Richard Crouse

Since 2008 blogger Ari Seth Cohen has chronicled the lifestyles—concentrating on the styles—of the women the fashion industry has forgotten, the chic seniors of New York City. His blog, advancedstyle.blogspot.ca, is populated by the women of a certain age he meets on the street.

“Excuse me ma’am,” he says, approaching his potential models, “you look so gorgeous and elegant. Sorry to bother you. I photograph stylish women in New York…”

From that initial meeting he goes deep, delving into the outer and inner lives of his subjects. The film focuses on seven women ranging in age from 62 to 95, like fashionista Zelda Kaplan, the eldest of the pack. She’s a firecracker—asked if she sill goes out dancing she says, “Very rarely because my partners are all dead.”—in fiery, exotic clothes. Like the rest of the women she drips with personal style, but like the others, there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Fashion is “Advanced Style’s” McGuffin, the thing that brings all these people together and bonds them, but it’s the women’s spirit and their attitude to aging that informs every minute of this documentary. Looming mortality, blindness and other travails of old age take a backseat to the unabashed verve on display. Phrases like “There is no time limit to anything” and “enjoy the moment,” are voiced but coming from the lips of women determined to embrace every minute of life, they don’t sound like platitudes or pop psychology, but good advice from people who know a thing or two about not just how to look good but to feel good.