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Bruce Pask - Bergdorf Goodman & Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Talks Curating Collections
883 Plays2 years ago
Today we’re chatting with the Men’s Fashion Director for Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, Bruce Pask. Bruce has had an amazing trajectory in menswear over the last 30 years, especially for someone who grew up in Southern Arizona. Today’s conversation on collecting is a little different than something I have done in the past. As a Fashion Director of two of the biggest names in the industry, Bruce’s role is really curating collections for well, all of us. Curating for multiple brands has become a fairly easy task for him as he’s always got his eyes on the next thing, but what really goes into curating collections and how it relates to collecting as a whole is what I wanted to know. Collecting as a hobby can come in many different forms, and Bruce is the perfect example of that. And without realizing it, he also collects one very specific item of clothing which has become a staple in his everyday wardrobe. It’s safe to say that we could all learn something from Bruce. But for now, please enjoy Bruce Pask, for Collectors Gene Radio.
B. Shop - https://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/c/editorial-5th-58th-b-shop-cat455214
Bruce Pask Esquire Spread - https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a40643285/bruce-pask-neiman-marcus-bergdorf-goodman-five-fits-with/
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Transcript
The Essence of Curiosity and Time Management
00:00:00
Speaker
You know we have to be rapidly curious in this business and it does take a lot of time and you have to know how to use that time efficiently but i never want to. You know not pay attention to something that could be interesting ultimately so it's definitely coming through a lot but i think you can find things whatever.
Introduction to Collector's Gene Radio
00:00:22
Speaker
What's going on everybody and welcome to collector's gene radio. This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review. It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening and please enjoy today's guest on collector's gene radio.
Featuring Bruce Pask: Fashion and Collecting
00:00:47
Speaker
Today we're chatting with Men's Fashion Director for Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, Bruce Pask. Bruce has had an amazing trajectory in menswear over the last 30 years, especially for someone who grew up in southern Arizona. Today's conversation on collecting is a little different than something I've done in the past. As a fashion director of two of the biggest names in the industry, Bruce's role is really curating collections for, well, all of us.
00:01:13
Speaker
curating for multiple brands has become a pretty easy task for him as he's always got his eye on the next thing. But what really goes into curating collections and how it relates to collecting as a whole is what I wanted to know. Collecting as a hobby could come in many different forms and I think Bruce is the perfect example of that.
00:01:30
Speaker
And without realizing it, he also collects one very specific item of clothing which has become a staple in his everyday wardrobe. It's safe to say that we could all learn something from Bruce. But for now, please enjoy Bruce Pask for Collector's Dream Radio. Bruce Pask, welcome to Collector's Dream Radio.
Bruce Pask's Fashion Journey
00:01:49
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:01:50
Speaker
My pleasure. We are Arizona boys, but you are on the East Coast now. Funny. What a small world. I actually grew up with two of your cousins, I believe. Is that correct? I was home for the holidays. Yeah. That's how we found out this mutual connection to the funny.
00:02:11
Speaker
So you're the men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. And for a podcast that's all on collecting, I think we're going to have a really interesting conversation because most of our guests are used to hearing about, you know, specific items that people collect. But I'm excited to talk about a shift in, in hopefully what people will start thinking of when it comes to collecting and curating collections.
00:02:35
Speaker
Can you talk about your role a little bit more in depth because there's a lot that you do. Yeah. Yeah. Well, also you kind of beat me to it with this idea, you know, the collector's radio. But I think collecting for me is also an aspect of curation. And then you literally just said that. And that's that is sort of
00:02:57
Speaker
most applicable to what I do in my work and vocation as well as, I guess, in my life as well. But, you know, my background, just in a quick kind of summation, I've been a journalist most of my life. I was a fashion editor and a stylist, always specializing in menswear. Started at GQ and then worked freelance, working with a lot of shoots and photography with Annie Leibovitz at Vanity Fair.
00:03:24
Speaker
Back at Conde Nast at cargo magazine and then ultimately at the new york times where i was for seven years is the men's fashion director there a team magazine.
Transition from Journalism to Retail
00:03:34
Speaker
And then moved into retail about eight years ago as the men's fashion director burger german and now naman marcus.
