Democracy Dies in Darkness

Your clothes no longer serve you. Now what?

Lyn Slater, the 70-year-old former fashion influencer and author of ‘How to Be Old,’ offers lessons on what to wear for your next act in life

By
March 12, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
“Reformed influencer” Lyn Slater is the author of “How to Be Old,” out now. (Calvin Lom)
7 min

One day in 2019, Lyn Slater looked at the racks and racks of beautiful clothes in her New York City apartment — and despaired.

Slater was 66, a former social worker turned social media star. She had begun documenting her style on the blog Accidental Icon at age 61. Her sleek gray bob, omnipresent shades and slouchy, twisted Yohji Yamamoto suits gave her a funky hauteur — and hordes of admirers. Her Instagram (@iconaccidental) boasts some 770,000 followers. Designers flew her to Paris and London to attend their runway shows and fragrance launches. Brands showered her with gifts: purses, jackets and so many dresses, in every color of the rainbow. She starred in campaigns for Valentino and Kate Spade.