Three blogs celebrating fashionable seniors: if Helen Mirren and Chinatown grannies can do it, so can you

Even 10 years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a 69-year-old actress to sign a beauty contract – as Helen Mirren did in 2014 – or a nonagenarian to front fashion campaigns, as Iris Apfel has. The success of Instagram accounts such as @advancedstyle, which was the first to document the outfits of seniors, has undoubtedly played a role in embracing the more mature. Here’s a look at three Instagram accounts, including the aforementioned @advancedstyle, that pay homage to stylish seniors around the world. Advanced Style Photographer and writer Ari Seth Cohen has been “capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set” since 2008, when he founded the blog Advanced Style, which then turned into a multimedia platform that includes an Instagram account boasting 267,000 followers, a series of books and a documentary feature. View this post on Instagram I was organizing my archive this morning when I came across this photo of @ilonaroycesmithkin in her NY apartment many moons ago. #advancedstyle #ilonaroycesmithkin A post shared by Ari Seth Cohen (@advancedstyle) on Jul 16, 2019 at 8:32am PDT Inspired by his late grandmother Bluma, San Diego-born Cohen started shooting fashionably attired seniors “to show that you can be stylish, creative and vital at any age”. His charming portraits, often taken in fashion capitals such as New York or more unusual locations such as Disneyland, have been credited with triggering the recent movement towards using older models in the fashion industry. Sciuraglam If you’re not Italian, it’s hard to explain what a “sciura” is. The word, which comes from the local dialect of Milan, Italy’s fashion capital, generally refers to an elegantly dressed lady from the city’s aristocratic set. In terms of fashion, this translates into often conservative and impeccable outfits that show a predilection for mink or sable furs, perfectly arranged matching scarves and big sunglasses, not to mention lots and lots of glamorous jewellery. In 2016, a very low-key Italian man known only as Angelo started @sciuraglam, an Instagram account documenting this rarefied milieu of Milanese society, building a loyal following among fashion insiders. View this post on Instagram Quando tutti pensavano fosse arrivata la primavera e il caldo ma noi sapevamo che non era ancora arrivato il momento di conservare le pellicce perché c’è ancora un po’ di freddo A post shared by @ sciuraglam on Mar 7, 2019 at 7:07am PST View this post on Instagram Una settimana dura per chi pensa solo ai regali di Natale che vorrebbe gli facessero A post shared by @ sciuraglam on Dec 19, 2018 at 5:22am PST They are often inspired by the impeccable looks of these Italian grannies whose teased hair, flawless make-up and bold outfits have influenced the collections of fashion brands such as Gucci and Marc Jacobs. Chinatown Pretty Photographer Andria Lo and writer Valerie Luu, both of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States, established their blog and Instagram account dedicated to the elder denizens of Chinatowns around the world in 2015. As they told the Post in an interview last year, the two friends had always been intrigued by the eclectic looks favoured by elderly Chinese-Americans – outfits full of bold colours, patterns, handmade clothing and accessories, and “vintage” – and wanted to find out where they found their clothes. The mismatched prints, unusual colour combinations, comfy pyjama sets, excessive layering and quirky accessories of their subjects are a far cry from the polished and often staged shots commonly associated with street-style photography, but that is what makes Chinatown Pretty special and a treasure to behold. View this post on Instagram Happy Lunar New Year! May this year be fruitful in all the ways - like how grandmas have perfected the art of picking fruit. May your watermelon have the best taste, been picked at the best time and purchased at the best price (bonus points if it was bargained down.) Most importantly, we hope that you continue to share the fruit with those your love most. Pictured: Ling Ying Zhing and Ming Chu Wu, a couple we met at @yccyvr’s Mahjong Social A post shared by Chinatown Pretty (@chinatownpretty) on Feb 5, 2019 at 7:18pm PST View this post on Instagram Last chance to see Dorothy aka Polkadot and more Chinatown Pretty portraits at the Jewish Community Center this weekend. Exhibit runs through Sunday, July 1st, open till 10pm on Friday, 7am-8pm on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks JCCSF for having us and for everyone who’s visited the exhibit. A post shared by Chinatown Pretty (@chinatownpretty) on Jun 29, 2018 at 1:16pm PDT Look out for a burst of stories from the Post about ageing over the next two weeks. Follow along at Ageing Society.