By Derrick Warren, News Staff
Boston may not be known for fashion just yet, but photographers Krista Casey and Dave Kavaler are devising a plan that will put the city on the map for an exposure in the world of fashion that is long overdue.
The Northeastern alumni, who met in the university photography program, have created Boston Street Style, a blog capturing Boston’s best dressed. The blog, launched in May, has been showcasing the fashionistas/os of Boston who have combated GQ magazine’s 2011 title of “worst dressed.”
“Boston gets a bad rep for fashion,” Casey explained. “And because of that, it pushes fashion to New York where all the people who are interested in fashion run there, and then it’s a bad cycle.”
Casey thought Boston needed someone to nourish fashion; so when the duo had some free time between their day jobs as graphic designers, they started to think of a way to incorporate Casey’s love for fashion and Kavaler’s love for street photography into something unified. Casey, who works at Wayfair, an ecommerce company and Kavaler who is self employed, used their differences to help Boston Street Style evolve into the blog it is today.
On their website, (www.bostonstreetstyle.com), visitors will find pictures of trend-setters from around the city who are taking fashion to new heights. Under each picture is a short description of the person’s style, favorite clothing store in Boston, where they were spotted and their occupation. Some of those featured on the blog are students from colleges in the Boston area, whom Casey and Kavaler believe show off some daring looks.
“Boston students are doing cool stuff, but there’s never anyone giving exposure to the people who are really trying, and being innovative with their fashion,” Kavaler said.
While Boston may be one of the only major cities not to have a spot on Refinery 29, a blog that provides access to current fashion and beauty trends, both Casey and Kavaler are working hard to see that change. They continue to be inspired by similar sites such as The Sartorialist, on which a well-known and respected fashion blogger, Scott Schuman, takes the streets of New York to find people who are seen sporting the latest trends.
Casey and Kavaler aren’t only enthused by other “street-style” bloggers but are also inspired by the eclectic people who inhabit Boston. The two believe that it’s not only the outfit but the person that wears it as well that makes a great post for the blog, and while both photographers aren’t necessarily looking for anything in particular when they go out and shoot, they find it important to balance each other so that the focus is on the individual.
“You can have an amazing outfit, but it’s also the photo that makes the outfit look good,” Kavaler said.
Most recently, Casey and Kavaler were spotted at Boston’s Fashion’s Night Out. Their website usually posts one photo a day, however in honor of the event, the site featured a three-day series highlighting five memorable looks. The photographs did more than justify the glamorous event as a successful one, but they also helped to prove that Boston has what it takes to compete in the fashion world.
There seems to be something getting in the way of extraordinary style being promoted in this city, and Casey and Kavaler both believe that it’s up to them to inspire people to show off their unique character through what they wear. Their dream is that more Bostonians will become braver in what type of clothing style they embrace.
In the future, the Boston Street Style team would love to do editorial pieces. But for now, the focus remains solely focusing on assembling visually pleasing homage to trendy Bostonians sprinkled throughout a city where fashion is not top priority.
“We just want to do more of this, and let others know that Boston does have fashion,” Casey said.
