I instantly recognized Becky’s dress as being from AllSaints Spitalfields since I just purchased the same style in black on the day the store opened. I love the whole AllSaints aesthetic and am looking forward to photographing more of their pieces on the streets. Becky completes her steampunk look with a timepiece belt and canvas sandals.
I spotted Linda at the Taste of Chicago food festival in Grant Park yesterday evening. She and her husband are visiting from San Francisco where they live. What really captured my eye, aside from the obvious Fourth of July reference, were the woven leather accessories and large gold hoop earrings. I love when different elements of a look are coordinated without being matchy-matchy; here, woven leather flats are paired with a thin woven leather belt. The reason this works is because the shoes are nude while the belt is mahogany.
Without any question, Linda was the most stylish person I saw in the hour I spent searching at Taste of Chicago. Actually, she is the only person I photographed the whole time I was there. Therefore I dedicate this photo to my friend Ines for giving me a challenge I couldn’t refuse.
Keilon is another example of the resurgence of the Gentleman look on the streets of Chicago. This polished aesthetic has become the provenance of either the very young or the much older. Baby boomers, for whom the ability to chair a boardroom meeting in jeans is the ultimate expression of sartorial power, are lost in between. It’s rare to see someone between 45 and 60 years old sporting this look, but I see this – or elements of the Gentlemen – in virtually all fashion-forward young men these days.
Or take my friend Jeff over at The Midwestyle fashion blog for another example of how young twenty-something males are taking the sort of pride in their appearance that their parents never did. Above is a detail shot of Jeff’s bowtie etched with tiny little skulls. I photographed him for a Refinery29 project that will be released in mid-July, so I am not able to share with you his entire look just yet. I encourage you to stop by The Midwestyle to see more of Jeff’s personal style and to learn more about men’s fashion. Their blog has been educating me for months on the subtleties of men’s style. I’m sure you’ll discover something new yourself.
