Art of Aging: Dee Levin, 87, is still kicking up her heels

PHILADELPHIA -- Is 87 too old to be a force of nature? We don't think so, and neither does Dee Levin, who is still kicking up her heels as she approaches ninety.

"I came off the elevator the first time I came wearing six-inch heels, black leather leggings, and a black leather jacket," said Dee Levin.

It was, Levin says, a look that caught the attention of her fellow retirees at the Watermark at Logan Square.

"And I said to myself, "You'll get used to me." What can I say, I am what I am," added Levin.

She's cultivated her fashion flair over a lifetime in the beauty industry.

Levin and her late husband, Norman, established 'Salon Norman Dee' in Northeast Philadelphia and Dee became a master at color.

"I had a chemistry background and hair color was very easy for me to understand," said Levin.

She traveled the world giving master classes and was featured on television and in magazines after a president at Clairol took her under his wing.

He said, 'You're an excellent hair colorist, and now we're going to make you an excellent business person,' said Levin.

She sold her shop passing the baton onto the next generation.

"I'm retired most of the time," she said.

But you'll still see her in the salon regularly taking care of her most loyal clients and giving and getting a little inspiration.

"I think an important part of aging is not losing the contact with the young people because this is what I built. They're making money, they're making a livelihood with my brains which is so rewarding," said Levin.

Her life at the Watermark is busy. She takes fitness classes, runs the community thrift shop and heads the welcoming committee, making sure new residents feel at home with her signature style.

Levin said, "The secret of if you want to call it an art of aging, is making the best of the rest of your life."

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