"Never mind Cara, Gigi and Karlie -today's hottest models are in their 40s, 50s, and beyond". Louisa Pritchard reports on the kickass women putting a one-overlooked generation back on the fashion map...

Hello Silver Sirens...

Alex B.

Began modelling at: 46

Previous job: Academic

She says: "I am not surprised that older models can find work - it just has to be so, given the changes in demographics - although I believe we still have a long way to go"

Louisa Pritchard, Stella Magazine

Alex, now 67, has walked for Rick Owens SS25 at ParisFashionWeek. In the words of Angus Munro, casting director, the models who walk for Rick Owens "have to have a reverence to them. They have to have sophistication, they have to have a frailty..."

Alex seems to have all of this and more.

Some stills from the new music video by @luvcatband , Dinner @ Brasserie Zèdel
It was a fun shoot, thank you everyone!
Director: Ollie Bradley-Baker & Luvcat
Producer: Ben Carey & Ollie Bradley-Baker
DOP: Natalja Safronova
Art Director: Ellen Amann Johns
Gaffer: Michal Kedracki
AC: Kristiana Zhekova
Editor & Colourist: Ollie Bradley-Baker

#luvcat #musicvideo

Soon it’s going to be Christmas and then a new year. I wanted to get ready for 2025 so I worked with @edodreamstudio to revamp my portfolio at the suggestion of my primary model agency @mrsrobinsonmgt . And what a great suggestion it was! I love the results even though this is just BTS stuff!. I had lost confidence and faith in myself as a model but working with Edo energised me. It’s a tad too soon but here’s to a wonderful 2025. I do not think I am ready to retire from modelling, not as I thought I was 😊
#stillgotit #silverhairedmodel #alexb

I’ve been busy reorganizing my Substack, gathering in one place articles, interviews and papers I’ve written over the years. Reflecting on my visibility as an older model, I often wrote about ageism, going grey, and being a woman in fashion. Those pieces are now over a decade old, yet we’re still having the same conversations. While I’m thrilled for the newer faces representing older women, I can’t help but feel that the progress has been very slow. The presence of older models in fashion should have been normalized by now.
And yes, the persistent stereotypes in advertising (hello “sprightly granny cooking for her pets”—a role I turned down!) remind me how much work still needs to be done.
Here’s to progress in 2025! If you’d like to read my earlier pieces or comment, head to substack.com/ @alexb244. Many older online articles may no longer be available on their original websites, but I’ve preserved them. Incidentally on my Substack you will also find a podcast series dating back to 2016 on body issues and body image. Have a listen!

Let’s keep the conversation alive! 💬✨

#AgePositive #FashionOver50 #AgeDiversity #OlderModels #SubstackWriter #Reflections #WomenInFashion #AntiAgeism #GreyHairJourney #SustainableFashion #FashionAndIdentity
@vestojco_op
@ageismisneverinstyle
@her_edit
@ageing_better

At Westminster today the assisted dying bill is finally being debated. Please show your support by going to the rally outside Parliament, between 9 am and 12 pm, even if only for ten minutes. Please do not be swayed by the arguments of the no supporters. Assisted dying is not about taking money away from the NHS! It’s a lie! Assisted dying is about choice, not coercion. It’s about dying with dignity.
#sayyes #assisteddying #dyingwithdignity

*** It has passed! We are heading in the right
direction! ***

@humanists_uk

Thank you @marianchen20 and your team for today’s shoot. Thank you also @rosselladmn for the great photos and @mrsrobinsonmgt for arranging it. Can’t wait for the end product! Shot at @istitutomarangoni_london
#olderwoman #oldermodel #notyet

These portraits of me and designer @francescaiaconisi were taken last month in Lecce at the atelier @silentedesign after a photoshoot styled by @silviadongiovanni with photos and videos by @antonio_cavallo__ and a great make up by @miriam_imbrogno_makeup_artist
It was a great experience to be photographed in Lecce’s ‘centro storico’ only a few yards from an old apartment my family had once occupied. I wore Francesca’s designs. Watch this space for more photos from the shoot. These are BTS, post shoot.
#fashionshoot #ecoresponsiblebrand #apulia #oldermodel #silverhair

My grandfather’s top hat has had another outing! Thank you @jennieblythephotography for these images. My grandfather’s top hat was made in the 1920s by hand and I am so proud to have inherited it!
#vintage #vintagestyle #modelling