00:03:41
Speaker
as well. And people often ask me like, was that a strange jump? Was that a difficult transition? And for me, it felt quite natural because I consider myself quite expert in this field. It's quite specific. And one could call it niche, but I do feel like I have quite a grasp on that
00:04:04
Speaker
world of fashion that is devoted to menswear. And so for me, it was more of just a contextual shift rather than a complete about face. So, you know, in the printing world as well as .com and digital.
00:04:20
Speaker
you know, content creation is certainly what we did and what people do. Um, and within the context of the store, for me, it was very, very similar, just in, it was more just dimensional, like it was in life and three dimensions rather than, um, online or in print. So, uh, you know, working with, um, I guess what starting, what we do is, is, you know,
00:04:46
Speaker
going to the fashion shows going to these trade shows being in market going on appointments meeting with designers and ultimately the goal is to gather as much information as possible.
Understanding Customers in Fashion
00:04:56
Speaker
Understand our audience so when it was a magazine we had you know audiences and demographics and psychographics and within the store we have an audience that is our customer both online and in store.
00:05:09
Speaker
I think it's understanding who your customer is and making sure that we're speaking directly to that customer and intriguing him and inspiring him. That is scouring the market for new things, keeping up with our current partners, developing relationships with new partners.
The Role of Trade Shows in Fashion Trends
00:05:32
Speaker
finding things that are compelling. And when I say market, it's kind of, you know, being at all those things we mentioned before, you know, being at shows, showrooms, trade shows, everything from Pitywomo to Project to Man Woman trade shows. I'm a big fan of a trade show. I think it's an amazing way to see a lot of brands that we may or may not know. Yeah. I have some questions on the trade show stuff. And just to touch on your impressive
00:06:01
Speaker
30-year career. I think the biggest thing to overcome was probably moving from Arizona to the fashion world as Arizona is not necessarily the fashion capital of the world. But touching on trade shows, you mentioned Pitywomo and
00:06:20
Speaker
This is obviously a show that you see a lot of people in the menswear world traveling to. And typically trade shows, a lot of times aren't very transactional in a lot of other industries, but I truly feel like in the menswear world, it's really the place where people launch things that are new and exciting and try to be relevant and that sort of stuff. Would you say that's true? I would absolutely agree with that. I mean, it is,
00:06:48
Speaker
Literally where we go to scout brands where we look to see new merchandise meet vendors that we don't know. In addition to meeting with designers and brands and vendors that we already do business with a partner with.
00:07:02
Speaker
I mean, I scour the fairgrounds. I mean, I think many people have different kind of strategies and ways they go about it. But for me, I literally walk every aisle of every building just to make sure I don't miss anything. And you never know what you're going to find and you've got to keep your eyes open.
00:07:19
Speaker
I am always curious, but we also have, you know, efficiency is always necessary. So it is making these very quick assessments or snap judgments when you're walking a hallway and I've, you know, honed my craft and my skills to be able to kind of spot things very quickly because you can't devote a good amount of time with every booth. There's just not enough time in the day. So it is about
00:07:42
Speaker
Scouring every inch and and being efficient and making these i would say educated snap judgments and when you think you wanna devote the time to having a conversation and going to the line as briefly as you can but getting them cleaning as much information as possible.
Unique Curation for Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus
00:07:59
Speaker
It must be extremely difficult to decipher up and coming trends, especially for two different stores, both really high end, but in their own different way. I mean, how do you, how do you differentiate what collections you curate for both stores? Yeah. I mean, well, I, again, it's like we work.
00:08:17
Speaker
work in teams for sure. I mean, I, you know, as men's fashion director, I work with the merchants. And so I have, I report into chief merchants and what they call GMMs. Um, and they oversee teams of buyers and I sort of work as an informer and as a guide of sorts, I guess. And, and we, most importantly is, is establishing trust.
00:08:45
Speaker
It's not an imperious position. It's not coming in and like, this is what I want and this is what I like and this is what we should be doing. It's not that at all. And the title can easily kind of infer that that's how it is, but it's very much teamwork and collaborative and knowing what our stores are like, knowing what our customers are interested in and what they're not. So that really dictates all of that.
