Power + Glory {CSS x SF}

If you live in Charleston, there’s no way you haven’t seen the stunning street art sprinkled around downtown. To those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind Obey Giant, chose Charleston to debut his new body of work, Power & Glory. Fairey, a Charleston native, worked with the Halsey Institute to bring this whole project to life — and the city embraced it with open arms. To learn more about Shepard Fairey, click here — perhaps you recognize his Obama ‘Hope’ poster?? Thought so.

I mentioned in my post from the Shepard Fairey Exhibit that I collaborated with Charleston Street Style to showcase the inspiring street art pieces, and I’m so excited to finally share photos from the shoot! CSS reached out to several Charleston bloggers to combine the two art forms of street art and street style, and the shoots were killer. The combination worked so well because street art and street style are both ways to express yourself, both are constantly changing, and both make a statement. When you put them together, the result is truly harmonious. I also loved that no two bloggers’ style was exactly alike or even remotely similar (which really reflects the blogger community in Charleston), so the CSS x SF feature turned out to be super diverse and eclectic. You can check out my full interview and photo shoot on Charleston Street Style — and don’t forget to peruse the other ladies’ looks here!

For the shoot, we were asked to style two looks that reflect our personal style using black, white, and red to complement the street art. For my first look, I chose a black crop top, scalloped skater skirt, and black ankle booties. The crop top/high waisted combo is something I swear by and wear on a regular basis, so I knew this look was perfect for the shoot. My personal style is usually feminine and classic, but with an edge, which this outfit emulates really well. The all black, crop top + skater skirt look is fairly edgy, but the delicate daisies and sweet scallop provide a girlie contrast that is just so me (whether I like it or not). To accessorize, I went with round sunnies, a chain link necklace, a neon bracelet and DIY bracelet, fingers full of rings, and a red lip.

My second look is almost head-to-toe from local boutiques — something I do whenever possible and try to encourage others to do the same. I just think shopping local is so important, and it gives you a more unique wardrobe anyway! For this outfit, I went with a heart-shaped open back top, red ankle zip skinnies, and white chucks of course. To accessorize, I wore oversized cat-eye sunnies, triangle stud earrings, layered two gold pendant necklaces, rocked my Bourbon & Boweties bangles, and the same rings and lip color from the previous outfit.

Look “2.5” with the camo jacket was a spur of the moment decision, when the CSS stylist, Alden Haviland, remembered this patriotic mural tucked away in an alley on Upper King. I wasn’t even planning on wearing the jacket for either of my outfits (I actually wore it to the shoot with look 1 because it was chilly that morning!) but this stylist knows her stuff — this look needed to happen. Which outfit is your favorite?

Look 1 — Crop Top: Charlotte Russe | Skater Skirt: Asos | Booties: H&M | Sunnies: Nasty Gal | Earrings: Willy Jay’s | Necklace: Loft | Bracelets: J. Crew Factory & DIY | Rings: Stylexchange & Forever 21 | Lips: Ellis Faas from Pink Dot Beauty Bar (L403) | Nails: Essie (Lilacism)

Thanks so much to Charleston Street Style, fabulous photographer Terrence Edwards, and Shepard Fairey for making this possible!

(image source: Terrence Edwards)