Andy Chen, Co-Founder of Lookbook.nu

Andy's T-shirt may tell you everything you need to know about Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week.

Philadelphia Street Style: Kelsey, Sydenham St

Kelsey is a dancer who posts her daily style pics on Instagram. You can follow her at @ivanadance. Her top and pants are both Forever 21. Her shoes are from Target. The bag comes from somewhere in Spain. She picked it up on a trip over there. 

Shooting today I decided to increase the number of questions I ask people, and hence, add to the number of things I can consider "data" in this project. I've been curious for a while about what people have to say about their own style, as well as whether or not there is still any kind of observable correlation between what people wear and what kinds of music they listen to. So I asked Kelsey how she would describe her style. "Eclectic," she said, and then added "whatever I like." As for her musical taste? She described it as eclectic as well, anything from "Vampire Weekend to that popular song where the guy says 'hey hey hey." I have no idea what that song is but if you guys do, let me know. 

Philadelphia Street Style: Kaile, Walnut St

I read an Independent Fashion Blogger post the other day that complained that too many street style shots are taken from the wrong angle, with the photographer either shooting their subjects straight on or looking down at them, giving, in the process, an undue amount of focus to the concrete they're standing on. The writer suggested that photographers ought to be crouched down, making sure that the horizon lines of their image never goes above the waistline of the subject. It elongates the legs of their subjects, and minimizes the presence of the sidewalk. So that's what I did in this image. Does it make a huge difference? I'm not sure. I like the angle just fine. And I think it's flattering to Kaile. But sometimes I like my concrete to dominate my image. What's street style without a street?

Kaile is wearing all H&M in these shots. Amazing how versatile that damn brand is.

Outside the Commes des Garçons store, 22nd St, New York

Usually when I frame a picture, I try to make the subject pop out of the background. I went for the opposite approach on this one. Although this photo was technically taken "on the street" in New York, don't for a minute believe that this woman just happened to be dressed this way — in multiple animal prints and fur — on an average day in February. This was shot, like many so-called "street style" pics of certain famous bloggers, down the street from a runway show at New York Fashion Week. This shot, in fact, was taken as Reed Krakoff was letting out. I don't know if this is stacking the decks, but whether it gets to count as genuine street style is another question.

On the Street...15th St, Philadelphia

I stole the title of this post, and its horizontal alignment, from The Sartorialist. Horizontal, in case you hadn't noticed, is all the rage. It's the new vertical. 

Bloggers Outside Diesel Black Gold, Pier 57, New York

Philadelphia Street Style: Dean, Rittenhouse Square

Philadelphia Street Style: Elle, Chestnut St

I found Elle just as I was on my way to the subway to head home. It had not been a good day for shooting street style. It was hot. People were in more casual clothes than usual. And I was in something of a funk. A self-imposed funk at that. I'd started to wonder again what it was I was looking for in my subjects. Bad idea. Once you start thinking on a street style shoot, the chattering takes over, gradually edging out instinct. Pretty soon all that's left is chatter. Was I looking for fashionable people for my blog? Edgy people? People in spritely summery attire? Was I looking for people who represent the carefully cultivated brand identity of Urban Fieldnotes? And what is that again? Once you start thinking on a street style shoot you can no longer make decisions. 

And then it came to me, an epiphany. I was looking for looks that I like. That's all. Nothing more complex than that. I didn't have to be consistent in what I was after. My likes, after all, are not consistent. The only criteria I had to use was whether or not I liked someone's look. It felt like a great weight had been lifted.

But what do I like again? It seems like a simple enough question, but when you look directly at your likes, they seem to disappear. And what does it even mean to like something? Is it to have an affinity towards something? To resonate with something? To get pleasure out of something? To desire something? Surely I take pictures of plenty of outfits I wouldn't want to own and plenty of people I'm not attracted to as such. So this whole just having to like someone's look thing wasn't working either. Chatter. Chatter. Chatter.

I let go of the liking rule too and went back to my old faithful. I had to feel some kind of immediate reaction to someone, some unnamable pull. But as I leaned against the concrete walls of Walnut St, sweating profusely, practically melting into the sidewalk, my instincts felt slack and lifeless too. I decided to go home. And that's when I saw Elle. Truth be told, I had seen her on Wednesday too but hadn't reached her on time to take her picture. I don't know if instinct kicked in or just the memory of instinct from the other day, but in any case, I knew I wanted to take her picture.

Elle's outfit is all Asos. The real pull for me, however, is the beat-up old wing tips. Those are shoes with a patina.  

A Dapper Gent outside Lincoln Center

This guy walked into Lincoln Center with menswear guru, and ubiquitous street style personality Nick Wooster. "Why are you taking pictures of me?" Nick asked us, posing nonchalantly with his cellphone. "He's the handsome one." No one took the bait then. But then this guy came back around a couple more times. 

Philadelphia Street Style: Wanda, Sansom St

These shots were taken with my new 50mm lens opened to its widest aperture (F1.8). On my 85mm that makes for some pretty lush blur. Not as lush as it gets — my 85mm, after all, opens up to F1.4 (that's even bigger for those of you who don't speak camera) — but pretty lush nonetheless. The bokeh on this lens is much more controlled. The strobe effect is less pronounced with the little balls of light that make up the background blur noticeably smaller, and the subject in the foreground, on which the lens is focused, decidedly sharper. I like it, but it's quite a different thing than I'm used to, and it furthers that illusion of realism I mentioned in my last post. But don't be fooled. The 50mm distorts in its own way. Look at the image below, for instance. The portions are slightly off, even if they may be flattering to the subject. That's called parallax. Whatever is closest to the lens gets magnified. The 85mm, because it requires me to stand so far away, makes parallax barely discernible. 

Wanda, incidentally, is wearing all thrifted clothes. The tank top is by Joe. She got it at a second-hand shop in Williamsburg. The pants are from Fishtown's own Circle Thrift, the shoes from the local Buffalo Exchange. The sunglasses are Ray Ban. She has no idea what brand the bag is, but she got it on a trip out to Portland, Oregon. She loves the West Coast and is hoping to get back out there soon.