Does anyone else feel disenfranchised by models?

Just keep watching the Queen, a great model throughout her life and especially since Angela Kelly started advising her and being her dresser. The model for the Tena advert is another good advert for an older lady with curves who says that you can wear what you want and are never too old for lovely clothes and earrings, I love the gold ones she wears in the ad.

I don’t know what sites you’re on but I see plenty of 70 + models with grey hair, sometimes even long. Admittedly, they’re usually pretty beautiful with wonderful bone structures. True, not many dumpy, 70+ with double chins around (a self portrait) but then, let’s be honest, the clothes look better on the tall and elegant and they are trying to sell the clothes!

Must admit I don’t look at the model. I see the clothes and know whether it’s my style etc. A look at the size range is the final decider. I’d be put off a lot of purchases of furniture, appliances etc if I looked at the highly polished settings - nothing like my serviceable but cosy home

Things have improved a lot .

As for the rest - stick thin to the point of being emaciated -I dislike the zombie look !
And if any of the automatons talk they adopt an extraordinary flat way of speaking !

I googled clothes for 50 and over I am 75, there was a few I quite liked and by the way I am grey. I love some of the fashions you can get I don’t wear dresses much but like long skirts I have jeans and I am looking for a white shirt to wear with them which doesn’t cost the earth. Mostly wear trainers too. Have a look on pin interest got some fashions for older woman.

Germanshepherdsmum I would like to see genuinely larger models (not size 12!) so i can see how the clothes might actually look on me! I am fed up with getting things that look fab on the model but look hideous on my less than perfect body!

Surely anybody any age can wear any clothes that they feel comfortable in and think they look stylish in.

I really do not understand this idea of clothes being tied to a particular age group. It is not unknown for myself(78), DDiL (520 and DGD (14) to all be wearing essential identical outfits, straight leg jeans, big sweaters and 'sensible' shoes. The sweaters and how we wear them will be different, I like bright and strong colours, DGD, pastels and DD will be in black or dark grey.

I will be wearing what one of todays fashion pages describe approvingly as 'chunky loafers', the other two will be in Doc Martins and we will all put our quilted parkas on when we go out,

It depends on how you dress! I don't go with the age thing for dressing. I wear what I want providing it suits me.

My favourite online clothes shop, which has 2 outlet shops, one where I live is Joe Browns, who are quirky colourful and different.

I don't do shopping where my late mom did and never will. Nor do I intend to ever wear clothes solely for my age group. Shudders at the thought.

Growing older disgracefully though not mutton dressed as lamb. Why would you want too!

I think many models are excessively thin. A more representative size would be healthier and inclusive. I don't like to see long grey hair draped over older models' shoulders. It's often accompanied by a sultry expression. What's that about? Grey or white hair looks great in a stylish bob or an edgy, short style. If grey hair is long, for me it looks better tied up off the face and shoulders. Actually, I've never seen any long hair draped over adult shoulders as attractive or sexy. It just looks childish and silly.

I love sewing and trawl through endless dressmaking patterns. Most independent pattern designers show a range of ages and sizes on the pattern envelope and that's good. The big name pattern companies are slowly following suit. I think they might have gone too far in some cases. I want to see a picture of someone who most nearly represents me, so they could show several different people wearing the garments. Pattern envelopes are big enough to show four or even six different people. What I absolutely don't need to see is a model of any size, shape or ethnicity looking coy and pouting at the camera. Many of the larger models are posed like that but not the skinny ones. I find that patronising and really wish they wouldn't do it.

If I'm honest I don't care what the model looks like or how old she is. I look at the features on the clothes, check the length and sizing, and the colours. If I still think it would suit me I buy it. If I see something that looks good on a larger model I'm likely to ignore it because it probably won't suit my shape as I won't have the curves to fill it out.

I see an opportunity here for a business opportunity for the entrepreneurs amongst you - set up a blog and model the clothes yourselves to let others see what they look like on your shape and colouring.

I am not really bothered about who models the clothes.

I would just like to see some clothes for sale that are suitable for a woman of my age and build, which is 70, 1 m 62 and 56 kg

They don't exist, as clothes for my height and build are meant for 14 year old girls!

