Letter from the editor

Individuality has never been more in.

In our Fall Fashion issue, we start with a report on the season’s all-encompassing look. We’re calling it “Street Luxe.” At Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Rodarte, Fendi and elsewhere, designers have translated the beautiful chaos of street style to the runway, with luxe leathers, tie-dyed silks, gilded chains and crystal studs. The message? Anything goes, so long as you wear it with conviction.

For more ideas on how to stand out, see Ingrid Schmidt’s story about the new — and unusual — ways people are bejeweling themselves. (That’s right, ear cuffs aren’t just for teens anymore.) Or check out fall’s fierce new camo and animal print accessories. You can also find inspiration from Hollywood’s red-carpet mavericks who dare to step out in the unconventional and surprising. And discover how you can shop for a unique look at your desk, with a Haider Ackermann blazer from Brussels and a Balenciaga pencil skirt from Capri, thanks to the website FarFetch.com, which, Adam Tschorn writes, is uniting the selling power of the world’s top boutiques and their taste-making purveyors.

All of which makes it feel like an appropriate time to look back at the work of the 1980s-era enfant terrible of fashion illustration, Tony Viramontes, who is the subject of a new book. Author Dean Rhys Morgan sums up the late image-maker’s approach this way: “The last thing he wanted was a pretty face and a standard set of measurements.”

A standard that’s anything but standard. Hear, hear.