Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Webcam On Williamsburg's Bedford Avenue Helps The Internet Judge Your Appearance
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 23, 2012
Modified Oct 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 23, 2012
Modified Oct 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Because there aren't enough ways to feel like you're being judged by Williamsburg scenesters the moment you step off the L train, the fashion police have installed a webcam on a Bedford Avenue building. Mounted "a block from the hellmouth" of the Bedford L stop, the "Styleblaster" motion-sensor camera enables the whole world to enjoy an endless, real-time parade of precious hipster runoff. Each photo has a time-stamp showing when it was taken, and you, the Internet, get to decide if the subject is worthy of a "top hat" signifying whether the individual is "stylin'." The site's operators declare:
Moments after a person enters into the frame, the camera snaps, sending its image onto our blog. For the online fashion browser, a boon: the blog updates in realtime, showcasing each new image as quick as it can be appraised. Online viewers can watch a live feed, peruse a recent history of images, or compare shots over the days and weeks as FW-2012 blossoms into SS-2013.
We believe this service fills a need for live fashion information, with a unique and unmatched vantage point on the hippest block in New York City. It will quickly become a destination for New York City peacocks to traipse by and show off what makes the neighborhood hop. For the savvy, a place to be seen. For the flaneur, a bounty of style. At home or online, fashion has a new destination.
Whatever, it's fun to judge people on the Internets! The project, if we may call it that, reminds Gothamist publisher and photographer Jake Dobkin of Philip-Lorca diCorcia, whose controversial ‘Streetwork’ and ‘Heads’ series featured photographs of random subjects on city streets. For the project, diCorcia "concealed himself and shot them unaware using radio signal activated lighting." The results are stunning—and also resulted in a lawsuit from an Orthodox Jew who objected to being photographed and exhibited without his permission. This being Williamsburg, we have a feeling history will repeat itself. [Hat tip Adrien Chen]
Tagged
bedford avenue
brooklyn
fashion
hipster runnoff
hipsters
style
williamsburg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 22, 2026
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .