The Sartorialist

It’s really all about the color combination.

Spring is just waiting to burst out from underneath our Winter coats.

No matter how naturally beautiful they are, some people have a very difficult time having their photo taken.  This saw this young lady sitting on a low bench at Pitti Uomo enjoying the sun, in the 10 or so frames that I shot this is the only one that she’s actually looking into the camera.  Shyness shoots very charming.

February 2010

March 2012

I never know when I will see this young man (now I know his name is Guliano) but it always seems he is on his bike heading the opposite direction of me. 

I spoke too soon, we’re not out of Winter yet.

I love black and white photographs for their ability to bring greater emphasis to the graphic patterns of a man’s wardrobe.

I can’t believe Spring is here so quickly.  Cool evenings and warm afternoons, my assistant Maggie says it’s her favorite time of the year because she can wear everything in her wardrobe all at once.

Transitional dressing….Summer shoes and Winter coat.

Sure, everyone will notice the socks but what is more subtle and interesting is the very long shirt collar and the “French” placement of the pants pockets.

I love the idea of a demure Peter Pan collar blouse with a short black leather skirt…..sweet and a little sinister.

I love those shades of cream and white.

This photograph of my handsome father (far left) and his three brothers was taken at their Bar X Ranch in Arizona.  I love their unselfconscious 60’s cowboy style.

- Laraine

The problem with shooting chic cyclists is that they are hard to catch up with.

For me, these photographs highlight the under-appreciated relationship of outerwear to shoes (and bags).  For several months a year, except for the people we work and live with, this is how most people see us.

This gentleman captures what I find to be most interesting in menswear right now: quilted nylon, shorts over leggings, full volume outerwear, layering and dark yet rich color palettes.

This look scares me but inspires me, which is the best you can ask for in a look. I’ve gone back to this picture several times trying to figure out which elements would work best for me, and the answer that keeps coming up is: basically all of them.

I don’t know if I’m brave enough to wear shorts over tights in a ‘day wear’ setting, though I already do when I’m exercising…so maybe this picture will make me re-examine what I wear to the gym.

Today’s photograph and the photograph from yesterday will, I think, be the two images this season that will have the most long-lasting influence over (at least) my style for the next year or so.

What led to your design career ? 

I never thought I would work in fashion. I took my first job as a carpenter’s assistant in Portugal. I was into electronics and moved to Spain to study; I loved fixing radios and things like that.

My father was a tailor, so I had my first bespoke suit at the age of 5 like most African kids did; this was Sunday attire. He would ask me to thread a needle in the machine, pass him scissors and chalk or hold fabric, but all I wanted to do was play futbal!

How did this lead to design?

I fell in love with vintage pieces and altered them to fit me. I bought a pattern cutting book, created a few collections and opened my own shop in Sweden called Solo y Unico (spanish for One and only) that I ran for 5 years.  Then I went to Savile Row and learned all the rules I had been breaking.

I’m currently the Head of Design for Spencer Hart, but aside from this I consider my primary project to be Art Comes First, I’m one-half of the creative team.

Was it difficult to gain the trust of those old school tailors?

Savile Row is like a secret society; they’re very proud of their tradition and old mindset– just like my old folks back home. I have a lot of respect for the history of tailoring. It takes time for traditional men to understand what’s going on in our young and disturbed minds. My old boss Ozwald Boateng was the peacock of Savile Row. When I joined the brand I added color and a slight design twist to their classic fabrics; the fabric was familiar to them, the twist was not. You have to learn the rules so you can learn how to break them.

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It’s great to be back in New York!

Fashion month is fun, but it’s so demanding that it’s hard to really analyze and understand what you’re seeing, because you’re seeing so much so fast. The next several weeks will be really fun on the blog because we will be able to have a deeper discussion about what’s happening on the streets of New York, Paris, London and Milan.

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I live in Ukraine and just recently found this photograph of my grandmother’s friends, I love the dress on this girl.

Olya Shylenko

Garance and I were looking at this photo the other day and both thought she still looked really cool, even though the shot is over four years old.

This shot is not about “style” but truly about modern fashion however we keep hearing how fast fashion and trends are evolving in the digital age.  Do you really believe that though?

I think this shot is proof that fashion is not moving any faster than before, it’s just the availability of new, cheaper product is faster and stores want us to want newness faster.  If anything, I think the digital space is allowing us to use the search function in a way to pull ideas that may be four, or five, or (someday) ten to twenty years old to help us create a look we want to wear that day.

Can you imagine the pain of searching through a stack of magazines ten years old trying to find inspiration and yet, in seconds, you can search seven years of visuals on my blog alone?

Maybe we will find the digital age is not speeding things up, but making it easier for us to hold onto the visuals and stories that inspire us even more easily than we ever thought possible.

Current career?

I’m currently the Editor-at-Large for Vogue Turkey.

What inspired you to pursue fashion?

My mother was a theatre actress, she was super stylish and I was always backstage playing with her costumes. But, my first job was dubbing for some movies and a TV series like ‘Pipi Longstocking’ at 7 years old. My brother was interested in photography so I began reading fashion magazines and taking pictures.

Now I never leave the house without a camera.  I used to shoot with a very old manual Minolta, then a point-and-shoot Ricoh 28mm non-digital, now I’m using a Lumix GF1.  I’ve always been very inspired by Daido Moriyama’s photographs. I would love to publish a photography and style book– I hope to always work on great projects combining art and fashion.

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Congrats to Franca Sozzani who was made Knight of the Legion of Honor, one of France’s highest civilian distinctions.

This was easily the most dramatic and fantastic show of the season.

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I rarely shoot models, but sometimes you have to give credit where credit’s due.

Trust me, French young ladies are still the ones to look to for the most aspirational new trends.  The newest thing I’ve seen in the streets here in Paris are straight, wide leg jeans.  Not flared or oversized jeans, but jeans with a wide leg hemmed right at the ankle and reasonably fitted at the waist. It seems simple, but in order to work the look just right the eye will have to adjust to this new proportion.

I didn’t realize until I was reviewing my Milan images this morning that I had the men’s version of yesterday’s all navy women’s post!!

P.S. I have to note that this gentleman looks so good in his coat not only because the body of the coat fits so well but, more importantly, the sleeves are so slim and are the perfect length.

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Simple navy, on navy, on navy

Isabel MarantBalmain

So, are you a Rochas Lady or a Balmain Woman?  Read the rest of this entry »

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Current profession?

I’m currently the in-house Fashion Stylist at The New York Post.

My first job, however, was as a Legal Assistant at a start-up law firm; I thought I was going to be a lawyer. One late night at the office while trying to fix the paper shredder, I realized that I was in the wrong industry…

You would make a very stylish lawyer…

I have fun with style. I’m a really energized person who enjoys feeling feminine, prepared and well put together—my clothing reflects that.

Do you feel more pressure getting dressed during fashion week?

When I was starting out I did, it’s intimidating. But I’m pretty consistent with my style, always a bit dressed up. Now I don’t think about it really, I just dress as I would any other day.

I find that people might be quicker to judge my personality because I work in fashion and dress really feminine. Weirdly, the people I’ve met in fashion are far more open.  They’re also some of the hardest working and most passionate people in New York; it’s an industry that weeds out the weak pretty quickly.

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What really makes this look work is the perfect fit of her gloves.