Today I was walking through the city and spotted a slim black man sporting kelly green pants cropped perfectly to reveal printed socks and to showcase his fabulous classic patent leather brogues. He balanced the look with a crisp white oxford tucked in and belted, under a black blazer trimmed with classic gold buttons, and then topped it off with a Sinatra-style fedora perched ever-so-slightly askew with attitude.
His look stopped me in my tracks, the world went into slow motion. Everything else on the street fell away as I locked onto this man to take in every single detail of his look. A moment of peace descended. A moment of captivation ensued. A moment of beholding, understanding, appreciation, happiness. This man was my style hero of the day.
Style is inherently relational. It is a dialectic relationship between what is being expressed and the gaze that takes it in. And in this looping conversation both the expresser and the perceiver are impacted. What a delight it is to spot someone – a total stranger – who took the time to elevate their look, to express themselves authentically and creatively with their ensemble. Perhaps the best part of this phenomenon is that they have no idea exactly who will notice or how deeply they will impact another with their look. Like a birdsong, it is a free gift to anyone who is lucky enough to perceive it.
Can you remember your most recent street style hero? Someone you spotted out and about whose look made your gaze stick? A style hero can be your ideal, or your complete opposite. Their look can be wacky, classy, risky, or sheer perfection. The thing is they changed your inner experience and activated your creativity center with their look. Celebrities can serve as style heroes for sure. The nice thing about our beloved celebs is you can find their looks online in an instant. I’ll take a look at what Pharrell is wearing any day, it’s a guaranteed hit of inspiration.
It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you have, what your body shape, weight or size is like. We all have the inherent capacity to take whatever we do have and make it a personal expression that speaks. It’s the intentionality behind your expression that makes it style, not the items themselves, not the features of your body.
So, tomorrow when getting dressed, you just might make a few style moves to really express yourself. It could be as simple as cuffing your jeans, doing a half-tuck with your shirt, putting on two necklaces instead of one. Or you might go full-on kelly green and fedora. Whatever the level, remember that your effort to express yourself with these intentional style moves is a gift to all whose eyes you catch. And maybe, just maybe, if you let yourself really sing, you might be someone’s full-on style hero of the day.