Time to Shine: J.Crew's Mature Models

"Thanks!" to ccbmum who let us know in the "J.Crew's Additional 30% Off on Final Sale" post about this article from Bloomacious, discussing J.Crew's latest move to use more mature models in their catalog. The following is the article (which can also be found in its entirety here):

J Crew will update more than fabric and hemlines this fall.
July 17, 2008

This year as the leaves start to turn orange and red, and the clothing catalogs fill your mailbox, you may note a subtle change.

As you flip through the pages you will most likely see women modeling clothes that look good on them! At least that's the plan for the J Crew catalog that drops in September. In their Fall 08 book, J Crew will unveil a strong section featuring model Pia Gronning.

A trend towards classic catalog models is certainly in the air according to most industry experts. "The market for older models has exploded," Ginni Conquest of Wilhelmina Models told writer Monica Corcoran of the Chicago Tribune in a recent interview on the subject. "It's our fastest-growing area, and it's a first for the industry."

In an article published yesterday Corcoran writes: "The trend is driven by the $2 trillion spending power of Baby Boomers—born between 1946 and 1964—who make up 26 percent of the population. After all, what middle-age woman wants to buy moisturizer from a model who's too young to order a martini?"

Or as I like to say, who wants to buy Chanel from someone who would look more appropriate in Garanimals?

The article the Bloomacious one refers to is "Time to shine" by Monica Corcoran published on July 10, 2008 in the Sydney Morning Herald. The article can be found here.

I personally think it is great that J.Crew is using mature models. This definitely has not been the first time J.Crew has incorporated mature models in their catalog. As many of you have pointed out, they have several unknown (like the one in the Paris image above) and known (like Lauren Hutton) mature models throughout their past seasons.

What do you think of J.Crew's latest venture with mature models? Are you happy that the demographic seems to include all aspects (in terms of ages) in their catalog?