JIP's Picks: The Sartorialist

Two things that I’ve always found beauty and inspiration in are people watching (courtesy of the Bobby Parker) and photography. I don’t know why…in people watching there’s just something about observing the life around you without being directly involved in it, while photography allows you to capture some of the more precious moments life has to offer (or not so precious…see your friends’ Facebook pages).

I’ve never personally had the patience to learn photography, but I think the combination of the two things above is some of the most impressive form of art out there. That being said, check out The Sartorialist blog.

I first learned about The Satorialist from reading GQ, and I was always intrigued by his pictures of fashionable people caught in the street of whatever city he was in at the time. The photographs were truly real…people in their natural element. So once I found out he had a blog I decided to check it out, and the rest is history.

The blog has all kinds of photos of people from various cities going about their daily tasks and routines. One thing that is different, however, is that many of these people don’t appear to be trudging through their day. If you look through enough of the blog you get a sense of people being truly comfortable in their own skin…they have an “I did it my way” attitude about them (word to Sinatra). These people appear to be confident individuals with a sense of who they really are. That’s surprisingly rare in a society that is basically fueled by the latest trends.

One of my favorite profiles was of a driver the The Satorialist had on one of his many trips. Check out how he describes this gentleman below (see the gentleman's picture here—copyright issues J):

One of my favorite encounters on this book tour was my driver in San Francisco.

As you can see he was very elegant and practically oozed self-confidence, dignity and pride in his work.

I love people who show pride in their work, regardless of the job.

This man's car was spotless, his shoes were shined and he knew exactly where he was going. He wasn't dressed like that for me, he had no idea who I was, this was just another day and just another ride done in his own stylish way.

I've said this so many times before, and recently in the intro of my book. Even though this blog is about fashion I don't really think about fashion when I look at this photo. I think about how he is communicating his sense of pride and self-worth; not by how expensive his clothes are but by how he wears his clothes, his posture and his politeness. This man is pure style.

Now shouldn’t we all be like this guy? I think so. Be confident in yourself and your abilities, and let the world see that in you and your personal style. Individuality makes the world go ‘round…

Cheers to my individuals out there,

JIP