A Nostalgic Return to an Iconic Campaign
Christie Brinkley has stepped back into one of the roles that helped define her early fame, recreating the Black Velvet Whisky campaign that first turned heads nearly half a century ago. At 72, the beloved model and entrepreneur sat down for a new Entertainment Tonight conversation that pairs fresh, close-up footage of her today with snapshots and clips from her younger years. As those then-and-now moments made their way to social platforms, viewers naturally began drawing comparisons and sharing reactions.
For many, seeing Brinkley return to a signature campaign felt like opening a scrapbook from a particular time in pop culture. The original ads were bold and unmistakable, and for countless fans they became part of the visual language of the late 1970s and 1980s. Revisiting them now, with the benefit of time and perspective, Brinkley embraced the experience with warmth and humor.
In the ET interview, Brinkley looked back on the early milestones of her career, what she felt in those fast-moving years, and how her understanding of herself has changed since then. The conversation was relaxed and reflective, offering viewers a chance to connect the dots between the young woman who dazzled on magazine covers and the seasoned professional who still enjoys being in front of the camera.
On-screen, Brinkley appears in clear, close-up framing, smiling as she talks. Her blond hair is swept up in a soft, loosely pinned style that leaves a few face-framing strands, and her makeup centers on defined eyes and a red-pink lip. It is a look that feels polished without being fussy, contemporary yet unmistakably her.
As Brinkley speaks, archival images surface alongside her present-day interview. One frame shows her current appearance paired with a smaller image of her younger self, bringing decades together in one glance. This simple side-by-side made it easy for viewers to remember what first sparked their interest in her and to notice the natural changes that come with time.
Those juxtapositions prompted a lively online conversation. As often happens when familiar faces revisit classic work, reactions varied. Some zeroed in on specific features, while others stepped back to praise the enduring presence that has kept Brinkley in the public eye for nearly five decades.
The conversation carried a note of nostalgia too. Images of Brinkley from the 1980s—like a bright smile at a 1984 New York event, with soft, side-swept hair and a crisp white jacket—anchored the comparisons in a particular moment in fashion. Seeing those images alongside the new footage gave people a tangible way to reflect on the passage of time and how personal style evolves.
What Viewers Said About the Then-and-Now Close-Ups
Online reactions ranged from curious to complimentary. A few people wondered about changes to her lips and mouth, with comments like “What’s wrong with her mouth?” and “A softer lip would be better.” Others quickly steered the discussion toward the bigger picture, noting, “We all age. She’s still so beautiful.” One person focused on details, saying, “The neck tells it all,” while still calling her pinned-up hair “goddess.”
Some compared their memory of the young Brinkley with the present-day clips, writing that she “hardly looks like her,” while another said simply, “Lips are different.” As is often the case with recognizable public figures, a handful of commenters speculated about cosmetic procedures, calling her look “so unnatural” or suggesting “too much plastic surgery.”
Those critiques were met with plenty of support. Admirers chimed in to say Brinkley has “always been a beautiful natural woman,” while others were emphatic in their praise, calling her “the most beautiful woman on the planet” and declaring, “She is more gorgeous now than ever!” Together, the comments underscored a familiar truth of internet reactions: when a star revisits an old chapter, people bring their own memories, preferences, and ideas about aging along with them.
The buzz also reminded many viewers of just how long Brinkley has been part of the cultural conversation. Archival shots—like her appearance at a televised special in 1982, complete with voluminous hair and a sparkling black-and-silver ensemble—capture a time when she was becoming a household name. They also highlight how much style, and our ideas about it, can shift over the decades.
As the online discussion unfolded, it was striking to see how split the responses could be. Some eyes were drawn to tiny changes, while others saw the sweep of a lifetime in front of the camera. Both are natural reactions when a person the public has “known” for years steps back into a role they remember so well.
What remains undeniable is Brinkley’s longevity. By the 1990s, as images from a 1990 New York event show, she was deep into a career that kept evolving. Decade by decade, she found new ways to show up—on red carpets, in print, and in projects that made the most of her upbeat personality and instantly recognizable smile.
The praise in the comments often celebrated exactly that. It wasn’t only about how she looks now versus then. It was about everything that comes with years of experience: the polish of a seasoned professional, the ease of someone who knows what makes her feel beautiful, and the perspective of a person who’s been told more than once that her time in the spotlight would be short—only to prove the predictions wrong.
Advice She Would Give Her Younger Self
In the ET segment hosted by Emily Curl, Brinkley watched an interview of herself at 29. Seeing that young woman again, full of energy and possibility, she smiled and shared what she would say to her younger self today. Her advice was gentle and relatable: relax, enjoy the moment, worry less about what others think, and let yourself have fun along the way.
Those reminders—so simple and yet so easy to forget—resonated with viewers who have watched Brinkley grow up in public. They also tied into something she has mentioned before: even in her early days, she didn’t always see what others saw in her. Back then, she described herself as “chubby,” preferred loose, baggy clothing, and sometimes struggled to accept compliments. Looking back now, she laughs a little at that, while admitting that in some ways she hasn’t changed. She still gravitates toward comfort and doesn’t always let praise sink in.
Photos from different moments—like a benefit at Lincoln Center where she wore her long hair with bangs—paint a picture of a career in motion. The details change, but the throughline is easy to spot: an upbeat presence and a fashion sensibility that keeps shifting with the times while remaining recognizably hers.
For many fans in midlife and beyond, Brinkley’s reflections feel both personal and universal. Who hasn’t looked back at an old photo and thought, if only I had been a little kinder to myself back then? Her words echo that feeling and offer a bit of grace that can be hard to extend to ourselves in the moment.
