Fashion Grows Up

If there's one thing that will change the fashion industry's obsession with youth, it's money. I'm not talking bungs and bribes - Cash For Wrinkles, anyone? Or the super-rich. Really, who cares if Daphne Guinness would rather binge on couture than eat? No. It's officially time for designers and retailers to wake up and smell the grey pound. All Walks Beyond The Catwalk, whose aim is to increase diversity in fashion and prove that 'real beauty is good for business,' have just told me about some research by Ben Barry a PhD student at Judge Business School, Cambridge University, that supports their philosophy.

'In my research, featuring 300 women in Canada, the US and UK, equally segmented between 14-65 years of age, over 90% of women between 40-65 increased purchase intentions when the advertisement featured models reflecting their age and size,' reports Barry. 'Women over 40 possess more overall spending power than any other age group, and they spend more on women's apparel than younger market segments. Moreover research has demonstrated that ageing does not reduce fashion interest among individuals.'


Women over forty want clothes that fit, flatter and look fashionable. And we want to see them on older models. Time for change, don't you think?


PS Why stop at 65? The fabulous New Yorkers snapped by Ari Seth Cohen for Advanced Style still care about fashion - and Alexis Bittar has been using 67-year-old Lauren Hutton in his ads this year.




All Walks Beyond The Catwalk.

Age-appropriate style

Forget tweenies in push-up bras and thongs and let's focus on a more important issue - the Mutton/Lamb conundrum. That's Not My Age doesn't need Government guidelines on what's age-appropriate - does anyone, really?! I nailed the art of bright summer trousers weeks ago, so now I'm thinking of 'pushing the boundaries' with a pair of floral pants. You know, a bit like the ones seen at Erdem's S/S 2011 show (above), but cheaper. Actually, during the latest round of de-cluttering I've emptied a bookcase, thrown out some old bedlinen and re-discovered a pair of floral pants. They've been lying at the bottom of my holiday box since the late eighties. No idea what happened to the Katharine Hamnett denim I flounced around in as a student but I've still got a pair of stretch Capri pants from Hobbs. How did that happen?



My rules for wearing floral pants are pretty much the same as for coloured denim; good with an over-sized shirt and flat pumps, and, because Erdem's double floral arrangement is tricky to pull off, it's best to keep things simple. I've opted for a simple navy jersey top and Michelle Obama-inspired kitten heels.

If you fancy a pair of er, fancy pants Comptoir des Cotonniers have a lovely faded floral pair:



Do you have any age-appropriate style tips? Would you wear floral pants?

Predictable, moi?

It's Saturday morning, et mais oui, it's Inés de la Fressange. Yes, I know the 53-year-old model and latest That's Not My Age grown-up-style-crush is becoming a regular feature on the blog, but this week IdlF became the 'Paris Ambassadress' for L'Oreal, so I figured she's worth it. And, whilst Jennifer Anniston's, 'I'm still in love with love,' quote on the cover of Red magazine (May issue) makes me want to gag, inside, the Q&A with Karl Lagerfeld's muse more than makes up for it:

Best everday outfit: I moved house a month ago and, when I unpacked my clothes it looked like the wardrobe of a maniac. It was one navy blue sweater after another, about 10 pairs of white jeans and hundreds of black penny loafers.

Best designer: Phoebe Philo at Céline. I buy two or three things each season and mix them with items I wear all the time, like cropped jeans and ballerina flats. Then I'll add diamonds, or a beautiful crocodile handbag with an old trench coat.

Best style advice: My grandmother used to tell me that the older you get, the more you have to be very neat, very soignée. When I used to visit her in hospital, her hair would be perfect and, instead of medicine on her side table, there would be perfume.


IdlF also says the best thing about returning to the Chanel catwalk was being allowed to have normal hair, her own shoes and not having do that silly dressage-style walk, that models do. So there you have it. The secret of French style: choose classic colours and simple shapes that work with what you've already got, keep hair and make-up as neat possible - and best of all, wear flat shoes.


And now I'm off to buy Parisian Chic: A Style Guide, by Inés de la Fressange and Sophie Gachet.



Photo: L'Oréal

Style Counsel

Wondering what to wear to a winter wedding? Then check out my guest post on the lovely We Shop Therefore We Are blog.




Photo: Richard Avedon

Street Style: wrap up warm

Lisa Lyons, 41, loves the layered look, ooh bit of a tongue-twister eh? Shorts, thermal tights and over-knee boots - now there's an idea!



Carole Austin, 39, looks fabulous in her TK Maxx coat, bottle green leather bag and Chanel glasses.



Cutting a dash in his grandma's coat, don't you think Raffaele Azzi, 45, looks like an Italian John Galliano?



Fredrik Hulting, 37, may look like an English toff in his Aquascutum coat, but don't be fooled, he's actually from Stockholm.




Photos: Stephanie Rushton

Street Style: keep warm and carry on

As the cold snap continues, That's Not My Age drags herself off the sofa and onto the street to find out how to look stylish and avoid frostbite this winter.


Lucky, Victoria Durrer-Gasse, 50, designs clothes and accessories, lives in Ibiza and was on her way to India when we met. Who knew that boho chic could be so cosy?


Paul Iwala, 42, in head-to-toe vintage (even the camera's second-hand), proves that a classic leather flying jacket never goes out of style.


A splash of colour always looks good in winter, and a fabulous Hermés bag looks good anytime! Globe-trotting, Milena Tsavliris bought her cashmere coat in Milan and pashmina in India. Glamorous or what?


Let's hear it for Beatrice Smith, who at 92 years-old becomes That's Not My Age's most senior street style icon. After 60 years of marriage, and three years as a widow, Beatrice says she's having fun,'kicking up her heels.' Respect.


Photos: Fashionistable

The kitten heel comeback

It may be winter outside, but in the fashion world it's spring. And so, That's Not My Age has decided to keep warm, stay indoors and work on an easy wardrobe update. Although clompy footwear is still loitering about like leftover pine needles in a shag pile carpet, the elegant kitten heel has nudged its way back onto the fashion radar. And this is a good thing.

Fortunately, being a glamorous lady who spent the nineties working on women's magazines, I have a couple of pairs lurking under the bed:





My favourites, in olive green leather are from queen of the kitten heel, LK Bennett. The heel is so low these are amazingly comfortable and trés elegant. The textured brown leather pair are a Sigerson Morrison sample sale buy - gorgeous but they pinch, and so haven't seen as much wear as the racy orange pair, with the dainty buttons and crumpled toes (also LKB). But how to wear the kitten heel in 2010?





For day, a slim leg trouser or jean, rolled up to show off the lovely, au courant footwear, is best. I seem to remember getting the pointy toe caught in a wide leg trouser once, flying across the office and nearly head-butting a colleague. So glamorous! Team with a neat wool jacket and pussy bow top (sorry the full-length shot is a bit dark, there's not much light chez That's Not My Age today). While it's still wintry, I highly recommend a pop sock, OK, OK, it's bloody freezing - how about a pair of thick socks and wellies for the commute?

For a smarter look, try a floral print dress with the tailored jacket, and of course, thick woolly tights.




And if you're looking for new shoes for spring/summer 2010, my favourites are from....you guessed it, LK Bennett:



Ready to step into spring now?


Photo: Giles from Vogue spring/summer 2010 catwalk report.