Women Over 70 Command Cannes Spotlight as £320 Billion Grey Pound Reshapes Fashion
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 15
Women Over 70 Command Cannes Spotlight as £320 Billion Grey Pound Reshapes Fashion
4 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 15
Joan Collins, 92, and Jane Fonda, 88, were among the women over 70 drawing the strongest style attention on the 2026 Cannes red carpet, alongside Isabella Rossellini, 73, and Catherine Deneuve, 82.
Their prominence reflects a broader shift in fashion and celebrity culture, with analysts and agencies saying brands increasingly value older women’s influence, credibility and spending power.
That change is already visible beyond Cannes: Chanel, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy have recently featured more older models, while demand has risen for models aged 45 to 60 and beyond.
The commercial case is growing as the UK’s Grey pound was valued at £320 billion in 2016 and people over 65 are projected to reach 27% of the population by 2072, though critics say visibility still favors thin, white, able-bodied women.
Beyond the red carpet, will Hollywood finally write leading roles for the powerful older women it now celebrates?
As Cannes celebrates older stars, is it creating a new, unattainable standard for aging gracefully?
Can positive media portrayals of aging actually improve the health of the elderly, as new research suggests?