Trust her; she’s French. Born in Paris, Caroline de Maigret began modeling for Chanel as a teen. 30 years later, she’s still posing for the brand–and also making music, raising a son, and penning best-selling books like How to Be Parisian. Her newest work, Older, But Better, But Older, is half memoir, half advice column–“After all, I am close to 50,” says the street style icon, “and hopefully, one day you will be too.” Here are Caroline’s candid thoughts on her work, her wardrobe, and what comes next.  

What do you wish you’d known about 40-something women when you were 20?
I wish I’d noticed this thing [that] keeps happening to me: Young women come up to me at parties or fashion events, even on-set at [photo] shoots. They say to me, “Caroline, I want to be just like you when I’m older.” And that’s very nice, but you see how it immediately puts a barrier between us? You have just made me some “other” thing besides a woman who could be your friend. You have made me different and set me somewhere else, you know? And think of how much better, how much cooler, it would be for both of us if we could just sit side-by-side and hang out.

What clothes from your 20s do you still wear in your 40s?
I am very lucky to work with Chanel, obviously, and everything they make is timeless, it’s just about how you style it. Even their beauty products–you can put on that black [nail] polish that was so famous 20 years ago, and it will never not be cool. But I also have a leather jacket from Schott that I got in the ‘90s, I think… a leather jacket is even better when it’s older. I will probably still wear it when I’m 60.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently, from a health perspective?
I wish I’d told my doctors to shut up… I mean it! [Laughing.] You are 30, they want to know when you’re having a baby. You have one child; they want to talk to you about two children… And at the dermatologist, too. I went in to make sure my [moles] weren’t dangerous; they ask if I want [Botox]… I think we need to be very clear, as women, what our health concerns are, and make sure we’re seeing people who listen to us and what we actually want.

Older, But Better… has a lot about how your taste in romantic partners changes from your 20s to your 50s. Do you wish you’d gone for a different type of guy sooner?
For me, I don’t think so. Every experience leads to the next one, especially with relationships… Of course, some memories make me roll my eyes. “He was so stupid!” or even worse, you know, “I was so stupid!” But that’s just love, isn’t it?

 What’s one stereotype about getting older that’s just not true?
That you stay home every night and never go out, never party. That’s a lie. But it is true that you stop going out because you’re afraid you will miss something. You go out because you know you look good, you love the people you’re with, and you want to have fun.