Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I'm so obsessed with Apple, and the chance to work with the people who really created Apple retail is the retail opportunity of a lifetime.
There are so many more people in Tokyo than in New York, but it's pristine. It's so organized, and yet the address system is in complete chaos.
The Japanese are the ultimate students: they analyse things in so much detail... until they have pretty much mastered whatever they are studying.
I'm not just a designer; I'm not just a retailer. I'm not just a street style person, whatever that is. I can instead do a little bit of everything.
I'll never forget my transition from pleated pants to plain front pants. It was the late '80s. I couldn't get rid of those pleated pants fast enough.
I think a lot of gay kids in the midwest or in places not in New York have to overachieve in order to sort of get through the fear of what they're going through.
A man in Tom Ford will develop a nice, long relationship with the brand. Ford is very smart about positioning his product. He's a name that is going to remain huge.
I would never, ever call myself a createur or a designer. I'm more of an amalgamator or a D.J., taking two things that don't go together and making them go together.
It's a love-and-hate relationship with New York. Much like Hong Kong, it's expensive, crowded, the weather is not so nice. But New York is home, and I love New York.
Fire Island Pines is my perfect escape from N.Y.C. on weekends. Beautiful beaches, great restaurants, and fun people - exactly what I need after a crazy New York week.
Men shop for problem solving. They want something familiar. So if it's a new version of something they understand, they are right there with it and, hopefully, loving it.
I have a reputation that was sort of built on suits and boots, so I'm a huge fan of the sartorial equivalent of a mullet, where you're business on top and party on the bottom.
I've seen a few lookalikes, and that kind of freaks me out, but then I'm not the first person on the planet to have tattoos, and I'm not the first person to have hair or a tattoo sleeve.
To me, a Harris Tweed jacket is the kind of thing you should be able to have in your closet years from now - possibly it was your father's jacket or, even better, your grandfather's jacket.
I think the way you dress is a direct reflection out of what you will get out of your day; you make the effort, people will notice. You'll feel better, and those around you will feel better.
I grew up in the '60s and '70s when men were required to wear a suit, shirt, and tie every day to be taken seriously. I was at the tail end of that generation, and it had a significant impact on me.
A gray flannel suit by Thom Browne or Tom Ford can be worn a billion ways. I'll wear a gray flannel jacket with a white shirt, gray flannel tie, beat-up fatigues, and a dress shoe or Carpe Diem boots.
I was 39 when I did, essentially, a three-quarter sleeve on my left arm. It was very late in life, which is good: I can't think of any decision I made at 19 that I'd be happy with at 39 or even now, at 51.
I like clothes. When I realized as a child that you had to wear them, and it takes the same amount of effort to look good or not, I figured out long ago that I only wanted stuff that I loved and looked good in.
I truly find inspiration everywhere. I always tell students, and young people starting out, that the single most important skill, next to listening, is to pay attention. You never know where inspiration will strike.
I always say that MTV cribs is what brought straight men into the fashion world. Once they sort of saw sports guys and music guys had, like, a billion sneakers, they realized, 'Oh, you mean I can have more than one?'
I feel like the menswear blogger is a special breed, and by that, I mean they really have brought menswear out of the closet and into the public discourse where guys are not afraid to talk about style, dressing, clothes.
I am probably biased, but I think social media is the great equalizer. It gives everyone a megaphone. Young people who might not have had the platform for exposure can now get their ideas out to a very receptive audience.
Bloggers and stores and publications and brands and houses all need to sort of take a deep breath and relax because no one is going away. The brands aren't going away. The designers, bloggers, publications aren't going away.
There's something about the U.S. and Japan: two opposite ends of the planet, two completely different languages, and yet, especially in menswear, they share this kind of idealized way of dressing that is so close to what we do in America.
I did this the hard way. I have worked my entire life in this business, and I've done the work - from being on the selling floor to learning to speak Italian to work with manufacturers with John Bartlett. I've done it all. I've paid my dues.
Great product trumps all. You can have the biggest marketing budget, the biggest show, a perfect merchandising plan, but at the end of the day, it doesn't mean anything if the design and quality of the product you are offering is not compelling.
Clothes are an amazing tool. They are an amazing way to hide a multitude of sins; they're an amazing way to be creative. Clothes can do so many things. But at the end of the day, if they don't serve you, it's just a waste of time. Then it is frivolous.
What I love about travel and shopping is seeing how different retailers in London, Paris, and New York interpret the same collection. I like to find the best store in town and take a good look because there will always be a nuance that you just can't get anywhere else.
My dad was a mechanic, and I have great style memories of him. He wore, every single day: a blue chambray shirt, Levi's 501s, and Red Wing boots. And that certainly wasn't fashionable at the time; it was basically the opposite. And he wore these horn rim glasses that were very Sol Moscot.
Outside of white button-down oord cloth shirts, Trickers brogues, 501s, and Ray-Ban Aviators, the single item of clothing that I have had in my closet consistently since 1982 is a pair of black-and-white checked Vans. They are the lazy man's shoe - perfect for dog walking and security lines at the airport.
In Japan, the attention to detail in customer service is an experience that is unlike anywhere else. It's really quite special. I think everyone who's interested in fashion would do well to take a trip to learn about presentation and the way the merchandise is handed to you. These are skills that no one really thinks about.