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What’s It Like To Be is a fortnightly column in which New Zealanders from all walks of life share first-hand experiences. Here, Paulette Crowley talks to Lesley Kaiser about popping out for coffee in Ponsonby – and ending up with a modelling contract at age 71.
One morning nearly five years ago I was at my local Ponsonby coffee shop and a woman admired my hair. She was from a modelling agency and handed me her card saying to get in touch if I was interested. People often comment on my hair, particularly now it’s natural silver-white. I have always had a thick mane of long hair that I used to henna red when I was younger.
I met Rebecca [Swaney] for coffee and in early 2020 signed up with Silverfox Management NZ. I was 71 and had just retired from my career lecturing at AUT in art and design. I’d never thought of modelling growing up. I’m five foot two – 1.57m – so being a ballerina or a model was not on the cards.
It just proves there are some real advantages to getting old!
I had the experience of growing up backstage in London where my mother, Gwen Kaiser, was a costume and set designer. From an early age I felt comfortable in front of an audience. I learnt ballet from the ages of 4 to 14 and I loved dancing in the recitals, the lights and materials and fabrics and the whole buzz of being on stage.
We moved to New Zealand when I was 10 years old and my mother amassed 10 rooms full of costumes that she kept at Downstage and Circa in Wellington, so I was immersed in theatre. I also enjoyed acting in plays at school and at university.
As an adult I wasn’t daunted by being in front of people. I taught for 25 years – and lectured to large audiences of 100-plus students in my career. It was a job I loved as it enabled me to continue my life as an artist and author, which I still do in my free time.
My agent has made becoming a senior model an easy learning curve. Rebecca’s a fabulous manager and an empathetic person who creates a positive environment among the models.
She regularly runs various training sessions in all aspects of modelling, including auditioning, posing and runway practice. I’ve learnt a lot from the generosity of other models and made some good friends.
I’m vegan and I love classical timeless garments and natural fabrics, and Rebecca’s always put me forward for things that I’m delighted to model.
I love magazine fashion editorials: the hair, the makeup, the fantastic photos for your portfolio. A favourite was ‘A Love Letter to Generational Style’ in Remix Magazine. There was a big focus on intergenerational and older models that year. I was wearing Gucci and Karen Walker and other beautiful labels. The editor’s young baby daughter was dressed in Gucci too.
It’s wonderful to see more mature faces in the modelling world today. Fashion icons like Iris Apfel and Vivienne Westwood as well as actor/models like Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep and Tilda Swinton are all role models for us aspiring senior models.
I am fortunate to have worked with absolutely stunning internationally acclaimed photographers and directors. It’s the skill and vision of the creative teams I work with that really make the magic happen.
They do my hair, my makeup, they style me, and I have genuinely enjoyed working with such amazing and talented people who know how to bring out the best in me, reinventing a senior citizen into an age-positive model.
One of my first jobs was a commercial that involved riding an e-bike. I had never ridden one before so my daughter took me up the road to hire an e-bike and we rode up and down our little dead-end street to prepare. I love learning new skills.
Ironically, health shocks can have a positive effect on how you live your life and age. At 25, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma and given a one in four chance of dying by the time I was 30. This precipitated a dietary shift to plant-based foods and healthy living. I used to run 5km a day and swim and paint – that’s when I was in my meditative painting phase.
It wasn’t until my mid-40s that I became a lecturer in communication design and this involved working 60-hour weeks. I loved my job so much that I didn’t prioritise my health.
So after a heart scare when I was 65 I started exercising again, lost quite a lot of weight and got back to a good BMI, not taking for granted the longevity I observed in my family. My parents lived into their 90s and I think a great-uncle died falling off a horse at 96. My father was a world champion athlete at 85 so he was inspirational for keeping fit and healthy. I have been lucky in choosing my parents.
