Philadelphia Street Style: Melissa, Baxter, and Breezy on Pine St

Melissa is wearing a Joyce Leslie dress ("I usually don't like their stuff but this one was cool"), Dr. Martens boots, and a pair of Urban Outfitters tights shredded by "these little bastards." I probably should have inquired about Breezy's T-shirt as well. 

Anarchic Summer Days

Spotted this guy reading Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man in Rittenhouse Square. 

Dr. Martens' Master Plan: Put Cool People on the Crate and the Bloggers Will Come — Skyler, Walnut St

Skyler is my second model from the Walnut St. Dr. Martens store. I shot Christina there a couple weeks back. Two of his coworkers were there too. One asked if I could get the logo in the shot. There it is, or most of it anyway.

"Now it's three of us," one of his co-workers said, referring to the number of them who'd been shot by street style bloggers. But they couldn't be sure. Might have just been two. They knew Christina was one of them. 

"Skyler's a natural," one of his co-workers said. True enough. I like the blur in this image. It gives the impression that he's surrounded by people but still alone.

Looking Shady in Chain Gang Chic — Dan, Rittenhouse Square

It's not so much that I like Dan's look in these pictures as I admire its audacity. Dan clearly is not someone afraid to have his own style. We often claim to appreciate that quality in people — and it's a nearly universal element of fashion industry discourse— but in practice, few of us do. We have a word, after all, for people who truly stand out from the crowd: crazy. And that's not something most people aspire to. Dan, of course, is not crazy. He's a cool guy with some interesting thoughts on fashion and style. We talked about street style bloggers and how people he knows dress up just for them these days. In New York, that is, not Philly. His look, drawing equal parts influence from hobos, convicts, railroad conductors, and the Rat Pack, pushes at the boundaries of uniqueness without overstepping them into his own private La La Land.  

Dan bought these coveralls at a flea market. The loafers are covered in pointy rubber spikes. What else is there to say?

Notice that I shot these images with the sun rather directly overhead. It was around 1pm, earlier than I usually shoot, and with good reason. The light's better later in the day. I thought the shade worked kind of well for Dan, though. It adds to the mystique. 

The Dream of the '90s is Alive in Philadelphia. Well... Sort of — Tina, Walnut St.

I've been noticing earlobe-extending plugs a lot lately. They were big for a while in the early '90s then all but disappeared. I remember wondering if peoples' earlobes would ever shrink back to their normal size (Do they? I still don't know). A younger generation has since brought them back — and made them bigger and more aggressive than ever. They seemed, I imagine, like the logical place to go after we all got tatted up. RE/Search (does anyone remember that publication?!) called it "modern primitivism" back in the day. I hope we have the good sense not to call it that now. 

Tina, for me, exemplifies many of the youth subcultural trends I see at the moment: 1) Extensive arm tattoos worn with sleeveless or near sleeveless shirts; 2) Nose, lip, and cheek piercings (though noticeably fewer eyebrow and ear cartilage piercings than in the early '90s); 3) Genre-defying clothing combinations (I don't frankly, know what to call her look — and neither does she. Style labels are SO 1990s. Today we have subcultural style without subcultures to fit them into); and 4) Headphones worn as fashion accessories (and portable soundtrack). This happened once before, of course, in the '80s, the era of the Walkman. But now they seem even more ubiquitous.

I like Tina's updated take on the '90s. But I'm left wondering a couple things: 1) Have the '90s actually come back? Are we witnessing its cyclical return now that we've finished with our nostalgia for the '70s and '80s? I realized recently that that the '90s is to kids in their late teens and early twenties what the '70s were for me and my generation. Sega is their Atari 64. Nirvana is their Sex Pistols. They're too young to remember these things, but they're vaguely aware that they produced some significant cultural impact. 


And 2) Did the '90s ever actually go anywhere? I had been thinking that the whole urban farming/bee-keeping/crafting/locavore/insert-your-favorite-hipster-pastime-here thing was sort of a revival of early '90s indie culture, until I realized that all of these things have been launched by people in their mid to late-thirties, i.e., the same people steeped in indie culture back in the early '90s. Maybe this is just what indie culture looks like all grown up. 


