Sarah-Jane Adams, 60, is one of the fashionable people featured in Ari Seth Cohen's new photo book "Advanced Style: Older and Wiser." Many of the photos come with first-person accounts from the subject. "My wrinkles do not scare me," Adams says in the book. "I see them as a badge of honor and a mark of roads traveled and experiences had. Why would I not be proud and happy to show them? I am growing into the face I deserve and a face that reflects who I am and what I have been."
Sarah-Jane Adams, 60, is one of the fashionable people featured in Ari Seth Cohen's new photo book "Advanced Style: Older and Wiser." Many of the photos come with first-person accounts from the subject. "My wrinkles do not scare me," Adams says in the book. "I see them as a badge of honor and a mark of roads traveled and experiences had. Why would I not be proud and happy to show them? I am growing into the face I deserve and a face that reflects who I am and what I have been."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Morton and Virginia Linder, 77 and 76:</strong> "Virginia and I have been together full-time for 53 years. We feel we have been on a magical mystery tour and are still on our honeymoon. Ginny says that the secret is to always be extra nice to each other. ... Of course we have had our ups and downs, but as long as we are together we feel we can overcome most things."
Morton and Virginia Linder, 77 and 76: "Virginia and I have been together full-time for 53 years. We feel we have been on a magical mystery tour and are still on our honeymoon. Ginny says that the secret is to always be extra nice to each other. ... Of course we have had our ups and downs, but as long as we are together we feel we can overcome most things."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Linda Rodin, 67:</strong> "I have never felt the urge to dye my hair -- I started turning gray at 35 -- or have a face-lift. For me it has always been 'health is wealth,' and the rest is all fine with me. Chasing my youth has never been a goal of mine."
Linda Rodin, 67: "I have never felt the urge to dye my hair -- I started turning gray at 35 -- or have a face-lift. For me it has always been 'health is wealth,' and the rest is all fine with me. Chasing my youth has never been a goal of mine."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Roberta Haze, 78: </strong>"As far as style is concerned, you either have it or you don't! No rules! Fashion is not style! The biggest thing I have learned is to have gratitude for what I have in my life, and to not dwell (on) what I think I want or need!"
Roberta Haze, 78: "As far as style is concerned, you either have it or you don't! No rules! Fashion is not style! The biggest thing I have learned is to have gratitude for what I have in my life, and to not dwell (on) what I think I want or need!"
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Bob Miller, 89:</strong> "Avoid spending all your time with your age group; you'll not learn anything you don't already know. Make an effort to be well-groomed and polished at all times; you'll like yourself more, you'll want to take 'you out.' ... Life is an adventure. Get out there and live!"
Bob Miller, 89: "Avoid spending all your time with your age group; you'll not learn anything you don't already know. Make an effort to be well-groomed and polished at all times; you'll like yourself more, you'll want to take 'you out.' ... Life is an adventure. Get out there and live!"
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Lana Turner, 65:</strong> "The art of the body as canvas presents new ideas of how I want to be and live. Sometimes it starts with a hat; other times a pair of gloves. Sometimes I just want to make the raindrops happy. Sometimes I can hear Ella (Fitzgerald) sing all the way back to where she started. Sometimes it's color; other times, light and shadow. How delicious it is to discover a new palette every day. Potent forces are always at work."
Lana Turner, 65: "The art of the body as canvas presents new ideas of how I want to be and live. Sometimes it starts with a hat; other times a pair of gloves. Sometimes I just want to make the raindrops happy. Sometimes I can hear Ella (Fitzgerald) sing all the way back to where she started. Sometimes it's color; other times, light and shadow. How delicious it is to discover a new palette every day. Potent forces are always at work."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Suzi Click, 66:</strong> "My designs reflect my personality and my passion for ethnic embellishment. This is how I dress -- expressing the power of adornment in my own unique mix of textures, colors and patterns with bold jewelry for a luxe, bohemian vibe."
