This day and age

In an era of uncertainty, maturity—and the knowledge and assuredness that come with it—has become something to celebrate, not camouflage. Yes, says Harriet Quick, even in fashion

- Harriet Quick

At 18 years old, I had my head in the clouds and it was fabulous. Now, at age 45, I go to work with my feet on the ground, and that’s empowering,” says South Africa-born Georgina Grenville from her Paris home. The model, who came to fame as the wildly sexy, mischievous beauty wearing slithery silk-jersey cut-away dresses and hipster miniskirts in the Gucci by Tom Ford era, recently walked the runway for Hermès in camel trousers and a cashmere sweater—same dagger cheekbones, but the years have made her even more striking.

“Back then, I was paid to be pretty and was more concerned with what people thought of me. Age is about being comfortable in your own skin, and now when I hear that little neurotic voice, I don’t really care,” explains Grenville, a mother of three, who also starred in Versace’s pre-fall 2020 film, playing a matriarch who returns to the family villa to find her teenage kids at the tail end of a raucous party.