Mirren does Venice in style
At 76, Dame Helen has shown us all how to rejoin the party,
After months of anxiety, cancelled parties and the grim litany of Covid statistics, we all need to cut loose and live like nobody needs testing, if only for a few days. A fullon, post-pandemic jewel-encrusted few days is what Dr Fabulous would order for those of us yet to rejoin the party. And now we have the perfect inspiration: Dame Helen Mirren.
She is in Venice, where she has attended a series of Dolce & Gabbana fashion shows and film premieres. And among the starriest of guests — J-Lo, a Kardashian — Mirren has shone the brightest. Her Instagram and the world’s press have captured the Dame of Delights in a series of glorious gowns and chandelier earrings before a backdrop of handsome gondoliers and palazzos. In every image, her sheer joie de vivre shines through. She is the living embodiment of the 2021 T-shirt slogan: vaxxed, waxed and relaxed. She is having the time of her life at 76 and she wants the world to know.
The rest of us can learn from her blueprint of how to get the most out of even the shortest burst of freedom. Here’s how we can all Be More Mirren.
Dance like everybody is watching
On Instagram, she captioned a photo of herself waltzing with a delighted: “I danced in the rain with VIN DIESEL!” To which the internet unanimously replied, Vin got to dance you, Queen. Later, she slithered in a silver dress with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, showing she can do both ballroom and thumping dance floor. While cutting her shapes, she showed none of the awkward self-consciousness, shoe-gazing and lip-biting to which Brits are prone. Mirren looks like she’s loving every minute and is still in total control of her faculties as she stares into Diesel’s eyes. We might not all have a Hollywood action star to hand, but there are lessons here. It’s the perfect mix of joyful dance and dignity.
Embrace the weather
My brother once spent a very wet week in Antigua and was repeatedly told to cheer up as “It’s not rain, it’s liquid sunshine!” Mirren is the only Brit who agrees with this philosophy, describing on Instagram the magic of the Dolce & Gabbana womenswear show when “a beautiful rain began to fall”. One person lucky enough to be there said she was the last one standing as everyone else darted for cover, applauding the models in her bejewelled Dolce bustier. Later, at the after-party, she sat in a rainy booth with hair pulled into a damp ponytail, tucking into caviar sandwiches.
Rock silver hair
Is it Marilyn blonde or old-lady silver? Who cares when the effect is the same, illuminating Mirren’s face by creating a halo of luminosity as if she’s permanently carrying one of those LED ring lights that influencers use to make themselves glow on YouTube. Starved of hairdressers over the lockdowns, many of my friends have been growing out the dye, looking with fascinated horror at the grey shades emerging. Some have been blessed with a natural silvery hue, but most end up somewhere between Mole’s Breath and Plummett Grey on the colour wheel.
But even if we don’t have her silver locks, the Dame shows us how to wear it well. When she arrived in a vaporetto for the Alta Moda show on the Piazza San Marco, it was piled high, lifting her face. She has said that she wore make-up every day in lockdown and Sarah, one of my newly grey friends, swears that a true red lipstick becomes essential once you go over to the undyed side. Add to that some enormous jewels (real in her case, costume for the rest of us) and she illustrates how to go grey with confidence.
Reveal as much or as little as you want
Helen clearly didn’t get the memo about covering up your decolletage after a certain age. Her ballgown featured sheer sleeves and a gold corset that showcased the magnificent Mirren embonpoint. Later, she wore a long silver sequinned dress with a deep V-neck that made her move like mercury. She is, of course, more blessed than most mortals. As the comedian Tina Fey once said when looking at a photo of her body in a bikini: “What, is she a wizard or something?” But we can all take a leaf out of the Mirren manual by dressing like we haven’t partied since 2019.
Change your outfit several times a day
Helen has packed more clothes and good times into her Venetian break than most do in a year. She was so delighted with her long black chiffon dress that she filmed herself twirling in it like a 7-year-old in a Disney princess costume. You can’t twirl in athleisure and tracksuit pants. Twirl-ability is the hallmark of good dressing-up. Having so many outfits made it seem as if she were out there for longer than a few days. Treat yourself like a dressup paper dolly with proper outfits — one for sightseeing, another for cocktails, a third for dinner.
Smile (whether you want to or not)
It’s almost impossible not to revel in Dame Helen’s enjoyment of her own trip. She grins as she holds a glass, laughs as the rain lashes the catwalk and beams as she shows off her ballgown.
Everyone in her orbit, from her silver-fox husband, director Taylor Hackford, to the designer Domenico Dolce, is caught up in her joy.
Who knows if that uncomfortable-looking gold bustier is cutting into her cleavage or whether her feet are cold from the rain, Helen knows that if you smile neither you nor anyone with you will care.