Style Stamped: Urban Original

Someone recently asked me to describe what “urban” means, in the fashion sense of course. In my best, fashionable and most stylishly curated thinking, I came up with… “unique.” When you think of urban, you typically associate the word with a city, which is correct. According to the dictionary, the word “urban” pronounced [ur-buh n] is an adjective meaning:

1. of, pertaining to, or designating a city or town; 2. living in a city; and 3. characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified.

So that leads to the next question…what is citified? One definition can lead to questioning the answer and you end up going around and around in circles. So I will bring it back to where we started…my definition of the word urban. Unique. I’m from the city – born and raised. Most big cities like New York are inhabited by people from all walks of life; various races, occupations, and classes – a certified Melting Pot. City life is a closely knit life; many live on top of each other in high rise buildings and cram into trains that are packed to human capacity during rush hour. People are everywhere and going anywhere and nowhere, at the same time. So how do you stand out in an environment of constant crowd? By being unique.

That is…ladies and gentlemen, is what urban means in the sense of fashion. The city is full of life; it rushes back and forth, to and from, just like the blood that runs through your veins. The city’s pulse never stops just like the lights never go off. It’s constantly moving, changing and going…no two days are the same. People who live in this atmosphere adapt the rhythm of the city, they become one with it, dance in sync with it, and fall in love. This love translates into thought, outlook, and ultimately dress. And no two outfits are the same, no two people…just like the days of city life.

There are no trends in urban style other than expressing your personality. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress. You can get an idea of their likes, music choice, and sometimes age. Younger people tend to take more chances and express themselves through clothes, while mature urbanites may add a bit of classy, conservative, and/or minimalism to their style.