Fashion Manifesto--Old and Hip (OH!)

Inspired by the recent spate of fashion books directed to boomers, I have decided to come up with my own fashion philosophy. Here it is in a nutshell: It is foolish to pretend that you aren’t old; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t be hip.

What is “hip” anyway? The word gained popularity through the beats, who used it to mean “cool” or “in the know.” (One entry in the Oxford English Dictionary speculated that it came from fishermen’s slang. When they wore their hip high boots, they were ready for anything and thus “hip.”) Let me give my own spin: the “hip” are people who are original, interesting, and comfortable in their own skin.

What are the qualities of the Old and Hip? (Let’s call them OH!)

They are not afraid to admit their age.
They have used their life experiences to develop unique style elements, like a collection of Taxco bracelets, bakelite buttons, flea market scarves.
They have found a way to merge style and comfort so that their clothes facilitate their endeavors and reflect their personalities.
They do not follow prescriptions about required colors, fabrics, or silhouettes; instead, they draw on life experience to figure out what is best for them.

As a 57 year old woman who collects vintage kimono and makes clothes out of them, proudly wears elastic waist bands in her pants, despite fashion advice to the contrary, adores orange, and only wears comfortable shoes, I like to think of myself as one of the OH! Certainly Diane Keaton is. How about you?