So, for this installment of Menswear Monday I decided to post an all-new interview with my blog friend Jace, from GrungyGentlemen Blog. He has a different approach to the grunge aesthetic, however its blended with a very East Coast prep vibe. It’s great to see a menswear blog up and rolling these days. After all, men need inspiration too!
Enjoy!
QUESTIONS BY JESSICA AMENTO, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF THE ZOE REPORT
JA: Why is your blog a good source for men who want to know more about fashion?
GG: I TRULY ONLY COVER LINES THAT I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT. I BELIEVE IT ADDS A LEVEL OF AUTHENTICITY TO MY WORK THAT IS NOTICEABLE OR AT LEAST I HOPE SO!
PEOPLE CAN SENSE PASSION AND AUTHENTICITY AND IT IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS STAY TRUE TO. IF YOU DIG GRUNGY GENTLEMAN, RIGHT ON! IF NOT, THAT IS OK TOO.
JA: What kinds of basic fashion tips do you recommend to men?
GG: STYLE SHOULD BE A REFLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE. ALWAYS DRESS TO YOUR PERSONALITY. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS; BEING NORMAL IS BORING!
JA: What are some summer trends men should follow?
GG: I HAD THE HONOR OF SPEAKING WITH SIMON SPURR TODAY. HE SHARES A VERY SIMILAR VIEW ON TRENDS AS I DO. HE SAID, “I’VE ALWAYS BEEN MORE ABOUT STYLE THAN FASHION TREND. WHAT WORKS FOR ME, MIGHT NOT WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE. IDENTIFYING YOUR OWN STYLE IS THE KEY FACTOR. BE KNOWN FOR SOMETHING, BE CONSITENT, BUT MAKE SURE YOU TWEAK YOUR STYLE EVERY 6 MONTHS OR SO.”
AS FOR SEASONAL WEAR, I ALWAYS DITCH SOCKS IN THE SUMMER AND GIVE MY WINGTIPS A REST. I GO FOR MORE OF A CASUAL-COMFORTABLE LOOK, WHICH IS WHAT SUMMER IS ALL ABOUT. YOU WILL JUST ABOUT ALWAYS FIND ME IN SPERRY TOP-SIDER X BAND OF OUTSIDERS LOAFERS OR BOAT SHOES.
JA: As we segue into fall, how do you plan to transition your look?
GG: I LOVE MILITARY JACKETS. TOTALLY DIG ARMY-GREEN AND KHAKI FOR BOTTOMS AND TOPS.
COMBAT BOOTS OF ALL KINDS! FROM VINTAGE BLACK PAIRS TO ONES WITH A DIFFERENT SHADE OF COLOR ON THE INTERIOR OF THE BOOT, SO THAT IT CAN BE FOLDED OVER.
CHUNKY KNITS, CABLE-KNIT SWEATERS, AND “YUMMY CARDIGANS.” LEARNED THAT LAST TERM FROM THE ZOE REPORT!
JA: Who are your style muses and where do you get your inspiration from (which blogs/magazines/movies/etc)?
GG: LAPO ELKANN NAILS DISHEVELED ELEGANCE TO PERFECTION. HE IS MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION. I HOPE TO MEET HIM ONE DAY.
TOM FORD IS ANOTHER HUGE INSPIRATION TO ME. HE IS THE EPITOME OF MODERN ELIGANCE. FROM HIS LAPELS ON SUITS TO HIS MYSTIQUE, HE SEEMS TO DO EVERYTHING EFFORTLESSLY!
BRAD GORESKI’S STYLE IS DOPE! NOT JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE I AM TALKING TO YOU EITHER. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MICHAEL BASTIAN SPORTS JACKET OR RED SUIT THAT WAS FEATURED IN MY INTERVIEW WITH HIM ON GRUNGY GENTLEMAN, THEN YOU SHOULD GET ON THAT!
http://www.grungygentleman.com/2010/07/q-with-brad-goreski.html
JA: Any grooming secrets for the Grungy Gentleman readers or a “beauty” product suggestion?
GG: I BELIEVE MEN SHOULD HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF MASCULINITY TO THEM. SCENT IS A MAJOR REFLECTION OF HOW PEOPLE VIEW YOU. YOU WILL ALWAYS SMELL TOM FORD COLOGNES WHEN I WALK INTO A ROOM.
