"I'm a savage with a golden heart": 88-year-old Baddie Winkle is tearing up the fashion rulebook

Quick-witted and with the funnest sense of style around, Baddie Winkle is one of those people you just can’t wait to meet.

The 88-year-old gained international fame three years ago after a photo of her wearing a tie-dye tee and HUF socks blew up on Twitter. Deciding to post her exceedingly daring outfits on Instagram with the help of great-granddaughter Kennedy, plain Helen Van Winkle became Baddie Winkle: the rebellious grandma with 2.5 million followers and a whole host of celebrity admirers.

Now the face of Missguided alongside other badass babes including Pamela Anderson and Amber Rose, Baddie flew to London to open the retailer’s first store in Westfield Stratford.

“I’ve always been fashionable. All my life,” she tells Yahoo Style UK while dressed in a velour tracksuit and fluffy pink coat (all from Missguided, of course). “I always try to go with the latest thing and make it my own.”

Baddie’s interest in style and love of the camera is evident in her smiley Instagram shots and many red carpet appearances with the lady herself admitting that she’s “a show off.” But being the face of a brand – and one marketed at younger people – is a huge step for her and the fashion industry in general.

The Missguided campaign sees Baddie hosting a model-filled party in Mayfair complete with the requisite sequins and faux fur. Although the brand’s clothes are featured, the ad aims to empower rather than sell.

Baddie is all too aware of this change in strategy and her powerful position, saying that she hopes the fashion industry will be encouraged to use older models. “I think they’re going towards that trend. And I hope they keep going because older models are fabulous,” she remarks. “There’s so many people my age that look great. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

“Young people already keep up with everything so I like to influence older people and say: ‘Look, if you like this outfit on me, try it on yourself. And if you like the way you look in it, don’t pay attention to what everybody else says. Just do it. And it’ll make you feel wonderful.'”

Baddie’s inspiring attitude is infectious, making all your worries feel insignificant. Everything she does, she does for fun whether’s that’s hanging with Miley Cyrus at the VMAs, appearing on Khloe Kardashian’s app or admitting that she’d jump at a date with Drake if given the chance.

When asked if there’s anything she wouldn’t do, her mind appropriately turns to fashion: “I don’t wear bikinis anymore. And I won’t wear pasties. That’s about it.”

In a world of nasty comments and social media pressures, one of the most striking things about Baddie is the positive effect that Instagram has had on her. She’s adamant that it’s “changed [her] life completely” after losing her husband Earl in a car accident and son David to cancer in 1999.

“I’ve lost a lot of my family and you have to learn to live without them. But being on Instagram has helped me tremendously to get out and enjoy myself instead of grieving.” At the same time, she recognises the dangers, saying “you do get some comments along the way.”

Her main aim right now? To kickstart the older generation into living their life to the fullest. “I’ve been busy all my life. When you get to a certain age, you do slow down. I know I’ve slowed down a lot because there’s things I can’t do anymore like cut down a tree. Believe me, I used to. My advice is to just get out and walk. Or do water aerobics. Too many older people don’t do anything even though they’re capable of it. They just think they’re too old. And that’s not right.”

“Let young people influence you. I look at my grandchildren and say, ‘Okay, I want to be that way today.’ Life changes every day so go along with it. And enjoy every minute that you possibly can.”

As Baddie gets ready to meet hundreds of adoring fans at Missguided’s store launch, she imparts yet another word of wisdom: “You keep doing what you’re doing. Keep doing what you love. And when you’re 88, remember my words.”

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