A wardrobe for the ages

Why is the mature woman’s closet often given very little attention? Four designers discuss why a conversation around clothing across age groups is one that the industry should be having.

- Priyanka Khanna

In the interest of full disclosure, the idea for this story came from my mother. It’s the result of having two daughters who are deeply entrenched in the fashion industry. Her constant refrain (read: complaint) when we would listen, was that after a certain age, the lack of sartorially forward clothing options is incredibly frustrating.

“The way I see it, either we are ignored completely or are offered a frumpy, shapeless kurta or the sari. And even if designers are creating chic separates for women post their fifties, I wouldn’t know where to find them,” she’s been known to say, often.

For decades, the fashion industry in India and abroad has been guilty of relegating women of a certain age to an afterthought. Last year, the International Longevity Center found that disregarding the disposable income of older generations could cost the fashion and beauty industry more than £11 billion over the next two decades.

Having said that, the democratic nature of social media has seen the rise of the mature influencer: women like Iris Apfel and Maye Musk have been especially visible, while magazines and blogs have become a lot more mindful of representing the older generation. Across campaigns and fashion shows, there’s been a move for a more age-diverse focus, with Phoebe Philo leading the way by having Joan Didion starring in her Céline campaign in 2015; the Bottega Veneta 50th anniversary show closed with Lauren Hutton; and closer home, Anamika Khanna used a silver-haired beauty to showcase the street-influenced AK-OK.