by topazz
I’m going to a charity ball tonight. It’s a formal black-tie affair and what that means is that, for the first time in what seems like forever, I’m going to be dressed to the nines. Along with the beautiful silk taffeta gown I found (on a clearance rack in Bloomingdales) I’ll be wearing a spectacular $20,000 diamond necklace that one of my sisters is lending me for the occasion. How she acquired that necklace is a story for another day.
It also happens to be my birthday tonight. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been in the unfortunate habit of having impossibly high expectations for this day – expectations that of course almost never come true. You would think that I would learn by now, but once again I’m hoping tonight will be extra special. Will wearing the diamonds along with an extraordinary dress mean that something extraordinary will happen to me? One can always hope.
As a result, Dear Reader, the websites I’ve been scouring of late have less to do with humor or general interest and everything to do with fashion. I’ve found a couple of interesting ones to be sure, and one in particular that I want to highlight here. I’ll confess to being a big-time fan of The Sartorialist for the past year and a half. The gentleman who authors it, Scott Schuman – is one of the most appealing photojournalists I’ve come across in a long time. He began his blog with a simple mission: taking pictures of the stylish people he encountered every day on the streets of New York City. His photographs are as varied and fascinating as the city he dwells in; they feature the old, the young, the middle-aged, male and female alike. But there’s an added sparkle as these are people that strike him as true standouts from the regular crowd. All the subjects in his photos are random and spontaneous; they’re usually of very fashionably dressed individuals or people who are clothed in apparel that is both timeless and classic. In some cases it appears to be more of an attitude than what they’re actually wearing, even a bag lady can have certain panache, and Schuman isn’t above showing that, too.
If anything, he shows clearly how some people are just born with an innate sense of style and his photographs range from all stations and income levels.
Schuman has parlayed his efforts from their humble blog beginnings to being employed as a freelancer by such publications as Vogue and Esquire Magazines. The Fashion “Powers That Be” have taken notice in a big way and he now regularly covers “ordinary people” at such fashion events as the Milan and New York Fashion Week Shows. In addition to all this, Scott Schuman was recently named one of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 Design Influencers” of 2007. And to think just two short years ago, he was a nobody.
Just another example of the Fame and Fortune that can be found in the blog world. Take a seed of an idea, theme your blog around it and watch it grow beyond your wildest dreams.
Who among us will be next?
Ta ta for now, darlings. I’m off to the Ball.
topazz first exploded on the art & literary scene in 2005 on Salon's, Slate’s, and DailyKos' discussion boards. Mother of four (ahem, 3 of whom are triplets), she has also been known to blog at topazz (with a zz).