JA: How do you work vintage pieces into your wardrobe?
GG: YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH A VINTAGE CONCERT T-SHIRT. YOU CAN ROCK IT ALONE OR UNDER A CARDIGAN.
VINTAGE COMBAT BOOTS ARE KILLER.
I HAVE A VINTAGE FERRARI BASEBALL CAP THAT I ALWAYS GET GREAT FEEDBACK FROM.
JA: In your opinion, which F/W collection(s) will have the biggest influence on dudes’ wardrobes over the next few months?
GG: GREAT QUESTION! I THINK THE BIGGEST THING TO HAPPEN IN MEN’S FASHION THIS SEASON WILL BE THE LAUNCH OF GANT BY MICHAEL BASTIAN. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE RUNWAY SHOW YET FROM FEBRUARY, THAN YOU ARE MISSING OUT. HE IS ABLE TO MIX COLOR AND TEXTURE LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. I HAVE HAD THE PRIVELDGE OF TALKING TO MICHAEL BEFORE AND IT IS VERY COOL WHEN A DESIGNER THAT IS AS TALENTED AS HE IS CAN BE AS HUMBLE AS HE IS. I THINK IT MAKES HIM EVEN COOLER.
ANOTHER DESGINER I LOOK UP TO IS ALSO IN THE GANT FAMILY. GANT RUGGER’S, CHRISTOPHER BASTIN IS AS GOOD OF A GUY AS THEY COME. HIS TALENT IS ENDLESS AND THE GANT RUGGER LINE IS MAKING SOME SERIOUS NOISE IN THE INDUSTRY AND DESERVINGLY SO. LOOK OUT FOR MORE FROM HIM…A LOT MORE!
I LIVE FOR BAND OF OUTSIDERS. SCOTT STERNBERG IS BRILLIANT. HE IS A TRUE INSPIRATION TO ME AND I HOPE TO GET TO WORK WITH HIM IN SOME CAPACITY IN THE FUTURE.
I AM EAGER TO SEE RAG & BONE’S COLLECTION AFTER WINNING THEIR CFDA AWARD FOR BEST DESIGNER. THEY ALWAYS BRING IT AND I EXPECT BIG THINGS!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I AM EAGER TO SEE THE LAUNCH OF TEXTILE ELIZABETH AND JAMES, WHICH IS THE DENIM-CENTRIC OFFSHOOT OF ELIZABETH AND JAMES. I AM A HUGE FAN OF THEIR LINE. THE BAJA CARDIGAN AND LOOSE HIPPY T FROM THIS PAST SEASON ARE INSTANT CLASSICS.
I’ve actually featured Kurt in Male Monday before but as it was his birthday yesterday I thought it was appropriate to dedicate Male Monday to him again. He’s also the definition of Grunge so he sits perfectly on this blog.
Carrying on the trend from the latest issue of Love, Kurt is my muse. I cannot get dressed in the morning without thinking about layers and beat up converse. Kurt represents the image of authentic rock, Kurt wore hand me downs, worn out parkas and beat up sneakers.
There’s a real demand for an authentic rock identity. This could be people’s response to living in a fake, constructed world. In many ways grunge is a reaction against modernity, which is why I 100% back the statement that ‘Grunge is not dead.’
So many people say that the sound of grunge quickly burnt out and faded away with the death of Kurt. His death affected his fans and his loved ones, he died in 1994 now over a decade on his band member, Dave Grohl still has nightmares; “I have sad, heart-wrenching fucked up dreams about him.” The fact that people are still talking about him proves that grunge is far from dead.
My favorite thing about Kurt was his Conny Vs. He was renown for his converse and converse always had a very close connection to subculture – from the birth of rock’n’roll and the youth rebellion that began in the 1950s, to punk rock and modern artists, performers and designers. As long as people are wearing converse they’ll always be thinking of Kurt.
Most of my favorite Kurt images were taken my Michael Lavine – if you haven’t purchased his book, Grunge, you need to. It will change the way you look at the world. He’s an incredibly talent photographer and his images of Kurt are truly mesmerizing. When asked about his photography his answer was simple. “We were making ironic imagery that matched the music. I was being influenced by the music to make those images.”
Sedge xx
