Our dear friends Phoebe and Marcus recently took us to see R&B singer and musician, Dwele, at Seattle’s Jazz Alley. We had a super evening! And Greg took these photos just outside the venue before the live performance. 

You’ve seen all the items in this outfit before, now remixed for a different look. I really wanted to wear the lace top that my sweet Papa gave to me for my birthday because I love it so much. It was too cold to wear it with just a camisole, so I layered a white button down shirt underneath it for warmth and a high contrasting “patterned” effect. I left the shirt untucked for a relaxed look, but buttoned it right up to the top to add back in the strictness and some masculinity. I left the sleeves long and un-scrunched, just for a change. 

I first intended to wear this top combination with a black pencil skirt because I liked the idea of the dressy pairing. But I wasn’t happy with that outfit when I tried it on. The skirt combination didn’t look bad, but I’m generally off my pencil skirts right now. So I pulled out my black wide leg trousers and things fell into place. I was instantly happy with this outfit combination because I’m more into trouser silhouettes and flared skirts at the moment. I also enjoyed wearing a somewhat voluminous look both on the top and bottom. 

Finishing off the look with black and white heeled oxfords was a good way to pick up the white of the shirt and bookend the lightest bits in my hair. The animal clutch added a modern touch and a pattern mixed effect with the overlayed lace. Retro specs complemented the lace and softened the masculinity of the shirt. I wore no jewelry other than my wedding ring and an oversized gold watch. 

My outfit was classic from head to toe, with romantic retro and androgyny thrown into the mix. Phoebe was gorgeously on trend in her bright green bod con skinnies, peplum top, high heeled wedges and glam earrings. Our boys looked dashing in their jeans, fab shirts and great shoes. Thanks for the wonderful evening Phoebe and Marcus.

Here’s a sleek pull on bootie that’s a subtle nod to the sci-fi trend. I like the graphic integrity of the silver colour blocking, the one inch circular heel, and the close fit on the ankle. I have not fitted on the ASOS Allure ankle bootie in person, but have a hunch that it will be comfortable because of the elastic inserts and what appears to be a suede-esque upper. For almost $80 full price, it could be worth a try. It would certainly shine up your Autumn outfits and add a fun edge to a jeans, shorts or trouser outfit.

There is nothing that inspires my own style and my general thoughts on style more than watching people on the streets of a city. From Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Vancouver, to Barcelona, Cape Town, Singapore, Zurich, London, Tel Aviv and Paris. I am fascinated by how people of all ages and sizes dress to suit their needs on a daily basis. Whether they are rushing off to work, traipsing kids off to school, having coffee at a cafe, biking, meeting friends, shopping, or going out for supper — I love to observe what people wear in all of these everyday situations. And you see it all. Classic, frumpy, trendy, retro, dated and avant-garde. Sporty, traditional, super tight and super baggy looks too. 

My love for urban style watching is the reason I enjoy street style photography. One of my favourite parts of worldwide Fashion Week coverage is looking at the photos of the fashion that is off the runway. It’s the next best thing if you can’t physically be there. Up to a point. 

YLF forum member Cocolion posted a comment about my interview with Stacy London that made me think more about the relationship between street style photography and actual street style. Commenting on NY Magazine’s In the Cut section, she said:

“Sometimes I look at street style pics and think, “free model, free clothes, free stylist” as in, the publication/website gets free material. Even though I love seeing real people. So many of them looked like models in this feature, it made me appreciate the real looking bloggers like Susie Bubble even more”.

The problem is that street style photography is not a very good substitute for what you actually see on the streets. The style you see in the photographs is very filtered by the selection process of the photographers. Generally, the most dramatic, eccentric, edgy, interesting, daring, on-trend, or fashion forward outfits are the ones that are shot. Or photographers will focus on celebrities, influential fashion industry insiders, models, or people who look like models. Case in point, most of the 50 Street Style All-Stars in this slide show are fashion magazine editors, famous fashion stylists, or models wearing expensive designer items.

Of course, street style photographers aren’t doing anything wrong by filtering street style. Their goal isn’t to create a perfectly representative view of street style. Rather, it might be to draw us in with what they think are unique, aspirational, eye-catching or sensational pictures. And this is inspiring too, especially for designers who are looking for creativity, latitude, and potentially trend setting looks. 

So although street style is not representative of what you really see on the street, I will continue to browse street style sites because it’s fun to do so. It’s eye candy. I love looking at what the big wigs in fashion are wearing. I love to see what it was about an outfit that motivated the photographer to take the photo. My Pinterest board is full of street style outfits that have inspired me in some way, be it the specific outfit combination, or the general concept.

But if I want to be truly inspired by authentic street style in all its wonderful variety, I have to travel and physically walk the streets.

This is a great chunky cardigan for a relaxed setting. It has fun colour blocked faux leather panels on the inside of the lapels that look interesting and attractive. It also has the same panels on the outside side seams. You can wear the cardigan to showcase them more, or keep the panels subtle in the way the model is wearing the sweater. The cardigan has pockets and the long ribbed cuffs add extra drama and tailored polish. It’s great over jeans, slim cut trousers, a pencil skirt or sheath dress. A great vehicle to dress down your look.

I fitted this onto a petite client, and the cardigan did not look overwhelming. Runs true to size and is fairly lightweight despite the volume. It drapes well for a chunky knit and it does not itch. A fab item for $79 full price.