46 ELLECANADA.COM
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ALENCIAGAof 50. “When I go on the street in Paris now, this is what I see,”
designer Demna Gvasalia told ELLE. And Donatella Versace
has been creating “moments” with ’90s supermodels since spring/
summer 2018, featuring Cindy Crawford (53), Carla Bruni (51)
and Naomi Campbell (49) in her shows (not that their ages are
important—which is the point). But it was in New York that
brands really championed age inclusivity. Christina Kruse and
Turlington appeared in feathered frocks
and headwear at Marc Jacobs, Hansen
in a metallic-gold tux at Michael Kors
Collection and Cleveland in a searing-
hot-red jumpsuit at Hellessy. The city’s
“cool” cult brands, like Proenza Schouler,
Deveaux and Maryam Nassir Zadeh,
featured a number of older models too.
“What is the point of having another
show with the same girls walking down
the runway?” asks Tommy Ton, street-
style photographer and creative director at Deveaux, a label
co-founded by Matthew Breen and Andrea Tsao. Deveaux’s
presentation was among the most talked about, thanks to its
quietly cool designs and characterful casting. “We wanted to
emulate reality, where you pass people you recognize on the
street,” says Ton. And what are the odds of only passing people
in their late teens? If anyone can answer that, it’s Ton, who
brings his street-style experience to his new role: “It’s a lot of
demographic research. It’s one thing to be a designer, but you
don’t understand what you’re doing until you see the clothes
on regular people.”
Relatable, representative casting proved challenging—
agencies didn’t have a wide selection of older models. “It was
hard,” says Ton. So it was “regular people” we saw in Deveaux’s
presentation: JoAni Johnson (67), a tea-blender turned model,
and Grece Ghanem (54), a personal
trainer by day and influencer by night,
as well as a handful of furniture and
set designers. “We wanted models to
bring a depth of character,” says Ton.
“They’re reflective of who we envisage
buying the clothes.”
As luxury fashion becomes more rep-
resentative, it no doubt starts to reflect
those with greater spending power. So
this increased representation isn’t limited
to fashion. Beauty brands, from start-ups to the old guard, are
holding a mirror up to their customers too. (L’Oréal has ads
fronted by Helen Mirren, and Glossier features grey-haired
models alongside those in their 20s.)
“The funny thing is, we meet people all the time who defy
[age] stereotypes,” says Givhan. “People in fashion defy [them],
but we tend to see that as outlier behaviour rather than normal.
We point to a fashionable 60-year-old woman as if she’s a unicorn
“WE WANTED TO
EMULATE REALITY, WHERE
YOU PASS PEOPLE
YOU RECOGNIZE ON
THE STREET.”
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