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Earlier this year in Milan, Scott Schuman came across an older woman talking to a waiter. Her dress was striking but he was also drawn to her old-world air. After some negotiation — and translating from the waiter — she agreed to be photographed. Being from a time when photos were a much more formal affair, the woman immediately struck a pose.
"In an instant she knew how she wanted to present herself," says Schuman.
This is how Schuman works. While he does shoot runways, as a photographer he's become known for capturing the fashion and personality of random people he sees on the street.
"I am really trying to shoot it from an emotional standpoint rather than a journalistic standpoint," he says. Unlike the blogs that only cover models wearing wallet-busting clothing, many of his subjects are people viewers can relate to and emulate without mortgaging the house. "What these people have is attainable. I think people appreciate that it's not about the price."
His approach has resonated with viewers around the world: His blog, The Sartorialist, is a leading voice in fashion — particularly street fashion — with millions of hits each month. Schuman spent 15 years in marketing and sales working for some of the biggest clothing brands in the world and now spotting interesting clothes and styles has become second nature.
His photos aren't about capturing a particular brand or focusing on one item of clothing. Instead the photos are mini-essays that work to combine the character of the person, the styling of the clothes and the environment in which they are worn.
"Hopefully people are not getting caught up on whether someone has Gucci shoes because I don't," he says.
Many of the people Schuman photographs are graceful and stylish. But traditional good looks are not always what he's drawn to.
"Some of the people I photograph are not typically beautiful, but they are captivating," he says. "They’re like the ugly rockstars that still get the girls because they are alluring."
Scanning through his blog, it's filled with good-looking people but there are plenty of surprises. While each photo is about style, the subject's posture and character are ultimately what made the photo interesting.
"In the end who cares about the dress," he says. "The dress is cute but the dress combined with the sense of self is what I think is charming."
Schuman's eye is anthropological. The photos show an awareness of themselves as a historical and cultural record. He purposely poses people on the street so that you get surrounding elements in the background. He hopes that decades from now, the clothes combined with those little context clues, like cars, will help inform viewers about what life was like at the moment the photo was taken.
"When you look at [German portrait photographer] August Sander’s photos he was not shooting fashion images, he was documenting Germany at that time," he says. "But a hundred years later you can't help but look at the fashion element; there is a fashion element you can't escape."
In addition to the blog Schuman also has two books. One, simply called The Sartorialist, is already out and the second, called The Sartorialist: Closer, is set to ship at the end of August. Both books serve as thoughtful curations of Schuman's work, but the second book branches out and goes to places that are not typically on the well-trodden fashion map – such as Las Vegas and Rajasthan, India.
All Photos: Scott Schuman
