Photo by Jeanne RiceYou can buy Mossimo at Target and genuine Prada skirts on eBay at 3 a.m., but there's a reason we still shop in person.
It's the difference between buying Levi's at Wal-Mart and finding a pair of stovepipe jeans with a 10-year wash that fit like tailored. It's because lingerie—boxers, even—is a personal decision only you can make, but it's nice to have help from someone who knows what they're talking about. It's because sometimes wearing your cultural history on your sleeve or around your waist isn't phony or ostentatious. It tells people who you really are.
In this year's Fashion Issue, we explore local stores, clothing lines and designers who don't hide you under a lot of ribbon, neon, stonewashing or mere cloth. Their offerings accentuate the real you—the person you should have in mind every time you buy a shirt, a skirt or a $2,000 toe ring. (Women spend $2,000 on a toe ring? Rebecca Schoenkopf finds, actually, they don't.)
You have to get dressed in the morning, unless maybe you're Gavin McInnes. And sometimes people will see what you're wearing before they see you—which is not always a bad thing. It just means you'd better look the part.
