Style Icon: Elena Bonham Carter

No, that's not a spelling mistake, that's the name of Helena Bonham Carter's mum. And here she is looking absolutely gorgeous earlier today - first, dressed down at LAX airport and then wrapped up warm at Heathrow. Don't you love the camouflage maxi skirt? Extensive research tells me that Elena Propper de Callejon (or Mrs BC senior) is a French-Spanish psychotherapist.

When the 44-year-old actress won a Bafta, she dedicated the award to her mum in a very touching, if not a little long-winded, acceptance speech, ‘This is for all the best supporting wives — the Queen Mother herself, and my mum. There is no doubt that if my father were alive, he would have given it to her. She was the best supporting wife you could ever have wished for.’ Ah.

Here we see Mother and daughter shopping together before the Oscars:



In matching jewel colours and voluminous skirts at the British Independent Film Awards



And finally, Elena Bonham Carter treats a sulky Victorian boy to a day out at the Chelsea Flower Show:




Who needs an Oscar when you have the coolest mum in Tinsel Town?


Photos: Daily Mail, Zimbio and fuck yeah helena bonham carter

Quote of the week: John Waters

Film-maker, John Waters, 64, grew a moustache 45 years ago in honour of Little Richard, describes his look as 'disaster in a dry cleaners,' and has a new book, Role Models out now.


'I've never had cosmetic surgery. Even when it works and you don't look like a freak, you look like somebody else. That's worse, in a way. You look like a younger version of someone that your friends don't know. I do use Crème de Le Mer. I think, "God this is expensive… but how much uglier would I look if I didn't use it?"'


Photo: Kitty Walker
Quote: The Guardian

Advanced Style

Woo hoo! Last night, That's Not My Age met Ari Seth Cohen the genius behind the Advanced Style blog. And, let me tell you I was giddy with excitement - a feature on Advanced Style in The Guardian a couple of years back, is what inspired me to start blogging in the first place, so this really was a poignant, blog-tastic moment. At 28 years-old, ASC may be a young whippersnapper but his work is truly inspirational. Ari trawls the streets of New York - and now London - looking for fabulously stylish older folks to photograph. Yesterday he met the totally gorgeous, Gitte Lee (above), ex-model and wife of legendary actor, Sir Christopher Lee. Just look at that outfit. Effortlessly chic, or what?

And this 96 year-old chap, who lives in Spitalfields and dresses up every day.



Mr Advanced Style is in London working on a project for Selfridges. The Forever Shop is a celebration of the savoir-faire and wisdom that come with age and includes the first ever exhibition of ASC's photos together with design classics curated by Sir Paul Smith, Michelle Ogundehin and Alannah Weston.



So, I got chance to share a plate of mezze and have a chat with the lovely Ari Seth Cohen:

TNMA: What's the style difference between London and New York?

ASC: A lot of people I've spoken to in London describe their style as very classic - and I have seen a lot of beige! - whereas I think New Yorkers take greater risks. Though because of the heatwave people aren't so dressed up in either city, and I have found two of the best people I've ever shot in London.

TNMA: What is Advanced Style?

ASC: It's about personal style and embracing the ageing process. I love the elegance and glamour I see in 70, 80, 90 year-olds wearing clothes they've had for 50 years, matching a hat and a purse, wearing gloves. It's the way they put things together. It's not about vanity. They're doing it for themselves because it makes them feel good and lifts the spirits. They're vibrant and vital and I love the stories they tell. I hear the most wonderful things, the experiences I have make me feel like the luckiest person in the world. Young people can learn a lot from older people.

TNMA: Who are your Advanced Style heroes? And who would you like to photograph?

ASC: Iris Apfel and Beatrix Ost are two of my favourites. And I'd love to meet Anna Piaggi and Vivienne Westwood, women with a strong personal style.

TNMA: You seem to have a coterie of Advanced Style regulars, do you have any plans to build on this in the future?

