For Me, Kate Moss Took The Fear Out Of Turning 30

It may have been Gloria Steinem who said that ‘women may be the one group that grows more radical with age’, but it was Kate Moss that made me believe it. As the living icon turns 45 today, I think it’s time we take a second and appreciate how the Croydon-born model has stopped the unyielding ageing process from looking anything but fabulous.

Mercifully, in a world where turning 30 is both inevitable and an anxiety, 14-years-ago today Kate Moss made it look like the age where life begins. By the time she turned the dreaded three zero she had amassed a fortune, been shot for Calvin Klein, walked for Marc Jacobs, had a relationship with Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty (while they were in their prime), gave birth to a beautiful daughter and signed a global beauty contract with Rimmel. But, arguably, all that has been eclipsed by how she spent the next 14 years.

Wearing a floor-length sapphire sequin vintage dress, which Britt Eckland wore to the premiere of The Man With the Golden Gun in 1973, Moss welcomed in her 30s with a party at Clardiges. Themed after The Beautiful and Damned - F.Scott Fitzgerald’s fizzy tale of a socialite’s wild, reckless life - it was reportedly a night of untold hedonism that bought Grace Jones, Anita Pallenberg, Ronnie Wood, Chrissie Hyde and Naomi Campbell all under one roof. It marked the beginning of Moss’ legendary soirees for only a few years later she threw her iconic multi-part 34th birthday that kicked off at China Tang, before a cocktail party where they drank £37,000 of Dom Perignon at the Dorchester before hours of carefree dancing in Soho. For her 40th she upped the ante with a three-day party in the Cotswolds. And, let's not forget her Great Gatsby-esque wedding, where she wore a bias-cut dress designed by John Galliano.

Throughout her thirties, she pursued her career with the kind of reckless energy that anyone would be envious of. Kate Moss's biography is not short on highlights: for Moss has designed handbags for Longchamp and collections for Topshop, appeared in Sir Paul McCartney’s music video, started her own agency (Instagram here) received the Special Recognition accolade at the British Fashion Awards, modelled for Burberry and Calvin Klein, been shot by Mario Testino and David Bailey, became the face of Alexander McQueen and starred on Playboy’s 60th-anniversary cover. And, lest we forget she weathered a storm of negative press that could vanquish even the most sturdy of characters.

Five fabulous life lessons I’ve taken away from Kate Moss getting older:

1. Throw yourself a glorious party.

2. Surround yourself with the best people you can.

3. You’re never to old to dance in the mud of Glastonbury.

4. Youth’s insecurities are behind you, so wear whatever the heck you want.

5. You’ll be in your career prime

Though glamour is her calling card and her beauty is the first thing one notices, it’s her quiet personality that makes her so enigmatic. She rarely gives interviews, and when she does it’s infrequent and without many revelations. Her lack of social media prowess in a world where the modern-day supermodels are talking to millions of followers on a daily basis, makes Moss special.

With life expectancy rising, and the end of my 20s rapidly nearing, all I can say is happy bloody birthday Mossy and may you make getting older look glorious for many more years to come.

MORE: Young Kate Moss To Now