Borderlinemag.com Global Street Style

Erin: Brooklyn, NY

Avery Powell

Jewelry designer Erin packed up her San Franciscan's gypsy/mod aesthetic into one of her many vintage suitcases and transplanted it to NYC, where east coast-y influences like Vaudeville have inevitably crept in to expand her Technicolor-worthy personal style. A habit of surrounding herself with clothing and objets of a vintage nature rounds out her world into a timeless haven straight from the celluloid archives of old Hollywood.

Sean: New York, NY

An expatriated Clevelander turned Alphabet City long-hair, 21-year-old Sean lives in an aptly downtown look that's more modern-day beatnik than hipster. The difference is evident in wardrobe details like striped fisherman sweaters and rolled-up cigarette jeans, not to mention Sean's professed love of jazz records in the morning and the 21st-century beatnik outpost A.P.C. At Borderline, we most certainly like the beat of his drum...

Stefanie: Los Angeles, California

Esteemed personal style blogger Stefanie (of extra skinny fame) works wonders with a neutral palette, perhaps partly explaining the graphic effect of her trend-transcendent look. She also wields mighty DIY power, as evidenced by the perfectly paneled leather skirt in look #3 of this editorial. Above all, her awareness of the details that keep a simple garment from being boring explains why the blogosphere finds this Los Angelean so inspiring.

Amy: Brooklyn, NY

An actor, singer, occasional visual artist, and personal style blogger of the first order, Amy's extroverted persona finds harmony in her love of bold color and strikingly stand-alone separates. Fashion role-hopping through a list of pop culture beauties as diverse as Bridgette Bardot and Diane Keaton circa Annie Hall, but always with a ruby lip and a sideways smile, her sartorial virtuosity suggests she's quite the star on stage as well.

Randal: Harlem, NY

Born and raised in Alabama, inspired by time in Europe, and currently painting a well-heeled swathe of style across Harlem, Randal embodies the true fashion eccentrics of yesteryear. With a wardrobe full of clever references and a self-proclaimed knowledge of "the power of being done," this dapper gent mixes a potent cocktail of personal style that leaves us feeling heady.

Bronwen & Kate: Brooklyn, NY

Nick Whitehouse

Despite far-flung upbringings (with youths spent, variously, in Belgium, London, Singapore, and Paris), Kate and Bronwen now fit into their Brooklyn friendship like two words that rhyme. Finding shared inspiration in literary characters from Hemingway's Matadors to the archetypal Femme Fatal, each embodies a distinct personal style heavy on the vintage and peppered throughout with one-of-a-kind prints. Both achieve a look balancing masculine strength with romantic ideals: the epitome of Borderline style.

Lights: Brooklyn, NY

Lights, a rambunctious group of rock n' rollers named Andy, Linnea, Sophia and Wizard Smoke, teeter on the stylish edge between devilishly lux and delightfully shabby. Citing fashion inspirations as obliquely charming as The Fabulous Stains, Mad Max, Barry Lyndon, and Vikings, these four decidedly un-hipsterish bandmates prove that taking yourself too seriously is not a prerequisite to rocking out. Also: Top Hats. Need we say more?

Jennifer: Brooklyn, NY

Growing up in a richly historic small town that developed around the single industry of factory glassmaking, Jennifer's aesthetic draws inspiration from the suburban working-class of the 60s and 70s. It flows logically, therefore, that her personal style encompasses a juxtaposition of functional durability with feminine softness. The result is a unique anti-styled look that can be buttoned up or let loose depending on the mood that strikes.

Stephanie: San Francisco, California

Though her college major remains undeclared, Stephanie has no trouble deciding what to wear in the morning. Drawn to the seemingly disparate inspirations of Harajuku subculture and Native American artistry, this ginger-locked California girl pulls off a color rich style full of playful allusions to San Francisco's bohemian past. Her casual but fashion forward mode of dressing should be a lesson to all the sweatpant-wearing coeds on campuses across the land.

Devon: Brooklyn, NY

Carrie Blaydes

Native Brooklynite Devon cuts a scene-stealing path through the city streets, mixing designer and vintage pieces with intelligent nonchalance and a heavy dose of artfully melanged accessories. Evoking Madonna's earliest (most stylish) days of fame, her signature look pulls off both youthful attitude and sophistication beyond her years. Her aspirations of fashion design are not the least bit surprising for one with such natural sartorial abilities. Success will surely be a cinch for this material girl.

