The Sartorialist

What are a few things you learned this year?

That classic, well-made woven shirts work with EVERYTHING! I incorporated a classic white oxford into all of my looks, it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

I’m known for fusing tailored clothing with vintage pieces to keep things sharp but relaxed, I like pieces that have a story. But working with great tailors has inspired me to go more tailored next year; custom suits, shirts, and footwear with a respectful splash. I’m building a suit closet, a suit for every occasion!  I want to master the balance: show up to a ball game in a suit looking completely appropriate.  

Also, I want to plan things out more than I had before. I’m really impulsive, so my goal is to approach new experiences with a plan in mind.

How will you mix things up in the year ahead?

I’m excited to trade in my fluorescent colors for pastels; pale yellow coats with white collars, rounded skirts, and towering wedges. It’s time to feel fresh and beautiful like a flower!  I’m not so into labels, but those steel toe shoes in Louis Vuittons’s spring collection are made for a confident woman walking toward her goals…

This year I also want to experiment with my dark side and wear oversized Boy London print sweaters, Doc Martens, and white socks; a bit of 80’s punk!

Any successful style experiments that you’ll carry into 2012?

I wanted a 60’s look, but never knew the result would be so great to wear every day!  I experimented with high-waisted bell-bottom trousers and silk tops.  I like trousers in autumn shades mixed with round collar shirts in nude… I ended up with an entire collection of them.  Those collars are actually very fashionable right now!

First job?

My first job was at Daslu in Sao Paulo.  I went on to work as a contributing editor for Vogue Brazil, then moved to New York to work for Style.com.

How has New York influenced your style?

I don’t think I wore high heels before I moved to New York, now I wear them about five or six days a week!

Which designer would you hire to design your wardrobe?

Miuccia Prada. I would wear Prada and Miu Miu every day of my life! I love bold prints– she masters them while designing equally strong basics and accessories.

Who else designs great prints?

I wish I had more pieces by Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou.

Style icons?

Laure Heriard Dubreuil has amazing style and a very covetable wardrobe. She’s always wearing the coolest designer clothes and not looking too precious or polished. The Russian girls have a refreshing take on fashion; I love Mira Duma, Vika Gazinskaya, and Anya Ziourova‘s style. Giovanna Battaglia is never wrong. The list is endless…

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First job?

It was actually at Abercrombie!  I learned how to style outfits for customers. Thankfully, when my interest in that store died my passion for styling lived on.  Now I’m a fashion stylist.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever worn?

I wore a black garbage bag as a head wrap once. I thought it looked really great at the time!

Which part of your look have you experimented with recently?

My hair is pretty fun. It’s blonde now, but sometimes I add a little pink. It was red for a while, but I love wearing red… so that didn’t work out very well.

Next I think i’ll dye the front green and the back pink, maybe a streak of blue.

Style icon?

I would say early Lisa Bonet, she was so funky.  I have an image where she’s wearing this top hat, it looks as if she just tossed it on, so it doesn’t look crazy.

She was fearless with everything; her blazers and brooches, the way she tied her hair… even her makeup colors!

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First job in New York?

When I moved here I needed a job, so I just went around to all the places I really liked: Seize sur Vingt, Paul Stuart, Peter Elliot, Oxford Clothes. Seize was the first to call me back. They were on Elizabeth Street, and sort of the cool downtown tailor.  I opened Miller’s Oath about a year ago, I really love it. We specialize in bespoke tailoring, but make everything from shirts to scarves to ties.

When was your eye for tailoring taken to another level?

When I was at Paul Stuart (which was the opposite of Seize), I worked with the great Cliff Grodd.  He pre-dated Ralph and all the others. He had an eye for detail and taste level that were insane. I would join his meetings, which was pretty unheard of. The man could plow through 300 swatches in 20 minutes, that’s an eye for detail.

Whose style do you admire?

My father. He’s really stylish, I guess some things rubbed off.  When I opened the shop he was the only one I could trust to run it.  He would come from Minneapolis to work for 5 days if I had to travel.

