At TechCrunch Disrupt, Attendees Construct Their Own Fashion Framework

Silicon Valley Street Style is an occasional feature that looks at the intersection of fashion and technology culture.

Along with the slew of keynotes, fireside chats, and startup pitches that infiltrated TechCrunch Disrupt 2014, one of the hottest topics this year was attendee fashion.

Silicon Valley, not exactly known for being the most stylish places in the world, is reclaiming its name in the fashion space. Change is happening, slowly but surely—fashion and tech are meeting in the middle to produce functional and beautiful wearables, and apparel and e-commerce startups are aiming to bring professional designs to even the busiest of San Franciscans.

The best of the Bay’s clean yet laid-back fashion trends made an appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt. Here are some notable mentions of those who hit the stage with their best shoe forward.

Greylock Partners’ James Slavet, Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee, and Sequoia Capital’s Omar Hamoui

Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes and TechCrunch’s Jon Shieber

Liam Casey of PCH International and TechCrunch’s John Biggs

Medium’s Ev Williams and TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino

Colorful socks and shoes in bright colors seemed to be the “it” fashion statement this year. The addition of fancy footwear really speaks to a choice that Clover’s Ryan Reid calls “chic laziness”.

By adding just an element of bright color to an outfit, someone can convey that he or she is fun, quirky, and thinks (but not too much!) about outfit choices.

“You want to look good, but not like you tried too hard,” says Reid. Sounds like the Silicon Valley fashion mantra in a nutshell.

https://twitter.com/thekenyeung/status/509066704564289536

Speakers and moderators weren’t the only ones bringing their A game. I spotted these perfect street style contenders through the bustling crowds at TCD.

It wouldn’t be TechCrunch Disrupt without Startup Alley, and if HBO’s Silicon Valley taught us anything, it would be that we should expect startup tees. Lots and lots of startup tees.

The Pied Piper team on HBO’s *Silicon Valley*

So did Silicon Valley portray the real face of TCD? While many people in the convention center were indeed rocking a startup tee, it wasn’t nearly as obnoxious and overwhelming as the show made it out to be. See for yourself—here are a few of the infamous t-shirts at Startup Alley.