The other day I was sitting on the bus early in the morning, my eyes and thoughts drifting as usual, when my gaze stopped on a woman sitting opposite me. I am not sure why my gaze stopped there because she did not stand out in a way that she was immediately noticeable.
Then I started looking slowly and she made my day. In fact I will remember her forever, as I mentioned before in this article about strangers you remember forever.
With her permission I took a photograph. She is, quite simply, the most stylish person I have ever seen.
What attracted me first was her super-cool sunglasses. The style and colour were perfect. Then I noticed the colour of her jumper. And then slowly I started noticing all the small details.
The leopard print scrunchie holding up the long part of her supercool sidecut is echoed in her leopard print scarf. The colour of the leopard print scarf is picked up in her leggings. The leather on her leggings is picked up in her shirt. Her cool mustardy yellow sweater has roses knitted into the front, picked up in the colour and roses on her bag. Her shoes are a similar colour to the roses on her bag and are echoed in her lipstick. She had pinned up the sleeves of her shirt.
All of this felt completely natural, not studied or ‘matchy matchy’ as you see with people who try to hard and do not have ‘it’. She had the same colours but different textures, the same pattern but different colours. I did not ask but I imagined she worked as a stylist/art teacher/photographer/in a cool vintage shop.
She will really stay with me in a way that only one or two super-stylish people have ever managed to do.