Which shoes do you always wear?

My brother Derrick and I decided to make shoes and started Barker Black, which he is still running. I wear these a lot.  Otherwise I wear well-made shoes like John Lobb and Paul Stuart.  My dad was sort of an influence, because he has a lot of English shoes and loves English everything.

What are some other great English shoes?

Edward Green and Sargent are also made in Northampton, where Barker Black and Lobb shoes are made.

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Current Job?

Eye Reporter for WWD— I write about culture. It’s the paper of record, so you have to think fast.

Most recent “must have”?

Well, I bought my first real hat.  We’ll call it a gateway hat.  Weirdly, I saw it in Kiki de Montparnasse (there are unexpected treasures everywhere).  But… I didn’t buy it there. Turns out Veronique, the beautiful milliner who designed it is my Bond St. neighbor!  So, I went to her studio in the basement of the Bond 07 by Selima shop, and voila!

What’s the most daring thing you’ve worn?

Others find things I wear more daring than I do, even when I wear Mark Fast (risky business).  I always dress around proportions and often highlight my legs, neck, and shoulders.  The balance of exposure is sexy and natural.

What about the hot pants you wore to fashion week?

I was wearing my mother’s Chanel jacket in that photo.  If I wore it with pants I would look like, well, my mother! But if it hadn’t been fashion week, I probably would not have worn the heels.

So, what do you consider daring?

Some people wear really bold things every day. To be ‘daring’, you can’t be too comfortable, you have to take risks.

Bianca Jagger wearing a YSL le smoking in the 70′s… I think this had more of a ‘shock’ element. I don’t dress to ‘shock’ anybody, really.

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For the lumberjack with opera tickets!

This morning WWD reported that Raf Simons is close to signing with Dior as their next couturier. I think it would really shake things up at Dior, having someone as innovative as Raf at its helm.  I was reminded of this young lady (above) that I shot outside Chanel, and the interesting way she mixed Comme Des Garçons, Hermes, and Chanel into one look.  It really made me think about how cool it would be if Rei Kawakubo took over for Karl Lagerfeld when he leaves Chanel- talk about a fascinating combination.

It’s always fun to think about who you would want to see where; Raf at Dior, Rei at Chanel, Dries at Hermes…these are just a few of my dream combos.  But, let’s focus: Who do you see at Armani when he steps down? What about Chanel, or Ferre? Who’s going to revive the houses of Ungaro or Cardin? Better yet, what about Margiela?!

I haven’t seen this look in New York or Milan, but Paris is full of young ladies sporting these massive necklaces.

I’m such a sucker for knit gloves, especially cashmere ones.  I buy a few pairs each Fall as soon as they hit stores and wait patiently for the winter wind to come.  Unfortunately, within days of the first wear, mine are splitting at the seams and making my nose itch like crazy. Maybe I should just consider them under-developed fingerless gloves and call it a day…

Tomorrow I will share with you the gloves I buy every September when I’m in Paris.   They’re thin, sturdy, and age beautifully; a street photographer’s dream.

P.S. My assistant Emilie just found out they would cost $100 to mend!! They barely cost $100!  Anyone know a good mending specialist?

I was so happy to see perennial Sartorialist Fabrizio Rollo’s apartment in São Paulo featured in the December issue of Elle Decor.

Everytime I see Fabrizio he’s telling me about his place.  I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know it would be THIS good.  The way he mixes colors and patterns reflects in his space as much as his clothing.  It’s always so surprising and rewarding to see the depth of a friend’s creativity.

One of the very first things I bought when I began traveling to Italy was a pair of long socks.  I had heard these were a preference of Italian gentlemen.  Considering the excessive amount of time I’ve spent bending over to pull up my socks, long socks were something I had to try.

I don’t know who the bastard was that started the whole mid-calf sock length, but he should be deported.

There is one drawback to the long sock; sometimes they grip to your pants, especially very slim ones (unfortunately the current trend), but this has also become a look.

I only know of a few places, well, off the top of my head…one place where you can find long socks, and that’s Brooks Brothers (if you have other suggestions, please comment and share with us).

