Photographing Richie for this blog has become—as he pointed out—something of an annual tradition. I first caught him in April of 2013, then in May of 2014. I caught him a little late this year, hence the mid-Autumn light. But I did catch him on the same street! He was walking with his friend Mary, who I will feature on Friday.
Ryogo and I didn't have the easiest time communicating. He's from Japan and is still working on his English. I had to show him my blog on my iPhone and pantomime with my camera to explain what I wanted from him. I'm glad I went through the effort, though. He has a stylistic sensibility I just don't see that much on the streets of Philly. Or at least, not yet. And I dig those loud-print harem pants. Harem pants—or "drop-crotch joggers" as they are most often called in athleisure streetwear lingo—have already taken the urban centers by storm. I can't wait until they reach middle America. Think of how profoundly they would alter a white frat bro's look! They are by Chai Hane, by the way, a Japanese label I couldn't verify through Google. The shirt, if I understood correctly, is by Harriot Launch Market. The hat is by Grace Hats. The shoes he just slipped out of and checked for me: Camper.
One of the best things about shooting street style is the people you meet, perfect strangers who take time out of their lives to pose for you and talk with you. Jacquelyn spent nearly half an hour with me, first scouting a good place to shoot and then conversing about her taste in clothes, her feelings about the new Yeezy collection (we both liked it much more than we expected). Every time I go out to shoot, there is one fewer stranger on the street. Philadelphia gets more and more familiar.
Jacquelyn, or Jackie as she's usually called, describes her style as "sleek and dark." She likes brands like All Saints, Vince, Ssense, Kenzo, Helmut Lang, and Alexander Wang, and she cited FKA Twigs as a style inspiration, before acknowledging that it is more the spirit of her style that inspires her than her actual look. Her own style is not visibly influenced by FKA Twigs, except in its audacity.
In these shots, Jackie is wearing classic Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars, All Saints jeans, an American Apparel sweater and a Marc Jacobs perfecto motorcycle jacket. That jacket was an "investment" piece.Notice the red, white, and blue plaid sleeve extensions in the shot below. When you pay the extra price of high-end labels, those are the details you're paying for. The bag is Prada, by the way, and the glasses are Warby Parker. Jackie has only recently shaved her head. She's still getting used to it, she says, but she wears it with confidence. In fashion, confidence goes a long way.
There is no parking at Skylight Clarkson Square, the secondary site of New York Fashion Week. There is no walking in the streets, no shooting in front of driveways, no lingering in the intersections. If the folks at UPS had their way, there would be no loitering at all. The photographers clog up the foot traffic, block delivery routes. They get in the way. If only they weren't an absolutely essential part of the hype-generating machine that is Fashion Week. But they are, so the folks at WME-IMG have decided to treat us like day laborers, hanging out in front of a Home Depot. You hire them when you need to, but you hardly add their name to your speed dial list. We photographers had to make ourselves scant, to shoot in tight spaces and at acute angles.
Here's another shot from this past NYFW. I like this blogger's commitment to sparkles and geometry. I like how she offsets the translucent components of her outfit with simple black. And I like her easy embodiment of the theatrical indifference that epitomizes fashion today.
How would you describe this guy's style? He's got a fedora that would fit in with classic menswear, worn with a long, slim, androgynous shirt that could pass as a dress, layered pants (!) and sneakers, not to mention copious accessories and glasses. This is not an easy look to classify. And yet, it is an increasingly typical one in a style scene defined by its lack of definition.
This is quite possibly the brightest, sunniest, most colorful photo I have ever taken at New York Fashion Week. Don't get used to it. I'm going out this afternoon to find subjects in monochrome black.
I keep resolving to stop posting New York Fashion Week pictures and then breaking that promise. I would prefer something more "real," more "street," more redolent with the everyday. But I haven't had a lot of time to comb the streets of Philly lately, and my Fashion Week pictures are just sitting there in my Lightroom archives, taking up digital space... so here's a picture of blogger extraordinaire Shea Marie of Peace Love Shea.
So many of the people I shoot turn out to be models. And since it is their job to pose for pictures (labor they are doing for me gratis), I feel like I have an obligation to mention their agencies and let potential clients know how to hire them. Sharena Chindavong is with Shot Agency Models NYC. For booking, contact charlie@shotagencymgt.com.
