The Story Behind The Style - Harlem
I had been in Harlem for a few hours and just hadn't found anything to shoot. I finally gave up and decided to head back to Soho. After walking a few blocks down Madison Ave ,around 120th street, I see this gentleman - I literally stop in my tracks. I introduce myself and ask to photograph him. He says yes in a voice that sounds exactly like Ray Charles speaking voice. As I'm shooting he is telling me proudly about his community work and an upcoming Harlem bike race he is helping to organize. As I finish shooting I ask him about the suit he is wearing. I guess I was expecting to hear something about how he bought the suit back in the 70's and has been wearing it every Sunday since then. That is definitely not the story I got.
"I got this suit in 1990, I was dealing drugs then and one of the girls I sold drugs to threw this suit at me as payment. She would usually steal $20 or $30 bucks and give me that but this time she just threw this suit at me"
I can't make this stuff up, I can only hope to remember it until I can write it down. His story was not hard to remember.
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Mike Carreiro said ... (2:58 AM) :
post a commentHe looked dandy! One of the most well-dressed seniors I've seen... The shoes are really unique. I'm really digging the straw hat.
Those shoes are unreal - is that white out, or polish?
Amazing story, before long they'll make a film out of your blog!
Great story. Great photos!
smooth style....thats really all there is to say.
not only does he look like a gent , but the truth of his life makes the suit that much better... and he's more legit than many other "frauds" in suits
carpe diem shoes? gotta keep the pimp hand strong!
He's absolutely dashing. The story and photo prove that proper dressing is less about pricey labels and such, and more about self-esteem. I was struck not by the suit, which is nonetheless lovely on him, but by that amazing face and the inherent dignity in his posture. Simply amazing.
And bravo to The Sartorialist for his excellent eye and robust skills as a photographer. Not enough has been said about the routinely excellent and sumptuous photographs on display here.
ps could the hem of those pants be any more perfect????
wow...people never fail to surprise you.
The hem on the pants are insane.
And it looks like white shoe polish on the shoes.
Now I am wondering how the drug addict girl who used it as payment got the suit to begin with!
-AthenaNY
please, i just wanna know what you mean by "carpe diem shoes". English is my third language, that's why, even though i know the carpe diem "style" in poems, is it just to say that its old yet nice style of shows, just wondering
What a great story. And he where's the suit well.
shocking that there were no other gems in harlem but this makes up for it - 10 folk. ah, if only I could decide which is more memorable, the story or the shoes. the suit and the hat are smooth for days on end...
Very dapper. Love the story!
WOW!! i wasn't expecting that, either.
what a cool man - great suit, it sits so well on him! he looks proud in it!
that white polish is caked on isnt it??!!
this is the best post i've read so far on this blog.
love the shoes...
It definitely looks like a pair of brown shoes that have been turned into two-tones at home with white-out. I don't think regular white polish cakes on that thick. Great look, though. That hat is a freak.
KING OF HARLEM!
like him a lot!
Pharm techs in Walgreens don't dress this well, so I'm guessing this guy is a rep for Pfizer. What a marvellous story. I didn't know Medicaid allowed a barter option.
The things you learn on the net these days, and on a fashion blog, no less.
I dig the do-it-yourself shoes.
WOW! Another great pic. I completely agree with anonymous_1:12: It's all about the carriage of the man.
He looks pretty sharp, but I still can't enjoy that knowing that he is wearing a stolen suit which he got by wrecking people's lives. What a shame.
Elegant outfit, funky story; very Harlem.
I sure like the suit. Harlem is a long history of style, it is the way we dressed that made or broke our spirits often.Where he made his living not so nice,but many things we did was not. The clothing thing is not a surprise to us who lived in the Harlem world of things.The story behind the style a nice touch.
this is by far your best story. i miss your trips to harlem and brooklyn.
Harlem man dressing to kill, cleaner then the board of health; Harlem man with his James Brown kind of taylored look a dream lover kind of looking guy. He dressed his ass off and made style a fashion, Harlem man isn't he fly as sharp as a razor blade's edge.
Harlem is a setting of, and for many delights sure enough clothing is a plus in the sight of the beholder of styles and grace and in that man of Harlem dressed up look you captured it the Bird, The Cat, the Flash at one of its best.
i really hope his story about the suit is true.
all you people who are shocked about this pleasant old grandfather selling drugs need to wake up and snap out of your sheltered lives..this is reality for people without money having grown up in a culture and neighborhood where it like candy
Is this the only guy in Harlem you could find on that day? This is the kind of character that "amuses" the people from foreign lands that come to visit us uptown. What about the Harlem natives who are the investment bankers, lawyers,executives, etc. who are "clean" as a mofo every day? I sit on the bus every day
on my way to work, and see the look of shock on the people who get on the bus further downtown. Yeah, baby, that's Purple Label.
And it didn't fall off a truck.
this story just made my day!
it is amazing!
during wonderful days i go to my office (the brewery) out of city through wonderful chestnuts streets, and for next 8-9h. sit here at the promo zone.
your shots are my sunny window into the world!
with love from kiev,
anya
Super stylish. I wonder if the whiteout is covering up a miss spelled word.