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What Made You Look in 2022?

Most mornings on the Styles desk, a small group of editors meets to look through dozens of photos that have been filed for upcoming stories. We reserve this time, and treat it with a kind of reverence. Whether looking at distinctive going-out clothing or cover portraits, we revel in the individuality of each person in the frame.

Sometimes, it’s not so much the singularity of the image that gets our attention but rather the universality. Of all the images in this year’s roundup, one in particular struck both targets. Let’s call it “Men Descending an Escalator.” Shot at Brookfield Place in Manhattan, the image shows five office workers wearing versions of the same business-blue shirt, frozen in the thrum of lunch hour. Up the center of the image they stack, head over head, like the stills from an Eadweard Muybridge film sequence, collapsed and viewed from the front. Some hold clamshells of their takeout lunch; a few look directly at the camera, not entirely without suspicion; a sixth man has escaped the frame and blurs off to the left. Caught in a moment of banality, they function as an archetype.

Surveying this year’s selections for our “Year in Pictures,” we were struck by the exuberance found in so many of the shots: a tight crop of a smiling woman, her teeth filled with decorative grills; Jenifer Lewis caught in an impressive high-kick; the incomparable, effortless street style documented by Simbarashe Cha.

To wrap up our year in pictures, we’ve asked some of the photographers who shot these images to describe what they saw in the moment.

Annie Hamilton has been creating a mesmerizing, mirthful, at times harrowing, narrative of her bicoastal life on social media. “I don’t like just acting for the camera,” she said. “I like acting in real life, too.”Credit…Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

Raisa Flowers approached Helen Harris, a.k.a. “Helen, With the Gold Teeth,” with a vision for her grills. “She just perfected it and made it really cool,” Ms. Flowers said.Credit…Ayesha Malik for The New York Times

“I’ve always been drawn to confidence, to photographing people who embrace it. It’s a gift to all of us. Self-expression is power and is the beating heart of beauty.” — Ayesha Malik

Brandon Nguyen kissed his wife, Katherin Nguyen, before taking off on a flight to celebrate her birthday on a Love Cloud tour out of Las Vegas that includes time and space for an intimate interlude.Credit…Roger Kisby for The New York Times
Robert Reeves, Jessay Martin, Bill Lyons and Mick Peterson have built a social media following as the Old Gays. The group and their fellow “grandfluencers” are proof that recording viral videos under one roof isn’t reserved for the young.Credit…Magdalena Wosinska for The New York Times

“Once I arrived to Cathedral City and met all the dashing gentlemen, I felt right at home. I was automatically welcomed and so excited to learn about each individual person on that day. It reminded me how we should never stop asking questions and being curious, especially about those older than us as they have truly lived life.” — Magdalena Wosinska

The Crop Over festival in Barbados dates back to 1687, celebrating the end of the yearly sugar cane harvest. The costumes are a major highlight of the experience, and the festival’s style has influenced fashion on a global scale.Credit…Shaniqwa Jarvis for The New York Times
The American Girl Cafe has become an unlikely party spot for influencers and their imitators. Of the dozen locations, two have a full liquor license, though the company said that it didn’t condone its dolls engaging in age-inappropriate behavior.Credit…Gabby Jones for The New York Times

“The best part about photographing dolls is they don’t blink during their portrait.” — Gabby Jones

The director Baz Luhrmann is a genre unto himself. You can tell from one frame of his movies that they’re his. He only chooses subjects he’s madly in love with, then fearlessly dives in. “I need to be in a heightened romantic state to make a film,” he said.Credit…Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

“I didn’t bring an assistant with me to photograph the director Baz Luhrmann, but luckily Baz had a team of three at the ready. The prospect of directing a director made me a bit nervous. I knew he’d see through all my tricks.” — Sinna Nasseri

When the “Harry Potter” films ended, Rupert Grint was worried that he may not make it as an adult actor. His most significant role since has been in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Servant,” a creepy drama on Apple TV+.Credit…Mark Sommerfeld for The New York Times

“As luck would have it, the optometrist didn’t show. Rupert was a great sport. Despite needing an eye exam and new eye glasses, he rolled with the punches and decided to shop for frames and sunglasses. He quipped about needing a good disguise to walk around New York.” — Mark Sommerfeld

