Meet Heather: IWD '22
Posted by Katie Byrne on 7th Mar 2022
At 33, Heather Inwood Was Too Old To Model. At 67, She’s Just Getting Started…
If you’re a woman with a birthday, then you’ve probably heard the joke about turning 21 – again. And if you’re a man, you’ve likely been warned that you should never ask a woman her age. Unless that is, you’re asking Heather Inwood.
For the 67-year-old model fronting campaigns from Camilla and Marc to The Iconic, her age is something she says she’s “proud of”. In her youth, she fell in love with fashion. “Twiggy, Carnaby Street, and all that the 60s and 70s offered up had a huge influence on me. I adored those years”, she says fondly. But the industry is cut-throat, and Heather was told she was ‘too short’ to model. She did it anyway, securing freelance and independent work, without the representation of an agency. But by the age of 33 the work dried up – in an industry hell-bent on discovering the next teenaged wunderkind, your thirties are a death-knell. “Being told in my early years that I was either too short or too old was just a sign of the times”, she says. “But I never gave up my dream of modelling. I just chose to shelve it for a while. I did continue to observe and question the magazines’ choice in the use of younger models though”.
Heather wears Quendra in Umber
It would be close to 30 years before Heather applied to Silverfoxmgmt, the agency that now represents her.
But throughout those years, she says, “I have always been inspired by strong women. Those that have had to deal with the wrongs that have been done to them in their life. The big decision-makers have not let the challenges stunt them, but have continued to forge ahead. My mother raised six children, and at times was burdened with a sick husband, during a very depressed era after the war. She made sure we wanted for nothing. Grew all the vegetables, sewed all our clothes, with little to no support. I also admire powerhouses of women who have had a role to play in any male-dominated workplace, such as politics.”
In the politics of fashion, the tides are turning. As questions of diversity and inclusivity spark long-overdue conversations, Heather has found herself where she always wanted to be, in front of a photographer’s lens. “Since getting the call from Brigitte Warne of Silverfoxmgmt, telling me my first assignment was a Camilla Franks swimwear campaign in 2017, almost every assignment has been a pinch-me moment. I have to thank everyone involved for having the faith in me.”
Heather wears Quendra in Dark Cognac
On our shoot with the iconic Australian shoe brand Wittner, Heather is radiant. “I love the Raven heels”, she says, “they give good support but also have a touch of glam.” An ankle strap heel is a favourite go-to for Heather, she says. “I prefer not to wear flats. And I do like to have a wee bell bottom on my pants as it lengthens the leg!”
So, no plans to ‘dress for her age?’ “No, no, no”, she answers. “Within reason of course. To see the confidence that dressing fashionably can bring to an older woman, and the spring it puts in their step, is a delight. Just have fun!”
After all, age is just a number, as the quote says. “I don’t believe that being a senior, or retiring, is a time to just ‘settle’. I believe it’s a time to enjoy everything you ever wanted to do, without regret. My bucket list is to continue on modelling as long as my health will let me.”