I, for one, am glad to see the "kids" taking up some of the more in-your-face styles of the decade in which I came of age, the obnoxious hair colors, the extreme piercings, the crunchy punk meets hippy sensibilities. I'm glad to see a revival of veganism, left-wing politics, and circus freak sideshows. It feels all comfy and homey to me.  


These may not be original contributions to youth style, but the kids these days do it differently than we did. They have more tattoos for one thing. And their thrifted wardrobes owe as much to hip hop and Euro electronica as they do to punk and grunge. Their politics are less interested in labels too. Know any 20-year-old socialists? Libertarians? Members of PETA? No, probably not. It's much more in vogue to prefer horizontal, anti-essentialist political configurations. Good. Eclecticism and inclusiveness is in order. Early '90s indie was far too sheltered, middle-class, and white anyway. Maybe this new thing, whatever we call it, will move beyond those earlier, far too insular limitations.     

Street Style Portraits of a Philadelphia Spring

Jennifer, Walnut St. "I always look so awkward on camera," she says. I think her brand of awkwardness is appealing.

Knox, Rittenhouse Square. "You know we were just talking about this exact thing!" says Knox, when I ask to take her picture for a street style blog. "I don't usually say 'yes' but what the hell?!"

I Still Suck at Full Body Portraits, But at Least I Had a Photogenic Subject to Work With — Sauda, Rittenhouse Square

I took over 20 images of Sauda and none of them were bad. That is more credit to her, however, than me.

Notice the "Urban Fieldnotes" watermark in the lower left corner of the image. Emma Arnold, in our interview the other day, convinced me this is the thing to do. I want my images to circulate freely, with the anarchic spirit of open Internet exchange. But I have also too deeply embodied the logic of neoliberal individualism not to want credit for my work. 

I'm getting bored of shooting in Rittenhouse Square. Someone who's never been to Philly before, after perusing my site, is likely to think Philadelphians do nothing but lounge on park benches and concrete walls. I wish that were true. Sadly, people also work here. 

Well, parallax is minimal in this picture. I still feel like I have a long way to go before I'm good a full body portraits, though. I will get better, damn it!

It's All About the Hair - Adam, Walnut St.

Adam describes his style as "traditional with a twist." The twist might very well be the hair. Or possibly the eyebrow piercing hiding behind the aviator sunglasses. You'll just have to trust me that it's there. Interesting that piercings are so back in vogue again. It happened so subtly I didn't even notice until I took to the streets with my camera. I still remember all my college friends taking them out at the end of 1990s. Seems like this time, though, they've come back without any of the scenester implications. Whatever happened to all the "indie kids" and alt culturists of whatever shape or stripe? Hard to find anyone who fesses up to being anything anymore—at least as far as subcultures go. Maybe Polhemus is right. The era of the style tribes is over.   

Adam and I talked cameras and apertures. We both share an affection for flattened out depths of field. Here's an example.

Mystery Woman with Feathers - Rittenhouse Square

Took off before I could even ask her name. Fastest photo shoot ever. 

Street Style or Street Fashion? — Grace, Walnut St.

I caught Grace on her way to a street photo shoot. She was in a hurry, but was gracious enough to let me get 18 or so shots of her. Clearly she has done this before, and I said as much to her. "Well," she laughed, "I am a model." Which brings me to a larger point: where is the dividing line between street style photography and street fashion photography? Style, as Ted Polhemus pointed out in our interview a couple weeks back, is not the same thing as fashion. Style is the encoding of social and cultural difference into body decoration and dress. Fashion, on the other hand, is a perpetual motion machine, driven relentlessly forward by the pursuit of profit. 

Why does this matter for talking about street style blogs? Well, I'm not sure if it does or not. Whether bloggers are capturing style or fashion they are documenting self-presentation on city streets. But isn't there a difference between shooting "ordinary people" on the streets and shooting models, designers, and fashion journalists outside runway shows? Isn't there a difference between calling models up for street style photo shoots and walking around the city until you find someone distinctive?

There is, no doubt, a significant difference in aesthetic between the kind of edgy ragamuffins shot as "street style" in early issues of i-D or The Face and the kind of modelesque figures documented by today's best known street style photographers. A quick glance at some of the top blogs (see, for example, Le 21eme Arrondissement, Jak and Jil, or our old favorites The Facehunter or The Sartorialist) makes that evident enough. Street style used to be code for "subculture." Now it often means couture caught off the runway. Dashing from fashion week to fashion week is a relatively new practice within street style photography. 

