Character Sketch

 

    Posted by Katie, Fashion Editor

"Type Casting," the September/October fashion story, was partly inspired by the personal styles of several coworkers. To assemble my cast of fashion characters, I created a board of inspirational images and the market pieces that would suit each one. The types morphed a bit during the process -- originally there was the "perverse crafter," based on a friend in the crafts department, but that was renamed and eventually edited out. Here's what inspired those that made it into the magazine.

The Bold Minimalist was based on Page Marchese Norman, our style director. 

I found this portrait from the contributors page in Blueprint's first issue, but I'm not sure any photograph can capture the essence of Page's style.

The Bold Minimalist isn’t afraid of strange proportions or bold color, loves glass jewelry, and has a touch of the avant-garde in her style. She wears flats or wedges -- she’s a bit sensible -- and part of her chic is that her clothes are roomy, but not sloppy. Her runway favorites are Jil Sander and Martin Margiela, but she's able to find her look in a wide range of designer collections. I think Zero by Maria Cornejo and A Detacher especially suit her. Rather than sneaking a shot of Page for my wall of inspiration, I pulled this Mats Gustafson portrait of Vanessa Redgrave from The New Yorker...

...and combined it with my favorite Jil Sander ad

...and an image from an old APC catalog.

This pretty much summed up the character -- and prevented Page from being under too much scrutiny on my wall.

The next character, the Laid-Back Trailblazer, was based on a friend who works for Martha Stewart Living. Ms. Greenjeans, not her real name, has amazing style. She has a special gift for selecting things that I would completely ignore and turning all the pieces into a singular, whole vision. She was represented on my office wall by shots from the Rick Owens runway...

...and this boot.

I've never seen Ms. Greenjeans in either, but something about the shorthand of those two images came close to expressing her idiosyncrasies. In meetings I described this character as someone with a penchant for the avant-garde, but whose choices ended up looking comfortable, not so precise. Other designers that suit this character are Bruce, Nicholas K., and Yohji Yamamoto. This also turned out to be the page I'm going to shop from the most; I'm still planning on buying the Rachel Comey shoes. Certainly jumpsuits are part of this look, and Ms. Greenjeans and I always trade tips on which designer has made the best. I'm expecting to see her in one soon, silencing all doubters in the process. 

Perhaps it'll be this one, by Sari Gueron.

The Postmodern Pinup, was based on a former colleague on Weddings magazine. Her personal style is legendary: red lips, odd accessories, some retro touches, great use of pattern and color. I ran into her the other day and she had really outdone herself again: she was wearing a nondescript pencil skirt and shirt with a scallop-edge red scarf and argyle socks with heels. Trust me, it worked! What I’ve always liked about her style is how she keeps her retro look modern and witty, not costume-y. For the story, I chose an image from the Dior runway, to indicate that not everyone was committed to the shapeless shift dress...

...and paired it with John Currin’s painting,“Heartless," to flesh out (har) the character. This is a woman who shows her waist, wears great accessories, loves feminine touches, and specializes in breaking hearts.

The Preppy Bohemian was a composite of my favorite food editors. They have crazy hair (in the best possible way); wear shoes, skirts, and scarves from their travels; and mix it all up with Brooks Brothers classics and aprons. Obviously there was a big Balenciaga influence...

 

...and this image from, of all places, the Chaiken show.

What a clever look -- so wearable, yet updated. It was by far the easiest character to develop.

I obviously love thinking about style types and I decided that I may need to put together an inspiration board to describe my own personal style. What fascinates me are the definitions that people use to edit their style, like when they're shopping and they say, "Oh, that's just not me." Do you think of your style in this way?

Comments

[Mischa]

I wish I did! I have hard time defining my style. When shopping, I sometimes think of myself as a shopgirl in a boutique in Salt Lake called The Children's Hour. If they'd carry it, I'd wear it. It seems pretty foolproof so far!

I'd love to have any of these styles be my own, though. They are beautiful and quirky and timeless in their own ways!

[beth maher]

Totally. But I had trouble seeing myself in any of those particular looks. I might have fit in more with your subversive crafter.
I like retro mid-century shapes mixed with clean colours and the occasional whimsy, and certainly a touch of hand-made or one-of-a-kind objets here and there.
My inspiration board would have a picture of Mrs. Ray Eames on it, some Orla Kiely and maybe even Paul Smith and then lots of vintage and hand made finds.
I don't know what you'd call me. Mid-modern whimsical?

[Courtney Baker]

If I had to name my style, I would call it "Old Hollywood J.Crew": I love mixing vintage clothing (like, snug-fitting 40's blazers) with dark wash J. Crew jeans, and a pair of brown kitten heels. If only I could get the wave going in my hair like the old hollywood stars did....