10 locals who define Rochester style: picked by Meghan Mundy, co-founder of Fashion Week of Rochester.

Alyssa Whitfield has a sassy elegance to her style. As founder and executive director of Dress for Success, Alyssa dresses beautifully but also helps women in the community dress well, too—the nonprofit provides clothing and coaching to women in poverty who are preparing for job interviews. As a couple, Alyssa and Mike have a style that blends beautifully. When you see them together, they have such a strong presence that draws you in and makes you want to hang out and chat.

Alyssa says, “It kills me when people say fashion is frivolous. Being styled head to toe gives me confidence, and confidence gives me power. The sidewalk is my runway, honey! I love it when someone stops me asks how I pull it all together.”

Mike Whitfield has been a great dresser since he was a kid. “My mother always said, ‘It takes the same amount of time to dress well as it does not to, so why wouldn’t you use that time to look your best?’ Mom’s advice worked, because I hooked my beautiful wife!”

I heard about Courtney Cunningham Winslowbefore I met her. When helping clients with their wardrobes as a personal stylist, I heard Courtney’s name more than once as someone whose style my clients wanted to emulate. When I finally met her, it was clear to me why Courtney is a fashion icon in our community. Courtney doesn’t stick to just one style: She wears what she loves, and that always works! Courtney worked in the L.A. fashion scene where she helped new moms select clothing that was functional but also made them feel glam at the same time. When we were talking about packing for a trip, “I always pack some unnecessary fancy dresses.” I love that.

Courtney says, “I love following fabulous fashion photographers and bloggers. Street style is the new runway. And it’s so much more fun to mix styles, designers and trends.”

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Doug Hendee is one of the most creative and stylish dressers I have come across in Rochester. From his socks to his tie, every inch of his look is perfectly put together. His flair brings happiness to those who see him out and about, whether it be at the gym, the office or a party.

Doug says, “I do not believe that anyone should define fashion for anyone else. I think staying informed on trends is nice, but it should only be used as a loose guideline.” Otherwise, there are pitfalls. “I have seen countless occasions where people are clearly uncomfortable with what they are wearing because they’ve allowed something that was ‘defined’ as fashionable dictate their choices.” Instead, he says, “Wear what you like, what makes you feel good and have some fun with it. I have a great person in Peter Roberti at Adrian Jules who helps me make choices, and then we collaboratively introduce my personality on the things I wear. I tell people I wear a tie to work every day, so believe me, I’m going to enjoy it.”

Gretchen Bye is creative director at Partners and Napier, and she exudes creativity in her fashion sense as well. After having the pleasure of working with Gretchen on the rebranding of Fashion Week, I was lucky to observe her fabulous style on a regular basis.

“The fabulous Bill Cunningham said, ‘Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.’ And I couldn’t agree more. I love to play to my mood or the weather or a song that came on while I was getting dressed that day … I like to dress up, down and everything in between. It’s not about narcissism—maybe more about a healthy dose of give-a-$%#. I think that fashion is what’s served up to us by a bunch of fhaaaabulous marketing divas in New York, Milan and Paris, but personal style is how you choose to celebrate you.”