Advanced Style’s New Old Demographic

Fans of fashionable grannies and babies, rejoice! (Old) ladies’ man Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style, and fashion’s perennial tyke, Tavi Gevinson, have partnered up for an upcoming celebration of—what else?—age during New York Fashion Week. On Sept. 13, the two will hold court at the Ace Hotel alongside what we can only imagine to be a colorful roster of Cohen’s silver-haired subjects for a night full of interviews, conversation, and performances. And by performances, we mean 91-year-old Ilona Royce Smithkin’s famed “Eyelash Cabaret.” “She gets dressed up and sings Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf songs,” Cohen told Interview. “If you have ever seen a photo of her you’ll know why it’s called the ‘Eyelash Cabaret.’ She has incredible long red lashes!” While the respective subjects of Cohen and Gevinson’s blogs are quite different, the two agree: age is but a number, and a many-splendored number at that. “I love Tavi’s perspective,” says Cohen. “She has spoken about her admiration for the way older ladies dress and is also a big fan of Ilona’s.” “We have talked about doing something together for a while and this was the perfect opportunity. The Ace Hotel, Tavi, and I want to create an inter-generational conversation and celebration of life and style.”