Purple is beauty’s shade of the season
Purple is beauty’s shade of the season

Holly O'Neill

10 off-beat Irish wedding venues that should be on your radar
10 off-beat Irish wedding venues that should be on your radar

Sara Kennedy

Our favourite Irish coffeeshops outside of Dublin
Our favourite Irish coffeeshops outside of Dublin

Sarah Gill

Step inside artist Lola Donoghue’s Mayo studio and gallery space
Step inside artist Lola Donoghue’s Mayo studio and gallery space

Sarah Gill

IMAGE staffer Helen Conway shares her ‘little bites of pleasure’
IMAGE staffer Helen Conway shares her ‘little bites of pleasure’

IMAGE

The must-see pieces from the Stella McCartney H&M Collection
The must-see pieces from the Stella McCartney H&M Collection

Holly O'Neill

Our favourite red carpet looks from past IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards
Our favourite red carpet looks from past IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards

Edaein OConnell

Arann McCormack talks photography, freelance life and cultural touchstones
Arann McCormack talks photography, freelance life and cultural touchstones

Sarah Gill

These are the 10 most wanted fashion items of 2026 so far
These are the 10 most wanted fashion items of 2026 so far

Edaein OConnell

This Wicklow home manages to marry its impressive scale with intimate cosiness
This Wicklow home manages to marry its impressive scale with intimate cosiness

IMAGE

mature fashion
Image / Style / Off The Cuff

JLE

premium
STYLE

2021 has finally seen the rise of the mature fashion icon on a global scale


by Rose Mary Roche
07.10.21

From cover star Iris Apfel at 100 to the return of the supers to Fashion Week runways, it seems the couture industry is finally celebrating the incredible style and spending power of the mature woman. We chat to four very stylish women over 50 about their fashion inspiration

Ageism is one of the last “ism”s to go unchallenged and is widely tolerated, especially in relation to women. For decades, the fashion industry has ignored older women. They were the walking dead as far as brands, designers and magazines were concerned: silent, invisible and side-lined because ageing was seen as a disease. Middle-age was judged to be the end of a woman’s attractiveness so older women dressed to blend in or “disappear”. Now however,...

You have reached a premium article.

For unlimited digital access to the stories worth paying for, subscribe now to IMAGE from just €4.99 a month
Subscribe