The Cannes red carpet has long been synonymous with glamour, but this year the spotlight has shifted to a group often overlooked in the world of celebrity style: women over 70. Joan Collins, 92, turned heads in a white sculptural strapless gown by Stéphane Rolland, while Jane Fonda, 88, shimmered in a floor-length sequined Gucci dress. Isabella Rossellini, 73, opted for a striking patterned two-piece, and Catherine Deneuve, 82, brought quiet elegance in forest-green satin and hoop earrings.
These appearances were not merely ceremonial. Collins and Rossellini are at the festival to promote the Wallis Simpson biopic My Duchess, while Fonda attended a L’Oréal event. Their presence, however, reflects a broader trend of age diversity on the red carpet. “I think it’s fantastic that we are seeing much older women,” said Alyson Walsh, founder of the style website That’s Not My Age. “Joan Collins looking super-glamorous, at the same age as my mum, that’s pretty incredible.”
The shift has been building for some time. Demi Moore, 63, has arrived in a fashion-forward wardrobe from brands including Jacquemus and Gucci, while Emily in Paris actor Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, also 63, wore a mega-frilled purple Saint Laurent dress recently endorsed by Beyoncé. Deborah Jermyn, associate professor of film and culture at Roehampton University, noted the significance. “The whole point of the red carpet is ‘I want the spotlight on me. Look at me’,” she said. “We very rarely get to see women of that age in that space.”
Fashion houses are also embracing older faces. Chanel, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy have featured notable numbers of models over 40 in recent shows. The 79-year-old artist Ming Smith walked the Carolina Herrera runway, the 78-year-old writer Joan Juliet Buck sat front row at Celine, and the late Maggie Smith starred in a Loewe campaign in 2023 aged 88. Rebi Merilion, co-founder of modelling agency Mrs Robinson, which has worked with older models since 2013, said demand is rising. “Clients are becoming much more aware that older women are very influential and have spending power, and there’s also been a cultural shift,” she explained.
The trend is underpinned by demographics. The “grey pound” was valued at £320bn in 2016, and a House of Commons report predicts that by 2072, 27% of the UK population will be over 65, up from 19% in 2022. Yet critics point to limitations. “It’s all brilliant, hooray,” said Walsh. “But I do think there remains a paradox – you’re allowed to be old, as long as you don’t look old.” Jermyn added that the red carpet remains a “microcosm for a lot of western culture”, noting that the women featured are largely white, thin, able-bodied and gender conforming. She expressed hope that figures like Viola Davis, 60, and Angela Bassett, 67, might further diversify the space in years to come.
