Ari Seth Cohen, photographer and creator of “Advanced Style”, talks to elculture about the women who became his muses and about age transformed into a celebration.

“Fashion brings to the forefront those who are often considered invisible.”

As part of Art Athina 2025, photographer and author Ari Seth Cohen arrives with his muse Judith Boyd to share with the public a different perspective on age, fashion, and personal expression.

Cohen’s journey began in New York, where he moved after the passing of his beloved grandmother Bluma. Searching for a way to cope with grief, he picked up a camera and started capturing stylish older women on the city’s streets. What started as a deeply personal refuge gradually evolved into a global movement that challenges stereotypes around aging, celebrates individuality, and places older women at the center of fashion.

Among the most emblematic figures of Advanced Style is Judith Boyd, better known as Style Crone. Her boundless energy and distinctive style reflect a life lived with vitality and spirit, making her an enduring muse. Cohen’s encounters are often spontaneous-people he meets while walking through the city whose style carries the weight of authenticity and personal truth. In his lens, the goal is always to reveal the truest version of each person, to highlight moments that soften society’s fear of aging.

Over the years, his work has contributed to a gradual shift in perception. Advertising and fashion are now far more inclusive of older faces, while countless individuals express that the women of Advanced Style help them embrace their own age with pride. For Cohen, fashion becomes more than aesthetics; it becomes a tool of visibility, a way to give presence to those too often overlooked. Breaking the rules of what society deems “appropriate” or “too daring” is not only encouraged but necessary.

The project also resonates with sustainability, as most of the women he photographs wear pieces they have owned for years or find treasures in vintage shops. This ethos underscores that style can be both timeless and environmentally conscious. And at its core lies an invitation to anyone who has ever felt invisible because of age or perception: fashion is meant to be enjoyed. Sometimes all it takes is the choice of an accessory to begin rewriting the story of self-expression.

Advanced Style invites us to rethink our relationship with time.
Ari Seth Cohen and Judith Boyd remind us that age can be a field of freedom, experimentation, and joy. At the heart of Cohen’s work lies what feels like a quiet secret: the courage to keep daring, regardless of the years we carry.

In Athens for Art Athina 2025, Cohen and Boyd presented the performance Advanced Friendship and engaged in a conversation with the audience on style, creativity, and the art of aging with grace.