Something I appreciate most about photographing style around the world is the recurring motifs that emerge among outfits worn by different people at different times in different places. Take denim, for instance, which I spotted in the seven cities on three continents where I brought my camera this year. That fact might not be surprising — who doesn’t own jeans? — but the number of bold and creative ways that people wore denim was a reminder that even the most basic of staples can be anything but.
Denim was just one prominent theme I encountered. Others, exemplified in the following images, involved colors, shapes and silhouettes. While these motifs were rendered in various clothes, all of the ensembles shared at least one trait: They were exciting to behold.
Saturated Color
Vibrant clothes are to the eyes what a breath of fresh air is to the lungs: enlivening. Revisiting all the bright looks that I photographed was made more satisfying by the fact that there were ensembles in every color of the rainbow.
Distinctive Denim
There’s a reason denim never disappears. Whether people wore it from head to toe or to tie an outfit together, they were always finding new ways to look cool in the material.
Sharp Tailoring
Zippy suit jackets and pants, styled together or separately, brought to mind the adage about wearing clothes instead of letting them wear you — and showcased an apparent desire among many to dress up.
Slouchy Slacks
Popularized by Gen Z-ers, baggy pants have now been seemingly embraced by people of every age. A must-have for fanatics and casual followers of fashion alike, they came in various degrees of slouch and flattered a spectrum of body types.
Black and White
Sometimes the way people wore black and white was nuanced. Other times it was pronounced. Whether dialed up or down, the myriad presentations of the classic shades telegraphed a care for dressing to be noticed.
Simbarashe Cha is a Times photographer and visual columnist documenting style and fashion around the world.
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