May 2012: Letter from the editor
Models generally don’t like to disclose their age. Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to be perceived as over the hill, other times it’s because they are working the runways sooner than they should be, given that some fashion councils have set a minimum age guideline of 16.
This makes it difficult to tell you who the youngest person in this issue is. But we know for certain who the oldest is: Iris Apfel, at 90, followed by China Machado at 82.
The fact that both of these women have recently appeared in ad campaigns and fashion spreads is wonderfully ironic. Especially since they are modelling not in spite of their advanced age but because of it. The courage to wear their wrinkles with pride has paid off in both reverence and renown. And they cleverly use fashion to ensure they aren’t any less alluring for it.
Not that there is anything wrong with a little tweak here and there, especially if, as Lynn Crosbie writes in “Audio Visual” (page 140), there is a body part you’ve come to detest.
But the biggest lesson we can learn from the style icons who fill our Age issue is the importance of being yourself. Imagine if Sophia Loren had tried to dress like Audrey Hepburn, rather than dressing for her curves? It’s a lesson she needed some help to understand, Loren admitted to features editor Elio Iannacci (but only after he chased her down with five phone calls, and agonized over his Italian for the interview). “Having someone else dictate your look can be like surrendering your identity,” Loren remarks in “Age-Defying Icons” (page 178).
So if you haven’t outgrown your tomboy phase, take solace in Sarah Nicole Prickett’s “Bro Code” (page 84). On the other hand, if florals and full skirts are more your thing, feast your eyes on “’50s Scent” (page 200).
Whatever your sensibility—or age—indulge in colour this spring. It’s the simplest way to do your own thing in style.
I would love to hear what you think of our Age issue. Let me know at letters@fashionmagazine.com.
Bernadette Morra is the former editor-in-chief of FASHION magazine. She has been covering the Canadian and international fashion scenes for more than 30 years, first at The Toronto Star, then at FASHION. Over her long career Bernadette has interviewed many fashion world legends including Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Gianni Versace.
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