Balenciaga this week named Isabelle Huppert as its brand ambassador. Not only is the French actress one of only two ambassadors ever appointed by the Spanish luxury brand – Thai singer Krit Amnuaydechkorn is the other – but more importantly, Huppert is 70 years old.
She has been a friend of the house for the past two years and even walked in its runway shows – and now she has become one of the first "faces" of Balenciaga. This is a great moment for the brand – which is still finding its feet in the aftermath of last year's scandal around children's toys in bondage gear – as well as being a major step forward for women.
While no one could ever accuse Huppert of being a typical old-age pensioner – she is exquisitely beautiful, tiny as a bird and dresses in designer duds – the fact she is being celebrated is a huge step on the journey of asking society to accept women past the first flush of youth.
Huppert may be wondrously smooth-faced for a woman in her seventies – which is down to a great skincare routine, no doubt – yet, her being held up as someone to admire gives the rest of us hope.
An older woman being feted is not about wanting to recapture a long-lost youth – any woman over 50 will tell you she has had her time and is happy to pass on the baton to the next generation – but rather wanting to still feel seen.
For too long a woman's worth has been inversely linked to her age – it declines as the years rack up. So to see a woman, who cannot be mistaken for a twenty-something, be applauded for her career, accomplishments and personal style is important and heartening.
Balenciaga joins a handful of other brands that have looked beyond the cult of youth and put an older woman in the spotlight. In 2005, Dior named American actress Sharon Stone, who was 47 at the time, as the face of its beauty and skincare range, while in 2013, Karl Lagerfeld made Tilda Swinton, who was 53 at the time, the face of Chanel's Paris-Edinburgh metier d'Art collection. Lagerfeld described her as “a modern woman, a timeless icon of elegance”.
Beauty company L'Oreal, meanwhile, is something of a champion for older women. In 2011, French model Ines de La Fressange was appointed spokeswoman at the age of 53, and a year later, actress Julianne Moore was named global ambassador at the age of 52. In 2014, the brand made actress Dame Helen Mirren, who was 67 at the time, the face of its Age Perfect range.
With 50 dubbed the new 40, women in the post-children stage of life are far from washed up and, as 17 per cent of the world's population, are a demographic to be taken seriously.
With each new company in the notoriously youth-centric universe of fashion and beauty that shows the courage to look beyond self-imposed boundaries, and acknowledge that older woman deserve to be treated with respect, all women will be better served.
Men have always been allowed to age with grace, and finally women are afforded the same chance, too.
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
