occupation: editor of upcoming DIS magazine

“I think that what makes our generation kind of special or new is how we appreciate the lowest, you know, trashiest stuff and the most refined things and one is not better than the other, they are all sort of on the same level. Its just up to your interpretation and your usage.” Lauren Boyle

When I asked Lauren what happens if she goes out and doesn’t feel herself on a given day, her response was, “Maybe I should try it. That could be really fun. Just go out absolutely not me at all.” So uncontrived and confident in who she is, there is no armor when exploring Lauren and her style. She is who she is, low or high end, it’s all interesting, and it makes her energy and ideas so fresh in the most explosive yet natural way. For example, she makes “conservatism” the epitome of cool in her mother’s matching suede ’80s Ruff Hewn ensemble and her signature Bally loafers. Everything she wears is about an idea or a feeling and her instincts are acute, like her McQueen suede apron/dress and black leather vintage trench, which are both archetypal and elemental in shape and design. Lauren is a connoisseur and collector of fashion magazines, particularly the older originals and pioneers. She is soon to launch her own “pseudo-fashion magazine” called DIS. Lauren’s too much of an observer not to be a leader and express her own vision and it’s in keeping with her comfort in being a “real outsider” as opposed to the “accepted outsider.” I have a feeling it will be groundbreaking in terms of what is happening in print right now, but in the most unpretentious way.

To learn more about Lauren, click on the detailed captions page.

If you like Lauren, you might also enjoy Fatima Al-Qadiri, Lucy Carr-Ellison, Sarah Hamilton, or Bradley Smith.

occupation: Editor-in-Chief of the Look On-Line, freelance fashion editor, consultant, and personal shopper

“I literally embody the quote, “Once a fashion editor, always a fashion editor.” Marilyn Kirschner

Mixing everything up, high with low, sporty with couture, masculine with feminine, old with new, might seem like something new and innovative on the pages of magazines and blogs, but veteran fashion editors, like Marilyn, were the creators. She was a Senior Editor at Harper’s Bazaar for many years and has been chronicled by the first street fashion guru Bill Cunningham of the New York Times for being such an original. Marilyn is undaunted by creating the unexpected and feels that too many people are scared to make mistakes, ending up dull and forgettable. She agrees with fashion icon Diana Vreeland, that “bad taste is better than no taste”. Some of Marilyn’s brainstorms are wearing army jackets with vintage Pucci, white jeans in winter, piles of gold chains together (ALL at the same time, from her mom’s antique coins to Forever 21 brand), attempting to look good when it rains, (thus her voluminous collection of the chicest rain boots) buying one of-a-kind except for basics, and owning lots of coats (they are important because you can put them over anything and “1,2,3, you’re dressed”). Her adreneline rush over everything from the amazingness of original Pucci to her white rubber Hunter boots with her camel coat is infectious. But what I love most is how on her cherished daily run on the Esplanade in Battery Park City, she will make only one concession to her usually pulled together wardrobe by wearing sneakers – she doesn’t even change out of her jeans. Her husband says, “you don’t look like you’re going running.” Her response: “What’s the difference?”

I found it very poignant to the point of moving when asked who she liked on this site the most, not so much for who she chose, but for the passion and attention with which she gave to each person. She said, “There are so many who have fascinated me and for different reasons, but among the more recent standouts: the chic and highly original dandy John Wellington-Simon, Ebeneezer Nii-Sowah because I’m a purist and classicist at heart, Tay Trong because of his inherent creativity, the mother daughter team of Frederique and Scyler van der Wal because they are the essence of natural beauty and unforced chic, Magda Berliner because of her eclectic and creative approach to style, Barbara Louis because she proves that style has no expiration date, and Koos van den Akker, because one of my all time favorite possessions is a coat of his that I bought at a vintage show and it turns heads no matter when or where I wear it.” Marilyn claims she is a frustrated artist, but to me she is an accomplished one.

occupation: Editor of Avant Magazine and the Production Design Coordinator of Suno

Bradley shops in the plus size section of thrifts shops and he prefers to thrift near retirement homes. When we went to film him he was staying with a friend and his clothes were in a pile on the floor. Bradley spun like magic from the mass of the best of “old lady” a display of cheap and chic extraordinaire. From the scarf as spat, to the “gramps” baggy pants pulled up over the knee as jodphur, he is anything but derivative. Bradley comes from Missouri where his peers felt that Abercrombie was the closest thing to originality. In an effort to find authenticity, he has become an archetype for stylish classicism that is completely rare.