(Photo: Glenn Glasser)

When did you start dressing so colorfully?
It’s taken all my life to be comfortable with my taste and style. When I was in high school in Westchester, everyone wore shirtwaist dresses with little belts, sneakers, and socks that they rolled down. And I was coming from the Bronx, wearing a tight skirt and sweater, padded bras, and these shoes called T-straps. They gave you toe cleavage; it was very hot. I got to New Rochelle and thought, Oh my God, I am dead on arrival here. So I went shopping for clothes that helped me fit in. I wasn’t confident enough to stand out. Now I want to stand out.

So you like the attention?
Sure, why not? Especially as an older woman in New York City, I tend to feel invisible. The city’s all about youth, and suddenly you realize, I’m older than my doctors, I’m older than my dentist. I know I look a little different, and to be honest, it’s nice to be noticed.

How do men react to your look?
I think I totally scare men. I really do. I think if they’re not stylish or artistic, they probably think I’m out to lunch.

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Articles by Emma Rosenblum
• Table of Contents: May 19, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!