Suzi Click, 66: "My designs reflect my personality and my passion for ethnic embellishment. This is how I dress -- expressing the power of adornment in my own unique mix of textures, colors and patterns with bold jewelry for a luxe, bohemian vibe."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Judith Boyd, 72:</strong> "I found an entire community of older people who love to express themselves through style. ... It was life-changing, encouraging me to be as creative as I wanted to be and to accept myself and my aging process as positive and life-affirming. I believe that these beautiful connections and my love for self-expression contribute to my health and quality of life."
Judith Boyd, 72: "I found an entire community of older people who love to express themselves through style. ... It was life-changing, encouraging me to be as creative as I wanted to be and to accept myself and my aging process as positive and life-affirming. I believe that these beautiful connections and my love for self-expression contribute to my health and quality of life."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Tao Porchon-Lynch, 97: </strong>"In my head I'm still in my 20s, and I have no intention of ever growing up. When people ask me about age, I tell them to look at all the trees around them. They're hundreds of years old. They may look as if they're dying at the moment, but they're not. They're recycling themselves. In a couple of months, they're going to be reborn again. I believe we can recycle ourselves with each breath we take."
Tao Porchon-Lynch, 97: "In my head I'm still in my 20s, and I have no intention of ever growing up. When people ask me about age, I tell them to look at all the trees around them. They're hundreds of years old. They may look as if they're dying at the moment, but they're not. They're recycling themselves. In a couple of months, they're going to be reborn again. I believe we can recycle ourselves with each breath we take."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Joy Venturini Bianchi, 77:</strong> "When I choose clothes that feel connected to my innermost soul, I feel like I have escaped gravity and that I have a direct connection with the rest of humanity. ... Fashion can truly unite us as a community -- a place where we can truly enjoy each other, perhaps even to love each other -- as we celebrate life and celebrate difference."
Joy Venturini Bianchi, 77: "When I choose clothes that feel connected to my innermost soul, I feel like I have escaped gravity and that I have a direct connection with the rest of humanity. ... Fashion can truly unite us as a community -- a place where we can truly enjoy each other, perhaps even to love each other -- as we celebrate life and celebrate difference."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Gretchen Schields, 67:</strong> "I construct my jewelry with multiple storylines of color, texture and pattern. My necklaces have a complicated plot of elements. Earrings reflect the flash of the wearer's eyes, opening her ear to secrets. Wear the necklace over your heart -- it adds its voice to yours. Adornment is the power to proclaim your own creative story."
Gretchen Schields, 67: "I construct my jewelry with multiple storylines of color, texture and pattern. My necklaces have a complicated plot of elements. Earrings reflect the flash of the wearer's eyes, opening her ear to secrets. Wear the necklace over your heart -- it adds its voice to yours. Adornment is the power to proclaim your own creative story."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Maureen Gumbe, 68: </strong>"Style emanates from my soul and reflects feelings, colors, uniqueness, confidence in the choice of clothing and accessories I wear. A whimsical touch makes me feel different from others."
Maureen Gumbe, 68: "Style emanates from my soul and reflects feelings, colors, uniqueness, confidence in the choice of clothing and accessories I wear. A whimsical touch makes me feel different from others."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Lyn Slater, 62:</strong> "I have always believed that life is performed. We can write original stories or we can accept the scripts that others have written for us. I came up in a generation that refused to accept the status quo, the roles and the life that our mothers and grandmothers had before us. "
Lyn Slater, 62: "I have always believed that life is performed. We can write original stories or we can accept the scripts that others have written for us. I came up in a generation that refused to accept the status quo, the roles and the life that our mothers and grandmothers had before us. "
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Ilona Royce Smithkin, 95: </strong>"When you don't have to worry about yourself anymore, you are free for any experience. It's like opening the door and letting the fresh air come in."
Ilona Royce Smithkin, 95: "When you don't have to worry about yourself anymore, you are free for any experience. It's like opening the door and letting the fresh air come in."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Colleen Heidemann, 67: </strong>"Today, it seems that those over the age of 55 or 60 simply vanish, only to receive celebratory kudos upon turning 100. Women, in particular, feel utterly invisible and entirely dismissed. ... The splendor and majesty of a grand symphony lie within the presence and participation of its myriad components. The 'plus-agées sect' are the violins of the orchestra. Their music is fanciful, fearless, feisty and fun. Their flair has its own form of beauty and majesty, and they have a right to be a visible, viable part of the world in which they live."
