A lesson in dressing in your 40s, 50s and beyond

Those kinds of conversations are rapidly dissolving. Whether or not you like black leather, whatever your feelings on wearing skintight dresses, this picture is a whole lot less contentious than it might have been not so long ago.

For that we can thank the vastly more diverse array of body shapes being presented to us these days. Androgynous, gender fluid, curvy, large, short, tall, young, old – every time a new beauty prejudice is smashed, there are those who are shocked, affronted and angry. But each new challenge to fashion’s previously mono view of beauty is a step forward. And each risk taker should be a reminder to keep an open mind, whether it’s Tina Fey, 50, or Angela Bassett, 62, showing off their legs, Jamie Lee Curtis, 62, in dazzling yellow, Sharon Stone, 62, baring her midriff in Dolce e Gabbana pencil skirt and crop top, Michelle Pfeiffer, 62, in a subtly sheer Aliette dress, or Rosamund Pike, 42, in a giant red Molly Goddard cloud and bovver boots.

As for the designer responsible for Moss’s leather dress – it’s Givenchy’s creative director, Matthew M Williams, who in another life designed for Kanye West and Lady Gaga.

He says his main goal right now “is to get people excited about fashion again”.

To that end, his digital “show” featured broad shoulders, narrow waists (so far, so Joan Crawford) a whole load of black and what he called Terrestrial shoes.

Loading

The latter were reminiscent of Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoes from 2010 and the show set, which had models walking through a body of water in a vast stadium brought to mind Balenciaga’s last live show before the pandemic broke out.

Two years ago, under its previous creative director, Clare Waight Keller, this house was dressing a woman we now know to be a reluctant duchess in clothes that, although beautiful, and classic, didn’t land right for whatever reasons.

Maybe they were just too classic and formal for Meghan, who seems far more comfortable in her Californian staples of jeans, wrap dresses and khaki jackets – which just goes to show, wear what feels good, rather than trying to subscribe to rules that are probably outdated.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity at the moment to rewrite those rules. New era. What people will remember from Givenchy 2021 is Mossy and her mini dress. Good to see a 47-year-old woman stealing the show.

The Telegraph, London