SELF-ASSURED; RELAXED; COMPOSED: ADJECTIVES RARELY USED TO DESCRIBE A NEW MODEL. BUT THEN JOCELYNE BEAUDOIN ISN’T YOUR TYPICAL NEW MODEL
Jocelyne is the embodiment of growing up comfortable in your own skin. Via the power of those magically connecting squares on Instagram, it was her bright, lined skin, her wrinkled hair and her way of holding herself that captured our attention. There was no competition when it came to casting her as one of the faces of the John Lewis & Partners collection.
Jetting in from New York to attend the shoot, it was obvious as soon as she set foot in the studio (wearing a camouflage bomber jacket – for men) that she was a perfect fit. Models are so often hired as blank canvases, but there was no stripping Jocelyne of her individuality.
“I always like something a little bit masculine. that’s my style”
Jocelyne might be new to modeling – she was ‘discovered’ by a designer friend who cast her in catwalk shows, and she's been with an agency for a just a few months – but being on set is second nature to her. Twenty years ago, she transitioned from working as an art director and production designer in films and TV adverts to being a set designer and prop stylist in commercial photography. She has styled spaces for well-known beauty brands and now occasionally finds herself on the other side of the camera for them, riding the crest of a wave where women are being celebrated for their personal style, regardless of their age.
Age has influenced how she dresses – for the better. ‘I can’t wear cheap fabric anymore, it looks terrible,’ she happily admits. ‘Quality is very important as you get older. My daughters don’t understand that – they’re young!’ This discernment for quality extends to knitwear, too. ‘It has to be super-soft, because I get super-itchy. Actually, it has to be cashmere!’ she laughs.
“I don’t like fussy clothes. I like to keep things flowing, without too many accessories”
Jocelyne possesses a natural confidence when it comes to her style. Simplicity may be her formula, but that doesn’t mean she’s a walking neutral palette. ‘I like to clash colours,’ she says, the colour-block trainers she modelled on the shoot being one of her favourite items.
Her tastes have also been informed by her peripatetic lifestyle, resulting in a love of big handbags: ‘You know, when I leave the house I have to be ready for the full day, because I have three jobs to do.’ (Multi-tasking Jocelyne is also an interior designer.) But ultimately, her aim is to look pulled-together: ‘You can’t pull off the rips and things as you get older, or the missing buttons. So my styling tip is good fabrics and good shoes.’ Sound advice we can all get on board with.
