'Old' is the New BLack...

Kristen Mcmenamy has always been one of my favorite models. And now I like her more than ever for making it 'OK' to be someone who has completely gone solid gray prematurely, although she is 43 I think she looks amazing! Plus she grew that shit out and sashayed it down the runway PROUDLY!

NEW YORK — Among the more avant-garde looks shown on the runways of New York, London, Paris and Milan was one that seems ho-hum in real life: gray hair. More mature models – some even in their, gasp, 40s – were stars at the previews of fall styles. And in the fashion world, that's a radical turn from the use of models not old enough to drive a car, let alone wield a credit card. "I wanted something different," said Francisco Costa, creative director for the Calvin Klein Collection. "I wanted a cast that really represented a customer I design for, and that's not really a 16-year-old." Costa hired gray-haired Kristen McMenamy, who also appeared at Viktor & Rolf, as well as '90s sensations – and now mothers – Stella Tennant and Kirsty Hume. Marc Jacobs, widely considered the most influential American designer, cast 47-year-old Elle Macpherson in his Louis Vuitton show, along with Bar Refaeli and Alessandra Ambrosio. Trendsetting Miuccia Prada used Ambrosio, Isabeli Fontana, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr – all best known as voluptuous Victoria's Secret models and all in their mid-20s, a relatively advanced age for runway models.

It's a smart move by the fashion industry to make itself more relatable to consumers. Costa acknowledges that the tough retail climate has helped force design houses to speak more directly to their customers.

"The woman who puts my clothes on needs a certain level of sophistication," says Costa. "We wanted to acknowledge women who have always worn our clothes, women with their own identities, have full lives, have kids." It also may help counter perennial complaints about skinny models. It's said that age brings wisdom; it also usually brings curves. The more mature look was on-trend with the chic, retro styles shown for fall, so helping models' health may be icing on the maybe-not-entirely-fat-free cake.

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