We all know what happened with summer 2020. Then 2021 was dampened by the Delta variant.
A number of major news events hampered the return of revelry in summer 2022. Is there hope for enjoying the once fun season?Credit…Photo Illustration by Tonje Thilesen for The New York Times

“I wanted the image to look like it was shot from the inside of a small beach cabin, paired with the euphoria of looking out the window of an airplane: admiring the beauty of a distant kind of unattainable landscape. I suggested the idea of the window blinds to my dad and brother, who helped me execute the shot — with a few curious looks from the locals.” — Tonje Thilesen

A rarefied group of history buffs, horse enthusiasts and even nuns meet in upstate New York for an annual carriage drive with their horses.Credit…Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times
“If you told me that I literally had to eat poop every single day and I would look younger, I might. I just might,” said Kim Kardashian, who launched a nine-step skin care line in June.Credit…Chantal Anderson for The New York Times
Thom Browne’s spring/summer 2023 show during Paris fashion week in October.Credit…Simbarashe Cha for The New York Times

The crowds outside Fashion Week shows continued to delight in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Spectators, including Solène, far right, caught the photographer Simbarashe Cha’s eye in Paris outside Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, and Valentino shows.Credit…Simbarashe Cha for The New York Times

“The moment I saw Solène standing across the street watching the crowds at the Valentino show, I had an epiphany about street style as a photography genre. Gen Z and Gen Alpha had arrived and were expressing themselves in ways that completely subverted status quo and could no longer be ignored.” — Simbarashe Cha

Harmony and Braylin Kickingwoman chose the colors for their outfits, which their parents designed. From spring to summer, Native American families travel the country to celebrate and compete in competitions wearing intricate garments assembled across generations.Credit…Tailyr Irvine for The New York Times

“Powwows are one of the few spaces in this world carved out for unfiltered Native joy. Going back to this event felt like coming home again. The sounds, smells and, most importantly, the people.” — Tailyr Irvine

Jenifer Lewis has approached her entertainment style with vigor ever since she sang her first solo in church at age 5. “So many people are depressed, and because I know what depression feels like, why wouldn’t I want to make the world laugh, when I know it is the greatest healer?”Credit…Juan Veloz for The New York Times

“Jenifer Lewis is everything and more. I felt like I was working with a family member.” — Juan Veloz

Socialities and philanthropists flock to the Central Park Conservancy’s annual hat luncheon, which celebrated its 40th year this May.Credit…Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times
Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue, with Ru, his Boston terrier. He gave Maureen Dowd a list of friends to speak with for her profile of him that included Beyoncé, Oprah and Naomi Campbell.
Credit…Serena Brown for The New York Times

“Shooting a subject in their home can sometimes be a little tricky. Not with Edward, though. He is genuinely one of the loveliest people I have photographed, especially as a young photographer from the same area as him.” — Serena Brown

The model Adut Akech at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, which returned to its signature date of the first Monday in May this year for the first time since 2019. The event raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute.Credit…Landon Nordeman for The New York Times
Dominik Halás, 29, is one of youngest people entrusted by the RealReal to authenticate garments, jewelry and other accessories. Many of these items are older than he is.Credit…Christopher Gregory-Rivera for The New York Times

“Once Dominik showed me the window on the bag I knew that I had to make a portrait with him in it. I thought it was fitting; it’s a window into his world but also a piece that encapsulates a moment in history.” — Christopher Gregory-Rivera

Shirley Kurata’s personal style has always had its own fans, but the success of the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” put her costume work in the spotlight.Credit…Jimmy Marble for The New York Times

“We took a long, leisurely walk through L.A.’s psychedelically colorful Chinatown, stopping whenever the light looked good or a background matched her fabulous red outfit. The whole experience was as effortless and dreamy as she is. The photos practically took themselves. She did all the work by just being Shirley.” — Jimmy Marble

Casey Steffans and Guy Trebay visited the atrium at Brookfield Place, a vast office-mall complex in Manhattan’s Financial District, to observe how “finance bros” were styling themselves as they returned to in-person office work.Credit…Casey Steffens for The New York Times
Wraparound sunglasses have been creeping back into style since 2017, but 2022 became the year of their mainstream renaissance. Michael Raines photographed people on the streets of Los Angeles sporting these stretched shades.Credit…Michael Raines for The New York Times

“If you would have asked my middle school self (who very unironically wore wraparounds) that in 20-some years from now I’d be running around L.A. searching for strangers to photograph wearing the same style of glasses as high fashion, I would have said ‘Oh, tight.’” — Michael Raines

