All Dolled Up and Cutting a Rug at Cherryhill - Part 1

I want to begin the third year of FCF (yes, my baby turned two this week!) with a bit of a different post than what you're used to seeing here, but the subject was so inspiring that I knew it deserved space on my blog.   It's about seniors, a group that is often ignored when it comes to their style for a number of reasons--they aren't a target market for the latest trends, and they often don't buy a lot of clothing and accessories because of limited income, poor health, or because they learned growing up that you didn't buy new things when old ones were still serviceable.   Of course there are always those seniors who loved dressing up when they were young and continue to do so, or, who only discovered their personal style as they aged when they stopped worrying about what others thought of them, and decided to wear what makes them happy.   Ari Cohen, author of the blog Advanced Style, spends most of his time documenting the style and wisdom of what he calls "the silver hair set" in New York and if you're ever thinking that being over 60 equates with boring, polyester, and pastels, his blog subjects will quickly change your mind.

As for the style of seniors here in a smaller, conservative city like London, you certainly don't have the variety that you do in a city like New York, but as I found when I went to one of the Seniors' Dances held at the end of each month in Cherryhill Mall (which serves a large senior's community here in London) there are some pretty amazing and inspiring men and women out there who are doing their part to demonstrate that style is about more than just what you're wearing, and even if your hips don't move as easily as they used to, there's no reason to not take a turn on the dance floor.  And my thanks to Sandra for the title of this post!

I could not take my eyes off this couple on the dance floor;  I'm sure they have been dancing together their entire lives.  I love the way his hand is gently but firmly placed on her back, guiding her across the floor.  She is dressed so simply, but the combination of black, grey and white with the patterned stockings is timeless and elegant.

This woman was a part of the crowd watching the dancers, and immediately caught my eye in her black coat and hat accented with leopard print

This woman stood out in pale pink and turquoise.  She had a brooch pinned to the front of her pink hat, and her lipstick and nail polish matched the rest of her outfit.  I told her how nice I thought she looked, and she replied, "I guess it was worth the time I took to get ready".  Yes, it was--I know she brightened my day considerably.

Given the age group of the crowd, I expected to see more hats on the men, but this was the only one.