Middle age glory days

An attitude adjustment is slowly taking place in the wonderful world of fashion. Middle age is becoming glamorous as opposed to dowdy and people are starting to cotton on.

Gorgeous, fashionable celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Lane, Liz Hurley and Linda Evangelista find themselves on the eve of or nearing their 40th birthday. These women, many of who have become fashion icons in recent years, are about to redefine our perception of this new decade they are about to embark on. "Being 40 today is what 30 used to be, and 50 is the new 40," says designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Turning 40 no longer has to mean packing all you flirty dresses and skinny jeans into big black bin bags. Although miniskirts will be relegated to the back of the closets or left to teen-age daughters and rockers' wives, the modern middle-ager is not about to hide her softening assets behind a wall of frump. Less elasticity in the skin only makes this woman work harder at being better. But she also accepts that she is no longer 20. This is all about aging gracefully.

Donatella Versace, known for her daring, baring designs, appears to be doing some growing up of her own. "I'm not blind. I know that most women don't look like models. We had to start addressing other parts of a woman's life," she says. Her new designs feature a more structured silhouette. Simply look at the tailored outfits Madonna sports in the new Versace ad campagne. The look is part corporate, part sexy, but in a sophisticated way. But don't let her hear anyone call it chic. "It is cool rather than chic. I hate chic. It's such an outdated concept," she told The Times.

Dr. David Metz, co-author of the book "Older, Richer, Fitter", predicts that the future will be a more ageless society, where people will be defined by merit, goals and lifestyle rather than by a number.