In Defense of a Smile

(This post was inspired by being stopped on Friday by a street-style photographer asking to take a picture of me.)

I like to smile. I like to laugh even more than I like to smile.

I’ve noticed that smiles don’t come easy in fashion. Front-rowers at the shows always look cool as cucumbers and as sullen as sour grapes. You’d think they were at the DMV, not a DVF show.

Flip through a magazine and try to spot a model with a wide, happy grin. Is a life spent dripping in diamonds and sporting next season’s Balenciaga really that tragic?

When I’ve been snapped by street-style photogs, I’m always told to erase my smile and look “cool” to show that I take my style “seriously”. Seriously?

I do as I’m told, but I feel like a complete jerk. Not only do I look pissed without my smile, I don’t feel authentic. And isn’t that what style is all about? Being yourself?

A smile is the best accessory out there. It goes with everything. You can dress it up or dress it down. It’s always age appropriate. Works from day to night. And best of all, it’s free.

How’s this for happy? Trying on the Saint Laurant “Motto” Jacket. I’ve found The One I’ve been searching for.

I couldn’t wait to see how Friday’s street style photo of me turned out, and I wanted to share it here since the experience inspired this post. I emailed the photographer asking him if he’d Instagrammed it or could send me the image.

Nothing. Crickets. I apparently didn’t take my street style seriously enough to make the cut, and my smile didn’t make him smile. And so as I type this last sentence, I am not smiling at all.

Psyche! I’m smiling anyway.

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