While working on my 2015 goals at the very beginning of this year, I never thought I will get to actually meet and interview the street style icon, Nick Wooster so early. It’s very pleasant when these kind of surprises happen because they can really stretch you out of your comfort zone and help you realize that there are so many opportunities out there that you just need to keep an open mind and believe that it’s actually possible to not only achieve your goals, but surpass them!
The year 2015 couldn’t have started better than spending 4 days in beautiful Florence, Italy, with my better half (and co-owner Male Extravaganza), Roswitha. We got to experience Pitti Uomo for the very first time and only God knows how impressed we left the event, after seeing so many well-dressed people, amazing fabrics and interview Nick Wooster.
See the 8 Trends from Pitti Uomo 87 That You Can Wear Right Now!
Because I like comprehensive articles where you will find more than you ask for, I couldn’t just publish an interview with Nick and 2-3 pictures, so I decided to give you some info on his background & story, show you the latest collection, present you the interview and inspire you with Nick Wooster style for every season. Hope you’ll like it! If not, I am always open to feedback 🙂
WHO IS NICK WOOSTER?
After spending more than 25 years in the fashion industry, Nickleson “Nick” Wooster well deserves to be called “the alpha man of American street style” by GQ and some of his fans even call him “Woost God”. [source: businessoffashion.com]
Studies: journalism and advertising in University of Kansas
First job: at 16 for a family-owned retailer, Joseph P. Roth and Sons
Worked for: Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goldman, Thom Browne, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, Calvin Klein
Current position: ‘Vice president of brand, trend and design’ at JCPenney
LARDINI + WOOSTER A/W15 COLLECTION
If the first collection was all about imperfections, the A/W 2015 collection is something more refined; the emphasis is on what has built Lardini as a brand in all these years: mastery of cutting, fabric research and polished silhouettes.
See also: Wooster+Lardini Capsule Collection 2014
The reference points of this collection are the opposing styles of: sartorial/street, military/couture and masculine/feminine. I can only say that if you want to attract all photographers at one event, wear the patchwork jackets by Wooster+Lardini.
You can read more about the GREATS sneakers in our review about them here!
INTERVIEW WITH NICK WOOSTER
14.01.2015 will remain a legendary day in the history of Male Extravaganza and ourselves as well because we got to actually meet, shake hands and interview the one and only, the street style icon Nick Wooster.
After spending half of the day walking around Florence and enjoying a nice coffee near Pitti Palace, we got back to Fortezza da Basso at about 1:15pm, 45 minutes before the scheduled interview, so we have enough time to find Lardini‘s stand. We arrived on time, even if it’s hard to believe it took us so long to find them, but we forgot to take a map.
We were lucky that Nick was out smoking, so we had a few minutes to breathe, calm down and speak to their lovely PR, Alessia, who kept on telling us that we don’t have to worry because Nick is such a nice guy, so calm and will understand any nervousness that we have. And it was so true: Nick came from his break, greeted us and smiled – which gave us confidence to start the interview.
Because he is a busy guy and we did not want to take too much of his time, we only asked him 5 questions that we thought are crucial to understanding how he thinks and what’s important to him. See them below!
First impression: Nick Wooster’s style is very out of the ordinary, in a very positive way. He inspires calm around him and has a high self-esteem – the type that makes everyone around him feel good and equal.
But before we get started, I want to thank my awesome team for providing so many good questions ideas for the interview that we got to over 15 good ones. You rock! 🙂
Left to right: Roswitha Moti (CEO Estilo Tendances), Nick Wooster (one and only), Mihai Herman (CEO Male Extravaganza)
1. Everybody noticed that Pitti Uomo is the event that you come very often. What makes it so special?
It has always been and it still continues to be the beginning of the season. I know there’s London before, which is great, but this is really the first opportunity for people to get up close, touch things and experience the environment.
See also: Best Street Style Pictures from Pitti Uomo 87
2. What would you choose between London Collections & Pitti Uomo?
There are two different things: London is usually about the cat-walking and it’s great for new, as well for established brands and I had an amazing time there last week, it was the first time for me. But this is a different story: Italy and menswear has been linked for such a long time that here is old history compared to London.
See also: Our 52 Favorite Outfits from London Collections: MEN A/W 2015
3. There are hundreds of inspiration sources at the moment. Don’t you think that more and more people tend to imitate one’s style rather that develop a personal style?
I don’t think so. Everybody has a style, whether they intend to or not, they just do. Repetition is reputation. So, if after doing it enough times, somebody starts to create a signature, then maybe you could say they have “a style”, but everybody has “style”.
“In style, repetition builds reputation.” – Click to Tweet
4. We just published an article about Greats sneakers on Male Extravaganza. How did the collaboration between you two started?
I started working with the brand from its inception and Ryan (Greats founder) is an old friend of mine, so we started working together.
5. And now, a business question for you Nick: what would you recommend someone that wants to launch a capsule collection in collaboration with a brand?
I think you have to choose your partner wisely. I was very lucky with Lardini, but there’s many good people around and you have to find someone that thinks like you think.
Follow Nick on Tumblr & Instagram for your everyday style inspiration!
NICK WOOSTER’S STYLE
By now, every style conscious person (be it man or woman) knows that Nick Wooster is one of the (if not the) best-dressed men on the planet. Fact: we actually saw that a picture with him gets 2 times more likes than 90% of the pictures we share on social media – this says a lot about the man and his impeccable style.
See also: Men of Style – David Gandy
With that being said, I managed to find a few key outfits that best portrait Nick Wooster’s style, and will also give you a lot of inspiration because I’ve categorized them into: Summer, Winter, Wearing a Suit and “Attention to details”. Enjoy!
INSPIRATION FOR THE WARM SUMMER DAYS
When it comes to summer, Nick Wooster’s style is focused around his cool and colored tattoos. He likes to wear short-sleeved shirts and colorful pants.
I does not matter if he wear trousers of shorts, he always knows how to combine the colors and prints so he stands out. As you’ve probably noticed, both, the sunglasses and “showing your ankles” trend, play an important role in his Summer outfits.
Found on Streetpeeper.com
Found on baroqueprince.tumblr.com
Found on streetpeeper.com
Found on everydayobject.us
WEARING A SUIT
If you thought he cannot pull off a formal outfit, I beg you to think twice after taking a closer look at the images below!
See also: Men of Style – David Beckham
Found on heisgrizz.tumblr.com
Found on theredpilljournal.com
Found on lisbonlove.wordpress.com
INSPIRATION FOR THE COLD WINTER DAYS
It may be because I love layering, but these are my favorite outfits from Nick!
See also: Men of Style – Justin Timberlake
Found on koo.im
ATTENTION TO DETAILS
Nick is very aware that the details build an outfit and this special attention can be easily seen in how he matches the bowtie/tie with the blazer, suit jacket or pocket square. Plus, he always chooses his sunglasses very wisely.
CONCLUSION
The best quote that I’ve heard, while in Florence, it’s definitely Nick’s: “Repetition brings reputation”, he cannot be more right about this. The beauty is that you can apply this principle in everything you do and, eventually, consistency (or repetition) will bring you the desired results, reputation, success.
I hope you got a glimpse into the life and mind of one of the biggest and most famous street style icons and that you’ll find an evergreen source of inspiration in the pictures above.
HOW DID NICK WOOSTER’S STYLE INSPIRED YOU?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject and maybe share one piece of clothing you decided to invest in after seeing a street style picture of Nick Wooster. Mine are: round sunglasses and I got inspired to always look for special patterns.
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