Colleen Heidemann, 67: "Today, it seems that those over the age of 55 or 60 simply vanish, only to receive celebratory kudos upon turning 100. Women, in particular, feel utterly invisible and entirely dismissed. ... The splendor and majesty of a grand symphony lie within the presence and participation of its myriad components. The 'plus-agées sect' are the violins of the orchestra. Their music is fanciful, fearless, feisty and fun. Their flair has its own form of beauty and majesty, and they have a right to be a visible, viable part of the world in which they live."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Alice Carey, mid-60s:</strong> "My generation -- 'baby boomers' they call us -- never thought we'd grow old. Old was for our parents. We'd be forever young. ... I am not old. Do I dare add 'yet'? My generation has only just entered into a new stage of life, what I call the 'adolescence of old age.' Think of it as another shot at youth, with all its pitfalls and pleasures, with you -- and not your parents -- at the helm."
Alice Carey, mid-60s: "My generation -- 'baby boomers' they call us -- never thought we'd grow old. Old was for our parents. We'd be forever young. ... I am not old. Do I dare add 'yet'? My generation has only just entered into a new stage of life, what I call the 'adolescence of old age.' Think of it as another shot at youth, with all its pitfalls and pleasures, with you -- and not your parents -- at the helm."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Joyce Carpati, 83:</strong> "Most women as they age lament the loss of their youth and beauty. I never wanted to look young. I only wanted to look as lovely as I could at any age. Now at 83, my feelings have only become stronger."
Joyce Carpati, 83: "Most women as they age lament the loss of their youth and beauty. I never wanted to look young. I only wanted to look as lovely as I could at any age. Now at 83, my feelings have only become stronger."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Manuela Muguerza y Garcia-Moreno, 93:</strong> "I believe that one must always find one's style and be true to it. Clothes are important, as they tell the world who you are and your philosophy of life. ... As for beauty advice: never go to bed with makeup on, and always buy the best products you can afford. Keep your skin hydrated and away from the sun. And finally, smile at life: It is wonderful to be alive!"
Manuela Muguerza y Garcia-Moreno, 93: "I believe that one must always find one's style and be true to it. Clothes are important, as they tell the world who you are and your philosophy of life. ... As for beauty advice: never go to bed with makeup on, and always buy the best products you can afford. Keep your skin hydrated and away from the sun. And finally, smile at life: It is wonderful to be alive!"
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Beatrix Ost, 75: </strong>"I love every day, even if others find it dreadful. I cannot sympathize with them. I don't hang on the fickle weathervane of moods."
Beatrix Ost, 75: "I love every day, even if others find it dreadful. I cannot sympathize with them. I don't hang on the fickle weathervane of moods."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Sue Kreitzman, 76: </strong>"My age is somewhere between mid-70s and eternity, but I am not <em>really</em> an old lady -- I'm just cleverly disguised as one. I know that I am not immortal, but I <em>am</em> ageless. Traveling through time as long as I have is an adventure and a privilege. Every morning that I wake up and find that I can still think, I can still move, I am still <em>alive:</em> that is a good day."
Sue Kreitzman, 76: "My age is somewhere between mid-70s and eternity, but I am not really an old lady -- I'm just cleverly disguised as one. I know that I am not immortal, but I am ageless. Traveling through time as long as I have is an adventure and a privilege. Every morning that I wake up and find that I can still think, I can still move, I am still alive: that is a good day."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books
<strong>Valerie Von Sobel, 74: </strong>"If you don't make your life a bit grandiose, who will do it for you? I always had the pluck to dress as I wished, and now I do it with more abandonment than ever. I dare! ... Some think it's frivolous, but I don't. It matters -- and to me it always has. It speaks of you before you speak."
Valerie Von Sobel, 74: "If you don't make your life a bit grandiose, who will do it for you? I always had the pluck to dress as I wished, and now I do it with more abandonment than ever. I dare! ... Some think it's frivolous, but I don't. It matters -- and to me it always has. It speaks of you before you speak."
Ari Seth Cohen/powerHouse Books