What the Real World Wears: THE INAUGURAL POST: LABOR DAY AT THE BALLARD LOCKS

This blog is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I like fashion, I like nice clothes, I like perfume and make-up, and I like to get dressed up from time to time. I also like to look at fashion online, but often get frustrated because the designer shows include so many things that range from over-the-top Halloween costumes to dowdy garments that look like a badly botched project from an elementary school sewing class. Even if the clothing looks wearable, the cost would likely be prohibitive (or a foolish extravagance) for anyone who’s not in the wealthiest one percent.

The “street style blogs” often concentrate on showing models, fashion editors, celebrities (and wannabe versions of all of the above) hanging around outside the fashion shows, hoping to have their photos taken. Others show only those people who are sporting the latest designer styles, along with a list of the expensive brands they’re wearing. As far as I know, there’s no style blog that also reports on the fragrances that the people in the photos are wearing.

My goal in this blog is to provide a realistic look at what people on the streets of an ordinary US city wear in everyday life, without promoting any brand of clothing. To do this, I originally set out to photograph the first 10 people I encountered, but that turned out to be somewhat unrealistic. I was surprised to find that many people are adamant about refusing to be photographed. Some seem to be afraid that they won’t “look good”, others seem frightened that they will be stalked, made fun of by their friends or relatives, or they suffer from some other unnamed fear. Some people simply don’t understand what a blog is. Other people seem to think that I want to sell them something, and that when they sign the photo release form they will be bombarded with spam. Others see my clipboard (for photo releases) and think I’m trying to get them to sign a petition.

The unexpected bottom line is that the people who appear in the blog are a self-selected, somewhat non-representative population. There’s nothing I can do about it. So far I’m finding that people who agree to be photographed are mostly females of all ages, but skewing young. The males who agree to be photographed are (so far) all young. After two forays to photograph subjects, I have to say that I’m extremely grateful to those who are willing to take 5 minutes out of their life to stand in front of the camera and tell me which fragrance(s), if any, they are wearing that day.

A heartfelt thank you to you all!!!!

The Ballard Locks is the site where boats transition from Lake Washington (fresh water) to Puget Sound (salt water). There's an elevation difference at this point, so boats are raised or lowered by the locks. The locks are not only a functional installation, they're surrounded by a gorgeous national park complete with salmon ladder. On Labor Day, September 1, there were lots of locals, tourists, and concert-goers in the park. Here are the first ones who agreed to be photographed, more than 10, a bumper crop my first time out. Enjoy!