I photographed Juan because not only is he delicious eye candy for the ladies, he’s an excellent example for all the guys who read my blog of how to be stylish without going overboard. I’m totally aware of my bias in favor of the fashion crazies (I consider myself one). Remember my post about Tommy? If it wasn’t for his wake up call I would have walked right past Juan in favor of more extreme looks. Now that my eye is tuned to see men’s fashion at a higher level, I’m always on the lookout for guys wearing interesting fabrics, tasteful accessories, and luxurious details.

Men are usually the least likely to take fashion risks with their appearances so conceptual fashion is… well let’s just say it’s not the best choice, to say the least. Well curated boutiques like Shrine/Independence and Haberdash, which cater exclusively to men, are incredible resources for Chicagoans who want to develop a strong sense of style firmly grounded in reality. I thought Juan was a wonderful example of how stylish a man can look without being too far on the “fashion” side, if you get my drift.

Fashion blogger Lauren Chu is another stylish person I was delighted to run into while street-style hunting on Michigan Avenue over the weekend. I had no idea who she was, but I loved the AllSaints coat, hints of neon, and sky-high Louboutin heels. “Now this is a girl who knows how to make a statement,” I thought to myself as I approached. Much to my surprise, she literally began jumping up and down before breathlessly telling me that she’s been waiting over a year for me to find her on the streets. The lesson here is, if you have a cool and unique sense of style and live in Chicago, I eventually will find you!

I don’t even know what to say when people tell me things like that. I’m always happily stunned. I feel a combination of flattery, excitement, shyness, but mainly I feel overwhelmed. That’s for a very simple reason; this blog is about everyone else. Sure – it’s my view of them – but my blog is dedicated entirely to the other people I photograph. This is not a personal style blog that’s about me all the time, day-in day-out. Although I do love those blogs! So really, I’m the one who is always really excited to meet people like Lauren! I feel a rush every time I spot someone extraordinary like her on the streets. In my head I’m like “fuck yes! that person looks fantastic!” before running after them, which often entails jumping up from a table during lunch with a friend (I always sit in the window for that purpose) or dashing off mid-sentence on the sidewalk. I idolize all the people who I photograph, so that’s why it’s funny to me that so many people have it backwards. These sorts of encounters puzzle me because I’m always like “no wait, I’m really excited to meet YOU! Thank YOU for letting me stop you!” It’s hard to believe that my creative baby has grown into something other people value so much, and trippy experiences like these drive the message home. I’m so happy and grateful to have such passionate readers!