Cool it!

David, Rigby and I waked around Soho yesterday with nephew Max and his good friend, Will, where it dawned on me that the world of young people is basically divided into two sectors: Those who feel disenfranchised and those who are cool, or at least think they’re cool.

Soho is one of the meccas for the cool contingent. Retro glasses have become one of the biggest symbols of cool. Soho is packed with frame stores that were packed with 20 and 30 somethings trying on the Oliver Peoples and Tom Fords in their quest towards cooldom. Since it’s not cool to look like everyone else, I was wondering what separates the truly cool from the aspirants. Here are my thoughts:

If you have to try to be cool, you’re probably not cool.

Cool people start the trends, and by the time the rest of the world catches on, they’ve moved on to something else.

Good looking and cool are not synonymous. Good looking people who parade around as if they’re cool, usually look like clowns, while less attractive people who are truly cool look attractive.

Cool people usually are a bit nerdy and slightly awkward. They don’t glide or strut through the room and they don’t need to be the center of attention.

Cool people don’t have a dying need to hang out with other cool people. They don’t need affirmation about their coolness.

Clothes and accessories don’t make people cool; cool people make clothes and accessories cool.

Cool people don’t need to over-analyze what’s cool. That’s definitely  not cool.*

*This cool tip brought to you by Cool Colby.

P.S. David Bowie is ultimate cool; Bethenny Frankel is completely un-cool.