The latest frontier in breast containment technology is…tape. A growing number of companies have begun marketing boob tape as a far more versatile option that allows people to shape their chests according to their ever-evolving physical and sartorial needs.Credit…Photo Illustration by Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times
Alani Figueroa appeared in our weekly roundup of great outfits from parties, The Most Dressed, when she visited the Kith pop-up store in Queens in July.Credit…Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

“I loved her nails, I loved her teeth, I loved the ominous clouds behind her, and I found a way to get everything in one shot.” — Dolly Faibyshev

A party in East Williamsburg invited fans of the 2001 film “Shrek” to translate into reality their online obsessions with the titular ogre.Credit…Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times
Claw clips, a 1990s hair accessory, made a triumphant return on the heads of models, influencers and, well, everybody else.Credit…Elizabeth Renstrom for The New York Times

“I knew I wanted the model to feel equally nostalgic and evocative of the time, but also needed fantastic hair — it could only be My Little Pony.” — Elizabeth Renstrom

For Valentine’s Day, the Styles desk presented a list of gifts both inspired by tradition and totally unmoored from it. The items included a bust of Louis XIV, a heart-shaped vase, a book of short stories and a pinky ring.Credit…Photo Illustration by Justin J Wee for The New York Times; Prop styling by Alice Martinelli

“We knew from the outset that we wanted each image to feel like vignettes from the bedrooms of folks with distinct personalities. In this image we wanted to create a sense of nostalgia and camp through the use of warm color, textures and kitschy props.” — Justin J Wee

Campbell Addy, the Ghanaian-British fashion photographer, is one of a new generation of creatives helping to redefine what, and who, is considered beautiful. “Yes, it’s a very racist world, but to me, it’s the world I live in,” he said, adding, “As a Black person, I have no choice but to see myself every day in the mirror.”Credit…Adama Jalloh for The New York Times
Andreas Anastasis has maintained Anna Wintour’s instantly recognizable hairstyle every weekday for the past six years. “I’m more obsessed than Anna is,” he said. “When it’s not perfect, I get so mad.”Credit…Mark Elzey for The New York Times
“It’s just impossible to have been through what I’ve been through without changing,” said Anna Sorokin (a.k.a. Anna Delvey). “I learned so much being in jail.”Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times
“People think it costs a lot of money to be goth,” Aurelio Voltaire, who has recorded a homemaking series on YouTube since 2016, said. “As long as you’re wearing all black, you’re already three-quarters of the way there.”Credit…Olivia Crumm for The New York Times

“The space was filled with petrified bats and stuffed crows. Every time I thought I was done I found another terrifying item lurking in a corner that I had to photograph.” — Olivia Crumm

Sabrina Brokenborough wore head-to-ankle avant-garde knitwear of her own design to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. Long home to 4-H clubs and livestock hawkers, the event is drawing new attendees.Credit…Mary Inhea Kang for The New York Times
Ryan Murphy, America’s most productive producer, likes to say he has reinvented himself as often as Madonna. Exploring taboos and temptations, his creations slyly mix social justice messages with lusty and macabre spectacles.Credit…Ramona Rosales for The New York Times
Andres Valencia’s paintings have sold for more than $125,000. And he’s 10 years old.Credit…Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. for The New York Times
Cameron Cooper, right, traveled with 10 friends to Scottsdale, Ariz., to celebrate her bachelorette party this spring. Thousands of brides have prompted a wave of young, female tourists to the city.Credit…Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times

“I met up with the bachelorette party around noon on that 100-plus-degree day. Music was blasting from the backyard, and High Noons were being sipped in disco ball cups.” — Cassidy Araiza

Julian Shapiro-Barnum, who created the social media sensation “Recess Therapy,” interviews New Yorkers ages 2 to 9 on topics by turn ominous and frivolous: climate change, love, the economy, peeing your pants.Credit…Adam Powell for The New York Times

“As I lay on the floor in subfreezing temperatures, struggling with a faulty camera flash, Julian played his part and treated me with the same patience he would a child being interviewed.” — Adam Powell

Disco balls pile up in the Washington, D.C., home of “disco dealer” Libby Rasmussen. In these unsettling times, a twirling party from the ceiling can be an effective pick-me-up.Credit…Lexey Swall for The New York Times
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