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Twiggy, Joni Mitchell & more older icons star in new fashion campaigns

Everything old is new again, at least it would seem that way according to recent high-profile fashion and beauty campaign bookings. For as long as advertisements have been around, youth was the standard. Now, the biggest stars of the mid-20th century are taking center stage in major campaigns.At the start of the new year, fashion labels Céline and Saint Laurent caused a stylish stir when they put
Twiggy
Twiggy in her short haircut in 1967. Twiggy, now 60, is L'Oreal's brand ambassador for 2015.AP

Everything old is new again, at least it would seem that way according to recent high-profile fashion and beauty campaign bookings. For as long as advertisements have been around, youth was the standard. Now, the biggest stars of the mid-20th century are taking center stage in major campaigns.

At+80,+the+legendary+Joan+Didion+becomes+the+face+of+#Céline's+#SS15+campaign.+http://t.co/F6FuSWlIhM+pic.twitter.com/h9Hctn7a4G

—+LVMH+(@LVMH)+January+19,+2015+

At the start of the new year, fashion labels Céline and Saint Laurent caused a stylish stir when they put Joan Didion and Joni Mitchell, respectively, in their spring ads. Didion is an American author and journalist who is now 80 years old, and Mitchell, a singing legend, is now 71.

JONI+MITCHELL+/+SAINT+LAURENT+MUSIC+PROJECT+/+JANUARY+2015+pic.twitter.com/RN2O75WpPr

—+Yves+Saint+Laurent+(@YSL)+January+8,+2015+

While the fashion community went wild about Didion’s ad, the former Vogue writer and author of “Slouching Toward Bethlehem" among many other popular books, was unaware. “I don’t have any clue,” she told the New York Times.

These major fashion brands aren’t the only ones who realize that nostalgia for celebrities of yesteryear can bring a lot of positive attention to their products. L’Oreal just announced that ‘60s “It” girl Twiggy will be the new face of their professional line of hair products, despite the fact that she’s now 65 years old. 

“I hope to inspire women to be confident in their personal style and never to be afraid of trying something new,” Twiggy told the Daily Mail.

But most startling of all is the appearance of 93-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel in jeweler Alexis Bittar’s spring campaign. Apfel appears alongside Tavi Gevinson, the 18-year-old blogging wunderkind, making Apfel’s age seem even more stark. Bittar told WWD, “For the campaign, we honed in on the essence of strong women who haven’t conformed."

And back in August, makeup brand NARS turned heads in the best way possible by featuring 69-year-old actress Charlotte Rampling in one of their lipstick ads. “Charlotte’s ability to transform is unparalleled,” Francois Nars told WWD at the time. “Whether captured in pieces of artwork, through the lens of a magazine photographer, or on the big screen, she has an amazing power to encompass a character.”

Charlotte+Rampling+stuns+in+the+campaign+for+our+Audacious+Lipstick+collection.+More+info:+http://t.co/pPthbhNCs9+pic.twitter.com/1AzOLiPzcy

—+NARSissist+(@NARSissist)+August+1,+2014+

Anyone who’s a fan of the blog Advanced Style knows that our mothers and grandmothers are just as much a source of sartorial inspiration, if not more so, than their younger counterparts. It just took the industry a while to catch up.