Stephanie’s Michael Jackson-inspired look is simply brilliant. Let’s face it, Michael Jackson is not usually the first reference that comes to mind when you think of street-style in Chicago. Actually, the best part about being a street-style photographer in Chicago is that I’m always surprised by the individuality and creativity when it comes to references. Here in the Windy City we’re not just wearing Zara versions of the latest Prada collection (did I just say that out loud? Oops! You know it’s true…). People are freer to experiment with their personal style in Chicago than in other cities, where they might feel pressured to wear the latest trends.

I was recently asked what my favorite decade for fashion inspiration was, like the 1960s or 1980s. I thought about it for a second before saying that I don’t think about fashion in terms of decades. I don’t know why that paradigm is so common in 2012. I think it’s lazy when I see fashion designers re-do looks from previous decades UNLESS they’re mining for creative inspiration to synthesize a new aesthetic. Designers should be adding to the fashion conversation, so creating a collection that’s nothing more than a time capsule for Bianca Jagger circa 1971 is really fucking lazy. What Stephanie did here is take a kernel – the reference of Michael Jackson – and created her own look around him as a concept. She didn’t literally dress up as him like a Halloween costume. She brought something new to the conversation, and I love it!

The reason Stephanie’s outfit is significant is because she illustrates the idea of using the past as a rich source of references, not as a tracing book to copy from. You’ll notice that the best designers, stylists, and editors – fashion creatives – will use non-traditional references, and that the most exciting references have nothing to do with fashion. Prabal Gurung Spring 2012 used erotic Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki as inspiration, Proenza Schouler Fall 2011 drew heavily upon the boys’ trip through the American Wild West, and Thakoon Fall 2011’s Maasai collection was based on a trip to Kenya.

If you think about it, the really iconic collections often have a non-fashion reference at their core. Prada’s strongest collections, Spring 2011 and Spring 2012, drew upon nonsensical Dr.Seuss whimsy and the American infatuation with automobiles. What do either of those things have to do with fashion? [Hint: nothing.] Exactly! Bridging the gap between the reference and the output, whether it’s an editorial shoot or a clothing collection, is where the magic of creative expression happens. And well, you can’t put a price tag on that.