Recently, a large group of stylish women over 40 gathered for the launch of Ari Seth Cohen’s new book, “Advanced Style: Older & Wiser.” Photographer Denton Taylor and his wife Teresa attended to capture the event. Here’s what happened.
For a couple of months, social media has been buzzing about Cohen’s new book. Many fans, known as Advanced Style ladies, made travel plans to attend the book signing at Manhattan’s famous Strand bookstore, coming from places like Australia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and California.
Ari, who now lives in Los Angeles, chose New York City for his first signing party, paying homage to the city that kickstarted his fame. Naturally, my wife Teresa and I are big fans of Ari and his work, so we got tickets and made sure we could cover the event. Over the years, we’ve become friends with many of the New York City ladies featured in his blog.
As the event date approached, the weather forecast threatened rain and thunderstorms, raising concerns it might dampen everyone’s spirits. But miraculously, the rain stopped just in time.
Before the official event started at 7 PM, taking photos and conducting interviews on the street created quite the spectacle, halting traffic on Broadway due to the impressive display of style.
When everyone moved upstairs to the Strand’s Rare Book Room, the evening began with a talk between Ari and Simon Noonan, Barneys New York’s “Creative Ambassador-at-Large” and author, who entertained the crowd with his witty remarks.
The night continued with readings from the book by several stylish ladies. Beatrix Ost shared her thoughts on late-life love, Lana Turner recounted a brief history of fashion, and 96-year-old Ilona Royce Smithkin delivered an inspiring talk on living joyously, ending with a song.
Afterwards, Ari signed numerous books, taking the time for a chat with each person. The long wait in line didn’t bother anyone since it allowed for fashion discussions and new friendships to form.
Teresa and I took lots of photos and enjoyed meeting everyone who posed and chatted with us. We hope you enjoy the photos from this stylish event. The book “Advanced Style: Older & Wiser” is now available on Amazon.
Which outfit is your favorite?