Archive for 2012
Ok, before you start hating on me for posting a street-style photo of Whitney Port, let me say this: I didn’t know who she was when I photographed her. I’ve never seen an entire episode of Laguna Beach or The Hills or any of the spin offs. She did look vaguely familiar, but being really into street-style blogs means that everyone I see on the sidewalks at New York fashion week looks vaguely familiar. The reason I lifted my camera to shoot her was because of the white button-down shirt. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about different ways to wear that ultimate classic.
When investing in a white button-down and you should be prepared to lay down some cash. The first piece of expensive clothing I ever purchased was a white button-down Theory shirt when I was 19. The cut was so flattering and I remember feeling like adult – a true adult – the first time I wore it. That’s the magic of fashion; the way we present ourselves has the enormous transformative power. Versatility is key when selecting staple pieces like a white button-down shirt. As Alton Brown says about kitchen tools, “no unitaskers!” and the same should apply to your closet fundamentals. If you don’t know what a unitasker is, well… I guess there’s no hope for you. A white button-down shirt can be layered under a jumper for an Alexa Chung “geek chic” vibe or worn oversized, a look made famous by none other than Audrey Hepburn.
It’s not just button-downs that are multitaskers; even the most extravagant pieces like a Rodarte sweater can be worn in a multitude of ways, tossed over a flowy gown for a more typical Mulleavy-esque ethereal vibe or over what else, a white button-down shirt for an office ready outfit! Great style is all about creating unexpected combinations with the things you already own. Think of the white button-down as the ultimate blank palette.
Things to keep in mind when choosing a white button-down shirt:
1. Fabric. Cotton with a bit of stretch is my favorite for a close fitting look, but for an oversized vibe think about investing in pure 100% cotton.
2. Cut. Look for a shirt with darts around the breast and a tailored fit unless you are going for the oversized look, in which case I suggest you purchase a men’s button-down in the appropriate size for the proportion you are aiming for.
3. Price. For a quality white button-down you can find designer pieces on sale like I did with my Theory shirt, which I purchased at a steep discount from Neiman Marcus Last Call in the Detroit suburbs. All of my non-Theory button-downs are by J.Crew, which makes my favorite close-fitting shirt. It’s about $70 for the style I like, the stretch perfect shirt. For a boxy menswear inspired look I’ve always reached for Brooks Brothers, a store where you really can’t go wrong with button-downs.
I’d be lying if I said my favorite thing about shooting street-style in Chicago isn’t the background of the city itself. When I come across someone like Angela, whose sense of individuality and color is so strong, it makes shooting that much more exciting. The current State Street art installation is an exceptionally interesting background, even more so when combined with Angela’s vibrant pink hair.
Editor’s note: I didn’t have time to flesh out my thoughts about Angela’s look earlier today when I posted this. As a street-style photographer Angela is exactly the type of person I spend my days looking for. Street-style isn’t about fitting in or even rocking the latest trends, it’s about using your appearance to create an individual look. The most fashionable statement of all is to just be yourself. It’s not a cliche, it’s the truth. To the untrained eye, you might not understand why I was attracted to Angela’s look. What I see in her is the deliberate and restrained use of color. She was smart and used simple black pieces to ground the exuberant colors. Visually I’m reminded of the look below from Meadham Kirchhoff’s Fall 2012 collection with the strong emphasis on stripes and precise use of pink, even up to the hairstyle.
Meadham Kirchhoff Fall 2012 Via Style.com
I think Angela was shocked that I loved her look so much since we aren’t used to celebrating uniqueness in fashion. If anything, people are encouraged to suppress who they really are to fit into whatever sub-group they’ve gravitated towards. Even though they might consider themselves to be anti-mainstream they’re still engaging in conformist behavior, they just deny it (thought it’s quite transparent and evident to anyone with a pair of eyes). It’s really hard to find people who stand out on their own, and again, that’s what true street-style is all about.
Meadham Kirchhoff Spring 2011 via Labb Magazine
I want to challenge you all – my readers – to open your minds beyond the fashion establishment trend factory. Just because what someone is wearing isn’t the subject of trendspotting pages in the glossy fashion magazines doesn’t mean it’s not style. I challenge you to think about what true style really is. Because I’m an over-educated daughter of a professor I get all conceptual on your asses – I know – but seriously, the mission for my blog is to provide an alternate voice on fashion centered on the individual human being. If you want to know what’s “hot” or “on trend” then there are plenty of blogs dedicated to just that. Although I still cover trends because I find them fascinating, the purpose of my blog is to be dedicated to the concept of individuality. Trends or no trends.
I wish I was one of these girls who put so much energy into looking perfectly put together. Everything about this woman’s vintage-inspired look is delightful, from the brooch on her collar to the side bun. I guess instead of actually being this type of girl, I’ll write love letters like this blog post to the idea of being so precise. You know, when I’m drafting posts sometimes it really does feel like a love letter to the person I’ve photographed!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Within 10 minutes of posting this tonight, the woman above was successfully identified as as Kater of the fashion blog All This Happiness. Follow her on Twitter, @katerspie. Thanks Sandy!
