Twice a year, Fashion Week comes to town peddling unspoiled visions of head-to-toe John Varvatos or Malandrino. And while such items whet our style appetites and turn our dreams of social ascension into productive consumerism, it’s the locals who imbue these fairly predictable garments with some edge. Leave it to New Yorkers to pair a $1,275 Marc Jacobs bag with an eBay hat worth less than the shipping cost. Here, “vintage” translates to a no-name Salvation Army find or a Chanel dress—and nobody knows which is better. Women wear Jimmy Choo strappy heels one day and Banana Republic boots the next, and men routinely spend $100-plus on sneakers (you know, those things you wore through the mud as a child?). Whether its pretension or a complete lack thereof, it’s this mix of shabby and chic that gives the city its gritty constitution—even if New Yorkers sometimes opt to shop rather than pay the rent.

Photos by Cat Cutillo