simplyfeisty

I love dance…I guess.

My earliest memory of me dancing was probably when I was about 5 years old. It`s a vague memory, all I can remember was there was a street party in my village and I was dancing to Vanilla Ice`s, “Ice, Ice Baby“. In the early 90`s I was influenced by my teen-aged cousin who mainly loves music as well. I remember opening Michael Jackson`s “Dangerous“ cd for the first time and mesmerized by the cover and enthusiastically put the song “Jam“ on repeat. MC Hammer was no stranger for me as well, Hammerman was probably one of my favorite cartoon at that time. I wasn`t shy to dance. Every time I hear these artists on the radio I would start stomping my feet on the ground, on the way to the nearest mirror. Aside to the mirror, I also remember being the center of attention in every kid`s party that I was invited to.

Now that I`m all grown up and sometimes a 24 hour day is not enough for me. I try to infuse dance in my blood every once in a while. Although I was taught how to ballroom dance at the age 12, I just always sign up for hip-hop class in my local dance studio. A part of it I guess was being accustomed to artist like Michael Jackson and a penchant for R&B, hip-hop, rap music. If you love dancing as much as I do, here are my picks for that comfortable dance outfit in the studio. I prefer something loose, airy, and fabric must be moisture wicking. It`s hip-hop after all, packed with rigorous intricate moves and you must possess a little bit of swag.

• Lululemon dance studio jacket
• Lululemon liberty crop
• Under Armour sports bra
• Forever 21 cropped tank
• Herschel heritage backpack
• Nike high-tops

Bill Cunningham New York

I was browsing through Netflix and stumbled upon this documentary about Bill Cunningham. To be honest with you, I heard about his name but I didn`t know anything about him until I`ve seen it. See, my love for street-style fashion is a working progress. I didn`t have designer clothes when growing up although, I had enough dresses to wear every Sundays for church and enough jeans and t-shirts for casual wear in the scorching hot weather of Dubai and Manila. I wasn`t fashion-forward in my teen years, but one thing I was certain about was everything I wear must be comfortable and versatile. I didn`t have 10 pairs of jeans nor do I own 6 pairs of skirts. I was very simple and often picked on by my stylish classmates. I became creative on how to make different outfits and work with what I had at that time.  

Now in my 20`s, having the experience to work as a retail manager in two major retail big box stores throughout the Greater Toronto Area, I learned firsthand how to shop practically and relate with the current trends. I`ve come across different types of people, styles, personalities and most of all creative outfits. From walking in the streets of Queen Street West, Yorkville and wandering through suburb malls, it`s interesting to witness how neighborhoods affect people`s style. I love to people watch and see what people wear on a daily basis and how their outfits represent style and function. I think this is what Bill Cunningham and I have in common, the love for the clothes itself. Don`t get me wrong, I like trends but I am more fascinated about how people come up with their outfits. Bill believes that it`s not about the celebrities and their free dresses, but it`s the clothes not the spectacle.

Born in 1929 and still actively bikes through the streets of New York. Bill relentlessly captures the art of street-style fashion for the past decades. Whether it would be Anna Wintour, Iris Apfel, or just an everyday woman trying to get to work on time, Bill proves that he photographs everyday people regardless of who they are. His archives followed the history of the city; what was going on, the trends, and predicted the upcoming styles of the next season. Although he`s known as a “photography legend“, he remains extremely humble and down to earth. His raincoat was once ripped that he taped it instead. He constantly wears a pair of khaki and a denim shirt with ton of pockets for functionality. He hates dining in lavish restaurants, he`d rather eat a $3 sandwich from the nearby corner restaurant. Regardless of his simplicity, the fashion world recognizes him as “the most important person on the earth“ as one of fashion show organizers helped him bypass through the swarm of photographers waiting outside the show. Despite of his old age, his sharp intellect and creativity shines through his photos. He doesn`t use those gigantic super lens cameras but uses a simple manual Nikon camera instead. It has film in it, it`s lightweight and besides why would he even hang a gigantic expensive camera around his neck anyways, when he doesn`t even have to try hard to get a shot. When sitting at the runway fashion shows, he prefers to take a photo on a side angle therefore; you could see the front and the back of the garment.  Bill is a not a paparazzi and not just an ordinary photographer. Fashion A-listers pose for him for a shot and most of them are delighted to be photographed by him. His weekly fashion photo spread on New York Times is a staple page of the newspaper and followed by the magazines and fashionistas. He`s been to fancy galas, but he is very selective of his array of invitations. He just goes to the one that he supports and truly believes in especially for a great cause. His colleagues deem him as a genuine person. When Women`s Wear Daily portrayed his photographs in a negative way, he was very upset and ended his relationship with them right away.  He likes to play a straight game and in New York, it`s almost impossible according to him. As one of the pioneer tenants of Carnegie Hall, he was also awarded recently as 2012`s recipient of the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence. He was chosen by a panel that includes Oscar de la Renta, Sarah Jessica Parker, and gala co-chair Diane Von Furstenberg. A very well-deserved recognition from his home, the city he deeply loves.

I felt really good and inspired after seeing this documentary. I was mesmerized by his wits and extreme passion for women in creative outfits. His great personality shines through and everyone loves him for who he is and what he does not just for the fashion world but for the New Yorkers as well . He surpassed through boundaries, captured everyone`s hearts, and especially inspired a woman like me, who just simply loves women in clothes, who represent themselves in a stylish creative form.

(photo credit: newyorktimes.com)