Culture

Sophia Loren and Helen Mirren Show How Fashion Got Older and Wiser

Chic

With a new ad campaign for Dolce and Gabbana, Sophia Loren, 81, is the latest older celebrity chosen by the fashion industry to front a campaign.

galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models4_jkci0l
via Instagram
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models4_v92er7

Quite what Sophia Loren is doing in her new advert for Dolce and Gabbana is anyone’s guess. She seems to be playing the mom of a clutch of strapping young sons (or at least a matriarchal gang leader of some kind). They all pitch up at a disused house, start demolishing stuff, and then start restoring things.

Loren—who begins in a simple black outfit, transitioning to a crisp white shirt for a bit of branch-chopping—ends up in a great black dress as her sons, who have all turned water hoses on each other in their underwear, are themselves suddenly newly dressed in black and flirting with a bunch of young women who have shown up. Loren is 81, and yes, looks fantastic—although her skin looks a little too taut and her face immoveable.

No matter. Loren is the latest of a group of older celebrities and sometimes non-celebrities, modeling for big fashion labels. This trend is, on the surface at least, refreshing. Fashion is often criticized for its emphasis on youth, and so these adverts represent an industry showing that age and glamor are not mutually exclusive, indeed that aging--and fashion and style more generally--can also be chic partners.

We still think this advert is weird and dull, though.

via Instagram
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/160203-iris-apfel-kate-spade-tease_c2gbpp

Iris Apfel for Kate Spade. The fabulous Apfel cherishes style, and living life to its fullest: an inspiration to all ages.

via Instagram
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models5_pvawim

Madonna for Versace. The Queen of Pop, no matter how old she is, remains the Queen of Pop. Swift, Gaga, Rihanna et al are mere pretenders.

via Instagram
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models2_swsvfg

Joni Mitchell for Saint-Laurent. The eternally coolest of musicians remains the coolest of musicians, and Saint-Laurent dresses her accordingly.

via Twitter
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models1_en4nhn

Joan Didion for Céline. Brilliant author, and brilliant idea on the part of the fashion label to partner high style and high-minded literature.

Juergen Teller for Céline
galleries/2016/02/03/how-fashion-got-older-and-wiser/10203-celeb-models3_liboc8

Helen Mirren for L'Oréal. Mirren is not only stunning, but also witty, intelligent, sharp, and most definitely “worth” whatever she asks for.

via YouTube