Bonmarche Unveils the 10 Most Inspirational Female Fashion Icons

A lot of research exists on which women young girls and women across the United Kingdom are inspired by. However, Bonmarche, a UK fashion retailer, targets women over 45 in particular, and very few studies have been completed into their style inspirations. The company has aimed to change this and can now reveal women like Meryl Streep, Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Anniston are looked to by their target demographic for their style and lifestyle choices.

Women like Ariana Grande and Rihanna are recognized not just for their music, but also their unique style, something that many young women aim to emulate. However, what this forgets is the huge group of women who are over the age of 45, who have no desire to look like a 20-something young girl. Yet, many fashion houses completely ignore this demographic, focusing solely on the younger audience.

UK fashion retailer Bonmarche, however, offers clothing lines specifically targeting the more mature woman. To ensure their lines are relevant, they have recently completed a new study into the celebrity women that their target demographic looks up to. They surveyed several thousand women, all aged 45 and over, across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Some very interesting results were revealed.

Bonmarche also wanted to know the extent of change in style icons across different age groups. Hence, they divided their participants in three categories, being age 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 and over. The first interesting element of this study was that the top 10 women in each of these categories were the same. What did change, however, was the top 4, and also the percentages of ‘votes’ associated with each of these four celebrity women. 

The top 10 celebrity style icons for women aged between 45 and 54 were revealed to be:

1. Helen Mirren, an inspiration for 19.2% of women.

2. Jennifer Anniston, an inspiration for 16.3% of women.

3. Meryl Streep, an inspiration for 14.5% of women.

4. Joanna Lumley, an inspiration for 13.5% of women.

5. Nicole Kidman, an inspiration for 10.3% of women.

6. Elle McPherson, an inspiration for 10% of women.

7. Julie Walters, an inspiration for 8.1% of women.

8. Jane McDonald, an inspiration for 5.9% of women.

9. Salma Hayek, an inspiration for 5.4% of women.

10. Ruth Langsford, an inspiration for 4.8% of women.

The same 10 women, as stated, were mentioned consistently across all age groups. Asking why these women were seen as someone to emulate, women mentioned Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep’s sophisticated style, Joanna Lumley’s uniqueness, and Jennifer Anniston’s golden tan, shining hair, and healthy lifestyle.

In category of women aged between 55 and 64, there were some small changes. The top four remained unchanged, but Helen Mirren increased her percentage of votes to 20%, whereas Jennifer Anniston dropped to 15.5%. In both this category and the 45 to 54 category, there were no differences depending on the geographical location of the women who were surveyed.

In the 65s and over, however, two big changes happened. The first was that women in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland placed Helen Mirren in first place with 28.4% of the votes. Jennifer Anniston, meanwhile, dropped to fourth position. Yet, in Scotland, the opposite happened. Anniston climbed to a firm first position with 27.8% of the votes.

According to Bonmarche’s online marketing manager: “As women grow older, their tastes and influences change, but one thing remains constant: a desire to look great”.

These results have enabled Bonmarche to develop a collection that is more relevant to their specific audience, offering clothes that are both sophisticated and ‘girl-next-door’, while also offering their customers more information on healthy living, focusing on their customers’ inner beauty as well.