Old People Make Everything Look Cooler
Old people just look cool. Cooler than the rest of us, for sure. And everything they wear looks cooler by default. Everyone knows it: Fashion brands rake in platitudes every time they cast a senior model and garments associated with the elderly uniform shape the canon of good clothes. If you aren't paying attention to what old folks are wearing, you probably aren't paying enough attention to what you're wearing.
I was once again reminded of old folks' inherent swag incidentally by a campaign for New Era hats designed in collaboration with Japanese clothing company Beautiful People.
The hats are nice enough, with their nice colors and embroidery of little people and slogans that riff on one of Prince's monikers. But I was particularly struck by the two lead photos that're like a side-by-side of swag.
Effortless and extremely cool older gentleman reading a newspaper, and regular handsome-guy model with his performative-male paperback. Second guy is attractive enough but unmemorable (can't see his face, I'll grant you) whereas the old dude, with his leather jacket and sunglasses, looks cool AF.
No hate, them's the facts.
What is the science here? It's simply that everything, from clothing to cars to people, looks better with some life in it. Everything is cooler with age; a life well lived and all that.
That's partially why old folks make things look cool by default. That's reality. They are real. (the juxtaposition between the elderly and hip new clothes also helps.) Also, they have a sense of ease that whippersnappers lack. Confidence comes with age (or so they tell me).
And let's be frank: pristine, perfect, flawless — those are ugly words. The reason that social media drives society to seek methods of eliminating visible signs of age is because it's taught us to feel some kinda shame about wrinkles and white hair. Insane! Life is a gift and age is a sign that you haven't taken it for granted.
Anyways, to quote my grandpa: Sorry for rambling. What was I saying?
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