The standard of perfection that is the fashion world is so engrained into the industry itself that it now seems to have boiled down to almost a cliché. We've heard it again and again: The universe of style and fashion is dictated by lack of diversity, Photoshop, and an unrealistic portrayal of beauty. But every so often something comes along that shines some light on the reality of the range of fashion lovers in the world, illuminating how fashion is much more than big-name designers and models. Advanced Style by photographer Ari Seth Cohen is a documentary that follows fashionable older women who simply love style. And it couldn't be more wonderful.
As Cohen was inspired by the impeccably dressed older women he saw on the street in New York City, he decided to create Advanced Style, a blog displaying the street style looks of women of an "advanced" age. From the blog came the book, a collection of photographs of the most stylish women over 60. And now, Advanced Style has become a documentary garnering attention from almost every major media outlet.
The documentary follows seven women living in New York City and documents their unique perspectives on style, growing older, and living life in general.
As a fashion writer, it's sometimes easy to forget that the love/importance of clothing and style extends beyond designers and bloggers and Instagram photos of cool shoes. Fashion is unequivocally for everyone, and that's what this documentary reminds me of. Since when did we start unconsciously believing that the art of putting together an outfit that makes us feel wonderful and bold and 100 percent, unquestionably ourselves was limited to people of a certain age?
Advanced Style is a charming, poignant reminder of the true joy of living fully and stylishly, and that's reason enough for anyone to watch.
