Living in the city is stressful: long bus rides, early morning and late night shifts, dodging people on the streets, and of course, the wind, unpredictable rain and inability to escape home to throw on a hoodie. That being said, fashion in the city can be pretty tricky and San Franciscan natives are quick to point out (or at least notice) tourists' inappropriate attire.
San Francisco fashion is a mix of functionality and style that many newcomers adapt to only months into living in the city. Functionality is the focal point for many fashion trends in San Francisco. The city, full of hardworking, young CEO's, entrepreneurs and start-up founders, is always busy. Although it is considered by many to be a "calmer" New York City, San Franciscans dress for function, not fashion, during the week day. However, because many San Franciscans are creatives, many will wear styles that subtly show off their attention to style, mostly seen in a creative, expressive manner (see photo).
Furthermore, many San Franciscans are creatives--or atleast, have some creative capacity. San Francisco has a lot of big creative agencies, studios and professionals, however, even the youth is knowledgable of design aspects and creative elements. For example, many high school students from the area know Adobe Creative Suite programs--an unheard of expectation on the East Coast (unless you're in art school). This being said, many of their clothing choices are expressive and say something unique and interesting that even someone from a different area of the USA would consider unique, or "hipster" (as most youth San Franciscans claim to be).
Despite this, however, there is still a rich culture of street wear diversity. Many San Franciscans are not originally from the city, and in fact, many moved to the city from over seas. This makes a trip down any given street of San Francisco similar to watching a runaway show. Rich cultural aspects are clearly seen in each individual's clothing choices.
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