00:09:12
Speaker
certainly the premier luxury shopping destination in America and both BG and Neiman Marcus. And there are definite customer intersections between both stores. And so finding those areas that do connect and then recognizing the differentials between the different customers with Neiman's specifically since, you know, maybe some of your listeners
00:09:37
Speaker
This may be a little inside baseball for fashion, but there is only one verdict of Goodman's store. It's in New York City. There's a women's store and a men's store, and it's across the street. They exist across the street from each other on Fifth Avenue.
00:09:50
Speaker
But sorry, Neiman Marcus, we have many, many stores over across the country, 36 plus online. And each one of those markets is very distinct. And so we kind of look at those as, yes, there are important partnerships and brands and vendors that are key partners to the company throughout our store networks.
00:10:13
Speaker
each market does have differentiation so we wanna make sure that we're localizing and being very analytical about each local market and what's best for them. So I think it feels organic to me. I've spent so much time
00:10:30
Speaker
in as many of the stores as I can and really spending time with customers that it does. I would like to say it feels innate. So I do feel like I have a very good understanding of our customers and what's interesting to them and compelling and exciting.
Innovation with The B Shop
00:10:45
Speaker
But it's certainly based on a lot of research, a lot of time in the stores, a lot of engagement with the associates, which I think is so important to mention that
00:10:54
Speaker
You know they're the direct connection to these customers what they want they know best they have these very long standing trustworthy relationships with clients and their information is the most valuable. A few years ago you launched the shop can you tell us what this curated collection is all about sure sure sure sure so this was about three years ago this is good man in new york.
00:11:20
Speaker
BG, just to give a little bit of an explanation of the physicality of the store, it's three floors. And it's, I would say we're a very large specialty store or a very small like curated department store. And so it's, it's not huge. Like when you see these giant European department stores, it is not that. Uh, so each floor is quite distinct. Our third floor is, is very, very, you know, kind of runway fashion driven designer sneakers, you know, very runway brands.
00:11:49
Speaker
The second floor is very sartorial with incredible tailoring brands out of Naples. We have Keaton, Cesare Atolini, that's also where our exclusive Tom Ford shop is, Armani. And then the first floor is devoted very much to luxury sportswear as well as footwear and accessories of brands like Brunella Cucinelli and Laura Piana. So each floor has quite a distinct identity and we've worked very hard to blend and create this
00:12:17
Speaker
flow across floors, but nonetheless, there is a distinction. So I was just noticing over time that there was this aspect of wardrobe-driven brands that were more style-minded rather than fashionee, I guess, capital F fashion, that were, I guess, not getting enough air time, not getting enough
00:12:43
Speaker
attention because they're more quiet collections. They're to just name check some brands. But when I started, we had brands like Ami, Todd Snyder, Michael Bastian, Band of Outsiders, Office Scene General. And when you compare those to more kind of statement-making, colorful, logo-driven brands, they can fade a bit into the background. And so
00:13:09
Speaker
I felt it was important to emphasize this kind of category, this kind of wardrobe driven category of clothing that was needing a little bit more of attention and more care and curation. And so I thought the best way to do that would be to create an environment where these smaller collections can live together and that way they can get the attention and the meaning.
Curating vs. Personal Collecting
00:13:32
Speaker
and the context that I felt like they needed. And this also allowed us to explore the idea of really curating a shop like a specialty store. So not displaying simply by brand, but mixing the merchandise, mixing vendors with each other and kind of approaching it more like you would
00:13:53
Speaker
somebody's closet but then also buying brands that were kind of best in class in a category you know like a buying jackets from some shell and where from peregrine. So it allows us to kind of approach the retail environment in a very specific way. Right collections that could be dressed up or down yet still exude elegance when done correctly.
00:14:20
Speaker
Yeah, and I think they are a little quieter, but they are still unique and interesting. I mean, the B Shop customer is certainly looking for
00:14:30
Speaker
statement-making things and things that are compelling visually, but it's just in a more wardrobe-driven way rather than a very kind of overtly fashion way. And then again, they're all equally important paths. It was something where I felt like we could better address this customer in a way that we had an opportunity to do so. And so I think it's more about how can we best serve the customer and
00:14:57
Speaker
This was another avenue in which to do that.
