Kate Moss would simply never do the #10YearChallenge. It’s way too braggy for her. But if she did post a photo of herself from 2009, few would disagree that, 10 years on, she looks better than she ever did. Which isn’t to say that she looked bad 10 years ago – bar a blip during the Pete Doherty years, Kate’s never looked bad – more a testament to how good she looks in 2019.
In the week that the latest internet challenge reached its peak, how serendipitous that Kate turned 45, and in doing so, provided a neat reminder that age is nothing but a number. Judging by the photos on social media of her birthday celebrations, Kate feels approximately eight. How else to explain the joyous rainbow cake and HAPPY BIRTHDAY spelt out in shiny foil balloons? It’s a far cry from her 30th, where she took a suite at Claridges and threw an all-weekender themed around F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, e Beautiful And The Damned. But then, by all accounts, Kate isn’t a party girl any more.
At least, not that sort of party girl. Rainbow birthday cake, she can wholly get behind. I was never judgy about Damned Kate, but I have to confess that I love Beautiful Kate a whole heap more. For doesn’t she look radiant? You don’t need a ton of flattering lighting or a hefty Photoshop bill to conclude she looks lit from within. Alcohol-free for over a year (according to multiple sources), the results of her clean- living are writ large on her face, moving even the most critical tabloid to gush about ‘the dazzling perks of her sobriety’.
No doubt about it: Kate has a spring in her step, even in vertiginous Yves Saint Laurent heels. After her birthday party at London’s China Tang, she surfaced in Paris, dressed in a long black velvet coat that on anyone else would have looked pure Scottish Widow. The following day, she was spotted shopping with BFF Sadie Frost, dressed in a typical trademark mix of leopard print and black leather, a Chanel 2.55 swinging insouciantly from her arm. ‘I want that jacket,’ WhatsApp’d one of my friends, swiftly forming a new chat group named Kate Looks Great Again.
While I need another chat group like I need a hole in my head, I can’t disagree with the sentiment. Suddenly, we’re all interested in what Kate’s wearing again; mentally trying it on and wondering why we ever ditched our black skinny jeans for accordion-pleated maxiskirts.
Why are we back in love with Kate? Maybe because, unlike some influencers, she doesn’t try hard. Or even at all. No shoppable hashtags on Kate’s Instagram feed – she doesn’t have one. And in an era of rampant self-promotion, this feels refreshing. While the rest of the world goes to hell in a handcart, there’s both comfort and admiration to be drawn from the fact that Kate’s just Kate – always has been, always will be.