Archive for January, 2012
Dyniche and I first met several months ago at the Jackson Blue Line CTA station. I was on my way to Wicker Park to shoot street-style and she was heading to O’Hare Airport to catch a flight. The flight attendant outfit gave away her occupation but I could tell – underneath the corporate uniform – that this woman had some serious style. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, she had on bold red lipstick, and was wearing 4 inch heels. Dyniche was very clearly someone who didn’t let any obstacles like a uniform stand in her way of creating an amazing look. I went right up to her, introduced myself, and told her that if there had been better lighting in the subway station I would have photographed her right then and there for my blog, uniform and all, to illustrate how true style comes from within. We had a great chat about what it’s like to shoot street-style at New York fashion week and how we both started off buying Vogue magazines in middle school with money earned babysitting.
I told her that I believe very strongly in the Jungian concept of synchronicity, and that some day the universe would bring us together again so that I could properly feature her on my blog. Sure enough, two days I ago I saw a jaw-droppingly gorgeous woman with a red beret exiting the T-Mobile store at State and Madison in the Loop. It was almost as though this woman had dressed perfectly to catch my eye. Two of the main things I look for in a female subject are 1) colorful accents, and 2) a strong silhouette. The Alaia-esque form of her coat was like catnip to my eye, taunting me from down the sidewalk. I dashed half a block to catch up with her and lo and behold it was Dyniche!
‘Til the universe brings us together again, here’s to having an incredible sense of style, uniforms and all.
Jeff Kieslich of The MidweStyle spotted me while I was photographing a woman outside of Natural Foods Cafe in Wicker Park a few days ago. How nice to be be the “prey” for once! He was inside dining with his friend Camilla when they saw me through the window. I was so transfixed by Megan’s psychedelic dreamcoat that I didn’t notice Jeff until he called my name. Naturally I had to document their style, although after photographing them separately Camilla asked if I could photograph them together so she could have a picture of the two of them.
The spirit of this image knocked all the others out of the ballpark. Selecting this one was an easy choice. When I showed this photo to a close friend of mine he said they looked like a J.Crew advertisement come to life. Ironically enough, I couldn’t have phrased it better myself.
Welcome to the new look of Chicago Street Style! The update also includes a formal new name, Amy Creyer’s Chicago Street Style. My blog became far more personal than I originally intended and I wanted the new title to reflect that. I’m happy it happened because it’s given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and to bond with my readers in the process. This new transition is a fresh start and it felt like the right time to formally announce the new title. You will also see a wider variety of posts in addition to my street-style photographs, which will of course remain at the core of my website.
What you see today is the result of one person’s hard work, planning, and creativity. Maria Tzeka, an enormously talented web designer and interactive media developer, reached out to me a few months ago. She offered to help me revamp my blog, which she avidly reads. Maria felt that I deserved a sleek website to showcase my increasingly professional photographs. It was an offer that no person in their right mind would refuse! A month later I met Maria for the first time at Ralph Lauren Cafe to brainstorm concepts for the new blog. We kept in touch throughout the development process and came together for the final look last week at Hannah’s Bretzel. I was blown away by the results as she had perfectly translated our vision. She was a pleasure to work with, flexible, and hard-working. Furthermore, she has the very rare combination of being both a coding wizard and a creative design genius. I offer her the highest recommendation possible, and I cannot to work with her again in the future.
Visit Maria’s portfolio website, MariaTzeka.com
