SARTORIALLY SPEAKING

Kinvara Balfour in a Peter Pilotto for Target dress moderating a conversation with Scott Schuman, "The Sartorialist," in JCrew and Gap

A black and white video medley of 25 men at a dinner party in Florence is the opening act for Scott Schuman Thursday evening as part of Apple's Fashion in Conversation series. Photographers, videographers and fans of fashion (including one Garance Doré) pile onto the second floor of Soho's Apple Store to get a gander of the celebrated shutterbug. Sporting a Peter Pilotto for Target dress (ahead of the collection launch Sunday, Feb. 9th), fashion maven Kinvara Balfour candidly converses with the Sartorialist about his life + views and their influence on his photography. 

Before the fun begins-- stage right at the Apple Store, Soho with a picture + Bio of Scott Schuman on the big screen

Fashion is fickle, and its comings and goings are salubriously memorialized by the blossoming consortium of street style photographers. As a pioneer of both street style photography and fashion blogging, Schuman reminisces about growing up in Indiana and dabbling in fashion production before moving towards fashion photography. While schooled in the art of tailoring, Schuman confesses that he wasn't great at creating fashion--his ideas weren't "new." As a stay-at-home dad, Schuman started shooting people on the street with the intent on framing not only the fashionable, but the curiously clothed and naturally poignant. Though the majority of his photographs are created with a Canon 5D Mark III, the Satorialist admits to using his cell phone from time to time. 

Candid conversations

Schuman's blog serves as a conversation starter to address both the stylistic and social aspects of his photography and subjects. His line of work extends beyond borders to exotic locales where he seeks out the most interesting--though perhaps not the most well-dressed--of subjects. When asked whether one of the two main themes of his blog--the diversity in fashion or likeness of humanity--wins out, Schuman responds that he doesn't shoot with forethought, but mainly what catches his eye at the moment. On the highly acclaimed collaboration with Burberry, Schuman praises the brand for allowing creative freedom throughout the project. And so, Day 1 of fashion week NYC is complete… with a show of fashion, but without the drama and theatrics of a fashion show... 

Schuman's photography provides a new perspective for viewing the world