Trust me, once your man has tried them, he’ll thank you.

As I’m thinking about it, when I’m not wearing long socks or going sockless, I wear what we call in America “the footie”.  I don’t mind admitting that I wear these, but I hate using the word “footie”…we’ve got to come up with a better word.  However, I did feel validated when I saw one of my favorite sartorialists in Milan wearing these (see image below).  A lot of people carry footies, just the other day I bought a pack from J. Crew online in grey.  They’re great because they look chic with Converse or Aldens (see yesterday’s post).  I’m sure you can find several variations across the country.  As a final note, and maybe I’m guilty of inadvertently promoting this…for me, socks that are too noticeable are like piano key suspenders; not an area that any sartorialist should want to tread.  Socks should always complement and never dominate the look.

While shooting in Istanbul this girl’s haircut really stood out, reminding me of some shots I had taken in Savannah.  All of these girls really define themselves in a creative way with haircuts I found to be uncommon in their cities.  Regardless of not living in a major fashion city, they spent a little extra money (or maybe they didn’t) on a haircut and created a look that really set them apart.

I’ve never done a gift guide before, as I never felt the site was about selling you something. However, i’ve run across some really fantastic products lately that could be a great gift for the sartorialist in your life.

If you remember,  last December I posted this shot of a gentlemen wearing the Alden Long Wing Blucher in Cordovan.  I remember thinking at the time how I liked the color and style of the shoe, but also thinking “ughhh these are going to take so long to break in”.  I got a pair this fall and was SHOCKED at how incredibly comfortable they were from the very first wear, since they don’t look like they would break in so easily.  I don’t know if it’s specifically the Cordovan, the thickness of the sole, or if Alden just cuts a great shoe.  For whatever the reason… these old, clunky, uber classic shoes have been my go to streetwalker from New York to Paris to Milan, and most recently in Africa.  From a fashion standpoint they look great with grey flannel, khakis (choose your color), or with jeans as shown in the photo.  My favorite look is wearing with white jeans (more about those later…).  Aldens are widely available, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding them internationally or domestically.

Garance and I stayed at a fantastic hotel while in Skoura, Morocco called Dar Ahlam, or “House of Dreams“. Like the hotel in Paris I told you about last month, I would be selfish if I didn’t share this with you.

ABOUT THE JOB- Personal Assistant to Scott Schuman, The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist studio is seeking a full-time personal assistant for Scott Schuman.  Candidates should be self-motivated and able to work within an extremely fast-paced, collaborative, small studio environment.

Administrative Responsibilities:

-Handle all email communications on behalf of Scott Schuman

-Schedule appointments, interviews, conference calls, and meetings

-Manage extensive domestic and foreign travel arrangements, including Fashion Week travel and show requests

-Liaise with accountant on studio financials and invoices

-Prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously; follow through on issues in a timely manner

-Oversee projects from inception to completion

 
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I love this monochromatic use of blue; it’s the kind of look I would steal for myself.  The low scarf is a modern, sportier update to yesterday’s ascot.

I traveled halfway(ish) around the globe to Istanbul and ended up shooting a guy from Indianapolis, Indiana… my hometown.

I’m so jealous of this shot; from what I saw during my trip it’s something I would still capture today.  Even though it was shot in 1961, there’s a continuity of time in places like Istanbul and Morocco that blurs the line between yesterday and today.

I love visiting new places and discovering new photographers.  Ara Güler is considered Turkey’s most famous; a Magnum photo-journalist since 1959, he has captured the nuances of Istanbul for over 6 decades.  These two images really stood out from his book, I’m listening to Istanbul, which I bought last week while traveling.  I had a hard time finding this on B&N or Amazon, so i’m not sure how easy it will be to get, but if you’re able to it’s definitely worth it.

After a fantastic trip through Morocco, Garance and I are in Istanbul for the Elle Style Awards. We’ll get to discover the city a bit over the weekend.  So, what do we have to see and where do we have to eat?!?!