ASC: I've become friends with about 10 ladies - and now they've all started meeting each other and exchanging advice. It's great that I'm connecting older people. I want to give them a voice, get them to write. I'd love to do a makeover show where old people show young people how to dress!

TNMA: How are you going to dress when you're older?

ASC: I'm really inspired by the people I meet, say, a man in a green suit, scarf and hat. I'm a little eccentric so I'm drawn to eccentricity but I wouldn't want to look like I'm trying too hard.

And last but not least, this is Ari's mum, Frances, 60, who is in town too, and like Ari is adorable. Though we did have to drag her away from the Chanel counter in Selfridges to go find a cold drink and something to eat (Frances if you're reading this, buy that last red lipstick you tried on!)



Forever Shop is in the Wonder Room Concept Store, Selfridges from July 14 - August 15 2010.

The grown-up guide to holidays

That's Not My Age is back in town, suitcase just about intact with a full complement of tatty underwear! I know it's not unusual to slip into a post-holiday funk (that's one for my American followers) but this year I've got the blues big time and I've only been away a week. Anyway enough of this maudlin talk, here's some advice on how to holiday like a grown-up:

Do

1. Wear a fantastic sunhat. That's Not My Age spotted a marvellous older woman last week walking down the beach in a red bikini (think Helen Mirren, then add ten years) and a big retro sunhat. If you're going to get your kit off, do it in style.

2. Channel Jackie Kennedy in the Hamptons or Grace Kelly in the south of France by covering up and staying cool in an over-sized white shirt. Brilliant over a swimsuit and classy with Capri pants. If it's too hot for Capri pants, French women opt for white linen trousers. Trés chic.

3. Wear sensible shoes. Heels are no use on cobbled streets, anyway, and who wants to look like Eurotrash? That's Not My Age loves a mum shoe. Try a low wedge heel, a Clark's Originals sandal and I'm going to stick my neck out here and say there's nothing wrong with a nice Birkenstock. Popular in French holiday resorts, and though it's a few years old the 3.1 Phillip Lim Tatami range is still available online and let's be honest, if they're good enough for Julianne Moore...

4. Choose self-catering. It's not just for cissies.

5. Have an early night. Going out is not the be-all-and-end-all - let the young people party till dawn (as long as they're not staying next door), early to bed early to rise and all that.


Don't

1. Think that because your companion is over forty they know how to apply suncream. They don't. Towards the middle of the week Mr TNMA declared that he'd finally become acclimatized. Day one: a sunburnt back. Day two: a sunburnt chest. Day three: slap on the after-sun and pretend you're a local.

2. Hang out in young people's bars. The music will be too loud, the cocktails too expensive and loitering on the sidelines like Peter Stringfellow is not a good look. Ever.

3. Take part in any sporting activity that involves jigging around on the beach. Keep all movement to a minimum. Swimming is fine, as is taking out a pedalo. Even wind-surfing has its benefits - one gust of wind and you're swept away from prying eyes on the beach. Just make sure you know how to turn the damn thing around.

4. Go on coach trips. Coach trips are guaranteed to immediately add twenty years to a person's age. Travel by train or boat, it's much chicer.

5. Wear a bumbag. Even if it is ironic or Louis Vuitton. You'll still look shit.

Other things that should not be seen on the over-forties/anyone: sunglasses with coloured frames, Fitflops (eeuch), 3/4 length combat trousers - why are people still wearing these?! Can you think of anything else?


Photo: Martin Munkasci

Why the long skirt?

Now that the legs have gone all gorgonzola on me, I spend summer looking for ways to cover up and stay cool. Like camping and watching Wimbledon, hiding the varicose veins has become an annoying seasonal hobby. It's easy enough to ignore the not-so-thin blue lines if, like That's Not My Age, you live in jeans, trousers and black opaques for 90 per cent of the year but as soon as the sun shines I start to think how much simpler life would be if I could get my legs out. Every year I vow to get the ugly veins removed but that means paying to go private - and frankly I'd rather spend the money on something useful, like a holiday. Preferably to a Muslim country where I can keep myself covered up.

