At 72, Twiggy is proof that older models are the most relatable campaign stars

When it comes to advertising campaigns, the fashion and beauty industries don’t exactly have clean copybooks. Blighted by lack of race and age diversity, in recent years brands have tried to do better, but only after being shamed into doing so by public opinion.

Which is why news that Charlotte Tilbury has just cast Twiggy, 72, as the face of her expanded and well-loved Pillow Talk collection, is so positive. The fabled 1960s British model joins a roster of older women including Helen Mirren, 76, and Jane Fonda, 83 - both ambassadors for L’Oreal - who prove that beauty brands are finally recognising that it’s good business sense to appeal to their vast army of loyal older customers. Tilbury might be adored by Gen-Z, but her cult products are equally coveted by their parents. And even their grandparents.

Happily, when it comes to the representation of older models in fashion, things have improved since 2017, when Calvin Klein received criticism for casting Lauren Hutton, then 73, in a video campaign for its underwear, only for her to appear for two scant seconds near the end of the clip. The public quickly cried “tokenism”, and any impact was lost.

Given that older women are pretty much the only ones with any disposable income these days, it feels puzzling not to allow them to see themselves reflected in the ad campaigns of the brands they love and covet. Designer clothes and handbags have never been more expensive. Who do we think is buying them? Clue: not the teenage or twenty-something models fronting so many of the campaigns.

So it’s encouraging to see a slew of fashion advertisements this season featuring not just midlife models, but models old enough to draw their pension. For customers of a similar age, there can be no greater enticement to buy the clothes. But for younger customers, too, these women are aspirational, each one an example of a life well lived. Everyone loves a story, and in uncertain times, it’s heartening to see a familiar face gazing out from a billboard, magazine or phone screen. “I know her,” you might think, or “I grew up with her”. And while they may not quite have had the same social media impact as when 80-year-old Joan Didion was made the face of Celine in 2015, what they do have is a synergy with the brands they’re representing. LC

Twiggy, 72, for Charlotte Tilbury

Sixties supermodel Twiggy joins Kate Moss, 48, and Jourdan Dunn, 31, as the latest face of the beauty brand. “Twiggy was creating her own makeup looks in the Sixties - before makeup artists existed,” says Tilbury. “Her incredible, iconic drawn-on lashes were a major beauty moment.” A quintessential British beauty, the model is a perfect fit for Tilbury’s line-up striking a chord with baby boomers who will fondly recall the swinging Sixties and yet shop in M&S. Photographed alongside Tilbury with a softer interpretation of the graphic eyeliner that Twiggy made famous, there’s no denying the model-turned-actress can hold her own, if not outshine her younger disciples. AJ

Isabella Rossellini, 69, for Lancome

In 1996, Isabella Rossellini was famously fired as the face of Lancome for being “too old”. “There is no work between 45-60 - you’re in limbo,” the actress and model said of the ageist beauty standards that prevailed at the time. Four years ago at 65 the esteemed beauty and daughter of Ingrid Bergman was re-signed to Lancome two decades after being let go. “I was told that advertisements represent women’s dreams, not reality, and that women dream of looking young. So I had to go. It felt very unjust,” she said when speaking of her return to the brand that once dismissed her. Today Rosellini remains a Lancome ambassador and last year appeared on the cover of the US edition of Harper’s Bazaar. AJ

Helen Mirren, 76, for L’Oreal Paris

In a move four years ago that proved to be extremely profitable, L’Oreal Paris launched a “Golden Squad” of over-50s led by Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren, as part of a campaign to challenge the perception of ageing. Mirren’s frank and honest discussion of the topic has resonated particularly well with customers. “I take great issue with the term [anti-ageing],” she once told O, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine. “You can’t avoid ageing. The way I see it, you have two choices in life: You can either get older, or die. And I want to continue to see what life has in store.” L’Oreal evidently understands that, bucking industry form in naming its mature skincare line Age Perfect. AJ

Kim Cattrall, 65, for FarFetch

Why Miss Jones! She may not have appeared in the Sex and the City reboot, but Samantha would undoubedly have approved of her altar ego’s fronting of the new FarFetch campaign. With so many SATC fans lamenting Cattrall’s non-appearance in And Just Like That, the release of the ad, shortly after the reboot had aired, was perfectly timed to capitalise on public interest. FarFetch’s creative director, Yannis Henrion, says he chose Cattrall because “she’s one of the most referenced fashion icons of this day and age.” That she looks happy, relaxed and is dressed in a series of flattering but fashionable clothes that wouldn’t look out of place in Samantha’s wardrobe only adds to the impact. LC

Jerry Hall, 65, for Saint Laurent

Unlike some older models whose campaign frontage feels somewhat out of the blue, Hall’s casting feels organic. Her association with the fashion house stretches back to the 1970s: she famously fronted the Yves Saint Laurent Opium fragrance campaign in 1977. She also made her debut catwalk appearance in a Saint Laurent show. “I wore his tuxedo. I was really very lucky,” she remembers. She and the late Yves were also firm friends. Five decades later, the series of images, shot in black and white and art directed by the label’s current designer, Anthony Vaccarello, are both credible and impactful, though whether they will entice the average sexagenarian to wear a black velvet jumpsuit remains to be seen. LC

Isabelle Huppert, 69, for Balenciaga

The fabled French actress stars alongside a motley crew of muses including Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber in Balenciaga’s “friends of the brand” campaign, which sees each “muse” shot separately at home. Huppert is seen in her chic Parisian apartment, first standing in front of her fireplace wearing black sunglasses indoors because #French, then again sat on a sofa that probably costs more than your car. Creative director Demna Gvasalia says he chose Huppert because the campaign focuses on “products that continue from season to season, becoming timeless.” Geddit? 69 = timeless, and Hubert’s visage certainly looks it. LC

Donatella Versace, 66, for Versace

Granted, this sits a little differently when you have nobody’s casting approval to seek but your own, and yet it’s only a positive to see the legendary DV take centre stage in her own ads, even if she is flanked by Bella and Gigi Hadid in a bid to appeal to the youth market. Women half her age would quake at being photographed alongside these beautiful sisters, but Donatella holds her own, putting herself at the centre of her brand, as she ought to be. LC