00:15:01
Speaker
I would have to imagine that when you're curating collections, whether it's for The B Shop or Burgdorfer Neiman, your mindset of collecting and curating is that of the same as it would be if it were an item for yourself, right? You're creating these collections based on design, look, materials, pieces that maybe are undiscovered, and you want them all to tell a story when someone looks at it. And just like collecting a physical object, I would have to assume that your style and tastes have evolved over time. Is that correct?
00:15:31
Speaker
Absolutely. And it's one of those I can tell you without any hesitation that style is definitely learned and acquired. I had a very different.
00:15:42
Speaker
relationship with clothing when I was younger. I mean, I grew up, you know, I lived in Yuma, Arizona through high school and, you know, it was the height of the preppy handbook. And so that was very much our connection to what was interesting to us in fashion. Also just that lifestyle felt so different compared to how it was where we were living in Arizona. It felt very exotic and interesting and compelling and
00:16:06
Speaker
But, you know, when I went to school after I graduated high school, I went back east to school and then stayed on the east coast and ultimately moved to New York and I was absolutely, you know, learned
00:16:20
Speaker
about style and fashion as I progressed in the
Evolution of Bruce's Personal Style
00:16:24
Speaker
industry. I would shudder to think or to speak here about some of the things that I used to wear. I'm so always just kind of amazed when you see really young children out there these days that have their style pulled together. I mean, I find it always impressive and I was not that case at all. It was something that I learned over the course of many, many years.
00:16:50
Speaker
And so, you know, in a job like mine, I would definitely say that the B shop is certainly very personal and I think reflects and represents a good amount of my style. But I also think that we approach, you know, this
00:17:06
Speaker
curation in a very objective way. There are certainly plenty of things in that shop that I don't wear, but that I know we have customers for. I think it's probably the most personal assortment in the store, so there's a lot of it that I would certainly easily find in my closet.
00:17:21
Speaker
The job in general requires a real necessary objectivity. I mean, we have to kind of put our personal taste and preferences a little bit to the side and always keep the customer in mind. And that's the most primary focus for me for sure.
00:17:39
Speaker
What would you say is the first step of launching a collection? Does it start at Pitywomo? Does it start with someone you saw at a restaurant wearing a certain outfit? Could it be any of those things? Do you mean about how does a brand or collection make its way into the world and the consciousness? Yeah, and even more specifically, into the bee shop, let's say. Where do you start to launch a new collection for the bee shop?
00:18:07
Speaker
Gosh, I mean, it can really come from any place. I mean, like Petit Wommo, I've certainly found quite a few brands there over the years. The Man Woman Show in Paris and New York is also a great show. You know, I have a lot of friends and colleagues in the business that certainly refer brands to me. There's an interesting story where I was actually at this weekend getaway with some friends in Northern California and on an organic ranch and met
00:18:36
Speaker
these guys that have this brand called Taylor Stitch, and they were doing a photo shoot there. And we will just hang out with them over the course of the weekend because we both were in the same location. And a few years later, we stayed in touch and just most recently launched a capsule collection with them in the bee shop that we celebrated over the holiday. And they came to town, we had a party, we had an installation. And this goes back quite a few years and just kind of waited until the timing was right.
00:19:05
Speaker
I think it can come from anywhere. People DM me quite often on Instagram. I had a Zoom call this morning with a brand where somebody connected with a brand had gotten in touch with me on Instagram. We have to be rabidly curious in this business. It does take a lot of time and you have to know how to use that time efficiently, but I never want to
00:19:29
Speaker
you know, not pay attention to something that could be interesting ultimately. So it's definitely combing through a lot, but I think you can find things wherever. I think the B shop particularly is less runway driven. So it's, it's probably not so much a fashion show kind of area of the business that we're going to be cultivating brands for the B shop, but for the store in general and for Neiman Marcus, the runway is certainly an important,
00:19:57
Speaker
part of discovery and also seeing the seasonal changes from the collections. So yeah, I mean, we absorb our information truly and literally everywhere. And you have a brother who works in set design on Broadway, if I understand correctly. And do you ever help him curate collections for costumes and sets and all that sort of stuff?
00:20:18
Speaker
That's a really good question. Yeah, my brother Scott, we're twins. We both grow. I was going to say, if you're not twins, you sure look a lot alike. Yeah, we are. And he has won multiple Tony Awards for set designs for Broadway. He works on a lot of different projects that are seen in design and interior related.
