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Was There Really a Street Style Famine During Fashion Month?
By Lauren Sherman
You might have seen them around. But it felt like, this fashion month, there was less original street style photography published.
Sure, Scott Schuman rarely puts images up immediately, and Garance typically does one meaty piece a day anyways. But in general, we felt like there just wasn’t as much content as in the past few seasons. Even Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil, who was pulling double duty by working for his own site and Style.com, proclaimed via Twitter: “There’s a famine of street style this season!”
But was there really? It’s pretty difficult to prove, given the fact that there are seemingly more photographers circling the tents each year. So we went straight to the source–Phil Oh, also known as the Street Peeper–for his take on the situation.
He says that, yes, there probably was less from your favorite photogs. But why? For one, they need to save a lot of the images they take for paying publications. What’s more, pure street style photography is increasingly difficult to accomplish.
“Fashion weeks have become so chaotic recently with so many new photogs,” says Oh. “When I first started doing fashion weeks three or four years ago, it was pretty much just the Japanese, Bill Cunningham, Sartorialist, Jak&Jil, Facehunter, me, and a couple of others. It was fun, leisurely, and a lot more civilized. You had time to build somewhat of a rapport with the subjects.”
Unfortunately, there’s little chance to make those natural connections these days. “Throw in a ton of new bloggers, clueless aggressive paparazzi assholes who even more clueless magazines hire, and random modelizer dudes, and the scene is more like a rugby scrum,” he explains. “It’s a bit discouraging.”
Were you happy with this season’s street style? Or disappointed?
(Photo: Jak & Jil.)
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It's not a season where fashionistas want to show how much money they've spent – the 'statement' pieces are things which hardly proclaim their presence eg Celine. Nobody is wearing the killer shoe, the major cocktail dress at 9am (except Anna dello Rousso, who now looks somehow 'quaint'). The worst thing is to seem to try hard. That makes it much harder for those who live and die by the iconic image
I think if you are obsessed with only taking pictures of fashion celebrities and their accessories, than yes there probably was a famine. Otherwise there were plenty of well dressed non-celeb people at the shows and on the streets.As much as I adore Anna Dello Russo and Giovanna Battaglia, I don't need to see the same outfit but with a slightly different pose on every street style photographer's site. I'm hoping Scott/The Sartorialist keeps trying to include real people in his shots, otherwise I'm bored with him too.
I can bet that there must have been some great dressed persons…not being famous and followed by the paparazzi gives you a more stylish freedom to be naturale and wild in dressing up:)visit my blog…. http://www.iscariotteh.wordpress.com
A lot of these shoots aren't street style anyway. They are planned shoots which loses the spontaneity and creativity of the ensemble. So I'm kinda over street style all together until it becomes captivating.
The only reason there was a style famine was because the photographers only wanted fashion celebrities, editors, etc.I saw so many great things in Paris, but I constantly see the same people make the websites, the blogs…it's just boring. And it's pretty sad that those photographers can only think inside that box. Move on to the next. Stop drooling each time you see Vogue/Elle editor. I promise, you and ten+ other people captured the same image.http://www.speakfemme.blogspot.com
And you said what I was thinking exactly. I am so bored with The Sart :-(http://www.speakfemme.blogspot.com
perhaps a lot of the street style blogs that we know and love have taken on too many projects for say, style.com, Vogue or some other mag and don't have the time to focus on their own sites
Miroslava is all kinds of yummy.
thank you dari goldman. There is street style and then there is photographing fashion editors (amazingly in the same style, color silhouette almost daily–it's like they phone each other for outfit scoop the night before.) Thank goodness there is the sartorialist, seems like the only one who threw in a few street styles. I don't take my cues from fashion editors and am still thrilled with the street style movement.
They've jumped the shark and started to believe their own hype. No major originality, they all gaggle like school boys chassing the same few editors and stylists. Note Sylists, yes they should be impecably dressed. Originality please as most of these so called photographers egos have gotten out of hand. Bill Cunningham is a true original and always makes a point of capturing real everyday people besides what's going on during the shows. So over these “cool kids”. Next!
If there is, in fact, a lack of street style, it's probably a form of rebellion. It's the classic story of the 16-year-old who dyes her hair black just to piss her mother off, or the toddler who pushes the button he KNOWS he's not supposed to push just to see if he can get away with it. Celebrities are going out into the streets in craptastic clothing because they want to see if they can get away with it. That's my theory, anyway.
if you're not only looking for the “editorialistas” there was a lot material in Paris and Milan. We were shooting the atmosphere all day long and had tons of material. i think the real streetstyle photographers (we just do it on the side) are all shooting for magazines and have to keep their pics for them.
I disagree Emma, I think the best street style pics aren't the obviously fashiony ones but the ones that have their own thing going on. Plus, even a minimalist outfit can look iconic can't it?
True. Can't blame them though, was inevitable. Plus, makes room for the newcomers like http://vanessajackman.blogspot.com/
they are all getting really boring… once inspired they now are so overwhelmed by a sudden “fame” they go to the obvious… who would not expect to see a fashion editor with a fantastic wardrobe… what's new there???most of them are just fans trying to make it, Garance wants a fashion line and a TV show… hum hum… okwell in the meantime, who will keep showing great style?http://www.stylelikeu.comshe is amazing!!!!
well its boring because I swear I saw photos of emannuelle alt wearing the same balmain (I think) blazer on the sartorialist, garance and tommy ton's sites. like seriously? she was the only one worth taking a photo of and posting all day?plus I really miss the sartorialist when he was just a guy in nyc who likes taking pictures of preppy or random weird people or in italy taking photos of old men who dressed really really well (I remember when he explained all the different collar/cuff styles on mens shirts as a favorite post). now its all the italian big name fashion editors who get attention from him.
Wow, Tommy Ton wishes he was ALT.
I think that all the above mentioned photogs that sort of started the whole street style phenom are starting to become so big and famous (too big for their britches, if you will) and like stated above save most the good photos for pay. And, yes they only want the names and faces in their photos, sick and sad… I totally agree that there should be a constant spotlight on plain ol’ regular people with great style. That’s who really influences me and gets me excited about fashion and dressing. But this whole world of fashion is becoming so diluted that I am starting to embrace it in a completely different way!
I must say that I started getting bored with some sites but in searching found one or 2 that really stand out and are fresh such as http://www.swagger360.blogspot.com this is one of those sites that mixes it up… not only in terms of style but races. Bravo.
Phil Oh doesn't do a good job anyway. A pastiche of a pastiche? Go back to photography books and find your own niche. Everyone wants to photograph the same person. So how are you going to approach it differently?