Once upon a time I wouldn't dream of sitting home on a Friday or Saturday night ( or most other nights). Out drinking and dancing til the wee hours at the hottest spots in town. Made a point to avoid the places where "dignified businessmen" of a certain age chose to socialize.
There's a time and place for everything. Can't imagine my tiny 28 year old niece buying a Connie Crawford or Claire Shaffer book at this point in her life.
I actually prefer looking at patterns on younger thinner models as opposed to plus size models as many of them have bums much larger than their tops - I'm just the opposite, so the distortion confuses my inner vision.
Seems Tilly and her troops are specifically trying to target the younger newer generation of sewists, many driven by early interests in things like cosplay.
If most of the designs in the book would be appropriate on women over 35, why should a youthful model make any difference?
In my 20's, I can remember wanting to look as elegant ( and to be able to afford) the Vogue Woman patterns. When those first came out, I doubt the models were much over 35.