A New Writer Offers A New Look At The NYIAS

This week we introduce another TTAC commenter-turned-contributor, Cameron Miquelon — JB

Good morning gentlemen. My name is Cameron Miquelon, and I’m an independent fashion blogger from Louisville, Kentucky; my blog’s name is 33 avenue Miquelon, if you’re curious to check it out.

That being said, I’m also a car geek, which is why I’m here.

First off, I can’t tell you how much cargo room (in dimensional terms) the trunk of a Camaro can hold — even if the opening of said trunk is deceptively small in comparison with its deck lid. Nor could I tell you anything about how well a car of any sort does on the drag strip, the ‘Ring, or the local shopping mall. Hell, I’ve yet to even own my very first car, and I’m in the process of relearning how to drive at the age of 33 so I can get my license back after foolishly giving it up upon moving to Washington State from Kansas years ago. Maybe I’ll write about this adventure for TTAC in the future.

However, what I can tell you about is style. Fashion and the automobile have been hanging out with each other since the first flapper stepped out of a Ford Model A back in the 1920s. Sometimes it works — any Bugatti that’s not a Veyron, Dusenberg or Talbot comes to mind — and sometimes it misses; AMC and Oleg Cassini, for example. Either way, both examples still have that certain zazz that a lot of today’s vehicles lack. And no, silver paint will not make it any better, I’m afraid.

I can also tell you that there are people who view cars differently. They use adjectives like “cute” and “pretty.” They see cars not as appliances per se, but as accessories, as reflections of their own style. Maybe they’re into tech, or they want to be more “eco-conscience.” Maybe both. They could even be “ironic” in their love of minivans, if the album cover of “El Camino” by The Black Keys is anything to go by.

These people aren’t necessarily women, by the way.

This is what I hope to bring to you in the coming months (aside from the aforementioned attempt to drive again): How those who aren’t as car crazy as you or I view cars in terms of style, colour, needs and wants, et al. I also hope to show you how the fashion world interacts with the automotive world, and vice versa; Mercedes-Benz, for example, owns the naming rights for the fashion weeks in New York, Milan, London and Berlin. And of course, Prada’s Summer/Spring 2012 Collection features influences from Biletproof, including high heels with flames. Really.

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Remember a while back when Derek mentioned how car fanatics — like Mormons, moms and fashionistas — had taken to Pinterest to show the world their favourite machines via a virtual corkboard? Well, there’s “pinning” photos, and then there’s making fashionable collages with them through the world of Polyvore.

A few months back, I took to my Polyvore account to create tributes/interpretations to some of the latest and greatest that made their way down the ramp during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, then posted the results on my fashion blog. This time, I figured I would do it again for all of you, this time with some of the latest and greatest from the recent New York International Auto Show.

Let’s begin with the SRT Viper. What I wanted to do here was to create an outfit based on the supercar’s overall homicidal attitude while picturing the kind of woman who would embody this, one who, in the words of Lady Caroline Lamb to describe George Gordon Byron, would be “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” The leather pants and ripped shirt are from Balmain, the boots are Valentino (for that Italian specialness), and the bracelet from the late Alexander McQueen — a man who came pretty close to living up to Lady Caroline’s words — should be enough to let you know that even if you show respect and deference to the Viper, you’ll probably come away burned… if you’re lucky.

From one snake to another, here is my interpretation of the Shelby 1000. Here, I imagined someone who could’ve been “the girl next door,” but with some added zazz — not that the 1000 is a sleeper, of course. The only hint that this person is just a bit different would be the cobra earrings and the snakeskin Hermès watch, while the Converse sneakers tell you that this one’s definitely all-American.

The Fisker Atlantic. A four-door extended-range EV with a price tag of $50,000 USD and… not much else at the moment. For this interpretation, I focused mainly on the tangerine colour of the body. Couldn’t find a shiny, sparkly dress, but I did find a mustache ring to add some fun. I couldn’t tell you the person who would wear this outfit off-hand, but I’ll presume it to be someone who could be a fan of technology, and a lover of Tom Selleck.

Finally, you could call this the Mad Men interpretation of the 2014 Chevy Impala: Navy top, black pencil skirt, silver shoes, and a chunky watch. Conservative, a hint of glamour, and ready for the office, the new Impala — and its equally styled driver — will be sure to dazzle the mall parking lot for a few years to come. At least until the driver buys a Lexus, anyway.