Penny McCormick examines DAME JONE COLLINS to find out her secrets from supplements to scrabble …
Age: 85, has recently starred in Kurt Geiger’s Characterful Style campaign, starred in American Horror Story Season 8 and launched her own Timeless Beauty range on QVC.
Believes in: Everything in moderation – with the possible exception of husbands. She’s on to number five.
Hair: Avoids bad hair days by wearing a wig to counteract fine (not thinning) hair. Try Local wig expert Kieran O’Gorman in Kilkenny; www.wigspecialist.ie.
Supplements: Takes Maxepa fish oils and the occasional Berocca. To counteract germs, she wears gloves and avoids shaking hands. Try Invest in a pair of Paula Rowan leather gloves; www.paularowan.com.
Diet: She recommends having nuts, cooked chicken and broccoli in the fridge to stave off hunger pangs, though loves chocolate and always has a secret stash. Try Green & Black’s new Velvet Edition of dark chocolates.
Fitness: She swims regularly – not the wild variety – in chic pools from Palm Springs to St Tropez. She also has a personal trainer for gentle exercise and weights and loves to dance – Pharrell Williams’ Happy is a favourite track. Try One of the many adult dance classes organised by Dancesport Federation of Ireland www.dancesport.ie.
Mind: Keeps her mind alert with regular Scrabble and poker games and is a voracious reader, especially of crime and Hollywood sagas. She also practises the emotional freedom technique of letting go called The Sedona Method. Try Read Darkest Truth by Catherine Kirwan: a crime novel about a predatory film director.
Face: Tracie Martyn in New York is her go-to facialist. She famously never puts her face in the sun – favouring hats. Though needle-averse, I suspect a non-surgical procedure such as a threading lift to maintain such a firm jawline. Try Facialist Olga Kochlewska in Donnybrook; www.skinbyolga.ie.
Make-up: She perfected her trademark smokey eye with the help of Marilyn Monroe’s make-up artist Allen “Whitey” Snyder. Try Local expert Leonard Daly; www.leonarddaly.com.
Fashion: Dresses to accentuate her assets – namely her legs and décolletage. She buys fabric in Joel & Son, London, and works with a dressmaker to customise off-the-peg items. Try Source fabric with the help of Ann Flavin at Texture; www.texture.ie.
Her M.O.: Dame Joan tries to do something fun everyday and has a large Filofax called The Book for social engagements which rivals Kensington Palace in its complexity.
Try Outsource the housekeeping with www.abouttime.ie, and buy a Filofax, €72.99, for social plans.
Penny McCormick
Love THEGLOSS.ie? Sign up to our MAILING LIST now for a roundup of the latest fashion, beauty, interiors and entertaining news from THE GLOSS MAGAZINE’s daily dispatches.