Study in contrasting cultures

A glimpse of street fashion in the Bronx.

When asked about sartorial inspirations, the young residents of the Bronx scratch the surface of the abysmal present. They are inspired by, they say, figures like Rihanna and Kayne West.

They have little sense of history, ergo the responses lack depth.

The one guy wears "Timbs" all year round and he can't explain his choice, except in terms of a personal, whimsical choice. Sounds more comical than anything.

A glimpse of street fashion in Long Island City, an emergent space for hipster culture. 

These guys speak of drawing inspiration from the 50s, 60s and 70s. One dude even describes the buttons on his coat as "boring," showing an eye for detail and a desire to name details.

The responses are studied; you learn more than what individuals wear; you learn a bit of history as well. 

The second culture is more memorable; the first one will disappear in no time, when the Paul Newman jacket wearing crowd will elbow out the crowd that wear "timbs" all year round and carry mismatching backpacks because "girls like it."

Things I see

I love Jason Polan's drawings in the Times' Things I Saw section.

Polan sees things ranging from the downright cute to the whimsical. He never sees anything banal or gross.

That's primarily because he restricts his viewings to the borough of Manhattan and that too the best parts of Manhattan, where you are not only most likely to see pretty people, but also their pretty geegaws.

I imagine a drying up of Polan's inspiration were he to stroll the sidewalks and streets of the Bronx. What would he see?

Based on my personal viewing experience, the object he is bound to stumble upon on a daily basis is this:

On a more rare occasion the above might reappear in this form:

Worthy of being drawn Mr. Polan?