Grece Ghanem, Instagram's new star
A timeless style
A short cut of haphazardly styled gray hair, a weave of sleek expensive clothes and a pair of lovingly worn jeans, and big brand-name sunglasses is the kind of style you'll get excited about.
“Stay visible! When a woman is over the certain age threshold, she's no longer looked at,” says Grece Ghanem, a 53-year-old personal trainer from Montreal, without much self-pity. “I don't take that into serious consideration. I keep wearing things that look fun. I have no need to disappear.”
It's fair to say there's no chance of that happening. Ghanem has racked up 48,000 followers on Instagram thanks to her bravery in showing herself and her style to the world. That damned ageism that affects the likes of companies like Sephora and Club Monaco who have sought to collaborate with Ghanem.
It's fair to say there's no chance of that happening. Ghanem has racked up 48,000 followers on Instagram thanks to her bravery in showing herself and her style to the world. That damned ageism that affects the likes of companies like Sephora and Club Monaco who have sought to collaborate with Ghanem.
A quick flip through Ghanem's profile page and the particularity of her style becomes clear - a stunning short cut of haphazardly styled gray hair, an intertwining of sleek expensive cuts and lovingly worn jeans, and big brand-name sunglasses. Elements of her style are constantly repeated - a dark pink floral jacket from Gucci, the popular jeans and T-shirt, a loose-fitting burgundy pantsuit from Céline that can be worn together or separately, a leather biker jacket. Ghanem doesn't wear things just once. She doesn't throw anything away.
She still has clothes from the 80s when she was studying in Beirut.
Also, Ghanem never puts hashtags.
She still has clothes from the 80s when she was studying in Beirut.
Also, Ghanem never puts hashtags.
I don't buy things just because they're trendy.
Yes, yes, you see all those brands - Balenciaga, Acne Studios, Phoebe-era Céline (her unwavering obsession) - according to Ghanem, she'd rather be timed to see what she chooses first. Her weakness for accessorizing the brands listed above is only reinforced by how often she restocks her wardrobe. “I live in my dressing room,” says Ghanem. “I always look at what I have first. I don't buy things just because they're in trendy.”
Make the best of what you have and work with it.
Ghanem's life, as well as her style, is characterized by the approach - make the best of what you have and work with it. She left Lebanon in 2005 at the height of the uproar and, with her daughter, Chiyen, now 22, traveled to Canada to start from scratch, leaving behind her Gucci and Céline collections, which she had been collecting since she was 18, her family and her career as a microbiologist. In her new homeland, she couldn't continue to work on her specialty, so she started doing personal training. If life presents you with lemons, add them to the water at the gym where you work out.
Accepting the previous stage of her life also has an impact on her Instagram profile. Since she and her daughter got involved with the social network for fun two years ago, Ghanem has never deleted posts about her past life. Today, she says she feels a responsibility for the young 20- and 30-year-old girls who follow her posts, to show them that style is a full-time job. “I'm disappointed that women of my age don't participate in fashion shows or appear on magazine covers,” Grece says.
“In the end it's you who matters, not your clothes. Once you accept yourself, you will be seen by everyone.”
Source: Vogue
Accepting the previous stage of her life also has an impact on her Instagram profile. Since she and her daughter got involved with the social network for fun two years ago, Ghanem has never deleted posts about her past life. Today, she says she feels a responsibility for the young 20- and 30-year-old girls who follow her posts, to show them that style is a full-time job. “I'm disappointed that women of my age don't participate in fashion shows or appear on magazine covers,” Grece says.
“In the end it's you who matters, not your clothes. Once you accept yourself, you will be seen by everyone.”
Source: Vogue
Grace Ghanem photo
Nelly Latypova
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