This is not, keep in mind, a criticism of Grace. Clearly, she looks fabulous. Nor, is it a criticism of other bloggers. I love the work of all the bloggers I mentioned above. I hope I can some day approach their level of photographic competence. But it does beg the question of just what is meant by "street style photography." We are in the midst of a change in definitions.  

Cute is back. Lest you thought it went anywhere — Helen, Walnut St.

Helen is an interior designer and describes her style as "European, urban, and feminine." Also, she notes, she digs flowers, hence the hat. 

Flowers and Faux Fur - Megan, 18th St

Lauren - Rittenhouse Square

My stylistic homage to Lisa Warninger of Urban Weeds Blog. Now if only I took better pictures... My interview with Lisa, by the way, has at last been transcribed and will be up in the next couple of days.

I've been wondering again—as always—about what it is I look for in a photographic subject. I haven't come to any definitive conclusions. But what I can say is that it's not about fashion per se, it's about the person. Earlier I suggested that perhaps we are shooting our surrogate selves. That still resonates, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say, we are shooting people we relate to in some way, even if by virtue of their conceptual otherness. With Lauren, I recognize a quality of commonality, but can't tell you exactly what it is. 

Margael - Rittenhouse Square

Summer seems to have come early to Philadelphia. This afternoon I followed the hordes of urban sun worshippers to Rittenhouse Square. It paid off. Hundreds of people were lounging in the park, soaking up rays in their boldest and brightest colors. I liked Margael's breezy southern belle look. Today, I stopped looking for photographic subjects of a specific "type." I stopped looking for hipsters and scenesters, artsy '80s throwbacks, and retro-menswear revivalists. Instead, I followed Scott Schuman The Sartorialist's advice in this inspiring short documentary, and just let visually striking scenes present themselves to me. I think Margael on the park bench fits that description.

Jes - Rittenhouse

This is the last entry from Philly for the next few days. I'll be in Boston fashion blogging the Popular Culture Association Conference starting tomorrow. So stay tuned for the hottest trends in academic chic!

Shooting Jes today, I realized I never think to ask anyone what they're wearing or what it means to them. That's my next plan of action. It's good form for a fashion blogger, no doubt, and rich ethnographic data for an anthropologist. Plus, how am I possibly ever going to get swag if I don't start dropping brand names? Not that I'm after free stuff. I'm just interested to know what it takes to get it.

Bet you didn't even notice she has a nose ring. They are suddenly everywhere again, along with Wayfarers, '70s style vintage leather, and colorful knitted items. What I find interesting about Jes' style is that the individual elements are rock 'n' roll, hippy, and alternative, and yet taken together, and perhaps this is the key point, mixed with a more conventional hairstyle, they read as something else entirely.

Antoine - Rittenhouse

Bill Cunningham's perpetual raincoat and sneakers aside, I felt decidedly underdressed for street style photography today. It's hard to judge other's peoples' outfits when you're dressed like a schlub. Note to self: dress better. And do something about that hair.

On  a lighter note, for the first time I did not feel nervous before going out shooting today. Also, last night I did a skype interview with the awesome Dana Landon of Seattle's It's My Darlin'. She's been something of a spirit guide to street style for me this last week and a half. I'm transcribing the interview now and will be posting portions of it here within the next few days.

Style = the harmonious juxtaposition of incongruous elements. 

Flats with no socks on men. Suddenly everywhere. Also, I like the balance of blue and green in this outfit. Seldom have I seen color combinations so meticulously plotted out.

Mandi, Walnut St, Philadelphia. She says to me, "There's a lot of you guys out here, huh?!" I say, "Seems like it," or something to that effect, and she tells me this is the third of fourth time she's been shot by a blogger recently. Bloggers, we are a veritable army!

Peter, Walnut St, Philadelphia.

Brian, Walnut St., Philadelphia. He works for some retail clothing store or other in the neighborhood and asked me to give a shout out to them. Sorry, Brian! I didn't catch which. Feel free to mention them in the comments section.

First Day Out

Erik, Vintage Store Owner, Walnut Street Philadelphia