Levi, Union St, Brooklyn

This guy has one of the most eclectic styles on a man I've ever seen. Snow pants and cowboy boots, sweatshirt and leather jacket, short hair and a beard... But it works. I like the proportions of this clothing, the flare of the pants and the puffiness of the sleeves. His colors are muted and play off of each other. And the T-shirt!

Yes, that does say Chabad. Yes, that is the Bat Symbol. Yes, you can have a Chabad Bat T-shirt of your very own, AND you can buy it with maaser money. Send your donation to Chabad of Nashville, c/o me.

Levi's belt and belt buckle were also cool. Worn leather and etched silver... it doesn't get better.
Until you look at his shoes:

Those are frickin' incredible. I like it when guys wear insane shoes, but ones that are worn and dirty and scuffed. They have so much more character than shiny shoes.

Goth Girl, Union Square

There are some people I meet that I have to photograph just because they look like they belong in a fairytale. In this girl's case, that would be the story of the punk goth fairy living on the streets of Manhattan. In real life, she's from somewhere rural... somewhere from the middle of America that starts with a P.

But look at this face:
Otherworldly, no?

Sarah Rifka - Crown Heights

After being gone for so long, I had to come back with something awesome. This picture of my friend has been hanging around for AGES, waiting for me to get off my metaphorical blogging couch and post it. But here it is - and ain't it great?

I loved the floral print of her dress. Not many people can pull off something that colorful and patterened, and she does it with ease. Notice the black skirt beneath it, tzniusifying the dress, a trick I have since copied many times.

Her accessories were spot on, as well.
Pilgrimesque shoes are practical and cute at the same time. They balance the feminity of the flower pattern, just like this awesome belt does:
Keeping it in the vegatative theme, this belt is fantabulous.

Shmuly, Mimulo

Shmuly is the Mimulo Man. And his personal style certainly suits the place. Suspenders? Suspenders are awesome. Also the slim fit of his clothes. Something that is all too rare in this world of Israeli, French, and other foreign nationalities of bochurim. Slim, but not tight. The color choice is also a good one. Not garish, very natural. Grey and green are great combinations. 

Adidas. I am very, very, very fond of Adidas. And check out the subtly striped pants. 

A closer look at the suspenders:

Great-Grandmother's Ring - Bunch O' Bagels

Just - lovely. I love unique, unusual pieces of jewelry that have a history. 

Yehudis, Sara, and Chaya - Bunch O' Bagels

Bsd

 I present these three young ladies, whom I spotted having lunch at Bunch O' Bagels. (If you girls read this, I really want to thank you for saying yes to my decidedly odd request. You restored my faith in humanity!)

Let's start with Yehudis:
The tartan skirt was what originally caught my eye. I don't know why, but this vaguely British pattern is not one I see often. Worn with this buttery blue jacket, the plaid is visually arresting, but not jarring. And it fits Yehudis so well.
I also really enjoyed the usage of blue. I have a thing about matching/coordinating different elements in outfits, and Yehudis did just that very well.
A closer look at her braid, and casually knotted cream scarf:

I loved the detail on this jacket - the pocket, shoulder-thingy, tight sleeves.
Her boots were also unusual. They are the ubiquitous slightly worn brown leather, but the lacing at the ankle is something I've never seen. It contributed to the (unintentional, I'm sure) woodsman reference:

Now we move on to Sara. What drew me here was the soft colors and fabrics Sara used. I covet - very, very much so - Sara's beret. It is the perfect beret. Big enough and soft.... and a wonderful color. I wasn't quite able to catch it, but she also had this lovely embroidered detail on her capped sleeves.

Last - but not least! - we have Chaya. Chaya also had a lovely coordinated element to her outfit, and coincidentally, in the same color family. A perfectly faded jean skirt (another item I covet), intriguingly patterned hoodie with that delicious faux-fur color, and lovely, lovely Wellies.

Another thing I loved about Chaya (well, all the sisters, really) was her hair. She had it piled up in a semi-beehive:

Notice the red pen anchoring the whole shebang:

And an aged-to-an-almost-purple leather bag:

Raizel, BunchO'Bagels

BsdRaizel takes the typical frum girl spring silhouette and twists it. Yes, there's the jean skirt. Yes, there's the black jacket. Yes, there's the tights and flats and sunglasses and scarf. But they all have a twist (Well, except for the skirt. But you gotta have a base to build off of, you know?). I couldn't get a good shot of her military-inspired jacket, so please, click on the above photo for a better look. 

In the meantime, let's look at lovely purple sunnies that coordinate so well with the incongruous, but intriguingly patterned scarf (New York spring weather is sooo schizophrenic!).
Continuing the purple them, we have spunky footless tights worn with pleated sand-colored flats. 

Shiny Shoes, Crown Heights

Bsd
New feature announcement: When girls in Crown Heights refuse to let me take pictures of their their full outfits, I'm going to ask if I can shoot their shoes.  (Or when the shoes are just absolutely fantastic. I love shoes. Please, check out Shoeblog.com or Robert Avrech's Friday Footwear posts, and join me in Shoe Fantasy Land). 

Anyway, these are gorgeous. Disco-ball shiny, four inch heel, perfect peep-toe. Stunning. 

Take a closer look, please. 
SIGH. 

(I need to go shoe shopping.)

