My fashion world has been very exciting lately! Monday night, as you may know, was host to the Dîner en Blanc in Battery Park. This was my second year attending and it did not disappoint, but I’m planning to cover that in a future Art of Style post. Today I’m going to talk about what I saw the day before the Dîner en Blanc at this year’s Afropunk Festival.
I only got to hang out for a few hours, but the music I heard was great and the people-watching was spectacular. As I’ve mentioned before, style isn’t about expensive pieces, it’s about discernment and taste. Even if a particular outfit is evoking an aesthetic I’m not into, if it’s obvious that the wearer thought about those clothes and accessories and built that outfit deliberately, that deserves some appreciation. There were very few people there who looked like they’d just thrown on any old thing from their closet—it was a fashion-forward crowd, to say the least. There was a good amount of attendees bringing the summer goth vibe with all-black ensembles, but also plenty of people in bright colors, often in often surprising combinations. There were clean, minimalist outfits alongside a few opulent standouts drenched in gold jewelry. There may have been capes. And lots of septum rings! I have a small, unobtrusive one myself but a lot of these looked downright rococo.
It was hard to pick one favorite, but I loved this person’s blue-toned monochrome outfit. The slate-blue Hawaiian shirt paired with shorts of a more sky-oriented tone? Odd, but sure. But then check out that oceanic hair! I wonder how often this person wears all-blue just to match their hair. It’s a striking effect, so I hope pretty often. There was one more blue to top off the look: lipstick. And of course a septum ring, in gold to match their earrings and the rims of their sunglasses. (Any excuse to use gold ink, here.) My favorite part, though, was their expression and posture as they watched the goings-on of the festival. It was pretty much the same way I was feeling: amazed and delighted.
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