Culture Shock-Till-You-Drop

New York is the fashion capital of the world (hush, hush Paris and Milan). So storm the stores, or observe New Yorker’s unique sense of style, because you're in for quite a shock. 

All photographs by Brandon Stanton for Humans of New York

“Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It's movement, design and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we'd like to be. Just like your scarf suggests that you'd like to sell used cars.” – Blair Walforf

New York is the fashion capital of the world. Traveling between different ends of town; from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side, the distinction between fashion trends becomes even more apparent.

Upper East Side:

New York is home to an Upper East Side fairy-tale:  the International Debutante Ball. While the event may seem anachronistic to some, small divisions of high society continue the fashionable tradition of girls coming of age.

The International Debutante Ball is considered the most exclusive in the world, presenting “the luckiest young women in the world” according to the New York Observer, into high society. The girls trading their converse for a corsage are splashed across the tabloids on Page 6. They ski in Vermont and sunbathe in Santorini. Their names have been on Harvard’s acceptance list since birth, and when they come of age, designers like Ralph Lauren send personal sketches of gowns for them to choose from.

There’s something so illustrious at the thought of sipping Veuve Clicquot cocktails at their invitation-only after party at the Waldorf Astoria in New York— something that does not translate AT ALL into the ‘Real Teens of Ringwood’ parties I’ve been to thus far. 

Brooklyn:

On the other side of the bridge however, the typical Brooklyn-ites style is a far cry from the high society designer gowns. Overalls, leather jackets, they’re often all over street style. 

Check out my favourite culture shock-till-you drop photographs depicting regular New Yorkers on the streets.