I am absolutely delighted to share my podcast for @latebloomerliving on a number of topics dear to my heart. Thank you @latebloomerliving for inviting me to be your guest!
You can find the podcast on Podbean; here is the link
https://www.latebloomerliving.com/blog/episode-205-empowered-aging-a-conversation-about-life-death-and-dignity-with-alex-b
#podcast #modelandwriter #assisteddying #dignityindying

Last week I was in Lecce, Italy, guest of @stars_eu_funded and @d.e.m.o.group. It was a week of exchanges, meaningful connections and conversations about fashion sustainability with the Latvian partners. Head over to @stars_eu_funded account and watch this first reel with highlights of the meetings on day 1 - more to follow.
Thank you for having me!
#fashionsustainability #solidarityeconomy #southernitaly #latvia #fashionactivism

It’s always great to revisit a familiar place and uncover exciting new developments. Lecce, known as the baroque city par excellence, now has two fantastic new museums dedicated to modern and contemporary art: the Fiermonte Museum (@fiermontemuseum), previously known as MAMA, and the Fondazione Biscozzi-Rimbaud (@fondazionebiscozzirimbaud), both located in the heart of the centro storico.

Although different in their outlook and intent, both museums shine a light on the richness of modern and contemporary art with roots in Puglia, offering alternative narratives and perspectives. I spent a wonderful afternoon exploring their collections and chatting with Maura, the knowledgeable young woman in charge at Fiermonte Museum—her enthusiasm for modern art is truly contagious!
(The last shot is of a very artistic cactus)

Highly recommend a visit!

#Lecce
#BaroqueCity
#ModernArt
#ContemporaryArt
#PugliaArt
#ArtInLecce
#FiermonteMuseum
#FondazioneBiscozziRimbaud
#CentroStorico
#ArtLovers
#MuseumVisit
#ArtDiscoveries
#PugliaExperience
#ItalyTravel

I will be reading excerpts from my latest book Sustainable Fashion, Migrants, Embroidery. Ateliers of ‘social integration’ in a podcast on Substack. I will also be reading from my previous book, Contemporary Indonesian Fashion. Through the Looking Glass (2019) as some of the themes I explore in both books are connected. I hope you will join me on Substack and with your input - comments, suggestions - we can co-create this podcast!
#podcast #substack #conversation #conversationaboutfashion #model #writer #modelandwriter #fashionactivism #fashionactivismmovement

Thank you @stars_eu_funded for inviting me as a guest on your forthcoming podcast series, Green Dialogues, discussing my work in fashion and the two books I have published with @bloomsburyfashion , the first one on contemporary Indonesian fashion (2019) and the second, just out, on social tailoring and the economy of solidarity and sharing. I can’t wait to be sharing links!
#fashioresearch #fashionforsocialchange #podcastseries #writer #writersofinstagram #podcastersofinstagram ##fashionactivist #model
(Image courtesy of @stars_eu_funded)

The amazing Sylvia Gobbel @sylvia_gobbel! Together with Henrietta Allais - sorry I could not find the names of the other two girls - she was photographed by the great Helmut Newton for this famous dyptich which appeared in Vogue in 1982. It was such an iconic image! Back in 2010 the American photographer Stuart Bentley , who was visiting London, asked me to be in a remake of the ‘Naked’ picture - we had no clothes that would match the original haute couture of picture 1. It was meant to be a homage to the great Newton and to those beautiful models in the original. I felt rather nervous but I did it, the intention was good. Stuart photographed me in four different poses then joined the shots. It is what it is, a homage to the greats. I am such a fan of Sylvia and of Helmut Newton, it delights me to be able to share this picture (suitable censored) as a token of admiration.
#blackandwhite #greatphotographers #supermodelsoftheeighties #agencesilver #mrsrobinsonmanagement

I was in Bloomsbury today so I stopped by the @britishmuseum to view the Silk Road exhibition. It highlights the networks created by the ancients, the cultural exchanges that took place and which shaped our history beyond stereotypical notions of East and West. And yes, the British Museum is very crowded but not as crowded as the Paris Louvre where queues go round the block - I went there last Wednesday and gave up!
#silkroad #britishmuseumlondon #ancienthistory #networks #culturalexchange #exhibition

Rick Owens SS25 collection Hollywood presented at Palais de Tokyo as part of Paris Fashion Week was a part II to his earlier Men’s collection of June 2024. I will not discuss the concept and execution, you can find plenty of articles commenting on it. I loved being part of it and that haunting Wagnerian music will forever be etched in my memory. Included is a clip from the rehearsal with us wearing ponchos because of the rain
#rickowens #parisfashionweek #richardwagner #tristanundisolde #fashionart

