IIn the nineties, catwalk models such as Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer were the arbiters of style and the only women heralded as fashion icons. But their aesthetic reflected so few other women’s, leaving many of us feeling alienated and peripheral to the world of fashion. In 2020, women of all ages, shapes and ethnicities, and from a variety of industries, are turning heads and proving that style is as much about personality and confidence as it is about clothes. For women in midlife, especially, there’s a cohort of utterly fabulous individuals in their 40s and 50s who are absolutely owning their own look. Colour, contemporary accessories, bold prints and interesting silhouettes are as much the preserve of these women as their younger counterparts. It’s said, “when you see you can be”. The following midlifers are the women who inspire me, with their fashion as well as their attitudes.

Deirdre O’Kane

The 52-year-old’s new RTÉ series, Deirdre O’Kane Talks Funny, has upped the style quotient on Irish television quite significantly. O’Kane personifies grown-up chic with her mix of sophisticated separates and elegantly draped dresses. The comedian is a woman who understands perfectly how to combine masculine with feminine elements, giving her outfits both freshness and an understated sexiness that feels very modern. O’Kane embraces the less is more mentality and she always gets the balance right between cut, colour and ornamentation. Her separates and accessories work in harmony, never fighting each other, or drawing attention away from the woman herself. She wears a wide-leg trouser as well as anybody I’ve seen, and her red carpet looks are worthy of any international event. Let’s hope she gets a second run on RTÉ, if for no other reason than the fabulous fashion moments.

Julianne Moore

I love how bold actress Julianne Moore is with colour. Many women become tentative with colour as they age, fearing they’ll simply look clownish. But colour is a great way to add individuality to your look, and an enormous help to women with pale skin, like Moore (and me). I also adore how she incorporates denim into her outfits regularly without ever looking cheap or as if she’s trying to appear younger than her 60 years. She opts for smart pieces – denim dresses or tailored jackets – creating a stylish juxtaposition between utility wear and sophisticated day wear. She embraces her pale skin, celebrating her unique looks in a celebrity world where caramel skin and biscuit blonde hair are the norm. She’s utterly authentic, and this is reflected in her style, which is very much personal to her. There’s absolutely nothing cookie-cutter about her look.

Tracee Ellis Ross

The 48-year-old daughter of diva Diana Ross takes fashion risks, which I admire hugely, especially given how often celebrities are trolled for perceived style “mistakes”. She dresses with such confidence, however, that regardless of whether I like her outfits objectively, I can admire them on Ross because she wears everything with a captivating smile, and with conviction. She always looks interesting, never generic, and this is what great style is about – attracting a look, inspiring a smile, sparking a conversation. There’s a flamboyance to Ross’s aesthetic that never tips over into caricature. She always remains on the right side of experimental, which is a difficult trick to pull off. Like Julianne Moore, she’s not afraid of colour; nor is she afraid of an avante-garde silhouette. Ross pushes the boundaries, and women in midlife who take fashion risks should be applauded.

Cathy O’Connor

The Dublin-based stylist and personal shopper personifies ageless style in my mind. Pre-Covid, I would meet O’Connor regularly at events, and her style always stood out in a room full of fashion lovers for all the right reasons. She has an inherent understanding of what looks good and artfully combines separates to create outfits that are wholly unique to her. She has a talent, too, for customisation, making everything she wears appear distinct and individual. She’s playful with accessories also, and her bold choices ensure she always looks contemporary and interesting. The 59-year-old is a fearless dresser; her outfits are not dictated by any fashion rulebook or by trends, but instead they are determined by what she knows makes her look and feel fantastic.

Alice Maher

Visual artist Alice Maher is, quite simply, cool. Admittedly, I’m always drawn to women with short hair, as I tend to like their aesthetic. Sixty-four-year-old Maher is no exception – her style is as fabulous as her neat grey crop. She’s a fan of designer Dries Van Noten, and she can pull off a vibrant print beautifully. Again, as women age, they often shy away from contemporary prints for fear that they’ll look cartoonish. But modern prints when contained within a sophisticated silhouette work well at every age, and Maher always gets this balance between pattern and silhouette just right. The Tipperary-born creative is not afraid to make her glasses a focal point of her look, either, often appearing in brightly coloured frames, reflecting a real confidence with accessories. Statement earrings are another favourite of hers, which with her short hair, really elevate her look, again keeping it unexpected and modern.

Octavia Spencer

Both on and off the red carpet, Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer always looks impeccably pulled together. She cleverly ignores those old-fashioned fashion rules for women with fuller figures and embraces colour as well as a variety of silhouettes. Whether she’s sporting a tailored trouser suit or a fluidly draped dress, everything she wears fits beautifully and shows off her stunning figure to its absolute best. I love how unapologetically glamorous she is, always. There’s a real Old Hollywood charm to the 50-year-old’s style that is simply timeless and beautifully elegant. The red carpet look she’s sporting in the image above is simply wow.

Claudia Winkleman

The best thing about Strictly Come Dancing for me is Claudia Winkleman’s outfits. The 48-year-old has a fabulously distinctive style that looks cool but classy. Clean lines, unfussy silhouettes and a limited colour palette define her style. She knows exactly what her look is and she sticks with it. Like Deirdre O’Kane, she mixes masculine and feminine beautifully. You’ll often see her in tailored separates or trouser suits rather than glitzy dresses when presenting Strictly. I love how she doesn’t conform but absolutely remains true to her own aesthetic regardless of the circumstances. Off our TV screens, jeans and trainers in neutral shades are her staple. Again, she has a uniform that works for her, yet she never looks boring or samey. This is because she understands the power of detailing. Her coat may have an asymmetric cut, her sweater a cool motif or her jeans a zip hem finish.

Grece Ghanem

This 55-year-old microbiologist-turned influencer has attracted a whopping 491k followers on Instagram with her positive ageing message and her incredibly fashion-forward aesthetic. Her style has a distinctive urban edge to it that would never have been seen on an older woman 50 years ago, but this is exactly what makes her look so intriguing and modern. There’s a defiance to Grenham also, which can be seen in her extravagant poses on Instagram as well as her unapologetic sexiness. She understands modern sexiness, and she brings a sophistication to everything she wears, be that loungewear or evening wear.

Marie Kelly, December 2020.