5/23/17: We’ve all heard tales of nobodies being discovered in unlikely ways. For  example, the beautiful Lana Turner was discovered at a drug store soda fountain one afternoon while ditching high school. Today, I bring you the Cinderella story of a woman who’s a bit longer in the tooth, but no less lovely.

62-year-old Lyn Slater, a Fordham University professor, was meeting a friend for lunch near Lincoln Center during fashion week when she was mistaken by the foreign press for a fashion icon.

Her fashion blog is a real wonder. It’s easy to see what the fashion world sees in her. She makes rebellious, unapologetic style choices and carries them off like a total pro. Her avant garde clothing combinations and bold poses are truly art.

“I started Accidental Icon because I could not find a fashion blog that offered a modern, urban aesthetic and take on fashion for non-celebrity women who live what I call ordinary but interesting lives.”

If I looked as good in clothes as Slater does, I’d fully expect to be discovered, too. Her interest in fashion isn’t all about appearances, either. This social justice educator has a really unique perspective on what fashion means in our society.

“Fashion and clothing are central to human life and identity. Fashion and stereotypes of beauty can lead to oppression and exclusion, and thus fashion has great power. People make judgments about us based on clothes. When people want to control us, they take away our clothes or make everybody wear the same thing. If you think about what you wear and select very purposefully, you can use fashion’s power for good.”

I’m really heartened by this trend of ballsy older broads getting modeling contracts and representing major brands. Being a woman of a Certain Age, it’s really heartening to me that so many women are making a name for themselves as taste makers. It feels like a victory for all of us.

You can check out the fabulous Slater on Instagram and on her website.

All images property of Lyn Slater.