Andie MacDowell, 60, is no stranger to the fashion industry or to walking a runway, which is why she was an obvious choice to join a diverse collection of other celebrities on the runway for the L’Oreal Paris Fashion Week Show.
With a large focus on inclusivity and diversity for this year’s lineup of models, MacDowell’s forty years of experience in the fashion and beauty industry paired nicely with the variety of other models, actresses, and celebrities like Doutzen Kroes, Eva Longoria, and Elle Fanning.
As attendees of the event looked on from the banks of the Pont Royal bridge, MacDowell and the other models sashayed down a floating runway positioned on the Siene, creating an aesthetically stunning experience that celebrated a variety of ages, ethnicities, and body types.
Timeless Beauty
Growing up in a small South Carolina town, MacDowell never imagined the great heights that her career as an actress and model would reach.
After moving to Paris at only 20 years old to begin her modeling career, MacDowell quickly found herself thrust into the world of fashion as she appeared in magazine ads, billboards, television commercials, and runway shows for big-name brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, and L’Oréal.
MacDowell recalls her initial experience in Paris, saying, “I grew up in a teeny-tiny town in South Carolina, so I wasn’t exposed to anything like Paris. This city is where I got my education and grew up in so many ways. Oh, and learned how to wear red lipstick.”
Of all the popular fashion and beauty clients that MacDowell developed relationships with over the years, L’Oréal has been one of the most prominent, using MacDowell as the face of the company for more than three-decades.
Maintaining multiple decades-long relationships in the beauty industry tends to be rare, but MacDowell attributes the relationship to the fact that she has always been a fan of L’Oréal’s inclusive approach to beauty combined with the brand consistently mirroring her mindset when it comes to aging which is to welcome the process with open arms and no fear.
She explains her thoughts on inclusivity and diversity in the beauty industry, saying, “Everybody should be allowed to feel they are a part of fashion and beauty. It shouldn’t be elitist. I’m here, and I think that’s important. We are changing the concept of what beauty means, and that it is for a lifetime. Life is valuable, and to be enjoyed. We should feel good about ourselves. We should be included.”
Returning to the Runway
After admiring the age-positive models that walked in L’Oréal’s Le Défilé show last year, Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren, MacDowell was inspired to rekindle her relationship with the brand, leading to her walking the runway this year.
Although MacDowell hadn’t walked a runway in a while, she was excited to step back into the role with a brand that she feels represents timeless beauty, saying, “I’m in the process — and have been in the process — of aging. And with L’Oréal, I’ve really been able to [spread the message] that there’s no time limit on beauty.”
However, as much as MacDowell attempts to fearlessly embrace aging, she admits that it does take some effort to maintain that positive mindset, “It’s a journey but you can’t go back in time. I don’t want to pretend to be what I’m not and have never been ashamed of my age. I want to be positive about right where I am at each stage of my life.”
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