STREET STYLE
Fashion week’s young crowds are breathing life into dressing once again.
Outside Le Carreau du Temple in Paris, where the Valentino runway show was being held, I spotted a young woman named Solène, standing on a corner taking a puff on a cigarette. She was wearing a 1970s-style gray suit and tie. The moment gave me clarity on something I’ve been mulling over for several seasons.
When the street spectacle of fashion week reached its social media peak, style took an enormous hit. Creative dressing gave way to brands giving full looks to guests, and suddenly there wasn’t space at the table for fashion’s most important participants: everyday fans of fashion.
These fans were mostly ignored, their presence outside shows not always met with enthusiasm by photographers or the fashion brands. But over the last few seasons I’ve been increasingly impressed with how they show off their style, and I often find them more interesting to photograph than the invited guests. They’re imaginative; they don’t just spend their way into good style. They take risks elevating the genre, making it cool again.
These truly original young people are reviving street style, breathing life into fashion week once again and reminding us that there’s a lot about fashion that’s beautiful.
