Diana Ross is a few months away from turning 80 years old, and the queen of Motown is as fabulous as ever. Ross, the original diva, is in a new Saint Laurent campaign, posted by Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello on Instagram (hinting at Ross being the face of the brand for spring 2024: “Saint Laurent • Spring 24 Diana Ross ❤️,” the caption reads.) Under the photo, Zac Posen called it “Fantastic,” Naomi Campbell wrote, “Queen the boss,” and Marc Jacobs sent heart emojis. We agree.
Wearing a black bodycon off-the-shoulder dress with her signature big curly hair, the photograph David Sims took captures her defining quality: glamour. The image, shown in black-and-white, is a full-circle moment for both Ross and Saint Laurent. As the leader of the girl group the Supremes, Ross was a trailblazer of fashion who often wore Saint Laurent, including a green mink she wore atop a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 1979. She has also inspired designers like Tom Ford, who dedicated his fall Saint Laurent collection to Diana Ross and the Supremes and their defining decade, the ’70s.
Part of the strength of the campaign is the simplicity of it: Ross is not wearing any accessories, instead framed by her signature curls. Born and raised in Detroit, Ross enrolled in cosmetology school when she was still in high school and often tried out hairstyles on herself, including bobs and bouffants. By the ’70s, though, she had settled on her signature look: natural Afro curls, which she still wears today.
Age diversity is a notorious problem in the fashion industry, frequently using young women to sell products. But last year, 88-year-old Maggie Smith was the model for a Loewe campaign, and we hope this is the beginning of a new era. Because who better than the iconic Diana Ross to front a campaign? I’m buying anything she’s selling, and apparently, so is everyone else.
