Downing vodka by the tumbler and sharing what looked suspiciously like a joint
as they holidayed on a yacht off the coast of St Tropez, Kate Moss and Lily
Allen both seemed thrilled to have discovered a new ally. At 24, the pop
star may be more than a decade younger than the 35-year-old supermodel, but
when it comes to partying, the two clearly have a lot in common.
Despite being a mother of one and fast-approaching middle age, Kate seems
desperate to cling on to her youth. And what better way to do so than to
surround herself with a posse of the coolest young women?
“Kate’s a bit of a social vampire and she likes young blood,” claims a close
friend of the model. “She loves hip young guys and girls. The more she mixes
with them, the younger she feels.
“She’s like Peter Pan –she doesn’t want to get old. If she’s with people her
own age or older, it makes her feel more grown up and she hates that.”
Another friend adds: “Kate seems to think about some mates the way she thinks
about outfits. She wants to wear what she looks best in and hang out with
who she looks best with – the youngest, coolest, hippest people.”
Of course Kate has always been wild and has revelled in her party-girl image.
But her old crowd, the infamous Primrose Hill posse, have turned their backs
on their hedonistic lifestyle as they hit their 40s.
Sadie Frost, 44, is now teetotal, Meg Mathews, 43, has also cleaned up her
act, Davinia Taylor, 31, is immersed in her divorce from her husband – even
notorious party animal Pearl Lowe, 39, has moved out to the country.
While they grow up and move on, Kate is surrounding herself with the cream of
Britain’s cool young crowd to help maintain her hellraising image. Although
she appears to have one rule – they mustn’t be able to show her up in the
looks department.
Hard-partying and slightly vulnerable singer Lily is just the latest in a long
line of young playthings only too happy to become her new BFF.
The pair recently enjoyed a typical Kate-style holiday bingeing on alcohol,
sunbathing and sharing what appeared to be a cannabis joint.
“Kate loves Lily because she’s young, cool, controversial and a bit edgy, plus
she’s never going to look as good as her in pictures,” says another close
friend.
“Kate always likes to meet new young girls – she’s even friendly with model of
the moment Daisy Lowe, even though her friendship with her mum Pearl has
cooled off.
“Kate has unbelievable stamina – Keith Richards once told her she was the only
person he knew who could party as hard as him. A lot of people her age can’t
take the pace any more.
“She’s careful about her choices though – she never hangs out with Agyness
Deyn. Maybe she doesn’t want any photo comparisons? People like Lily and
Kelly Osbourne are perfect foils for her – cool, edgy and hip.”
As well as Kelly, 24, Lily follows in the footsteps of fashionable females
including singers Beth Ditto, 28, Amy Winehouse, 25, and actress Lindsay
Lohan, 23. But not all of them have lasted the course.
“Kate’s choosy about who she hangs with,” says a family friend. “If you annoy
her or become a liability, that’s it.”
Take Lindsay Lohan. Kate befriended her in 2006 when Lindsay’s wild-child ways
were seen simply as a form of teen rebellion. Kate took the then 19 year old
under her wing, and would enjoy nights out with LiLo when she was in the US.
Lindsay even said she wanted to move to London to be close to her. But when
Lindsay began to spiral increasingly out of control, the friendship fizzled
out.
The family friend adds: “Lindsay just tipped over the edge of being too out
there, too much of a risk. The same happened with Amy [Winehouse] – they
were best mates. Now Kate can’t stand to be around her because she’s a joke.”
It’s not just the partying factor that Kate loves about young people. She
revels in the way they’re obsessed with clothes, art, movies and music
rather than marriage and parenting issues.
“A lot of her friends her own age have got other things that stop them from
going out all the time – Kate loves to hang out with people who have no
responsibilities. Even though she’s a mum herself, she hates it when people
talk about schools and kid stuff,” adds the family friend.
And unlike her contemporaries, it seems Kate doesn’t need to worry about her
antics affecting her work. As far as she’s concerned, however many benders
she’s been on, she’s never been late for work and is always utterly
professional.
The ‘cocaine scandal’ a few years ago only served to make her more popular
among the world’s top fashion houses. She’s not even tried to deny she was
smoking cannabis with Lily, who has admitted taking drugs in the past. And
despite her hard-partying lifestyle, Kate remains completely in demand well
past normal modelling retirement age.
Until very recently she even seemed immune from the ravages of a lifetime of
heavy smoking, drinking and drugs. She had to go on her first ever diet this
year after growing a small tummy and some boobs as her metabolism showed
signs of finally slowing down.
If anything, Kate believes that partying with people a decade younger than her
can only be of benefit.
“She’s not an idiot – her big deal at the moment is her Topshop line. There’s
no point marketing yourself as a youth fashion guru when you’re going to
dinner at establishment restaurants with mates in their 30s and 40s,” says
the friend.
“She has to hang out at places people like Lily go to. Lily’s fans are the
kids buying her clothes – it’s great cross marketing and keeps her image
young.”
There’s just one problem in hanging out with young people though.
Twenty-somethings can still party hard and look fresh-faced the next day –
but Kate’s hedonistic lifestyle now seems to be catching up with her. Caught
out by paparazzi on her recent French trip, Kate looked wrinkled, haggard
and, well, like someone who is most definitely in their mid-30s. Whether she
wants to accept it or not.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
BIGPICTURESPHOTO.COM, REX, XPOSURE, ALAN DAVIDSON
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