Dope Ambition

While editors wearing Givenchy and Prada heels may get snapped the most, I find myself attracted to those who don’t take themselves, or their respective ensembles, too seriously.  Nothing says “trying too hard” like a mean scowl and a monochromatic outfit; fashion is supposed to be fun! And personal style is supposed to be, well, personal. Yours. Your outfit should be like your personality morphed into knits and silks and wools and wrapped itself around your body.

With that said, here are a few looks I loved from the past few weeks. While I definitely gravitate more minimal looks, I appreciate anyone who looks like they’re actually enjoying what they’re looks. Any favs?

images via:///1 vanessa jackman///2 facehunter///3 elin kling///4 citizen couture///5 and 6 mr newton for harpers bazaar///7 tommy ton for style///8 adam katz for elle///9 marie claire///10 william yan///

The statement necklace, while always exciting, is nothing new. In fact, “costume” jewelry as we know it dates back to the early 20th century, where rhinestones were set in metals like pewter, nickel and brass. Today, however, we’ve stepped up our statement necklace game when it comes to materials, with some necklaces costing upwards of a thousand dollars, boasting  semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and even leather, all co-mingling at the napes of our necks.

While the runway often shows draped, multi-strand necklaces dripping off of models’ necks, the pairing is usually a bit predictable; low cut evening gowns and silk tops with generous V necklines are to be expected. After all, these statement necklaces are often used strategically to make a statement about the clavicle or decolletage of a woman, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But this season, one of my favorite collections was relative newcomer Guillaume Henry’s Carven Spring 2012 show , where the hemlines were flirty, legs were ubiquitous, and cutouts at the chest and midsection gave the buttoned-up looks an extremely youthful appeal the label hadn’t seen in decades. The looks I was drawn to most also featured fun, arts-and-craft necklaces tucked neatly underneath the crisp collars of the buttoned-up tops (below).

But this is just one iteration of the topped off buttoned-up look. Neck deco can be as feminine, flashy or restrained as your tastes dictate; all look equally surprising under a crisp white shirt, slouchy chambray, or even a button up under a sweater, all fastened to the collar, necklace proclaiming itself against your shirt. In this way, no flashes of skin can compete for attention. All eyes are on your necklace, weather beaded, tangled or blingy.

Below are seven of my favorite looks that employ the buttoned up, neck deco look, followed by an ensemble suggestions in case you want the look like, yesterday. (P.S. that denim top is under $30!)

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1 - old navy denim pocket shirt

2 - rag & bone cropped mohair sweater 

3 - fiona paxton necklace

4 – asos faux croc clutch

5 - jeffrey campbell wooden oxford wedge 

6 - chuck taylor all star core hi 

7 - karen walker shades

8 - striped pencil skirt

I’ll be the first to admit that throughout winter, I am noticeably more casual and feel less put-together overall. It’s somewhat difficult to wear tailored items everyday when you must throw on a coat over your pre-existing layers of shirt, sweater, blazer and scarf. In New York, especially, wearing those beautiful over-the-knee leather boots with 5-inch heels is tempting, but walking from your apartment to the subway (and actually making it down the stairs without the help of a pitying stranger) makes you want to mount the boots as display rather than show them off yourself.

With that said, while I don’t like to look like a slob, I can appreciate the thrown-together looks I’ve seen around the city with a mixture of vintage, high street and the casual shoe of choice: the Converse Chuck Taylor. When this iconic American shoe gets a little dirty, the overall looks gets even better. What other shoe can count that as a benefit? Some of my favorite looks are particularly feminine and colorful, with a pair of worn-in Chucks immediately bringing the ensemble down to Earth and giving it that chick-who-can-hang sort of vibe. There’s no such thing as a look too tailored, too bohemian or too girly for the Chuck Taylor.

Below, some looks I like.

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Sometimes it may seem street style photographers snap anyone with a clashing print or neon bag, and the women in these pictures end up reblogged on tumblr a million times over. When I interviewed William Yan, he even mentioned the over-population of women milling about SoHo, wearing something attention-grabbing, hoping to be photographed. But amidst the trendiness and, at times, outrageous ensembles that end up circulating the blogosphere, style icons emerge, whose style is more personal and authentic than the spotlight-grabbing wannabes.

I‘ve admired Harper’s Bazaar Australia fashion director Christine Centenera more than a few times over, but a few others have entered my focus as of late.

