Walking along the sidewalk of Mercer Street, I observed the iconic cobblestone of SOHO and thought to myself, “how on earth could someone wearing heels walk on these roads without breaking their ankles?”. I then laughed to myself as I realized that I’m an adult, living independently in the most intimidating city in the world; adults don’t have such preposterous thoughts! And, additionally, true New Yorkers can travel anywhere in heels.

After living in Manhattan for over a month, I’ve come to realize that each neighborhood tends to have its own signature style. For example, where I live in the Upper East Side, it’s common to find wealthy men and women sporting designer brands (and a miniature puppy on their hip), whereas Brooklyn, for example, has more of hipster/thrifty feel to it. Considering all neighborhoods in Manhattan, I concluded that SOHO has the perfect mixture of all styles imaginable: high-class, hipster, sporty, grunge, bohemian… you name it! And, with NYU in the neighborhood, SOHO is known for its young crowd of trendsetters fresh to the fashion industry.

I hopped on the 6 train towards the Canal Street Station on a quiet thursday morning. The goal in mind was to capture true authenticity of everyday street style in the SOHO area, so I refrained from visiting the neighborhood on a weekend when people would naturally dress up more than the usual. Immediately after exiting the subway station, I was swarmed by vendors on the street attempting to sell me what appeared to be knock-off designer handbags and such. Initially, I wondered what the big deal was about a Louis Vuitton wallet and why products like these were so desired. Then, I remembered that’s what I was in SOHO to uncover.

When I had told my roommate, Giselle, about my written story pitch, she introduced me to her cousin, Shelby Heard, who’s a young sales representative for Gooten. Her position within the company is to promote startup fashion brands to help get companies on their feet. Shelby has lived in SOHO for over two years now and is very aware of the fashion scene in the area; thus, Giselle knew she’d be a great contact for me. Because of Shelby’s tight schedule, I set up an over the phone interview with her that Thursday morning. I decided I wanted to at least be in SOHO while conducting the interview, so I planned on calling her from my favorite French eatery in the area, Le Pain Quotidien.

While making my way to the restaurant, I passed so many noteworthy and intriguing markets, pop-up shops and stores; I found it difficult to refrain from going inside, as I was pressed for time and wanted to get comfortably settled with my coffee, croissant and notebook before the phone call at 11:00am. I passed so many fashionable people with their chins held high, headphones in and runway strut down to a tee. It was hard not to feel insecure about my own outfit of the day.

The interview with Shelby went far beyond my expectations. We discussed everything from her current favorite fashion trends, how fast trends are able to come and go, recycling old trends, etc. One of my favorite things Heard shared with me is that she felt like “…we’ve spent the last decade playing it safe- and this year is like, ‘forget that’”. She went on to say that she expects us to see less black this winter and more color, even colors we’d consider “summery” or “80’s dated” as she described… Colors such as neon greens, warm yellows and vibrant magentas.

While vigorously jotting down notes, I recalled my encounter with those men who tried to sell me faux designer merchandise. I asked Shelby about her opinion on these types of brands and her analysis on why they’re so sought-after. Her response really struck me: “Designer clothing, especially a good good piece of designer clothing, is a representation of that time. And that time will never ever happen again. That’s what’s so beautiful about fashion- it’s a way to capture a feeling or a look”. Heard then went on to describe how even revived trends from the 70’s or the 80’s will always have a modern flare to them, making them unique to the present. “That’s why fashion can influence so much,” she told me. “It’s not just a painting on a wall… It’s a vehicle that people express themselves with to make a point and leave their mark.”

Suddenly, everything clicked. I developed such a clear understanding of the fashion world, how trends develop and why someone would ever pay thousands of dollars for a pair of linen pants. I took one last sip of coffee, thanked Shelby Heard with much gratitude for her time and help, and hung up the phone. I packed my things and head out the door towards the subway station. However, this time, I had my headphones in with my chin held high. I still have to work on my runway strut, though.