63-year-old university professor becomes accidental model

A 63-year-old university professor has become an accidental model after reporters believed she was a fashion star. 

Lyn Slater, who teaches at Fordham University's School Of Social Service in New York, was waiting for a friend outside the Lincoln Centre during New York Fashion Week when reporters approached her, believing she was fashion industry insider.

“All of a sudden these photographers started to surround me and take pictures of me,” Slater told TODAY Style.

“A couple of journalists from Japan had approached me and were asking questions. Tourists started to see this and thought, ‘That must be some important person in fashion!’ so they started to take pictures of me. I had a huge crowd of people around me.”

The moment was pivotal for Slater, who decided to launch a fashion blog, named the Accidental Icon, to document her outfits and to show people that older women can dress fabulously.

“I get a lot of emails from younger people saying... you're making us feel like getting old is fun and cool, and that you can do whatever you want at whatever age,” she told TODAY.

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The fashion industry soon caught on to Slater’s style, and earlier this year she was signed to modelling agency Elite London. Slater has posed for several high-profile brands, including Comme Des Garcons, Mango and Valentino.

Slater’s photos are challenging ageist beliefs of what women of a certain age can wear.

“Don’t wear mini skirts, don’t wear crop tops, don’t expose your cleavage, don’t wear low-rise jeans – I ignore them. Age is never a variable I use to make decisions about what I wear,” she said.

Slater wears what she feels comfortable in – and she says that’s the key to feeling good about yourself.

“There’s actual science that shows how [what you're wearing] impacts your ability to perform and your emotions,' she added. 'It’s called enclothed cognition. And for me, the way that I’ve been embracing clothing and reinventing myself at this time in my life is making me young.”