I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but older models are experiencing a wave of popularity right now. In my view it all started with the Advanced Style blog. Writer/photographer Ari Seth Cohen started capturing the unique styles of the over-50 set, with many of his featured men and women in the 70+ group. (Here’s his Instagram link for you to follow.) Some of his more popular subjects became regulars in his posts, and ultimately in his books, and many of them have very unique, quirky styles.

Since then, other bloggers/models “of a certain age” have surfaced and been caught up in the wave of popularity: Iris Apfel and The Accidental Icon are a couple of note. In many of these instances, the words that come to mind to describe the style of these women is ‘unique’ and ‘quirky’. I immensely admire that these women are able to embrace their ‘quirk’ and own it fully.

I have a friend/colleague who also dresses in a very unique way, although she doesn’t fall into the ‘older’ model category. Suzanne Dekyvere (follow her Air of Distinction Instagram here.) is so adorable,and pulls off all these wonderful combinations in her own unique way.  I love it!

But when I think about trying this myself, I always pull back from it. Is it because I’m afraid to try it? I don’t think so; I think that ultimately I know that, much as I admire it on others, it’s not really ‘me’. So it got me thinking, is there a way for those of us less bold to express our own ‘quirk’? I think there is, and here are a few of my ideas.

The first thing that came to mind is signature eyeglasses as a way to express your quirk, probably because my red eyeglasses are my quirk. In fact, unique eyeglasses are often a part of the signature look of some of the women I mentioned above. (I guess when you need them to see, it’s easier to love ’em than to leave ’em!) I’ve wanted to get glasses in other colors, but the idea always draws expressions of dismay from those close to me because “the red glasses are ‘you’!”  So if you have to wear glasses, they are an easy (and often very affordable) way to express your personality.

Another way to embrace your quirk is with a signature color. I have a friend who loves purple – she doesn’t wear it all the time, but she loves it and wears it enough that when I think of her, I think of purple. Do you find that your closet is dominated by one color more than any other? Maybe that’s your signature color  and you might want to embrace it even more.

Do you always wear statement bracelets or necklaces, or both (a la Iris Apfel?) Or are you known for your love of shoes? If you find that your friends, or even total strangers, are always complimenting you on one aspect of your look, embrace this natural tendency even more and voila: you’ve got your quirk!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you express your quirk – please share!

Thanks for reading!

Adena