompe l’oeil prints and clever cuts - but they don’t come cheap. At £500 a pop, the price might cause a rebellion of a different kind amongst some old ladies, but we love the age-defying concept, and don’t need a crystal ball to tell us what Kate Moss will be wearing in thirty years time!


PS Sorry Fanny, we swiped the image off your website!

Tough guys take a break

Harry Patch said, ‘ Give your leaders each a gun and let them fight it out themselves.’ But, we currently find our world leaders fighting it out on the front pages over who can impress most with their physical prowess.

After President Sarkozy over-exerted himself jogging around Versailles in an NYPD t-shirt and Barack Obama showed us he can’t throw a baseball, we are heartened this week by the official holiday snaps of Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin. Proving that he’s no lily-livered lightweight and can hunt, shoot, fish and swim butterfly like a real action hero – a leader of men who can look after himself and the rest of his country! This back-to-nature, action man- style proves hugely popular in Russia, it’s just a little hard for the rest of the world to fathom. Scary macho stuff – but at least he wasn’t wearing Speedos.

And, he may not have Obama’s natural sense of style but personally we don’t have a problem with Gordon Brown kicking back in a navy blazer and chinos. This type of classic menswear may not set the fashion pages alight but it works well on men of a certain age (and physique), and as we all know, try-hard is never a good look. So what if Brown looks a bit fuddy-duddy - we like to take our political leaders seriously.

Coming soon: the Cameron family go mad in Cornwall (before jetting off on a less well publicised long-haul trip), and Silvio Berlusconi takes a break in Ibiza with business woman, Katie Price.

Watch the video of Putin swimming in a cold Siberian lake.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1204250/Vladimir-Putin-takes-dip-climbs-tree-makes-basics-Siberia-vacation.html

Radiohead soldier on and Gilbert and George fly the flag

OK it’s been a while, That’s Not My Age is something of a slow blogger but all that’s about to change. I'm back in action, inspired by a couple of of age-related news items:

Respect to Radiohead for releasing Harry Patch (In Memory Of), the incredibly moving song about the 111 year-old last British survivor of the First World War who died on July 25 2009.

As Thom Yorke explains on the band’s website:

‘I had heard a very emotional interview with him (Patch) a few years ago on the Today program on Radio 4. The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me.’

‘It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor.’

‘It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us.’

As Harry himself said, ‘Irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims.’

Download the song from Radiohead’s official website for £1. All proceeds from the track will be donated to the Royal British Legion.



Fly the flag
This week I am mostly loving Gilbert & George. The 68 year-old artists are back in the news with their ‘Jack Freak’ exhibition at the White Cube gallery. The duo have donned Pete Townsend-style Union Jack tailoring and created a fine collection of photographic artwork – my favourite is Jack Shit (but that might just be the title!). The be-suited old boys do all the digital work themselves, which impresses That’s Not My Age who can just about post a blog. But most of all I love their neat appearance. The matching suits, always a clean shirt, tie and shiny shoes – and the fact that they look more than a little like Eric and Ernie.

Jack Freak, White Cube, Mason’s Yard and Hoxton Square, London (020 7930 5373)