00:20:41
Speaker
We have collaborated before on shows. I did a play on Broadway, The Costumes, designed for living in an old coward show many years ago. And a director had approached my brother and I about doing costumes for a revival of a Burt Bacharach musical called Promises Promises that we did with Christian Chenoweth and Sean Hayes. The director was Rob Ashford. And so I did the costumes and Scott did the set.
00:21:11
Speaker
And yeah, it was really like an incredible experience and something I did not have the skill set for to be frank. But I think like in any situation, I knew I had an aesthetic. I knew I had a point of view. My nature as a creative artist is always wanting to know how to do every aspect of
00:21:35
Speaker
what I'm working on and so it was a very vulnerable state to be in to know that I don't know the machinations of this but I know that I have a vision so I met and collaborated with an amazing costume assistant who really showed me how to translate what I envisioned for the world of the stage but everything is
00:21:58
Speaker
you know, very much about movement, which in the store, you know, clothing on, on the customer and the person is certainly dimensionalized, but it's very different than choreography that throws people in the air and move them around and having to get like, you know, these style clothing, cause it was a musical based in the sixties that it was,
00:22:24
Speaker
very terrifying often, but incredibly rewarding. And I was super proud of it. It was a really exciting thing to do. And I'm so glad I did. And after that, that director hired me. I cost my design with another amazing designer. We did two Oscar ceremonies, two years of that. So it had been a very, there was no straight line trajectory in my career. I've been, there's always been a focus on menswear, but a lot of,
00:22:54
Speaker
working in different areas and fields and aspects of fashion, which I've really loved all of it, to be honest. And part of your role, or a big part of your role, rather, is figuring out incoming and outgoing trends. And without revealing too much, can you tell us about a trend or a piece of clothing or style that you see incoming and one you see outgoing? Yes, that's a good question. It's a good way to phrase it because I think the trend talk can
00:23:24
Speaker
you know, can be hard for people to kind of absorb in a topical way.
Trends as Cultural Movements
00:23:29
Speaker
For me, I think it's more interesting to look at them as sort of like as movements, whereas it's like directions. Because I think when we think trends, it seems very, I don't know, I don't know if people feel a connection to it, or that has meaning in their lives. Whereas what it really is, is just a representation, trends are just representations of
00:23:49
Speaker
what the clothing means in our culture, what people are interested in and where our needs and our desires are gravitating. So I look at more of the machinations and the movements of that to just put it in a context that I hope makes your listener feel a little more relevant to his or her lives.
00:24:10
Speaker
And so with that being said like we're in a really interesting time that men's were specifically the pendulum shifts and swings in a much slower methodical way just because of the nature of the male customer.
00:24:28
Speaker
the women's market is a much bigger market moves very very quickly. So there is a differentiation in that aspect and so it takes time for trends to develop be adopted embraced and then to spread throughout.
00:24:43
Speaker
the community or the country or the globe. And so it takes a little time. So I like that it's not so whiplash making in the men's world. It takes some time. With that being said, and we've been in a long era of things being trim and slender, tight, fitted. And it's so strange to see that, but it's
00:25:09
Speaker
You know, Tom Brown debuted about 25 years ago. He's coming up on his 25th anniversary, I reckon. And so when he debuted his, you know, shrunken JFK-inspired sack suit, you know, that was jarring to the eye. We were coming in the heels of clothing having been quite roomy and accommodating. And that was a very, very, you know, very avant-garde at the time, which seems so
00:25:38
Speaker
wild to think about right now because our eye has become so adjusted to it over the decades. So that really had a huge influence on menswear in general, like moving away from wider pleated pants. I mean, we remember, you know, casual Fridays and the double pleated dockers, you know, this was a shift into flat front, trim, cropped pants, fitted jackets, you know, where the shoulders really matched your natural shoulders, the arm,
00:26:07
Speaker
the armholes were higher. And I think that this has persisted for a very long time.
00:26:15
Speaker
And now what we've seen over the last few seasons and it's continuing to build momentum is we've seen a lot more exaggerated proportions, things getting fuller, more voluminous, dropped shoulders, extended sleeves, you know, legs that are more full and wide. And where I think this will have its kind of first kind of broad manifestation is in denim particularly.
