At 79, Diana Ross becomes Saint Laurent’s muse, and it was time for this living legend

Hit the singer like “I’m going out”, “Infinite love”, “Love child”OR “Upside down”, Diana Ross becomes the face of Saint Laurent’s new Spring-Summer 2024 campaign at the ripe old age of 79. On March 26th she will turn 80, which makes her one of the oldest muses of luxury. A small step against the age of this industry which weighs so heavily on our representations, on our imagination, but also on our complexes.

In the year in which she turns 80, Diana Ross becomes the new face of Saint Laurent

And the least we can say is that Diana Ross has been a Saint Laurent woman for a long time. Indeed, the artist became known in the 1960s as the lead singer of the group The Supremes, becoming a legendary figure of the Motown label. She then began her solo career, with an initial success, “There is no mountain high enough” (written in 1966 by Ashford & Simpson, popularized the following year by Marvin Gaye, before Diana Ross took over in 1970). She had a series of musical successes in the 70s and 80s, but also cinematic successes, such as when she played singer Billie Holiday in the film The lady sings the blues (1972).

During his exemplary career, he often wore Saint Laurent. Legendary photos bear witness to this, such as a hieratic photo of him at Grand Central Station in 1968; in the famous green fur coat from the scandalous “Libération” collection at the 1972 Image Awards; dancing with André Leon Talley at the iconic Studio 54 club in 1979; or even in a slow dance with Monsieur Saint Laurent himself at Club 78 in Paris in 1980. Even after retiring from the catwalks in 2002, the great couturier continued to be a faithful member of the house. This was demonstrated by her appearance at the 2003 Met Gala alongside Tom Ford, who had just taken over the artistic direction of Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear.

CEO of the fashion house since 2016, Anthony Vaccarello therefore has every good reason to nominate the icon Diana Ross as his new muse, as illustrated by this campaign revealed on January 9, 2024. And may she become so in the year in which she turns 80 appears as a delightful affront to the cult of youth usual in the fashion industry.

Let’s just hope that this type of initiative grows, so as not to become from time to time the exception that proves the rule, as in the case of Joan Didion for Céline in 2015 at 80 years old or even Maggie Smith for Loewe at 88 years old.