Part of what makes people covet an advanced style wardrobe are all those amazing vintage pieces that have been collected and cared for over the years. When I ask older people about their favorite fashion decades many lean towards the 1930s and 40s, when they were younger and a certain glamor still existed. Their tastes seem to be invested in the past but informed by current fashion. Mimi Weddell would always wear a vintage hat but was super modern in her approach to style. The first time I met her she was wearing an over sized men’s tuxedo shirt, black tights and vintage Chanel ballet flats. While looking through Vogue she commented that the styles were lacking a curvilinear and serpentine line that she felt was so elegant. Line,Play of proportions and quality are what compromised style for Mimi. She didn’t leave the house wearing all vintage, as if she were stepping out of the 1920s, but rather mixed and matched her beloved quality pieces with modern elements.

What I find so interesting about this uniting of vintage and modern, high and low,( One of Iris Apfels style tips) that is so common in Advanced Style, is that the overall look seems to lean towards the past, yet a new, thoroughly modern, updated past. Women like Mary, who has a whole collection of vintage clothing, will choose to wear only a few carefully selected “antique” items like a beaded jacket, or broach and combine them with more contemporary styles. Mary won’t wear all vintage which she feels is more suited for younger gals and may look to costumey on her, but she does appreciate how her favorite designer Nanette Lepore’s cuts and quality remind her of her garments from the past.

Incorporating vintage and thrift items is smart and economical way to add personal expression and style into your wardrobe. While older people seem to have a treasure trove of designers duds from the past stored away, the advanced style set still shops at thrift stores. Debra scours Manhattan’s consignment and thrift stores looking for creative ways to update her wardrobe. She imbues a discarded neon green top with new life and her refreshing take on style is a mix of avant guard and classic.

Advanced Style Fashionistas are expert curators, blending old and new,avant guard and classic to create looks that are inspirational full of personal expression. They are experienced fashion icons leading the way for a new generation of vintage and thrift store shoppers. A touch of red lipstick, an old stetson, or an antique pin can take you one step closer to ageless style.

I am often asked if I have an age limit for Advanced Style and this is something I constantly think about when I go out taking photos. I started the site as a means to connect to New York city and learn from the people who have made it the culturally rich place that it remains.Walking around I have had the amazing opportunity to meet women like 95 year old model and actress Mimi Weddell. Mimi started her career in her 60s and continues to go on auditions today, always looking gorgeous and always wearing a hat. The other day I met the lovely Steinberg Sisters. These two fabulous ladies live above one another and frequent their local library to look at fashion books. They love to share their stories and remain passionate and creative about fashion, an industry they have worked in for over 50 years.

My grandmother Bluma lived into her 90s and never complained about a thing. She’d share stories about her childhood growing up in Iowa and later her move to New York to attend library school at Columbia University.While looking through her old scrapbooks one time, she told me that because her father was in the apparel industry, that although she may have had holes in her shoes during The Great Depression, she never went without a pretty dress.Bluma always had a new mystery novel by her bed. She seemed to have some kind of magic power that made spaghetti taste even better and had a rare and beautiful sweetness about her. I grew up in San Diego spending most weekends at my grandma’s house. It was she who told me to move to New York and she who continues to inspire me everyday.

All of the people I photograph have a story to tell and much of their character is revealed by their unique and individual styles. I have noticed that older people wear their clothes with confidence and pride,whether they are still wearing the beloved pieces of clothing that they have cherished for many years or tend to dress in more contemporary fashion. There is a certain romanticism that accompanies the way they speak about their clothing as if a favorite coat or pair of gloves can inspire memories of the past. Mimi Weddell says in the clip below” I can’t imagine going without a hat. The only Romantic thing left in life is a hat.”

Advanced Style is about an attitude that accompanies aging, an appreciation of life, and a look at the creativity and vitality that can be expressed through style. I am constantly drawn to and inspired by older people and hope that my project has influenced others to feel the same.

Ari Seth Cohen

I was looking for some hats for a hat party I’m putting on for Mimi Weddell when I ran into this classy fellow outside of The Village Scandal. Not only does he dress well but it turns out that he is a singer as well. Click Here to check out John Rainbow’s music and watch a video sampling of the 80 year old’s tunes below:

John Rainbow

I came across this stylish lady at The Algonquin Hotel, while planning Mimi Weddell’s hat party with Guest of a Guest. I was drawn to her big red glasses and beautiful silk scarf. When I stopped to chat with her I found out that she was well known torch singer in the 1940’s. The bio on her daughter Andrea Marcovicci’s(also a singer) website reads:

Helen Marcovicci, as Helen Stuart, appeared at multiple New York nightclubs throughout the war years including The Glass Hat, Bill Bertolotti’s, La Vie Parisienne and The Maisonette at the St. Regis. Although invited to a screen test by Paramount Ms. Marcovicci instead opted for marriage and family and continued to sing for community variety shows until, upon the insistence of filmmaker Henry Jaglom, she joined her daughter, Andrea Marcovicci, in concert. For her eightieth birthday Andrea took her mother on tour and the two played to sold-out houses from Boston to Palm Desert and from Connecticut to Costa Mesa.

Check out her triumphant return to singing HERE…