Emily Cronin
Charlotte Rampling: actor, forever fashion reference … octogenarian icon? The British actor, who turned 80 earlier this year, shared some of her feelings about reaching the milestone age in an interview with British Vogue. “I think I will be able to actually have a pretty good time [in my 80s]. I feel that I deserve it,” she said, going on to discuss her “loving friendship” with a new man.
In the accompanying shoot, Rampling appears in a number of fashion-forward looks. Wearing outfits including a Saint Laurent blouse and biker jacket, Gucci tiger-print shearling coat and Louis Vuitton funnel-neck jumper and trousers, she appears edgy. Self-possessed. Even (dare we say it? Yes, we dare) hot.
Eighty looks a little different than it used to. Make that very different. Along with Rampling, other women who’ve entered their 80s in recent years include Helen Mirren, mobbed by fans on her way into Erdem’s show during London Fashion Week earlier this year; Norma Kamali, still turning out bodycon dresses after almost 60 years; and Brenda Blethyn, star of the TV adaptation of A Woman of Substance. Joanna Lumley, who was surrounded by photographers as she took her seat in Burberry’s spring-summer 2026 front row, blew out 80 candles in May.
They join a cohort of 80-something women changing the face of ageing – women like Jane Fonda, 88, Vanessa Redgrave, 89, and Martha Stewart, 85.
Stewart in particular appears to be having an absolute ball. In 2023, aged 81, the domestic goddess and lifestyle mogul became the oldest cover star of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit edition. Since then, she has covered the Olympics, partnered with friend and business partner Snoop Dogg on a gin venture and been the subject of a hit Netflix documentary. She also stars in the latest campaign for (denim brand) Mother in which she smoulders at the camera and purrs, “I love a nice package” and “No filter necessary”.
“Martha is the ultimate muse,” says Lela Becker, the brand’s president and co-founder. “She knows what she wants, exudes confidence and isn’t afraid to challenge expectations. We wanted to celebrate that energy by presenting her in an unexpected way.”
It should not be news that advanced age can correlate with advanced style. But ageing is changing. As Charlotte Rampling tells Vogue, “We’re all 10 years younger now.” Meaning that while the ninth decade might once have been a time to retreat to a comfortable armchair with the knitting, now it is a time for women to embrace life’s possibilities and do whatever they want, including declining great-grandchild babysitting opportunities in favour of travel, pursuing new relationships or, in Rampling’s case, starring in a Golden Lion-winning film.
It is worth acknowledging that the group referenced here includes women renowned as some of the most stylish in the world for going on half a century. Of course Rampling, Lumley, Mirren et al were going to make ageing seem exciting rather than merely inevitable (if you’re lucky).
“The thing is, these women are so inspirational,” says Rachel Fanconi, a stylist who counts both Mirren and Lumley as longstanding clients. “They are the women who came up in the 1960s – they are the coolest girls.”
Fanconi says that when preparing mood boards for photo shoots, the archive imagery she pulls from the ’60s and ’70s often references events or eras when “they were there – they were doing all of that”.
She adds, “I think expectations around what women look like in their 80s are constantly evolving. The only surprise is that it seems to catch everybody by surprise. We all carry this idea of what each number looks like in our head from when we are very young. You have just got to let that go.”
Taking a wider view, fashion designers seem to be embracing the power of older women on the catwalk and in advertising campaigns. Twiggy is in a Burberry campaign at 76. Gillian Anderson, 58, walked in the Miu Miu show at Paris Fashion Week (designer Miuccia Prada, at 77, remains at the peak of her power and influence). And one of the most talked-about models at Chanel’s recent shows has been 50-year-old Stephanie Cavalli and her beautiful curly grey hair (the destigmatisation of grey hair representing its own anti-ageist shift). It seems ageism may be on the way out – provided you have extraordinary bone structure and a runway-fashion-compliant frame.
By 80, most women will feel they have every clothing item they’ll ever need, and know how they like to dress. The key to facing the ninth decade in style lies not in imitating anyone mentioned above, but in having confidence and an awareness of what works.
It is crucial to avoid stagnation, though. Rachel Fanconi’s advice? “Buy something new. Go somewhere great and buy one piece – the bag, the shoe, whatever it is – that goes with your clothes but gives it all an edge and helps you do something new, helps spark everything up a bit.”
Surely Charlotte Rampling would approve.
The Telegraph (UK)
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