I have had my debut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week @parisfashionweek walking for Mr Rick Owens @rickowensonline. I am delighted and feel very emotional. I have been a great admirer of Rick Owens’ style and aesthetics for years. I also like that he relies on atypical models to show off his collections, without a hint of tokenism. As a model I started off as an atypical model with Grey Model Agency @greymodelagency later ending up as a retro model with Mrs Robinson Management @mrsrobinsonmgt and doing occasional work for Crumb @crumbagency especially music videos. I am still very much an atypical model because of my look but also because modelling is something I do alongside other things – I am an author and for years I taught visual culture as a university professor. I would like to thank Mr Owens and AMC casting @a.m.c.casting especially Saffron Earle @saffronroseearle and of course Angus Munro @angusctmunro . I am also very grateful to Karine at Agence Silver @agencesilver for stepping in as my agency in France, necessary to walk PFW, and my dear friends Ira, designer at IA London @ia_london, for really pushing me to go to the final casting – I nearly chickened out – and Davide @monsieurdavid with whom I have worked a couple of times and who advised on how to present myself at the casting. And of course my family, especially my niece Miriam who helped me with a last minute return flight. I rarely write so much for a post, thanks for bearing with me.
(The original music for the show was Wagner, Tristan und Isolde, Prelude)

#ParisFashionWeek #RickOwens #RunwayDebut #AtypicalModel#MrsRobinsonManagement #AgePositive #DiversityInFashion #VisualCulture #ModelLife #PFW2024 #FashionIcons #BehindTheRunway

Visited @sothebys to experience the durational art piece by the versatile @fkatwigs - a remarkable two-hour and twenty-minute performance featuring 11 dancers in intense, energetic movements, deep squats, and dynamic dance sequences. Inspired by somatic movement and the endurance live art of Marina Abramovic, the performers’ commitment is undeniable. Their display of resistance, stamina, and unwavering focus was impressive.

#Sothebys #PerformanceArt #FKATwigs #LiveArt #ContemporaryArt #DurationalPerformance #MarinaAbramovic #ArtExhibition #ArtPerformance #LivePerformance #EnduranceArt #SomaticMovement #ArtExperience #ArtisticExpression

I finally managed to visit @fulhampalace! I used to live in Fulham and never went! And on the way I discovered the wonderful vintage boutique Black Tie White Noise. Mainly for gentlemen but with the occasional ladies item, especially shoes! Well, it is @londonfashionweek after all!
#lovefulham #vintageclothing #vintagefashion #secondhandseptember

Thank you @latebloomerliving

#dignityindying #righttodie #ageing #endoflifechoices #podcastguest #thoughtprovokingconversation

@humanists_uk

Thank you @monsieurdavid for these beautiful shots! My portfolio is enhanced by them!
(Davide is available for portraits/portfolio updates pls contact him if interested)
#portraitphotography #blackandwhite #modelling #portfolioupdate

I visited the @vamuseum today and saw the ‘Fragile Beauty’ exhibition which presents highlights from the photographic collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. It’s an extraordinary collection consisting of real gems. I think I will go back to see it. John and Furnish have wide interests and their photographs include rare images by masters of the art as well as images by contemporary photographers including Chinese political activists. Absolutely worth a visit. As I was there, I also went to see ‘Naomi’ the exhibition charting supermodel Naomi Campbell’s career. What was that famous quote? If you can’t say something nice…well since the exhibition was partly funded with public money I will say, to be nice, that the frocks were superlative (none of them belonging to the supermodel btw). The most interesting section of the exhibition was the little corner devoted to the trailblazers, meaning the black models who shook the fashion scene. Now that would have made an interesting exhibition in itself. What else can I say? You tell me!
#exhibitions #victoriaandalbertmuseum #fragilebeauty #naomi

‘There are rivers in the sky’ is the intriguing new novel by @shafakelif. It opens with a description of Niniveh and king Ashurbanipal and a single drop of water falling on his head. From there different stories interweave. I was by the @britishmuseum today so I went in to admire the Assyrian collection of statues and bas-reliefs. The Assyrians were highly accomplished but brutal and implacable, even by ancient standards. Niniveh was a magnificent city, with one of the largest libraries of antiquity.
‘There are rivers in the sky’ is beautifully written and really worth digging into.
#booksofinstagram
#ancientmesopotamia
#summerreadinglist
#elifshafak

