As each generation moves on from the style confines of their predecessors, concepts of “age-appropriate” dress can seem dated. Great-grandmama may have blanched at a glimpse of a visible ankle, yet French first lady Brigitte Macron rocks a miniskirt at 71. “Baby boomers and Gen X are never going to be boxed in by prescriptive directions,” says Alyson Walsh, an author and the founder of the website That’s Not My Age. “Age limits on what to do, say and wear over a certain age are a thing of the past.”
And yet, shopping for fashion can sometimes be a painful process once you’ve shifted into your seventh decade.
Twenty-five years ago, Susannah Constantine was the fashion guru du jour, but she recently complained that shops don’t cater for women her age (62) or shape (UK 14), calling them “ageist” and “sexist”. As the majority of fast-fashion stores chase Gen Z and millennial shoppers, older women are left searching for somewhere to spend… Or are they?
Vanessa Hodgson, the founder and managing director of Collen & Clare, a boutique in the seaside town of Southwold, Suffolk, disagrees. “I get where [Constantine] is coming from, but she needs to look harder,” she protests. Pieces that last longer than one season, fabrics that won’t make you sweat and assistants that show you how to style your purchases should be basic requirements at any age.
Constantine would do well to widen her search and alight on one of the brilliant brands in our edit, which will see 60-year-olds, and beyond, catered to in style.