The older you get, the more you need to live in the city. Simone de Beauvoir once said that to her biographer, and it's probably true. As an iconic presence on the streets of Paris until her death in 1986, de Beauvoir showed that city living was one of the secrets to aging well and living life to the hilt. Now that "Advanced Style" has opened, there's more evidence to support that theory. This revelatory documentary, set in Manhattan, is about growing more joyful and beautiful with age.
And, in Japan, we could really use some pointers. After all, this is a "super-aged society" where one in four Japanese are over 65. In Tokyo, one in four are over 70. But instead of discussing fashion and beauty, Japan's seniors have traditionally obsessed over health, money and family — usually in that order. The women you see in "Advanced Style," however, are more preoccupied with the way they look and how they're perceived on the street-runways of New York City.
"I never wanted to look young, I wanted to look great," says one of the women in the documentary — and she's 80 years old. Another professes a lifelong passion for Paris, but is only now getting ready to visit for the first time.