Returning to Black Velvet, With New Perspective
Brinkley said her return to the Black Velvet world began with a simple phone call. The team behind the familiar ads reached out to see if she would consider a continuation of the campaign. Her answer came easily: “Of course, I am in.” The idea of revisiting something so iconic appealed to her—partly for the nostalgia, and partly for the chance to celebrate where she is now.
She also took the opportunity to laugh at the realities of time. Getting ready used to take less time, she joked, and she was a lot more flexible. Certain poses didn’t come quite as easily during the new shoot, and she quipped that maybe if she’d done more yoga that morning, she would have slid into them with her old ease.
What mattered most, though, wasn’t whether she could recreate every angle exactly. It was the joy of still showing up for work she enjoys. In that spirit, Brinkley framed the experience as a celebration—of aging, of staying active, and of continuing to do the things that make you feel alive. For many who have followed her career, that message rang louder than the chatter about lips or jawlines.
It also quietly reframed the way we talk about longevity in the public eye. Rather than asking whether a person looks the same as they did decades ago, Brinkley invited viewers to appreciate the arc: the creativity, resilience, and curiosity it takes to say yes to new chapters. That mindset feels honest and refreshing, especially in an industry that has often prized youth above all.
The images of Brinkley at events across the years—like a 2010 benefit in Water Mill—reinforce the point. She hasn’t faded away. She has kept going, showing that a career can bend and stretch far beyond the limits people once tried to place on it.
As Brinkley put it, returning to Black Velvet feels like a way to mark the moment: to acknowledge the past with affection and carry it forward, not as a museum piece, but as part of a life still in motion.
A Steamy Night, a Pop Classic, and an Unexpected Legacy
Another memory surfaced during the conversation: the making of Billy Joel’s 1983 “Uptown Girl” music video. If you remember the clip, you can still picture its playful energy. Brinkley recalled filming on an unusually hot summer night. Between takes, the pavement grew soft from the heat, and her heels sank right in. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes detail that brings a familiar video vividly back to life.
What surprised her more than the steamy conditions was how long the video would remain part of the culture. She didn’t expect to be talking about it decades later, or to see it referenced so often. But that’s the thing about certain songs and images: once they land in the public imagination, they tend to linger.
The video also coincided with the early days of Brinkley and Joel’s relationship. The two first met in 1983 and soon began dating. Brinkley has described being swept up by his romantic gestures—flowers, notes, poems, and songs. They married in 1985 and later welcomed their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Though they divorced in 1994, Brinkley has said they remained friendly in the years that followed, a reminder that a relationship can evolve even after the headlines fade.
A candid image from that era shows Brinkley with her arms around Joel, capturing a personal chapter behind a project she never expected to endure as it has. Looking back now, it is easy to see why the video still resonates. It blends a catchy melody with an old-fashioned love story and a bit of playful glamour—ingredients that rarely go out of style.
Outlasting the Old Deadlines of Modeling
The interview also revisited a belief that shadowed Brinkley and many of her peers at the start of their careers: that modeling came with a strict expiration date. Early on, she remembers being told, “You will be chewed up and spit out by the time you’re 30.” For a time, that outlook shaped the industry. As she recalled, opportunities often narrowed in a model’s early 20s, later stretching into the mid-30s as attitudes began to shift.
Over the years, Brinkley watched those limits loosen. She believes a big part of the change came when the industry began to see models as multidimensional people—individuals with stories, interests, and lives outside the frame. As that view took hold, it opened space for women to return to the work they loved, even after stepping away, and to keep going well beyond the ages once considered “peak.”
She sees encouraging signs today. Many from her generation are “dusting off their portfolios” and re-entering the field. To Brinkley, the final barrier that still needs to fall is the one tied to age. While progress is clear, she hopes to see even more opportunities for seasoned talent, not just as a nod to the past but as a recognition of what experience brings to the table.
Her summary of it all is simple and uplifting: “We don’t have an expiration date.” In her view, it is a great time for second or third acts—for trying something new, for returning to an old passion, or for saying yes to a project that reconnects you with a meaningful part of your life.
What Her Return Means for Fans in Midlife and Beyond
For many people in their late 40s, 50s, and 60s, Brinkley’s new Black Velvet moment may feel more than nostalgic. It can read as permission—permission to enjoy what you’ve learned, to keep showing up for the things that energize you, and to let go of the pressure to look exactly as you did at 25. Her presence on camera, smiling into a close-up, invites a different kind of comparison. Rather than searching for a mirror image of the past, it asks us to see the whole picture.
That is not always easy in a culture that often spotlights youth. But as Brinkley’s journey shows, there is real power in perspective. The same person who once doubted compliments can now speak to herself with kindness. The same face that graced magazine covers decades ago can still hold an audience today—differently, perhaps, but no less compelling.
As for the comments that fixate on what has changed, Brinkley’s good humor and steady confidence offer a subtle reply. She laughs about stiffer poses and the time it takes to get ready now, and then she gets back to work. In doing so, she models something that resonates far beyond a single ad: the art of carrying your history with pride while leaving room for what comes next.
In the end, that may be why her return to Black Velvet struck such a chord. It’s not just about a beloved campaign returning to the spotlight. It’s about a woman who has lived many chapters stepping into the present with the same twinkle that made her a star, inviting the rest of us to enjoy the moment too.
So when the close-ups roll and the side-by-sides appear, the question doesn’t have to be whether she looks exactly like she once did. Instead, it can be what we see now that we might have missed then: a professional still in love with her craft, a person at ease with herself, and a reminder that aging, like any great photograph, reveals more with time.
