Downtown Detroit Style

This past weekend I traveled to my home state of Michigan for Thanksgiving and of course I had to do a downtown Detroit style shoot. My photographer aka beau was not able to travel with me cause duh, it was the holidays! I am truly thankful for my cousins who stepped in, took a very crash course in how to use my camera and back button focused as best as possible to capture a few looks. How’d they do? Scroll to see 🙂

My goal was to visit some iconic Downtown Detroit landmarks and snap the plethora of clothes I am dying to wear in those locations. Although when I travel, my goal is to not visit the typical spots, I could not resist showing the heart of the D. Because let me tell you. Detroit has changed. The pulse of the city is weakening. Im feeling a little bit of cardiomyopathy to my beloved Motor City but I digress.

My first thought while typing out this post was to speak on gentrification and how it has positively and negatively affected Detroit. But as I type- I would prefer to be more lighthearted. My life is filled with sadness and grief that for now I would really love to keep Comme Coco a teeny bit lighter. But let’s be honest…… I’m a Pisces and we do almost everything based on our moods so……

Back to Downtown Detroit Style

My cousins gave me an unofficial tour of the new Detroit. Dan Gilbert, the owner of Quicken Loans and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and well, my former boss has gone above and beyond to revitalize Downtown. He first started with moving Quicken Loans to a fabulous building in the heart of the city. Then more companies and retail spaces came. Then abandoned buildings were torn down in order to build luxurious residences for the new downtown Detroiters to live in the middle of the city. It is sad that this is what has to revitalize Detroit. Why must we push people out to make room for new people? There has to be a way to keep the soul of Detroit alive while embracing the newness. I honestly thought I was in DuPont Circle in DC in some parts that we passed by. Its beautiful to see Detroit coming back but I sure hope its charm isnt masked.

Dress + Jacket: GAP | Booties: *On Major Sale!* | Glasses: old, similar

Because I spent most of the 90s in Michigan, it was only perfect to channel the 90s with my outfit. I purchased this dress and jacket at Somerset on Black Friday and knew instantly I would be slipping it over a baby t. If I had Doc Martens, I would have thrown those bad boys on but….. these burgundy booties worked perfectly! Thanks JustFab!

Shoot Locations

• The Belt (super cool!!)
• Quicken Loans Headquarters
• Eastern Farmer’s Market

photography by: Stanley Pierre-Louis and Nadine Compere, editing: yours truly