Style Icons: Scott Schuman

The other half of previous ‘icon’ Garance Dore, I actually discovered Scott Schuman’s ‘The Sartorialist’ before I found Garance. I was first captivated by his simple, beautiful street photography that does not discriminate between the personal style, age or creativity of the people he shoots. In addition to this Schuman also adheres to the now somewhat forgotten charms of being a true ‘gentleman’; as well as being depicted in the perfectly cut suits and stylish neck ties documented in The Sartorialist, this is more so shown in his prevalent attitude towards style which both follows and breaks tradition, his respect for women, and traditional sartorial crafts such as tailors.

Famous for documenting not only the street scenes at every fashion week but every style maverick who crosses his path, Schuman portrays both high fashion and individual creativity; by taking samples from around the world he illustrates the impact fashion has on everyday life across the globe. In addition to this he shows that a sense of style has importance and purpose in whichever walk of life you’re from: witness the colour coordinating tramp from New York and the casual street sweepers in Milan. Schuman’s sartorial analysis is often shown on the male outfits, through his explanations of how and why the tailoring on a certain piece works; I now know the ideal shirt sleeve length and how Italians cut their jackets to make them look slimmer. This emphasis on male style has only increased my interest in menswear, resulting in a frantic following of Pitti Uomo and the menswear shows almost as much as the female equivalents, as well as absorbing my boyfriend’s Esquire almost before he does.

From the Tuileries to Ipanena beach, Schuman is the name to follow for everyone with the slightest interest in fashion, menswear or photography. Young or old, fashion forward or individual, the subjects and style of his photographs has the ability to inspire; nothing less could be said about the man himself.

'The Sartorialist' blog: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Image from: http://www.trackchanges.net/2008/08/

Style Icons: Garance Doré

The epitome of Parisian insouciance and 'je ne sais quoi', I have admired and (frequently) endeavoured to emulate this illustrator turned blogger/ photographer for a good few years now.

Garance's website, www.garancedore.fr, is the place to go for an in depth, yet discreet, view of the fashion community; she combines her illustrations with behind the scenes photos of her own photo shoots, and intimate meetings with the fashion industry's brightest stars with street style titbits and musings.

Always funny, clever, thought provoking and charmingly Française, Garance, with her boyfriend, 'The Sartorialist', Scott Schuman, is a knowledgeable, entertaining powerhouse of street style and sartorial savoir- faire; her website proving an excellent addition to the world of on-line fashion journalism because of its ability to captivate, educate and inspire any willing reader (i.e. Me).

Icons: Inspiration and Adoration

The classic 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' poster hangs above my bed, the protagonist, heroine, ingenue and icon mutely observing my daily life. La Hepburn is undoubtedly the world's favourite muse, and this I cannot argue with; I fell under her spell of simplicity, elegance and a Givenchy wardrobe a long time ago.

No, what I disagree with is the lavish attribution of the term 'icon' to faces with less than 100% fashion credentials; the use of stylists is increasing evermore (to the extent that they themselves become the celebrity... Rachel Zoe, for instance) and true inspiration, creativity and sartorial savoir- faire is disappearing as quickly as the fashion victims appear.

So I present thus: my own 'icons', presented as I see them and their individual effect on my personal style and fashion knowledge. Their 'credentials' are variable, but for me, each are sartorial geniuses and have inimitable individual style.


Olivia Palermo, the quintessential Manhattan fashion girl; impeccably groomed, even more impeccably connected, she lives the socialite dream of endless parties, paparazzi and arm candy. However, she is also a lot more than that; her outfits are the last word in accessorizing, showcasing the newest of the 'hip' designers alongside highstreet and classic brands. Her signature, perhaps the very epitome of New York glamour, along with the glossy blow- dried waves of hair, is a fresh scarlet manicure- this particular habit cost me a bottle of red nail polish as I tried to emulate. Her style is 'high fashion casual'; never overdone, never try- hard, her polished manner of bringing together outfits in a way that is neither ostentatious or pretentious, but subtly chic, belying a style intuition that I can only dream of.