I started Incognito on 2011, at that time the whole blogging world was totally unknown to me. As I was reading more and more fashion blogs, street style ones began to be part of my daily reads. But while I find them of interest in the documenting the different moods, trends and changes happening in fashion outside the catwalks I can't help but feeling bored by them. And that is precisely for this reason that I follow very few of them or I'd rather say that the street style blogs I am following are far enough for me to get the informations I need. And when I say informations (or inspiration it's up to you to choose the word) it really is the case because who those photographers are kidding with ? I can't afford a damn thing I am seeing on their pictures ! Or some want to make us believe so by proposing us to buy similar clothes at a cheaper price, in brief to be a cheaper version of the so called fashion icons created by the phenomenon that is street style photography (side note: I just don't want to be a cheaper version of someone. By the way the idea of writing something about these "get the look" articles in magazines is in a corner of my mind since some time now).
But let's not digress and go to the point. What I am seeking for in street style right now is exactly the "street" and the "style" this photographic genre is missing today. It is missing it so much that I am feeling that fashion is killing the genre it gave birth to (or is it the contrary ? again it's up to you to choose). I believed so (and still believe it) until I saw these pictures by Lougè Delcy, the blogger behind DapperLou.com :
If it wasn't for Lougè I would have believed that street style photography only encompassed the surroundings of the fashion shows. Seriously aren't those pictures also belonging to street style photography ? Literally aren't they showing people dressed with style in a street ? Because this is what this photographic genre is about.
These pictures are part of a serie Lougè did during the festival Dance Africa 2013. Like the name of this manifestation tells dance and Africa are the main subjects which means that it is about the culture of this continent and if I am not mistaking clothing, fashion is definitely a part of it. When the first picture appeared in my Bloglovin' newsfeed I was totally enticed by it. I found it moving literally and figuratively. I could picture her movements and imagine how intense this dance was both for her and the audience watching her. I believe I was able to feel this way because not only this photograph has no flaw but Lougè manage to focus on the most important part without making it appear blurry. Wondering about the interesting element ? Well, if you thought it was the dancer it is not ! My opinion is that the protagonist of this photograph is the skirt. The skirt is the element expressing the most the movement in this picture hence the focusing on it, but that's not all. Concentrating on this piece of clothing my eye couldn't help but to associate it with the rest of her attire. So obviously, fahsion, her style finally stroke my attention.As for the second picture, though we saw the back of these people, what I have in front my eye is a family going out. Mother and son are in focus whereas the father is a little bit out of focus. If he wasn't, his attire would have certainly overshadowed the child and his mother therefore the image of a family that went out to relax would have been lost. But yet, although this picture is not what you can call a fashionable picture, not noticing the pattern of the fabrics used for the shirt of the young woman and the outfit of the little boy is almost impossible because they are in total contrast with the all white and almost princely attire of the father. See, again it is not about the garments but still you can't help but seeing them.No, Mr.Blanks street style photography does not only create monsters, sometimes it just shows humans. While a few months ago I agreed (partially) with what he was saying in the video "Take my picture" by Garage Magazine, I can't help but think that we are actually reducing this photographic genre confining its photographer to be a new kind of paparazzi. The video was also only focusing on one moment : the fashion week. Hopefully fashion does not only exist during two months a year, hopefully it also shows in the forms you saw in these two pictures. I know I sound quite contradictory with the beginning of this post but when I see the kind of photographs that Lougè shot, I definitely believe that street style photography has a long way to go.What's your opinion on the matter ? What do you see in those two pictures ?
