[ MONOCHROME MAGAZINE ] How would you define your style?

[ Scott Schuman ] I would say that it is a mix of old school Italian and American sporty-ness with a little Dries Van Noten and a little romanticism

What inspired that style?

[ SS ] My style is inspired from the people on my Blog [The Sartorialist.] I’m inspired by the way people style things, like a girl who is incredibly graceful and makes me want to be more graceful, or a guy that presents himself with bravado makes me want to have more bravado.

For the graceful women you mention, you could say that their classic wardrobe staple is the 'Chanel little black dress' but what is it for men?

[ SS ] For men, I'd have to say a navy sports coat, lightweight wool in summer, and cashmere in winter. Also a white pocket square, cotton in winter, linen in summer, brown leather shoes, and a blue button down oxford. However it's all about the proportion, the cut, the way they are styled, you can constantly evolve your look, even little details, like the slope of a shoulder on a jacket can change the look of an outfit.

Obviously (womenswear included) you'll see a lot more designer wear on the streets during Fashion Week, but do you prefer that to the every day street style you find in the city?

[ SS ] To me, it doesn't really matter, what someone is wearing could be designer or from H&M, I don't shoot someone because of what they are or aren't wearing, it's more about them being inspiring to me. My photos don't have credits, and I don't ask about designers. What's interesting is that other people seem to notice.

I shot a young kid in Paris who was really put together, and I found out later he was 13. I had no idea, he was obviously interested in fashion, and he was mentally evolved, but he still looked like a big kid. He was wearing Pierre Hardy tennis shoes, and when I put it on the Blog, people fixated on the shoes. I thought if that's what you see, then you've missed the point.

You’ve mentioned this young kid from Paris, but which city is your favourite for street style and why?

[ SS ] I love to shoot in Milan, the food is incredible, the shopping is great, and the architecture and scenery are amazing… Yet, it isn't such a big tourist city, so you don't have people running around in shorts and flip-flops - you have a lot of beautifully dressed people. In New York you have beautifully dressed people, but you have to find them among the tourists. In Milan, they are falling out of the sky!

With hundreds of beautifully dressed people ‘falling out of the sky’ - what makes people stand out to you?

[ SS ] I have to be picky, but not too picky. The way they stand, hair, and makeup. It could be the image that I think I can get at that moment. There have been shots where I didn't love the outfit, but it was the right shot at the right moment. It’s about what makes people dream a little bit, or what makes a designer think, "I want to dress that person" or for the viewer to say, "I would love to be right there at that moment."

 For those who haven't had the privilege of having their photo taken by yourself, is it an 'on the spot' photo, or do you have to spare a minute to get the right lighting, for the photograph?

[ SS ] It depends on where I'm shooting. I was in Moscow, and i really wanted to capture the color, architecture and details into the shots in a subtle way. In terms of posing, I will usually let them come up with some thing on their own...I let them develop into something where they feel comfortable, I was shooting much faster in the beginning, but now its a slower process and but I've also become a better photographer.