VA-VA VOOM!

We're banging the drum for these models over 40, says style guru Kat Farmer. They're showing us we can look as fabulous as we feel

It's beginning to look as if fashion representation for those over 40 is finally changing. Step forward, Helena Christensen for Karen Millen, Twiggy for Charlotte Tilbury and Cindy Crawford for Off-White - all in recent months.

For a leading beauty brand to use Twiggy, who's 72, is something we should be cheering about from the rooftops. The '60s supermodel has come of age with every bit as much clout as she had back then - and possibly significantly more. Midlife women, our time is now. At. Last.

Why has it taken so long? To be fair, it isn't something that has happened overnight. There have been significant steps towards more inclusive models on our catwalks and in fashion and beauty campaigns in recent years.

Lauren Hutton modelled for Calvin Klein underwear at the age of 73 back in spring 2017, and Isabella Rossellini has been the face of Lancôme for more than three decades - ditto Andie MacDowell for L'Oréal. Plus women like Mouchette Bell and Jocelyne Beaudoin - both in their 60s-among others, have modelled for many of our high-street brands.

These new collaborations - among them Carla Bruni, 54, stunning at the Balmain SS22 show; Naomi Campbell, 51, strutting her stuff on the Off-White catwalk in a floor-length velvet coat, jazzy blue flares and leaving little to the imagination up top; Shalom Harlow, 48, striding gloriously on the catwalk for Ralph Lauren-are signs that we midlife women are hitting our stride. Finally, there is a real shift to acknowledging that women do exist after the age of 40. More than that, they're often the ones with a higher spending power.