Well, a few of the "new faces" in fashion are over 60 years old. And the media is all agog about it. The latest clothiers to dip their toes in the “real people as models” practice are the French designer Lanvin and American Apparel. Clearly, the “real people as models” strategy is embraced because it draws media attention and not because it’s the right thing to do. Still, I see these ad campaigns as a tiny step towards getting society to wake up to the beauty found in all ages, all sizes and so forth. And a step forward is better than stagnating in a world where only skinny 14-year-old girls are considered beautiful enough to be photographed. Ugh! Click “read more” below for links with examples from these campaigns and others.
STRIKING A WORLDLY POSE
Lanvin’s winter ad campaign features 11 "real people," including 62-year-old Tziporah Salamon (above) and 82-year-old Jacqueline Murdock. Both women were discovered on the popular street style blog Advanced Style. According to Alber Elbaz, creative director of Lanvin, "Fashion doesn't look good only on models; it can look good on different people of different ages and different body shapes." Amen.American Apparel has announced that it is using 60-year-old Jacky O'Shaughnessy as the “new face” of its ad campaign. Ms. O'Shaughnessy was discovered in a New York restaurant.
Other designers and clothing companies have dabbled with using “older women”, but there often beautiful actresses, not exactly people I can relate to. For example, in the past year, we’ve seen Demi Moore modeling for Ann Taylor and Julianne Moore for Talbot--both women nearing 50. And Over 50 Susan Sarandon modeling for Uniglo and Diane Keaton for Chico (below).
Talbot has had a couple of “real women” campaign. The videoclip below culminates with a fashion photo shoot of a diverse group of women. I wish the company, which says it’s target is the over 40 woman, would do more.
I'll let you know if I find any other examples. Leave a comment if you've seen over 50 women models. Thanks.
