How Street Style Photographer Acielle of Style du Monde Dresses for the Job

Street style photographer Style du Monde, also known by her first name “Acielle,” hardly has the typical 9 to 5. Instead, she travels more than 15 times a year—around the world to photograph showgoers during the main Fashion Weeks in Paris, Milan, London, and New York, as well as to emerging Fashion Weeks in places such as Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Her path to fashion photography has been a long one, and like many street style photographers, she ended up in the profession somewhat by chance and thanks to her drive. Originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan, Acielle was initially introduced to fashion photography through local magazines such as Burda. "As a kid, I was fascinated with clothes. When I was in my teens, I took cutting and sewing courses and started making my own clothes,” she writes. "I used to go through magazines like Burda for inspiration. I deconstructed my mother’s dresses, skirts, jackets, anything I could find and made new pieces out of them.”

Eventually, she moved to London to work in finance as an investment banker, but found herself more and more drawn to photography. "Since my childhood, I watched my father take pictures and develop them by hand. Photography always fascinated me and I started taking pictures at a young age,” she writes. “Fashion photography was always an aspiration as it combined two of my favorite things. Although I worked in finance, I never gave up on the dream of having a career taking pictures." Later, Acielle enrolled in fashion photography and art direction courses at Central Saint Martins. Eventually, she moved to Antwerp and began to photograph people on the street, finding well-known faces like Jefferson Hack, Anouck Lepère, Willy Vanderperre, and Olivier Rizzo. "After the initial taste [of fashion photography] I just wanted more, so I expanded my work territory to New York, Paris, London, Milan, and beyond,” she adds.

Now, how does she sets herself apart from the stampede of long lens–toting photographers? It comes to down to being genuine. "You stand out by putting your heart and soul into it. Be ready to work hard. I totally love what I'm doing," writes Acielle. "I didn't start shooting street style for the money or fame. I just wanted to be there in the middle of it to satisfy my hunger for inspiring outfits and beautiful combinations and share my impressions with the world."

Here, see how she dresses for the job.

Photo: Courtesy of Style du Monde

Chalayan signature corset top, price upon request, farfetch.com; Maison Margiela contrast stitch jacket, $1,295, farfetch.com; J Brand Ardon velvet wide-leg pants, $275, net-a-porter.com; Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Man checked shirt, $580, farfetch.com; Comme des Garçons Play Black Converse Edition Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers, $125, ssense.com; Prada fanny-pack style bag, $590, farfetch.comPhoto: (from left to right) Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of net-a-porter.com; Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of ssense.com; Courtesy of farfetch.com

Staying on your feet is the name of the game—meaning footwear is key.

“The first thing you learn as a street style photographer is to lose the high heels. Also, a big mistake is going to Fashion Week with new shoes that you haven't tried properly. Beware of blisters! Now, it's sneakers, sneakers, sneakers! I have different pairs of Nikes, Adidas, and Converse. One of my favorites is the Comme des Garçons x Nike Air VaporMax.”

Photo: Courtesy of Style du Monde

Carhartt Cass camo cotton gabardine jumpsuit, $222, luisaviaroma.com; Alpha Industries MA-1 flight jacket, $150, alphaindustries.com; Bagatiba silver hollow hoop earrings, $180, bagatiba.com; Christian Dior Diorissimo canvas saddle bag, $125, therealreal.com; Comme des Garçons x Nike Air VaporMax Triple Black shoes, $106, jimmacys.comPhoto: (from left to right) Courtesy of luisaviaroma.com; Courtesy of alphaindustries.com; Courtesy of bagatiba.com; Courtesy of therealreal.com; Courtesy of jimmacys.com

But comfort in clothing is important, too.

“You always need to dress according to the weather as you will be outside all day. Think: Easy, comfortable clothes. It's usually a combination of streetwear and designer pieces. I recently started to wear a lot of menswear like Raf Simons, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten menswear. Due to the nature of the job I rarely wear skirts. Sometimes, I want to add a more feminine element like a Chalayan corset or a maxi skirt.”

Jackets have a utilitarian flair.

“I love jackets, and I have a nice collection of bombers from Haider Ackermann, Junya Watanabe, Walter Van Beirendonck, but also a few classic Apha Industries MA1’s.”

Photo: Courtesy of Style du Monde

Walter Van Beirendonck printed zip hoodie, $466, farfetch.com; Walter Van Beirendonck ribbon-waistband trousers, $547, farfetch.com; Prada landscape print shirt, $840, farfetch.com; Fendi Zucca baguette bag, $325, therealreal.com; Acne Studios Manhattan sneakers in white, $455, ssense.comPhoto: (from left to right) Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of farfetch.com; Courtesy of therealreal.com; Courtesy of ssense.com

Belt bags aren’t a trend—they’re a way of life.

“Handbags are not that practical, as you need to have your hands free while photographing. These days, I go for something like a Prada beltbag. Ok, sometimes I cannot help myself, and I will carry around a vintage Dior or Fendi purse.”