Why does this matter for talking about street style blogs? Well, I'm not sure if it does or not. Whether bloggers are capturing style or fashion they are documenting self-presentation on city streets. But isn't there a difference between shooting "ordinary people" on the streets and shooting models, designers, and fashion journalists outside runway shows? Isn't there a difference between calling models up for street style photo shoots and walking around the city until you find someone distinctive?
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There is, no doubt, a significant difference in aesthetic between the kind of edgy ragamuffins shot as "street style" in early issues of i-D or The Face and the kind of modelesque figures documented by today's best known street style photographers. A quick glance at some of the top blogs (see, for example, Le 21eme Arrondissement, Jak and Jil, or our old favorites The Facehunter or The Sartorialist) makes that evident enough. Street style used to be code for "subculture." Now it often means couture caught off the runway. Dashing from fashion week to fashion week is a relatively new practice within street style photography.
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This is not, keep in mind, a criticism of Grace. Clearly, she looks fabulous. Nor, is it a criticism of other bloggers. I love the work of all the bloggers I mentioned above. I hope I can some day approach their level of photographic competence. But it does beg the question of just what is meant by "street style photography." We are in the midst of a change in definitions.
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These are really interesting thoughts. I think that when a street style blogger first starts they end up capturing the most raw version of "everyday people" street style and as the blog progresses they start to develop a look or style to the photos and become more choosey about who they stop. Le21 is a great example of this. His earlier days were him shooting everyday people in Seattle then the photos became less frequent (I think this is the stage when he started honing his look and becoming a little more choosey I believe) and more high fashion and then he moved to new york and now it is what you see today. Like you, I enjoy both forms but you are right... it is really interesting to see this difference and wonder about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thoughts, Dana. As always, insightful and engaging. I'm currently in the process of attempting to develop a style. We shall see how that goes.
Deletehey! that's me! I think your points are very interesting. However, I'd like to point out that just because a person is a model, it doesn't mean they have a distinctive 'style' off the runway or off the camera. Plenty of models have no style at all, when it comes to their own clothing choices. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteFair enough. Thanks, Grace. Consider yourself among the select cadre of models with a distinctive sense of style.
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