I meant to go to the #nottinghillcarnival but at the last minute I bailed out - I just cannot be in a crowd, it makes me anxious. So I got off the tube at Green Park and walked to #kensingtonpalace. So glad I did! I caught the ‘Untold Lives’ exhibition which is quite unique. The curators have done their best to highlight the concerted effort required to run a royal household. As Sebastian Edwards, Deputy Chief Curator and Head of Collections at Historic Royal Palaces, says “We wanted to explore their origins and identities, their essential and unexpected skills – and the intimate roles many of them had caring for members of the royal family.”. Mission accomplished! It is an exhibition I highly recommend, unsettling though it may be.
#untoldlives #kesingtonpalace #historicpalaces

The @mocomuseum has just opened in London and is a wonderful space! I visited together with my dear friend Elena from Rome. The display was amazing, I particularly admired Basquiat and Banksy! Elena and I began our modern/contemporary art quest at @tate where we saw the Yoko Ono exhibition, second time round for me. Then we moved to Moco at my insistence and were not disappointed. Can’t wait for Marina Abramovich’s residence at Moco London in September. In art we trust is the Moco motto, I just love it. Also, Moco supports Movement on the Ground (MOTG), a non- profit devoted to improving the quality of life for refugees. It matters.
#art #artgallery #artforchange #contemporaryart #refugeeswelcome❤️

Fooling around with my granddaughter @thetoweroflondon on a lovely summer day. Next stop @hamptoncourtcastle
#summerinlondon #royalpalaces #grandmothersandgranddaughters

It’s out! Almost four years in the making, from start to finish. Find yourself in the Acknowledgements…it will take a while before it’s out in paperback but if you are a student of fashion (or a faculty member) you can ask your library to get it (and of course review copies are also available from the publisher). The timing of the book is perfect, I am celebrating the contribution of migrants and refugees to fashion, and how they are reshaping it. Thank you again to everyone who made this possible
@bloomsburyfashion
#sustainablefashion #migration #embroidery #atelierssolidaires #sartoriesociali #socialenterprise
#writer #writersofinstagram

Like many others I am appalled at what has been happening over the past week and the sustained attack on migrants by far right troublemakers and on Muslims in particular. The comments made by Elon Musk about civil war in the UK are very irresponsible and am glad they have been rebutted. I try to live my life as usual, taking pleasure in little things - a performance I really enjoyed, a moment with friends and family, an enjoyable photoshoot - but I cannot help feeling perturbed by the explosion of anti-migrant feelings and rampant racism in a country that actually relies on migrants’ labour to function. Brexit was led by a desire to lower immigration ; whether it has been successful is open to question. And to what purpose, really?
Nigel Farage, the anti-immigration leader of the populist movement Reform UK who is now a sitting MP, has stoked tensions.
We must not be swayed by populism! Let’s be decent and welcome people of all colours and creeds in our midst. It will enrich us as human beings
#nohashtagneeded

What an experience! I went today to the Tower of London - the Tower, an iconic sight! To view the exhibition ‘By You ‘ (a name so resonant of Bayeux) by @stitchesintime_ and as luck would have it today was a workshop day. I learnt the backstitch 👏 and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Stitches in Time is a charity working with migrants in Tower Hamlets, running embroidery and sewing classes. I have discussed their exemplary work in my forthcoming book, published by @bloomsburyfashion and coming out on the 8th of August. What I loved about this project is the artistic slant and the emphasis on participation which helps to build communities. I had never embroidered before - well, I lie, aged twelve I attended compulsory Home Economics classes at school which I detested and was taught to cross stitch. Never completed my project! It was fun to try again so many years later! Thank you Paul (both of you) and Esther! I will return for more now that I have had the experience!
Catch the exhibition at @thetoweroflondon on until end August. And come along to the next workshop on 15th August, you will love it!
#embroidery #embroideryproject #communitybuilding #royalpalaces #towerhamlets #bookstagram #bloomsburyfashion

Huge congratulations to @coloriagelaboratorio for receiving the UNHCR Welcome Award for their work with refugees and migrants. Coloriage is discussed in my book published by @bloomsburyfashion, just out!
Coloriage is truly inspirational and it is wonderful to see them grow and go from strength to strength.
#fashionforchange #socialimpact #socialinclusion

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