To her right: an old woman yelling that her tomatoes and bread are “the
best in all of Israel.” To her left: a quirky young man telling her how
many pairs of print leggings he will give her for the price of one.
Above her, hanging on a line stretched across the narrow alleyway, is
every Goldstar and IDF tourist t-shirt available in Israel. Welcome to
the Carmel Market, the last place one would expect to find a fashion
statement.
Market-goer Tamar says that no matter where she goes,
she keeps her outfits simple and clean, even somewhere as untidy as the
Tel Aviv market.
Meandering among the clutter of stands full of chuchkas are
Israelis shopping for odds and ends. Just like the disorder of the
market, most are not concerned with the way they are dressed for such a
menial daily activity, and there is no shortage of unkempt and
mismatching outfits.
Sorting through a pile of hats at one of the
shops, Tamar’s neat outfit is a diamond in the rough outfits that
surround her. She knows the importance of staying true to her style, no
matter her surroundings.
A Tel Aviv native, Tamar spent some time
studying acting at the Drama Center London, and clearly acquired
inspiration from the European runway.
“I always make sure my outfits are clean for the eyes to look at,” she says.
While
keeping her outfit within a neutral color scheme, she is anything but
boring. Pairing a printed T with classic blue denim shorts, her
native-esque tassel bag is the perfect accessory. While looking
clean-cut, her bag gives her just the right amount of edge.
Across
the street, at the Nachalat Binyamin art market, another shopper Tair
also chooses her outfits according to a neutral color scheme, but with
different intentions. Rather than keep everything clean and tidy, Tair
likes to bring out her wild side.
With her leopard print pants
paired with a plain black tank top, she wears a perfect balance of wild
animal and plain Jane. She emits just the right amount of sass to stand
out in the swarm of poor outfit choices, but blends in nicely among the
extravagant art pieces put out for sale.
Her top may seem boring
and basic, but as soon as she turns around, her semi-exposed back shows
enough skin to give a glimpse of her torso, while not giving too much
else away. When you are 19 like Tair, classy is the name of the game.
“Prints are fun, and show off how fun I am,” says Tair.
Animal
prints do have an elegant side if paired properly, and don’t always
need to be trashy, despite all the tacky animal print outfits that are
out there. Simple philosophy: don’t blame the print, blame the person
with bad taste who put the bad outfit together.
If paired with
the wrong shoes, or a top with too many details, Tamar’s tassel-bag
could have also been tiptoeing on too much. These ladies are lucky to
have an eye for style and know exactly how to put together an outfit
that emits their personalities. Just by looking at them, it is simple to
see what they are all about, without giving away too much.
Try it: Pick
one central piece. Could be an animal print, or a tassel-bag, something
busy, but not tacky. Pair it with a neutral so it stands out like a
centerpiece. Be prepared: both you and your outfit will get noticed.
Warning: Do
not under any circumstances pair two different animal prints in the
same outfit. Nobody ever rocked the genetically modified look. It’s just
not good.