photo from Vogue France
Hi there,
This will be a quick one. I read several articles talking about how older women are now showing up on catwalks - see NYTimes, and most recently, French Vogue. Fashion loves to romanticize things, but here is my take:
Older women have always been the engine behind fashion. We have more money, and that’s as simple as that. The fashion industry always knew that.
Older women were that proverbial rich girlfriend paying for the bills but who they were embarrassed to be seen in public with. Good enough to take their money, but not good enough to proudly show her off.
It’s quite infuriating but it’s the truth. Ageism is alive and well, and the industry didn’t all of the sudden started to have a conscience. Brands are struggling, prices skyrocketed, and they now need to appeal to their base and lure them into buying more.
Hopefully older women will continue to be more visible, in fashion and everywhere else, we will see.
I share this today to make a point about our power as consumers: Gen X + Older Millenials are 63% of personal luxury goods market share. We can support brands that embrace diversity of all kinds, and in this case, women of all ages.
Using our dollars to move things forward while buying beautiful things is… a beautiful thing.
Sending love,
Patricia