Aurora: Los Angeles, California

Though friends only through the interweb's alchemic lens, Argentinean illustrator Ana Laura Perez managed to perfectly capture the magically feminine style of graphic designer Aurora's private world. Each dreamily rendered drawing reflects the delicate eclecticism of Aurora's flea-market collections and medieval long-locked beauty. Their collaboration offers up a modern visual fairy tale for devotees of femme fashion.

Benjamin: Mexico City, Mexico

Hatnim Lee

High school student Benjamin prefers indifference to inspiration when it comes to his fashion choices - indifference to other's opinions but not to his own offbeat-but-dapper image in the mirror. A fascination with 19th and early 20th century attire translates into his playful ability to pair unlikely pieces in innovative ways for a subtle nod to the well dressed days of yore.

Michelle: Vancouver, Canada

Jon Meade

Roving among the style capitals of New York, London and Vancouver during the course of a varied editorial career, Michelle brings the same decisive ability to curating her wardrobe that she does to cutting text. Her enviable shoe collection provides expert punctuation to a color-rich sea of vintage and designer showpieces, ensuring a pulled-together entrance no matter where her travels take her.

Kate: Wroclaw, Poland

Vintage clothing devotee Kate finds that her love for art deco and minimalist art influences has led to a "less is more" approach to fashion. Seeking inspiration in polish films and magazines from the 60's and 70's, she has developed an eye for bold color in simple silhouettes. Wroclaw residents will rejoice next year when she opens a shop to capitalize on her thrift-shopping prowess...

Hadas: Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv native Hadas, the drummer in Israeli girl band "Strawberry Jam," can spread her colorful style on our toast any time. Mixing basics (she works for American Apparel) with vintage pieces, she creates a casual look that nods to 90's grunge with a decidedly feminine edge. Think Samantha Mathis in 'Pump Up the Volume' with an added touch of white-hot attitude...

Saga: Reykjavik, Iceland

Saga

One of Borderline's favorite street-style sisters (she's half the Icelandic-maiden duo behind Reykjavik Looks ), Saga's fashion photography aspirations promise to be the style world's gain. A talent for vintage hunting and a taste for all things colorful and femme fuels her distinctly lipstick-friendly aesthetic...meanwhile giving us all ideas about the possibilities of dashing pink.

Carrie & Nick: Brooklyn, NY

Forging a fashionable friendship during their Kentucky youth. Carrie & Nick soon discovered a shared aesthetic and obsession with style. Reunited in New York, a casual conversation about their twinned fantasy of an online street fashion magazine led to a magical collaboration...and borderline mag was born. Pro-vintage, anti-frou-frou, and entirely their own, the borderline lens reflects their vision of a fashion-forward world. Illustrations by Robin Mapes of WandaBeast.

Sean: Brooklyn, NY

Nick Whitehouse

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Sean infuses his well-edited wardrobe with the same balance of nostalgic nods and contemporary curation that forms the warm blood animating his bleeding-heart ballads. A bit like the dashingly dapper old men gracing springtime stoops all over New York, Sean's frugal and unassumingly (yet unmistakably) handsome approach to dressing leaves Borderline with a song in our heart and a hankering for cocktails in the afternoon.

Amelia: Louisville, KY

Carrie Blaydes

Continuous thrifting to fuel her business as a vintage clothing dealer has left Amelia with quite the enviable trove of her own. Fully equipped to evoke any 20th-century decade at a moment's inspiration, her every ensemble leaves us daydreaming for more. One thing is certain: her heavy-lidded ingenue appeal is perfectly timeless.

Caspar: London, England

A contemporary dandy in the irresistible Herr von Eden school of natty men's attire, model and aspiring designer Caspar has cultivated a distinctly timeless personal style that screams 40s chic like a beacon of light among the sneaker-clad masses. Borderline hopes the masculine gender will take the hint and learn the word 'tailor' once and for all.

Ai: Brooklyn, NY

Already cutting her teeth as a denim designer for Ralph Lauren, Ai hopes to soon remove her training wheels by launching a signature line for men and women. Inspired by the wicked-cool likes of rocker Siouxsie Sioux, her look straddles a mystical intersection where 70s bohemia meets 90s grunge. Borderline finds the witchy chic result to be a perfect fit for this gamine girl.

Anahita: Dublin, Ireland

Favoring clean lines in both her artwork and her fashion silhouettes, Iranian-born Dubliner Anahita sticks to unexpected pairings of texture and color to develop each outfit's mood. Adept at picking her mixed-media pleasure in the studio, this Irish lass can equally-well navigate a palette of stand-by boots, retro pieces, and spontaneous details. Cheers to Dublin!

Wyatt: New York, New York/Paris, France

In his current incarnation as a fashion design student, it is Wyatt's occupational prerogative to turn a finely-tuned antenna toward style. Drawing inspiration from pop-culture milestones of his generation's collective memory like Dark Crystal and Logan's Run, his aesthetic pairs timelessness with unbridled youth, and we thank him for it. In borderline's estimation, this designer upstart is poised to deliver the goods.

CELIA: BROOKLYN, NY

Carrie Blaydes

Working with clients of the top-notch menswear line she represents has made Celia very familiar with the value of a well-tailored fit. She's chosen just the right style secrets to borrow from the boys: namely, impeccable alterations, spare accessories, and a flawless coiffure. Power dressing has never looked this easy or come across this cool.

Anjali: Brooklyn, NY

With an entrepreneurial spirit that shuffles her between projects like pizza-parlor-restaurateur, teacher-artist, afterschool program organizer, and red cross volunteer, Anjali is well practiced in the art of dressing for the occasion. Her mix of curvy vintage numbers, designer gems, and clothes of her own design (like the splatter dress shown here) makes us pretty sure this gal is going places...

Jessica: Brooklyn, NY

Jessica's oft-donned combination of Samantha Pleet clothing and jewelry from her own line, Well Revered, makes every encounter seem like today's urban version of a dark fairy tale. Her sensibilities honed as a stylist, Jessica's ability to infuse wit and femininity into her look while keeping the lines clean and the palettes simple speaks volumes about the appeal of a frou-frou-less fashion landscape.

Heather: Au Revoir Simone: Brooklyn, NY

Carrie Blaydes

Adept at mixing designer pieces with vintage finds, Heather favors chic-but-cheeky clothing that always seems to remain ten steps ahead of the trends. Playful and willing to experiment with her look or don killer heels in the name of fashion, her personal style reflects the lush but sweet aesthetic that translates perfectly in her incredible songs.

Erika: Au Revoir Simone: Brooklyn, NY

Carrie Blaydes

With an unmistakable style that is just as relaxed, unpretentious and slightly bohemian as her personality, Erika exudes a laid-back cool that even the highest-priced stylists can't fake. Mixing vintage pieces with designer denim and spare accessories (the signature bangs are all she needs), Erika's look is much like her singing voice: classic, accessible and impossible to forget.

Annie: Au Revoir Simone: Brooklyn, NY

Doug Marvin

A bit like the hot tomboy in high school that guys secretly dreamed of and girls secretly watched for fashion cues, Annie projects an inimitable style that's never trendy, over thought or over-the-top. Favoring classic pieces and boyish staples, she injects her enviably pared-down outfits with enough vintage appeal and natural chic to keep the look fresh both onstage and off.

Rebekah: Manhattan, NY

Carrie Blaydes

Mixing dyes as a glassblower gives Rebekah the keen sense of color she applies to her signature style. Color play drawing heavily on classic pairings (rarely seen in today's grey and khaki palette) takes the flattering vintage silhouettes she favors to another level. Having surrounding herself with mid-century inspiration, we found her home to be as fashion-forward as her well-turned-out ensembles.

Ryan: Brooklyn, NY

Andrew Eisberg

Shapely in the perfect bombshell mold but more inclined to classic silhouettes than look-at-me trends, Ryan never fails with vintage pieces from the 50s and 60s supplemented by carefully-chosen designer gear. Channeling a spy-movie vixen even as she strolls through the park, Ryan's sexy but conservative style evokes libraries, ponies, and Sophia Loren all at the same time.