Doorman, Central Park

BsdThis gentleman healed my soul from that encounter with Subway Lady. I stopped to take a picture of him, and he approached my friend and I so that I could get a better shot. Thank you, Mr. Doorman! 

I know this is a uniform, but man, it's pretty snazzy. I 'd love to see a bochur try to pull off a top hat in Crown Heights. 

Carriage Biker, Central Park

I wish I had a better shot of this gentleman. But alas, I could only get this snapshot. Some of the details I noticed are still visible though. The camel colored vest, capri-lenght pants, and faded sneakers... his color blocking - blue pants and shirt, camel shoes and vest...

I was tempted to take a ride in the carriage just to take a picture, but I had no money on me. Maybe next time, biker dude!

Rosie, Berkeley

Bsd
This is Rosie Moon Schlussel, and her daughter, in a playground by the Berkeley Marina. Both of these ladies have quite the fashion sensibility, once again proving that taste is genetic. 

Rosie's use of color combined with texture is what drew me to her. The pixelated pattern of her quilted jacket and the contrasting lined pattern of her skirt breaks up what might be an otherwise overwhelming block of color. 

She's also not afraid of wearing colors not usually worn with red - the fuschia scarf and the purple hat are bold choices, but ones that add to the boldness and spunk of this outfit. In contrast, her cowboy boots are faded and worn, contributing a more relaxed aspect.

Her daughter is wearing a beautiful princess dress, and faux-fur (it is Berkeley) jacket - to the playground. I love this child!

A closeup of her beautiful and detailed scarf:

Dassi, BunchO'Bagels

BsdThe proportions and colors of this outfit are so refreshing. The long cotton dress is something I'm looking forward to seeing more of as we leave winter behind and enter into spring (It's spring, dangit. I refuse to accept anything else.). It looks great on Dassi. Not only does it appear to be supremely comfortable, and a much cuter equivalent of the t-shirt and jeans (jean skirt) that you can just throw on and feel good in, but I love to see girls who step away from the standard tznius look. And the color is fantastic.

The buttery leather of her jacket is delicious, and contributes to the natural element in this outfit. It also ties in with these leather moccasins:
Moccasins are slippers you can wear in public - not to be confused with Crocs. (Crocs are unacceptable as realwear shoes. But moccasins are. Especially moccasins like these).
Dassi's feather necklace adds a whimsical touch.

Hat, Union St (And a Few Other Things)

It's late, I'm tired, and wonder of wonders, I have work tomorrow. But I wanted to let everyone know I have a bunch of new posts coming up in the next few days, please G-d. In the meantime, enjoy the above snapshot taken on my block. I always am struck by people wearing outfits unusual for Crown Heights. This guy's snappy straw hat is definitely that. Unfortunately, he was across the street, and I wasn't able to chase him down for a better picture. 

Speaking of chasing people down - later that day, I had a traumatic experience. Leaving the subway near Central Park, I spotted a woman wearing Doc Martens and shorts over tights. It's a great look. I followed her out the exit, and up the stairs towards daylight. "Excuse me,"  I called. She looked over her shoulder and ran, yes, ran away. She ran away from little ol' me! Shocking.

People, spread the word. 

We bloggers - even the photo-bloggers - mean no harm. 

Technical Issues

I apologize to my devoted readers for the lack of posts. I've been having some technical issues. Anyone got a USB card reader they want to lend me?

In the meantime - send me pictures, people. You all got my email. I'll post the ones I like. 

Or we could start a fashion advice column, as per a colleague of mine's suggestion. 

Nechi - Crown Heights (Again. I Know. She Dresses Awesome.)

This is one of the more interesting outfits I've seen. Interesting in a good way, not that "interesting" kind of way that really means "this is weird'. It's an outfit full of detail, color, and a little DIY aspect that I imitated myself (imitation is the purest form of flattery, after all).

I love the wine purple of her sweater. It's a stunning color on her. The navy blue trim on it is a  great contrast, and something of a nautical flair, if I'm not mistaken. Combining the classy sweater and the intriguingly patterned t-shirt is also a stroke of genius. It's a great balance of dressy and casual. 

Adorable green suede boots add a spice to the oufit, especially when worn with this DIY combination of green knit and maroon tights.

Girls wearing belts in the belt loops can be hard to find these days. Such a delicious leather belt worn with such a deliciously cute skirt, peeking out from the most delicious t-shirt I've seen in ages - priceless. 

Nechi's watch looks all bling-bling in this picture, but the links of metal fall so softly and are so shimmery, I had to immortalize them for eternity. 

P.S. H and M. 

Me - President and Troy

Bsd

I know this seems super super self-loving, but my friend took these pictures and made me promise to put them up. Now, here's the challenge: You guys write about them. Do my thing. Go for it. Enjoy. 

This is for the Guys

Gentlemen - look and learn.

Chaya - Crown Heights

Chaya is stunningly beautiful, and has heard the allegations that bochurim look at this blog in the wee hours of the morning. This is why she refused to let me photograph her face. Shame on you, creepy guys! Look at what I've been reduced to - artful posing in order to conceal her identity. But I really liked what she was wearing, and so I made the sacrifice. A lovely turquoise empire-waisted top paired with a gray denim skirt and slightly battered brown riding boots was just too delicious a combination to pass up.

Take a look at the gorgeous detail on her shirt:

The battered brown boots - leather boots look so much better worn than shiny spanking new, don't they?

Chaya kept the accessories simple - just these elegantly cool earrings. Yes, that is a peacock.