AreWeThereYet those women are already there on YouTube but they tend to be based in the USA. A couple I've seen do 'unboxing' vlogs, where they work with online retailers, send for a range of garments and unpack and try them on (they do get changed off camera!) They send back the ones they don't like it that don't fit well. They often get a range of prices too. The last one I watched was trying on a range of jeans.

Just to add the one I've watched is middle aged and middle sized.

I think our mothers had it easier in a way, they knew what was expected at their age ,when to wear a hat etc.
We were the first liberated generation though I never did burn my bra. I look at fashion in newspapers and magazines and decide if I think I would suit it. I think "Are we there yet'"s suggestion of a blog is a very good idea.
What looks good on one has never looked good on some others.Also who knows what air brushing has gone into fashion shoots especially when they use older models.

If you go to Walkers-Style.com (I might have got that slightly wrong but it'll be easy to find), the business owner Anne often models the clothes. She's a good +++ size. Other models on that site are also simply those who work there rather than agency professionals.

lizzypopbottle there are loads of them, but as you say, most in the US. There are also dozens of blogs outside of YouTube as well, with women of all shapes and sizes trying things on. I'm sure it would be cheaper for M&S to sponsor a blog than do millions of photo shoots with models of all shapes and sizes and skin colours and ages ?

coastalgran

Just keep watching the Queen, a great model throughout her life and especially since Angela Kelly started advising her and being her dresser. The model for the Tena advert is another good advert for an older lady with curves who says that you can wear what you want and are never too old for lovely clothes and earrings, I love the gold ones she wears in the ad.

Lordy, the day I dress like the queen will be a long time coming!

Lordy, the day I dress like the queen will be a long time coming!

?? Does anyone else dress like the Queen??

No way!

AreWeThereYet

If I'm honest I don't care what the model looks like or how old she is. I look at the features on the clothes, check the length and sizing, and the colours. If I still think it would suit me I buy it. If I see something that looks good on a larger model I'm likely to ignore it because it probably won't suit my shape as I won't have the curves to fill it out.

I see an opportunity here for a business opportunity for the entrepreneurs amongst you - set up a blog and model the clothes yourselves to let others see what they look like on your shape and colouring.

My problem with the scrawny, tall models is that you really can't see the fit/shape of the clothes because they're often pinned back to make them fit the unnatural, pre-pubescent shape of the girls modelling them.

Models with long hair so you cannot see what the collar is like or how wide the straps are on a top is my bugbear.

FannyCornforth

Have you seen the ladies who model for Snag tights?

I have several pairs of snag hold up tights as I can’t wear the normal ones since my surgery. I only wear snag tights if we are going out somewhere special. I can’t bear the restriction.

I mainly buy 95% cotton/wool wherever possible to avoid over-heating and tend to stick with about 5/6 companies within my price range. Most of what I buy isn’t for fashion so I often wait for the prices to be reduced and/or vouchers.

I’ve also got more hair than I know what to do with! I was planning to get it tidied up before my hospital admission on Tuesday but I have to self isolate instead.

If you spot a 5’ tubbyish unfashionable lady with a haystack on her head. It will be me!

grandtanteJE65

I am not really bothered about who models the clothes.

I would just like to see some clothes for sale that are suitable for a woman of my age and build, which is 70, 1 m 62 and 56 kg

They don't exist, as clothes for my height and build are meant for 14 year old girls!

I can’t see why not ? You are very petite lucky lady so plenty of clothes out there for size 8 etc. skinny jeans for example, Zara dresses etc

AreWeThereYet

^Lordy, the day I dress like the queen will be a long time coming!^

?? Does anyone else dress like the Queen??

Perish the thought.

I find I look at the clothes rather than the models, who are just glorified clothes hangers. What does make me feel 'disenfranchised' is the limited choice of sizing in women's clothes compared to men's. Men have trousers in a choice of lengths and flat or pleated fronts, shirts in many collar sizes and different fits. I struggle to find trousers that are long enough in a mature fit i.e. waist larger than hips, dresses that have a waistline that isn't riding up to my armpits and tops that don't hang longer at the front than the back. And don't get me started on getting a bra that fits!