me, me, me + I, I, I : look 1

Style conundrum of the year:

What do you do when two handsome, up-and-coming taste makers and artists land on your stoop one summer afternoon and ask to take your picture? Why you do what any red-blooded female style blogger would do: go get dressed--and try not to visibly sweat balls.

Well, I did just that this week with two of the most creative and inspiring minds I have met in a long time. When photographer, Cleon Grey, from Aveder Outfit-fame, and Joshua Kissi, from Street Etiquette notoriety, traipsed to my Bed Stuy neighborhood, I wasn't expecting our first line of conversation to be about Malcolm X. You figured it would be more something along the lines of cuff breaks or my favorite shopping haunts: hardly.

No, between me hobbling around on my six-inch Opening Ceremony platforms and trying to remain calm with two cameras snapping my every move, we discussed the political figure (a mutual inspiration for us three), racial politics, gentrification, personal style, and fish tacos: y'know, fluff. It took me off guard that there wasn't an ounce of pretension between either of them: just Bronx-born men raised with manners (and style).

As I posed above Stuyvesant Ave on my lofty stoop (rarely ever pausing from conversation or laughter), our presence naturally set off an unprecedented buzz on my normally quiet and sleepy block. Photoshoots don't often take place here, save for the Boardwalk Empire crew, and people coming from the train were more than intrigued about this style trifecta that had assembled before them. But somehow I moved through the gawks and stares, and focused intently on the lens before me and the fun I was having in all this.

Mr. Grey crouched low, jumped high, zoomed in and out, snapping shot after shot, murmuring, "Wow..."after a seamless thread of images appeared on his camera. Mr. Kissi brandished me with stories of his youth and affinity for my all-denim ensemble. "There is something between you and denim," Mr. Grey mused.

I thought about it and had to agree. I chose this outfit for my first look because quite frankly, I'm my most comfortable in jeans. I loved the lines the flares created against the oversized cut of the washed-out chambray button-down. The coloring is of course askew--light vs dark--but it works, subverting this idea of matching denim, and ultimately, the outfit is a bit transportive. Coupled with the platform sandals, perhaps unconsciously I was channeling my mother's style from the 70's, where she reigned supreme?

Either way I wanted to craft a look that was natural, nothing as if I was putting on for my city. And quite frankly I think every woman should be investing in a pair of flares this season. I would try a higher-rise, though, to avoid a very dated look reminiscent of the hip-slinging denim trends that drove the late 90's. Instead, try creating an homage to the 70's that is perpetually cool.

Fearing he was losing light, Mr. Grey asked me to go change into Look 2, "I think we've got this look down." I snuck off upstairs into my apartment and began considering what was to follow. Had to be something different: a very alternative side of my wardrobe and edge....

All photos courtesy of Cleon Grey/Aveder Outfit

Blouse from Zara
Jeans from 3.1 Phillip Lim
Platforms from Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony