Brooklyn is home to some of the most stylish people in the world, easy. And it’s where I discovered and honed my own style aesthetic. Back in 2009, when I first moved to New York City from Atlanta, all of my money went to thrifting and I was a serious vintage shopper, which the borough offered some of the best. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a retail store or a designer shop. I couldn’t afford that shit anyway. In Brooklyn, there’s always a sense of freedom and rebellious style that its denizens reflect in their everyday attire. The People’s Ball, a gathering of Brooklynites in their finest garments, was meant to celebrate this diverse yet borough-specific instinct, and its inaugural edition at the Brooklyn Public Library did exactly what it set out to do. According to László Jakab Orsós, VP of Arts and Culture at the institution, over 3,000 people of various ages showed up to party. It was a genuine egalitarian night of letting Brooklynites walk a catwalk, flexing the kind of individualism and personal flair that keeps fashion vital. This is how it should be.