So, what to wear when your legs are passed their sell-by-date? The Capri pant and shirt combo looks chic but can be a little bit too snug when the temperature soars. And I quite like the idea of crumpled linen trousers, but who wants to look like they're wearing dirty laundry? So, a maxi is the perfect option. And like volcanic ash, the floor-skimming skirt is making an unexpected appearance on the radar this summer. Empty airports and waist to ankle coverage, now you're talking. The good thing about the maxi is it looks best with flat shoes. Team a full length skirt with heels, add a staircase and you're looking for trouble.

And long skirts definitely have that Martini factor. Wear with a slouchy grey marl t-shirt for pure casual glamour. I could wear the outfit (above) by L'Agence from Net-a-Porter all summer long. The photos of the lovely grey-haired lady are from The Times. Check out the 7 ways to wear a maxi skirt feature soon (there's also a video on the new website) because Rupert Murdoch's paywall is up and ready for action. You have been warned - he wants your money!





Now, just don't get me started on age spots.





PS What do you think about paying for online news?

Fashion beyond forty

Oh I'm more than happy to blather on for days on end about my favourite topic - style at any age - even happier when someone else does it for me! Especially when it's a proper fashion expert. This week, fabulous fashion writer and all-round lovely person, Iain R Webb talks to That's Not My Age about fashion beyond forty:

Having worked as fashion director of Harper's & Queen and The Times my readers were looking for fashion that was wider reaching than simply catwalk driven trends.

My best advice would be to take a look at what's going on at the collections but essentially do your own thing, pick and choose what suits you. Stylish women and designers with any kind of personality and longevity (from Coco Chanel to Dries Van Noten) are the ones who established their look early on and have developed it regardless of fashion's comings and goings. Sometimes they collide with fashion but more often than not they remain quite sensibly aloof from the madness.



The great thing about being over 40 (ahem!) is that you're pretty sure of your own style and shouldn't be too bothered with the need to jump on every trend being pushed by an industry hungry for new, new, new. Let the teen queens, pop princesses and their stylists tear each others hair extensions out over who was first off the mark with 'nude' or 'tribal'!

During my time in the industry I have been lucky to work with many amazingly stylish women. One of the highlights: At Harper's & Queen I got to style Honor Blackman (the original Avengers action girl) for a 1960s inspired fashion shoot. It was a thrill to work with someone who was so self-assured and down right sexy! I dressed her in leather trousers (I think they were classic Agnes B) and unfussy Chanel-type jackets that reflected her Avengers look. Timeless fashion.







Indulge in those coveted investment pieces. Although you might automatically think investment pieces need to be classic and perhaps a tad boring I actually feel that they should be anything that you REALLY love. Something that you will take delight in forever, regardless of fashions whims. Something that is special. That might be that perfect plain cashmere sweater (if you find one that suits I would recommend the old trick of buying two) or an original 1920s Fortuny evening cape, 1970s Bill Gibb knit kimono coat or a 1980s Vivienne Westwood Nostalgia of Mud sheepskin (check out Kerry Taylor Auctions or any local vintage fashion fairs) - a one-off that will garner you compliments and a little envy whenever you wear it! Enjoy!




For more fashion beyond forty check out 'In your forties and nothing to wear?' An interview with J.Crew, creative director, Jenna Lyons, 41, by Lisa Armstrong at timesonline.

Actually, I can't let this go without sticking my oar in...That's Not My Age has had a J. Crew preview (the collection is set to launch in the UK, in May at Net-a-Porter) and here are my favourite pieces:




And in true Dries Van Noten-style, I will be wearing the boyfriend fatigue jacket and stripe boat neck dress together. Thank you Iain R Webb!