Enter: the Belgian import behind Tales of Endearment, Natalie Joos. She gravitates towards a bit of a preppy style, but almost always puts her items together with an ounce or two of irreverence. Her more classic silhouettes are always given an edgy accessory, her chunky knits paired with sequins or metallics. But with minimal hair and makeup (and um, those legs), even her more loud ensembles are anchored by simplicity and a pop of prep.

via///trendycrew///vanessajackman//the rest from tfs

If you’ve followed my humble little blog life since the beginning, you know I don’t pronounce style crushes freely. Saying I have a crush on the way a woman puts herself together is almost as sacred as saying I love you (ALMOST!). I take it too seriously to go throwing the words “style crush” around frivolously…someone could get hurt! However, I’ve been following (read: drooling over) Christine Centenera’s style for years now. In an environment where many editors are severely put together, she always has a detail or two that’s a bit off, and she wears it like a badge of honor.

The fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar Australia, Centenera was at the forefront of the street style explosion back in 2009, and has since gone on to win the hearts and admiration of the masses…especially Kanye West. Yeezy even asked Centenera to consult on debut fashion line, DW…results notwithstanding.

Aside from the back story, I came across this photo on Stockholm Street Style and my soul fluttered a little. Centenera gets it right because she doesn’t strive but perfection, but rather opts for some messy hair and minimal makeup with a startingly beautiful white coat. P.S. Does anyone know who designed these shoes?

It’s almost as if winter casts a perpetual shadow over our personal style compass, and we go from the flirty silhouettes and punchy colors of summer to the melancholy color palette of fall and winter. I’ll be the first to admit my winter wardrobe mostly consists of black, cream, tan and navy…in other words: the neutral rack at any given store. What we often forget is that texture is our friend, especially in a season consisting of so little else that will interest the eye.

But then I remembered: that cozy, fuzzy, throw-it-on-and-wear-it-out wardrobe item that should be a staple in everyone’s closet… the fuzzy sweater. Worn over leggings with motorcycle boots and a cross-body bag, you’re laid back and comfortable but still maintain a degree of chic. Worn with patterned tights and chunky platforms, you’ve successfully transformed your fuzzy knit from a daytime top into a dress of sorts for the evening. (Seen on Alexa Chung, the navy textured sweater takes on new life when paired with a pleated organza skirt; a modern take on the old classic school girl). And seen peeking out from under some weather-appropriate layers, it’s a texture tease, and will still keep you warm once you peel off your outerwear.

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I swear, the pink got pinker and the trend went worldwide. Almost half of my most recent posts highlight the lovely hair trend that looks like wearers dipped their ends in the company ink…day-glo hued, cotton candy colored, company ink. And that’s precisely what the woman below did.

At the Versace for H&M launch in London, Cicek Brown, a PR rep for Versace for H&M, shows that fashion spreads aren’t the only place where you can get a little wild with your ends. Now if only she’d smile a bit…pink-haired and “serious” don’t seem like a sensible combination.

via//vogue uk

Happy weekend loves. In honor of Saturday, here are some inspiring looks as the weather cools down. There’s nothing like a printed pant to add excitement to your wardrobe of winter blacks and grays. Speaking of gray, the hue becomes way less boring when worn in monochrome and injected with lots of texture. And the classic prep look will never fade. Ask Ralph Lauren.

looks via//1//2//3//

From across the street, William Yan spots a woman in a houndstooth skirt and fur coat; she wears a wide-brimmed hat and stands no less than 5 feet 10 inches tall in Mary Jane heels. As Yan undecidedly fingers his camera lens, she has already begun to strike a demure pose, tilting her head back in a way best described as calculated, the brim of her hat casting a shadow on her comma of a smile. She knows he wants to snap her. She spotted Yan’s camera from across the street. She is a professional.

William Yan at "the office."

Yan is a New York-based street style photographer who got his start in a Photography 101 class right out of high school. He photographs New Yorkers whose style “has a presence,” and today, I am following him around on his mission to shoot new subjects for his eponymous blog, WilliamYan.com.

As we make our way down the remaining SoHo blocks, passing at least three other street style photographers whose eyes peruse the touristy SoHo crowd for sartorial diamonds in the rough, Yan’s term for this area of Manhattan, “the office,” seems surprisingly accurate.

"Sometimes you have to dress the part and play the role," Yan says of the woman he photographed.

“I have to find different streets to walk on so I don’t run into the same people all the time,” says Yan after he exchanges business cards with the woman, who also happens to be the street style photographer behind NYCStreetfile.com.

“So we just saw her, and now we just passed by a male one,” he says, glancing over his shoulder at a man holding a camera on the corner of Greene and Spring streets. “I’d rather catch someone who’s a little odd, who didn’t dress for the camera.”

Street style photography has become almost unavoidable for those with even a minor interest in fashion: hundreds of blogs dedicate their posts to street style photos, fashion week attendees’ ensembles are documented piece-by-piece by photographers like Tommy Ton (who has an exclusive contract with Condé Nast’s Style.com), and style icons have emerged who capitalize on their internet presence by turning internet fame into personal brands and successful careers (see: Nick Wooster).

