FASHION is definitely not only for the young — just take a look at fashionista Allan Bradbury.

At the age of 70 he still likes to dress to impress and wear the latest styles and designer gear.

And now his funky dress sense has caught the eye of one the country’s most exclusive fashion houses — Vivienne Westwood — which invited him to a tea party at the Manchester store yesterday, when the new season’s collection was due to be unveiled.

Mr Bradbury, who lives in Bolton, said: “Age is just a number, it is nothing to do with fashion.

“I discovered Vivienne Westwood five years ago and the staff in the Manchester store know me really well — they give me a hug when they see me and recognise me when I’m not even in the store.

“Last time I was in, there was this very elegant 6ft-tall girl, who you would expect to be the typical Vivienne Westwood client.

“But I was asked to come to the tea party when I was at the store.”

He says his fashion sense often gets him stopped in the street, with a local television news station stopping him for a feature to coincide with the recent London Fashion Week.

Mr Bradbury said: “I was stopped by a photographer who wanted to take some pictures.

“I really enjoy it, and I do like the attention.

“In Manchester, I get stopped a lot but in Bolton some of the men, are aged between 20 and 35, shout things at me — it is like they are stuck in the ’60s and can’t cope with people being different. I was called the OAP fashion icon, but I don’t mind it.”

He added: “I really like Vivienne Westwood because she is out of the box for conformity and she also supports the underdog and political causes such as campaigning on climate change. It was that which attracted me to her.

Mr Bradbury, a counsellor and psychotherapist, said designer clothes are affordable if you saved for them.

He added: “It was Vivienne Westwood who said buy less but buy well.

“Nelson Mandela said we should not be subservient, but to shine, therefore we give people the opportunity to do the same, and I believe in that philosophy.”