The Sartorialist

I don’t usually shoot homeless people. I don’t find it romantic or appealing like a lot of street photographers, and if you asked homeless people they are probably not to happy about their situation either. That’s why I was surprised to be so drawn to taking a picture of this gentleman.

This month Glamour magazine ran this photograph which has created quite a stir here in the US.

It seems women desperately want more images that highlight the variety of beauty that the female form has to offer. If that is true, then this should become one of the biggest selling issues in Conde Nast history.

Actually it just might become the biggest seller. When we wanted to do a post about this Tracy went to three different shops to find the magazine but all three were sold out. We had to scan this from the NY Post.

When I am shooting on the street older women and larger size women often say “no” to my request to shoot them. Actually, much more than any other category of people I shoot. I think they have a real suspicion about how the image will be used. I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and “average” women in general

However, do you think that this economic crisis has forced the fashion community to open it’s eyes a little bit to what the customers want?

I love the bold pattern of his jacket, and he takes it to a whole new level combining it with the small check pattern of his pants.

Short skirts are so hard to wear in a sporty way. I thought this young lady did a great job looking sporty chic on a warm Summer day.

It’s hot as New York in August here in New York in August. Nobody feels like getting dressed up, or even dressed for that matter. The city is awash in tiny solid color Summer dresses or tees and jean shorts.

It seems the watches on the guys in Europe (especially the Italians) are getting so big and gaudy that soon they will need two wrists to carry them.

I think that is why I don’t wear a watch. With smart phones, iPods, etc. always having a time function it is hard to justify wearing such a ginormous hunk of metal.

However, I have had a growing fascination with small vintage watches. They are sleek, chic and almost hidden. I stopped this gentleman coming out of Starbucks because I thought his watch looked so cool, retro and yet totally modern.

So this question is for the guys – but answered by the ladies. Ladies, are you really attracted to guys with giant watches? Doesn’t it feel like a bit of overcompensation? Or does it read like a symbol of success – like a shiny sporty car for your arm (and not much smaller)?

Maybe it is all of the new bike lanes (thanks Mayor Bloomberg), but New Yorkers have fallen in love with their bikes again. What I am proud of is that like any real style capital New Yorkers are doing it their way – sporty, sexy, and built for speed.

Just look at the difference between these New York ladies I shot yesterday and the young ladies Garance shot recently in Amsterdam. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but it is great that something like this can be so reflective of a cultures taste and aesthetics.

Mid weight cottons, rich colors, light layers…it is still the dog days of Summer, but transition is right around the corner.

How do they do it?
Without fail, no matter the miserable weather outside, September fashion magazines make me start dreaming of flannels and cashmere.

I guess I am partly to blame. I took this photo of a Cucinelli suit in Milan recently, for the September issue of GQ, and have been thinking about it ever since. Shame on me.

It has been so hot in NYC that it is actually refreshing to see a young lady in anything besides denim cutoff shorts.

With all white the slightest touch of color can be just enough.

I love the simple color story of navy, tan and brown; but what really caught my eye was the slimness of their jacket sleeves. Look how narrow they are around the wrist – so many of today’s jackets are cut so loose to fit everyone (or at least everyone with fat wrists).

More than the Comme Des Garcons black/green camo jacket, I love the gentle spirit of this young man.

For me, the whole shot is about the way he holds his hands and his posture. This is where personal interpretation comes into play – is this heartbreaking? tender? calm? sad? reflective?

My very plugged in assistant Tracy found this photograph of Lucas Ossendrijver’s (Lanvin menswear) design studio on The Selby. Instantly she recognized two of my images on his inspiration board.

I often hear that designers use my images for inspiration, but I never believe it until I see it, so this is pretty cool.

I’m often asked in interviews if my photos have a direct effect on trends. I always say that designers don’t really look at my site for direct copying, but instead for a spirit – and the photos that Lucas has chosen are a perfect example of this idea.

So I guess the only question about this look is the belt/shoe coordination thing. I didn’t even really notice they were unmatched until later, so for me it works because it’s not distracting. However, I know a lot of people are very obsessed with things like this.

It’s his world and we are just his subjects.

I know I shoot Eva a lot, but come on, when she looks like this all the time how can I not shoot her.

So finally I get to share the shoot I did for Style Piccoli with my kids and their friends. Claudia (above) is such a ham and a natural model. I would just tell her the concept of the character and she somehow just got it. I used to shoot kids a lot more, but I’m such a big kid that I could never get them to sit still or stop jumping on me long enough to get the shot.

What a great way to make a 50 year old vintage shirt look so new and modern. So often vintage just screams VINTAGE! I think it is a real skill to integrate vintage into a look and keep the viewer guessing if it is a modern piece or very old. I think that is a subtle, but huge part of the success of Prada.

Above is Lucy, I took this picture when I first met her at a cafe in Melbourne. I thought she looked so cool sitting there during her coffee break – so French somehow. I knew the picture wasn’t right for the blog, but when the Saba job came up she was one of the first people I suggested we shoot.

I’m really proud that with each of the people we shot we were able to maintain the true nature of the subject.

This lovely lady is Sheila Scotter, one of the first editors of Australian Vogue. I shot her when I was in Melbourne last time for a Saba ad campaign. I’ve become accustomed to posting photos pretty quickly after I shoot them, so sitting on this shot until its campaign release date has been murder. I didn’t get to spend much time with Ms. Scotter, but she is definitely a person I would love to see again when I go back to Melbourne for the book tour. I will say that in the brief time it took to shoot her she oozed intimidating old

As Americans we treat our denim shirts almost like jackets or overshirts. We wear them open over swimsuits or big and loose with shorts. Nothing wrong with that, and J. Crew is making a killing on that idea right now. However, the other way of working denim is the Italian way – super slim sexy denim shirts. They are almost always darted or seamed and worn with that Italian flair that reads formal and casual at the same time. I’m not saying which version is better, but just highlighting options.

This is one that goes in my personal reference folder of looks to blatantly copy asap.

I finally had a few moments to get through the rest of my images from Pitti, so for the rest of the week I will post a host of great looks from my Florence trip. This might be a great Mid-Summer way to freshen up your Summer wardrobe.

I know she is a little over dramatic, but every time I see Anna Piaggi she forces me to really consider her mix of patterns, colors and genres – I love that. She is a true, modren Style Icon.

Is that a butterfly or wings?