To be honest, we find the idea of age-appropriate dressing quite boring. While it’s true that most people past the age of 16 probably shouldn’t live for certain things (One Direction T-Shirts, for example), there are plenty of stylish older women who prove that telling someone over the age of 40 they shouldn’t wear a miniskirt or a pair of leggings is ludicrous.
Instead of going on a long preachy rant about what age-appropriate clothing really means and ways to embrace personal style at any age, we’ve decided to show you the most stylish older women we can think of—from 45 to 95—who are rocking the world with their fashion choices.
Read on for some serious inspiration, and proof that when it comes to personal style, age really is just a number.
Originally published December 2013. Updated March 2017.
Click through to see the most stylish women between the ages of 45 and 95.
Who: Model Carmen Dell'Orefice
Age: 85
Photo:
Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Who: Iris Apfel, former interior designer and fashion icon
Age: 95
Photo:
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Who: Actress Tilda Swinton
Age: 56
Photo:
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Who: J.Crew President Jenna Lyons
Age: 45
Photo:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Who: Kylie Minogue, pop star
Age: 48
Photo:
Rob Kim/Getty Images
Who: Emmanuelle Alt, Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue
Age: 49
Photo:
Francois Durand/Getty Images
Who: Carine Roitfeld, Former French Vogue editor in chief and current editor CR Fashion Book
Age: 62
Photo:
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Who: Cate Blanchett, actress
Age: 47
Photo:
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Who: Iman, model and businesswoman
Age: 61
Photo:
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Who: Anna Dello Russo, fashion editor and consultant
Age: 54
Photo:
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images
Who: Lauren Hutton
Age: 73
Photo:
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
Who: Actress Diane Keaton
Age: 71
Photo:
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Who: Michelle Obama
Age: 53
Photo:
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Who: Legendary Stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
Age: 67
Photo:
CLINT SPAULDING/PatrickMcMullan
Who: Sofia Coppola
Age: 45
Photo:
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Who: Bergdorf Goodman executive Linda Fargo
Age: 56
Photo:
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Who: Actress Helen Mirren
Age: 71
Photo:
Ian Gavan/Getty Images
Who: Designer Diane von Furstenberg
Age: 70
Photo:
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
Who: Actress, singer and French style muse Charlotte Gainsbourg
Age: 45
Photo:
Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
Who: Co-Founder of Moda Operand, Aslaug Magnusdottir
Age: 49
Photo:
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Who: Designer Isabel Marant
Age: 49
Photo:
WWD/WWD
Legendary actress Elaine Stritch passed away in 2014, but her style lives on. This is a photo of her in 2013 at the age of 88.
Photo:
Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
Who: Actress Julianne Moore
Age: 56
Photo:
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
Who: Designer Carolina Herrera
Age: 78
Photo:
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Who: Producer and environmentalist Livia Firth
Age: 47
Photo:
Samir Hussein/Getty Images
Who: Singer Mary J. Blige
Age: 46
Photo:
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
Who: Fashion icon Daphne Guinness
Age: 49
Photo:
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
We couldn't have this list without Rivers! She died in 2014, but her fashion was always on point. This is a photo of her in 2013 at the age of 80.
Photo:
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
Who: Supermodel and designer Elle Macpherson
Age: 52
Photo:
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
Who: Supermodel Christy Turlington Burns
Age: 48
Photo:
Rob Kim/Getty Images
Who: Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour
Age: 67
Photo:
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon
Who: Supermodel Naomi Campbell
Age: 46
Photo:
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images
Who: Actress Robin Wright
Age: 50
Photo:
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Who: Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon
Age: 49
Photo:
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images
Name: Sarah Jessica Parker
Age: 51
Photo:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Who: Supermodel Stephanie Seymour
Age: 48
Photo:
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Who: Italian Actress Monica Bellucci
Age: 52
Photo:
Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
Who: Designer Tory Burch
Age: 50
Photo:
Brad Barket/Getty Images for WIRED
Who: Stylist Rachel Zoe
Age: 45
Photo:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Who: Actress Annette Bening
Age: 58
Photo:
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Who: Actress Naomi Watts
Age: 48
Photo:
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Who: Artist, actress, and woman-about-town Anh Duong
Age: 56
Photo:
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Roger Vivier
Who: Actress Jane Fonda
Age: 79
Photo:
Mark Davis/Getty Images
Who: Singer Gwen Stefani
Age: 47
Photo:
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Who: Actress Sophia Loren
Age: 82
Photo:
AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Photo:
Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images
Who: Actress Jessica Lange
Age: 67
Photo:
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
