Uplift Magazine

Growing Old Glamorously

By: Sarah Barnes, 08.04.2010 | Comments (2)

Currently, when I’m not being a feminist*, I fill up my days working at an online fashion magazine. During these fashionable days I trawl through many, many, many fashion blogs (searching for, um, ‘Now-ness’ or something like that)… but not many are quite as thought provoking as one I was pointed to today.

Found via modelling and diversity campaign All Walks Beyond The Catwalk (who had discovered it on The Telegraph), the blog in question is called Advanced Style. A compendium of ‘Straight-Up’ style street portraits by Ari Seth Cohen, the defining difference is that these images are of women and men in the over-60 age bracket.

What I love about this blog is that it presents the older generations in a way that we never usually see them in other media; distinguished, vibrant, intelligent, interesting and vital. Ari generously allots each person with their own independent post, taking his time to talk through their encounter – illuminating us with the name, age and often fascinating back story of the the subject.

That’s pretty refreshing in a blogosphere which is full of snap-and-run photographers (who wouldn’t have loved a little personal background on this controversial street style pic?), but it’s especially refreshing in a media-scape that so very rarely focusses on older people at all.

Okay, so it’s not like it’s on a par with the work that organisations like Help Age International are doing, but it’s certainly a nice little step in the right direction!

*Don’t worry sisters, I never switch off!