Revealed: The 10 Greatest Style Icons for Women Over the Age of 45

The fact that women want to look great regardless of how old they are, is no secret. UK fashion retailer Bonmarche has completed a piece of research that has revealed exactly which celebrities are the greatest style icons and inspirations for women over the age of 45. Four women were consistently mentioned, being Jennifer Anniston, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, and Joanna Lumley.

Fashion is something that unites woman the world over, as all women want to look their very best. Another thing that almost all women have in common, is that they look towards celebrity icons in order to find inspiration for their personal style, including lifestyle. What few retailers do, however, is look at the inspiration for women over the age of 45, which most fashion being targeted at younger demographics.

UK based fashion retailer Bonmarche develops clothing specifically for women over the age of 45, however. Hence, they have taken the bold move of researching this particular demographic, aiming to determine who their greatest fashion icons are. The company’s e-commerce department interviewed women in that age group from England, Wales, and Scotland as part of this survey.

What they found more than anything was that women over the age of 45 no longer look towards outlandish styles that stand out simply by being different. Current celebrities such as Katy Perry, for instance, may influence overall fashion, but not that for women over the age of 45. Celebrities such as Madonna, who was a huge style icon for women in the 80s, and who are now therefore over the age of 45, also did not make the top 10 list. This would suggest that, as women age, their style changes as well, something that Madonna’s style has only done to very small degrees.

So who were the top 10 style icons that women look up to? For the age group of women aged between 45 and 65 across all the geographical areas were:

1. Helen Mirren – 19.2%.
2. Jennifer Anniston – 16.3%.
3. Meryl Streep – 14.5%.
4. Joanna Lumley – 13.5%.
5. Nicole Kidman – 10.3%.
6. Elle MacPherson – 10%.
7. Julie Walters – 8.1%.
8. Jane McDonald – 5.9%.
9. Salma Hayek – 5.4%.
10. Ruth Langsford – 4.8%.

For woman aged over 65 in England and Wales, the top 4 were:

1. Helen Mirren – 28.4%.
2. Meryl Streep.
3. Joanna Lumley.
4. Jennifer Anniston.

For women aged over 65 in Scotland, however, the top 4 was slightly different, being:

1. Jennifer Anniston – 27.8%.
2. Helen Mirren.
3. Meryl Streep.
4. Jennifer Anniston.

What was evident from the study was that women over the age of 45 start to look for sophistication, rather than outlandish fashion. Women such as Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley, and Meryl Streep are all women with a calm demeanor, and a dress sense that compliments their figure and age, without looking old or frumpy. A woman like Jennifer Anniston was seen as inspirational because of her girl-next-door style, but also strongly because of her commitment to healthy living.

The e-commerce manager at Bonmarche, who had commissioned the study and will use its results to drive the stocks at the fashion retailer, was particularly impressed with what shone through the most, being that all women want to look their very best, regardless of their age.

She says: “Looking fabulous at any age is easy and achievable – as proven by women such as Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Anniston: they are in shape, dress for their body types and give off a healthy and confident vibe. It’s no wonder women across the United Kingdom take fashion cues from them.”