Archive for 2012

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.

Carven top, Rodarte x Opening Ceremony skirt, c/o Ray-Ban sunglasses,

Creatures of the Wind x J.Crew shoes, c/o Rachel Lynn Chicago bracelets, Tom Binns earrings

If you’re a Facebook fan of my blog you might have seen that I decided to join Chictopia as a way to catalog my looks. My coworkers shouldn’t be getting all the fun of seeing my daily outfits! The title of this post comes from the little drop-down menu where Chictopia asks new users to define their style. I flipped through and none of them fit, except for one; eccentric. Which really, in all fairness is the fashion equivalent of ticking the Miscellaneous box. I thought it was funny because I’ve never thought of myself as eccentric, and then it hit me; I AM eccentric. Bordering on cat lady eccentric. Come on, look at my glitter-covered shoes! It’s all right there. Cat lady, here I come.

Manicure: Essie Secret Story; Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow [24K gold glitter]; Chanel Black Satin

My new Carven shirt was the starting point for this look. When viewing other fashion blogs I’d often read about how the bloggers felt as though Designer XYZ was designing specifically with them in mind. I assumed it was more evidence that personal style bloggers deserve recognition in the DSM-V as a subset of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It wasn’t until I saw the Carven Resort 2012 and Carven Spring 2012  collections that I finally understood. I grok it! What they were really saying is “I am the quintessential customer” and had incorporated that brand into their identity construct. You know, basic marketing theories. They weren’t suffering from delusions of grandeur or symptoms of mental illness. They’re just hyperconsumers.

Carven creative director Guillaume Henry has no idea that I exist, yet when I wear Carven I feel like his clothes were designed specifically for me. How spectacular is it that literally all my Carven Spring 2012 pieces look perfect with my Creatures of the Wind x J.Crew shoes? Both brands marry whimsy with accessibility and have a young customer. I love that they’re quirky with a touch of the surreal. I guess now I’m a hyperconsumer too.

Creatures of the Wind x J.Crew psychedelic oxfords (buy here)

“Is that a map on your skirt?”

“Whoa, are your shoes covered in glitter?”

“Wait a second, do your fingernails match your shirt?”

These are but a few of the questions I’ve gotten about my recent Carven-inspired outfits. I actually love that my coworkers take such an interest in what I wear each day. It makes getting ready for work in the morning a lot more exciting. Am I allowed to have this much fun dressing up for work?!

Carven’s latest collections are fun, exuberant, and youthful, always with a traditional vibe but never too revealing. There’s a formal sensibility with all the collared shirts and riffs on button-down designs, even when coolly subverted into knot-front dresses doused in splashy prints. When I wear Carven to work, I feel like I’m playing a joke on corporate America by wearing such joy-filled pieces. Somehow I found a position where I’m not only allowed, but encouraged to be creative, and dodged having to wear bland business-casual looks like I did at the law firm I worked at after college. Carven is cheeky but never inappropriate, making the designs perfect for the ad agency environment. Sometimes I feel guilty for having a blast with my work wardrobe. It’s fashion subversion. The Carven girl will never dance on tables at the bar. It’s not that she doesn’t let loose (she does), it’s that she’s too coy to ever let on when she’s drunk.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. That’s the Carven girl.

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All photos by my lovely intern, Chloe Akari