ALEXANDRA SHULMAN’S NOTEBOOK: Say hello, Kate, to the best decade of your life

Of course, Kate Moss celebrated her 50th birthday with two big parties. How could just one do justice to the ultimate chameleon, the muse of the top photographers and artists of the time?

The first, on the Caribbean island of Mustique with her loyal girl gang, including Sadie Frost and ex-model Rosemary Ferguson, involved spiritual, New Age rituals that reflected Kate’s current persona as a health brand founder.

Still, I’d take a chance if there were a few frozen margaritas on the menu as well.

The second party was a more classic Kate bash, in Paris, where she arrived in a crochet bodystocking-style dress and black underwear – echoing the famous 1993 photo of her in a sheer slip and black underwear.

And she’s right to celebrate. While turning 50 is certainly a milestone that, no matter how hard even Kate Moss tries, has nothing youthful about it, I have good news for her and anyone approaching that milestone. Your fifties can be a great decade.

As in all periods of life, personal circumstances determine how you feel, but my fifties were my best decade. I had the benefits of experience, but not the fear of whether I would ever have a home, a husband, a child, or a satisfying job—topics that dominated much of my twenties and thirties.

In my 40s I went through my first marriage and first divorce (I haven’t attempted a second of either), which was difficult and upsetting, but by my 50s I had seen my child move through the teenage years to adulthood, lived with a wonderful new partner and a career I knew I was good at, even if it was demanding.

Most importantly, I learned the value of contentment, which previously seemed like a very lackluster emotion.

For many women, however, it is the physical changes resulting from aging that cause the greatest dissatisfaction.

Most of us won’t look like Kate Moss when we turn 50, but what’s new? We didn’t do that when we turned thirty either. What we can do is change our expectations of ourselves.

Gravity, menopause and simply the stresses of life will take their toll on the way we look, but really, so what? In your fifties, it is much easier to accept physical shortcomings because the need to prove yourself and others is less.

With that in mind, who cares if you’re a dress size bigger, if your skin is a little more wrinkled, or if your belly is far from the ideal size?

An awareness of mortality arises, bringing a much kinder perspective on such things.

I’m not stupid enough to say that growing older and going through menopause gives you the superpower of nonchalance, and that it’s a relief not to care about how sexually attractive you are.

Of course, such concerns remain.

But as long as you’re not obsessed with your appearance in your 50s, you can relax and focus on what you want to do with the rest of your life, which will hopefully have many more years to come.

It’s a good time to look ahead. To consider making a change. Even Kate Moss is moving.

How I would stop the return of the dangerous Donald

As for age, the solution to the horrifying prospect of a dangerous Trump or an unreliable Biden winning this year’s US presidential election is undoubtedly to impose an age limit on holding public office.

I would suggest a maximum of 75, but if you asked a 74 year old if he or she would agree with that, the answer would be a resounding ‘No’.

For sale: a large amount of second-hand Zara

I’m collecting clothes for a vintage sale in aid of Laurence’s Larder, our local shelter charity, and over the past week I’ve spent hours upgrading them piece by piece.

Does a truly vintage, but non-designer label, beaded dress from the 1950s have more or less value today than a ten-year-old Ralph Lauren example?

What do people think of White Company’s resale? How much can I ask for an almost new cashmere coat from Jil Sander?

It was a fascinating process and made me think about what clothing is worth and for whom?

One thing is certain: if these donations amount to anything, there are a lot of Zara people won’t want to hold on to.

Documentaries… or works of fiction?

What is more truthful: a biopic or documentary?

I ask because there seems to be a huge demand for both, judging by the numbers being released.

For example, we have Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming biopic about Amy Winehouse, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla (about Elvis Presley and his wife) and Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of conductor Leonard Bernstein in Maestro.

Documentarily, we’ve had the hugely successful four-part Beckham on Netflix, and there’s the new portrayal of fashion designer John Galliano, whose career exploded in anti-Semitic, alcohol-induced rants in a Paris cafe in 2010.

It’s tempting to believe in the veracity of biopics, even when much of the content is fictional, as in Peter Morgan’s script for The Crown.

But documentaries, even documentaries with real life subjects, are equally subjective and do not give us the truth, but the director’s point of view. They are fiction by omission.

Beckham’s company created his eponymous series, guaranteeing that several tough topics, such as his relationship with Qatar, were averted. High And Low, John Galliano’s story, was also made with his collaboration – he indeed plays a major role, even if he did not have ultimate control.

That kind of hybrid can get as close to the truth as possible.

New technology may not be so smart after all

My new Oura smart ring tracks my heart rate, sleep and stress levels and reports the results to an app.

According to the records, I was super calm all week, even right after I found out I booked the wrong flight to Rome for a weekend getaway.

Since I felt extremely stressed when I discovered the error, I’m wondering what it would take for my stress levels to appear on the graph. Possibly if I discover that I also messed up the return flight booking.