Street style photography, however, is not a new concept; if anything, the term alone has become more popular than the form itself. Yan started blogging his photographs in 2008; he could be considered one of the early adopters in today’s crop of street photographers who’ve emerged in recent years, but he readily gives credit to his predecessors. Bill Cunningham, for example, the New York Times street fashion photographer, has shot candids of New York’s quirkiest and most well-heeled men and women for over 50 years. And in a recent documentary about the elusive veteran photographer, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour famously says “we all get dressed for Bill. And it’s one snap, two snaps or he ignores you, which is death.”

This concept of getting dressed for the photographer, however, does not end with Anna Wintour, or even with fashion insiders draped in designer pieces.

“I’ve heard stories of people recognizing someone while they’re on the street working, and going out of their way to keep crossing their path, hoping to get snapped,” says Jian DeLeon, a staff writer for the Style section at Complex Magazine, a men’s collector’s guide.

Because street style has been editorialized in clothing brands’ lookbooks and fashion magazines, more people recognize its style, an unusual and sometimes confusing mixture of subjects who are both posed and shot candidly; these subjects usually look effortless and comfortable, but the lighting is often just so, and the framing seems meticulously planned. Yan’s photos, however, are slightly different than many other blogs; for one, most of his photos are not posed.

“I think his greatest strength is his eye; he’s not out there shooting what everyone else is,” says Sean Hotchkiss, a contributor to GQ who writes for the magazine’s blog, The GQ Eye.

Most of the photos that appear on Yan’s site achieve that nonchalant look, though he says he poses certain photos, which almost come off as portraits. The men and women on his site usually look as if they’re on their way to meet a friend: they’re never over dressed, have little makeup on, and often aren’t even looking at the camera.

Two subjects on William Yan's blog

Her Hermés Birkin bag caught Yan's eye

Though I only get a short day to witness Yan’s “eye” at work, I notice there are photos in his camera of famous faces he has yet to put on his site. A photo of the eccentric fashion icon Daphne Guinness, for example, stays stored on his memory card, yet to see the light of the blogosphere. Many would use her name to gain site visits and quick hits, but he shot her in passing, he says, and isn’t satisfied with the end result. He’s picky about what he puts online, because for a street style photographer in today’s click-happy culture, his site serves as a sort of a business card/portfolio hybrid.

Supermodel Karlie Kloss, shot backstage at Oscar de la Renta's runway show during New York Fashion Week.

This past year, he earned paid work shooting backstage photos for Oscar de la Renta during New York Fashion Week, but he hopes to expand his success to a global level, a goal other street style photographers share.

“That’s really the whole point of this; you want to explore different cities and find inspiration, all while making a living,” says James Jean, one of the photographers behind popular women’s fashion street style site Citizen Couture. Jean has already shot in Paris, New York and Milan, but wants to explore other fashionable cities like Stockholm.

Like any creative industry with lots of eligible players, the competition is relentless, and success becomes less definable. At some point, these men and women have to pay their bills.

“It’s become so popular that it’s not as fun maybe, as it used to be. But I have to keep shooting, because that’s just what I do,” Yan says, barely finishing his sentence before he halts abruptly, snapping a woman in purple who seems to have popped out of nowhere. He looks at the image on his LCD screen, shrugs, and rests his camera on his hip again. He doesn’t seem bothered by the down time, or the blocks and blocks of walking up and down New York’s uneven downtown streets.

“In a way, it’s like I’m a hunter,” Yan says. “I’m hunting for style.”

William Yan searches Broome Street for subjects.

White? Past Labor Day? Scandalous!

But no so much, really. Aren’t we past the age of rule-adhering etiquette dressing? I mean really, who are you offending my wearing a certain color in a certain season? Surely not your Starbucks barista, your co-workers, or passersby on the street; those who judge you probably also say things like “that’s not ladylike” and/or “it’s past my bedtime,” and have social lives that rival that of my house cat Lucy.

So, how do we traverse this difficult terrain of wearing winter white? Easy: by partnering the color other winter shades (gray, black, forest green, burgundy, mustard yellow) to ground the white. You can also cop out and opt for cream, which is flattering hue for most skin colors, and looks equally as charming next to the previously mentioned  grab bucket of winter shades.

Another key to wearing snow-colored gear in winter months? Texture. Go for a chunky knit sweater or corduroy skinny pants…and you can never go wrong with a cashmere scarf or cardigan, so long as it hits below the hip bone (croppec cashmere cardis are for stylin’ grandmothers and PTA moms). If you want to deviate from soft looks, thrown in some metal hardware extras to certify your badassness; think chain purses, black moto boots with buckles, or a leather vest with fur trim.

Per usual, here are some looks that nail the tricky trend. Now go forth and be daring; it’s just white!

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