Dame Helen Mirren has an instinct for picking the perfect project at the right moment that makes staying relevant – at 78 – look easy.
When Michael Parkinson died recently, for instance, his infamous 1975 interview with a then 30-year-old Mirren (in which he referred enthusiastically to her breasts) surfaced in many assessments of his career.
While the debate about Parky’s 1970s sexism was bubbling away (you can make up your own mind as it’s all on YouTube), along came last week’s mini furore over the prosthetic “Jewish” nose Bradley Cooper donned to play Leonard Bernstein in the forthcoming biopic of the composer. This meant scrutiny soon swivelled towards the make-up and prosthetics Mirren wears in the forthcoming film about Golda Meir, Israel’s first prime minister. Now, another week, another Dame H moment. This time it’s an eye-opening fashion shoot for Du Jour magazine.
If you’ve previously been unaware of Du Jour’s existence, you’re not now. The US-based luxury publication, founded in 2019, got quite the scoop with its Mirren pictures, not least because it treads where other shoots with septuagenarians haven’t previously had the imagination to.
This isn’t cringe territory. There’s no out of control retouching. No pretending 78 is the new 28 (fine if you believe in fairy tales, but not if you’d like a version of growing older that’s a bit more grown-up). Dame Helen’s eyebrows and jawline suggest that, at the very least, she’s been commendably diligent with her gua sha.
For my money, of all the glamagenarians (the 70 and 80-year-olds who, like Jane Fonda, Martha Stewart and Candice Bergen who are helping to redefine ageing), Mirren’s approach looks by far the most fun. Whether she’s on a red carpet or a magazine cover, she always looks glossy and fierce – yet recognisably herself. She seems not only at ease with the ageing process but to enjoy elements of it – such as the fact that the older she gets, the more in demand she is as a totemic cover star and beauty ambassador.
Could this be the pay-off for a lifetime of being a cheery pragmatist rather than a woe-is-me-ist? A highly respected Shakespearean actress, she took on nude roles, including in Caligula, a mad Bob Guccione produced-and-directed film, because that’s how an actress made a paltry RSC salary stretch a bit further in the 1970s. In the 90s, she embraced telly, even though the prestigious work was on stage or film, because DCI Jane Tennison was a damn good role. As the 21st century (and her 50s) beckoned, she played Queen Elizabeth II even though, as she remarked later, “the British have a very complex relationship with the monarchy” and it could have backfired badly.
Now she’s revelling in strong fashion statements as she never did when she was younger. For Du Jour, it’s all big-shouldered vintage Jean Paul Gaultier trouser suits, feathered black Dolce & Gabbana coats and a metallic Angelo Tarlazzi trench.
This may not be for every older woman – and God forbid there should be a single template for “older women”. But it’s an object lesson in finding your comfort zone – and pushing beyond it. Mirren enjoys dramatic clothes and experience has rewarded her with the poise and presence to carry them off. Why wouldn’t she max out? Since joining forces with stylists Lee Harris and Rachel Fanconi, her cinch-it- and-lift approach has been honed into something more sophisticated, where precision tailoring involving Isambard Kingdom Brunel levels of cantilevering trump cleavage and thigh-flashing.
Think shoulder pads, flounce and capes. In the past year alone she’s worn a floor-length fuchsia cape over a black catsuit and stiletto ankle boots; a Vivienne Westwood tartan coat with mountainous patent shoes and, because she doesn’t take herself too seriously, blue hair to match her blue custom-made, wasp-waisted Daniel del Core gown at Cannes in May. The colour came courtesy of L’Oréal Paris Colorista Spray in Blue Pastel. Until recently you could buy this for £7.99 on Amazon. But it’s sold out.
Should you get hold of some, you’d be wise to get a really good professional to spray it evenly. And there’s another lesson. If you’re going a bit rogue in your mature years, it needs to look slick.
None of the experimenting and the kook overwhelm her. Without compromising style, she prioritises comfort. Sole Bliss, the favourite footwear brand of Queen Camilla, features prominently in the Mirren wardrobe. Knowing there can be no elegance where there is niggling pain is another Mirren nugget.
So is maximising what you have as opposed to what you had. Never mind implausibly huge pillowy mouths where colour has been drawn so far outside the natural lip line it’s practically invading Australia. Val Garland, the make-up artist who, like Mirren, has a contract with L’Oréal Paris, told NewBeauty that she avoids using lip liner on mature or smaller mouths, opting for an eyebrow pencil instead. For Mirren, she uses an ash-coloured brow pencil and lightly traces it along the outside of the lip line. She then blends it, creating a shadow around the outside of the lips which makes them look plumper. The key here is a lot of blending.
Since heavy make-up is ageing, even in strong light, Mirren’s red carpet beauty is relatively light-touch. Make-up artist Jo Strettell, who took charge of Mirren’s beauty look at the 2020 Golden Globes, used L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturiser, Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF50, Radiant Concealer with Hydrating Serum on her skin, Voluminous Original Mascara and Colour Riche Satin Lipstick. Mirren loves a pinky red. The L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Anti-Feathering Lipliner in Rich Cranberry, with a coat of Age Perfect Luminous Hydrating Lipstick + Nourishing Serum in Perfect Burgundy complemented her platinum hair and matched her Dior dress.
Between roles she follows a no-nonsense, twelve-minute daily routine developed by the Canadian military in the 1950s for personnel stationed on bases with no gym. Incorporating push-ups, high jumps, sit-ups, along with stretching exercises such as arm circles to maintain functional mobility, Mirren swears it keeps her trim and flexible and ready for more intense gym training when roles require it. Add in some glasses of red wine (in moderation), chips (ditto), combined with sensible eating – I’d happily have some of what she’s having.
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