Iain R Webb's latest book, Postcards From The Edge Of The Catwalk (ACC Publishing) - a personal photographic portfolio with over 500 images, spanning three decades, 'I took them all from my front row seat or at parties/events surrounding the international collections brouhaha!' - is out September/October.



Photos
Dries Van Noten catwalk shots: style.com

Honor Blackman
Polaroid: Cindy Palmano courtesy of the lovely Iain R Webb
Portrait 1: honorblackman.co.uk
Portrait 2: The Independent

Fortuny dress: 20th Century Fashion. Valerie Mendes/Amy de la Haye



PS How gorgeous is Honor Blackman?

Ask the experts

Sometimes being a blogger is a bit like being a teenager again. I once asked Peter Hook where he bought his leather biker jacket, Mick Hucknall where he got his hair cut and Joe Strummer if he'd like a bag of chips - but that's another story. So now, many years later and with a blog for an excuse, I'm once again overwhelmed by the urge to march up to famous people and start asking them questions. Fortunately, I wasn't invited to this year's Academy Awards ceremony, but it only took a glimpse of the still-so-beautiful Bianca Jagger at London Fashion Week and I was off. Would she like to offer some style tips for my blog blah blah? ' Don't let people tell you what to do,' said the woman who rode through Studio 54 on a white stallion, and we know she means every word, 'I've had a sense of what I wanted to wear since I was twenty.' You're not kidding. From Halston to Yves Saint Laurent, statement coats to snakeskin boots, Jagger's self-assured attitude and singular take on glamour has always looked effortlessly chic. But what about now that she's older? 'Know your pros and cons. Highlight your pros and disguise your cons - and don't let anyone take your photo from below!' The last instruction aimed at the hordes of photographers lurking nearby may have something to do with flattering lighting/the double chin scenario (not that BJ needs to worry about either). Sound advice from a style legend.



Expert number two, the fabulous Hilary Alexander says, ' Wear amazing jewellery and enjoy clothes, but not in a mutton dressed as lamb way.' And then, apparently quoting Barry Humphries, and in full agreement with Bianca Jagger, the Telegraph's fashion director adds, ' Cover up the bits that aren't flattering, fashion is just a matter of hiding the body and the older you get the more true that is.' This is an area That's Not My Age has a fair amount of experience in - each summer I show less and less flesh, this year I'll probably be lying on the beach in a slanket.



As there were more bloggers at London Fashion Week than Spanx pants at the Oscars, it wasn't long before The Sartorialist showed up. And I was in like Flynn. 'When you turn forty you know who you are, as opposed to following this trend and that trend,' points out Mr Schuman, 'you start dressing for your best attributes. I know I did.' The man with a penchant for classic tailoring likes to 'celebrate style through a wide variety of ages' by documenting real people looking good on the street (as well as a few glamorous fashion editors and Kanye West). As his photographs prove, Schuman is an expert on ageless style:







Do you have any expert tips for looking style at any age?




Photos
Bianca Jagger polaroid: Andy Warhol from the LA Times
Hilary Alexander: The Daily Telegraph
Scott Schuman: Wayne Tippetts

All ages?

As you know, That's Not My Age is a champion of fashion for the over-forties - I can happily look at older models with wrinkles, grey hair and bunions, all day long. Except when it comes to the All Ages fashion line-up in The Guardian weekend magazine. I know I've said this before but I think it's worth repeating: the styling on the older models is just plain lazy - in fact, I doubt the stylist has even taken the age-factor into consideration. The grown-up ladies are dressed in the same way as the younger girls, often the clothes don't fit properly - take a look at the black puffa jacket/trousers above - the older models aren't properly groomed and the overall impression is one of tokenism. These images are same-y and uninspiring - and nobody wants to look like they've just escaped from a care home. So, please can someone tell Alan Rusbridger to stop peddling this patronising rubbish.

As Jim Royal would say, all ages, my arse!