00:26:41
Speaker
where we have been in a very, very skinny, tight, you know, five-pipe denim world, and now we're moving into, and it's not going to be dramatic or drastic, and it's going to be, again, as the customer experiences this desire and relevance in his or her life. But it is going to be, you know, we're shifting from this very skinny leg to a more straight leg denim, where, you know, there will be a little puddling
00:27:06
Speaker
um at the bottom of the hem and requires a fuller kind of footwear statement and There will be you know early adopters and You know fashion fans that are going to take that even wider because we are certainly seeing like very very dramatically Wide leg jeans voluminous pants. And so I think given this terrain right now in the menswear fashion landscape
00:27:34
Speaker
Things are moving into this area of volume so and this will take time this will take you know seasons and years as it trickles down and um, but I I do see that on the horizon immediately like imminently like we are already Having examples of this in our store That to me. I think is interesting and also I like that. It's not immediate. I like that it takes time because I don't think that we should be
00:28:01
Speaker
getting whiplash from one season to the next. I think it's nice to build confidence and then when things are interesting to a customer that there is an appreciation for the time that takes to adjust the eye.
The Ubiquitous Chore Jacket
00:28:14
Speaker
When we first started chatting about having you on the podcast, you weren't really sure that you collected anything, but as I learned more about you, I learned that chore jackets are really a staple for you and you in fact do collect them.
00:28:29
Speaker
That's funny. Yeah, I wear a lot of them, but it's funny because it is funny that word collect to me has a preciousness about it, which I do not approach my clothing that way or anything really.
00:28:42
Speaker
Well, yeah, I mean, certain things you collect, you obviously have to be precious with and take care of, but certain things are meant to be used and watches are meant to be used and worn, and some things are meant to be kept in the safe, some aren't, but what is it about the chore jacket that has become such a staple for you? It is, yeah, and I guess, and to go back to your, that sort of, it's not really even a differentiation, it is more of like a, they're kind of, I guess, parallel terms.
00:29:11
Speaker
collecting and curating. I guess for me, curating feels, I don't know, more approachable from my personal point of view. The chore jacket is interesting. I mean, I think, and this is where it is about looking at clothing as a manifestation of what's going on in the broader culture. We've seen obviously the relaxation of clothing standards and requirements in the workplace, and this has been going on for quite some time.
00:29:38
Speaker
And as a person that's sort of middle-aged in fashion, personally, I prefer to wear a jacket. I feel more presentable when I wear a jacket, a sport jacket, and I have plenty that I really love. But it was feeling like maybe a little too pulled together, or maybe it was a message that I just was feeling like I wanted something a little bit more, not obscure, but maybe something that felt a little bit
00:30:08
Speaker
more interesting personally to me. So I knew of this brand in Paris, Le Mans Saint-Michel, and they've been making these moleskin chore jackets for more than a century. And basically what they are is, it's a French worker jacket. It's incredibly durable. It is a uniform. And it's basically
00:30:30
Speaker
Kind of a slightly A-line, so the fit is very generous. It's not very fitted. And it's, you know, got button fronts. It's got sort of just a collar that one would see, like, on a straight collared shirt. And it's got two front patch pockets and a chest patch pocket. And I just, you know, I bought my first one was navy and... Classic. I just wore it like I would wear a sport jacket. And sometimes I would dress it up. And sometimes I would wear it with a t-shirt.
00:30:59
Speaker
It's just become one of the things where I immediately adopted it as a uniform. And so they make many, many different colors and fabrications. Then I got a French blue one. Then I got an olive one. And then I did one in corduroy for the shop that were exclusives. Then I did one in gray flannel. And so, yeah, it became sort of this go-to
00:31:22
Speaker
um kind of jacket shape for me and and I do think the part of it was you know aging in the fashion world where I feel just much more comfortable saw you cover it up I guess you know and and that's just a personal thing and and it it suits me well and I and I also do love the idea of a uniform like having
00:31:46
Speaker
a sort of, you know, wardrobe that I know that I can look forward to every day without having to put too much thought into it. And it is sort of these components that I mix and match, but there is sort of a, I guess, an index of some of these classic pieces that I do, you know, just kind of rotate on a daily basis. And then I am wearing one in honor of recording with you today.
00:32:13
Speaker
Which one are you wearing? I'm wearing one that I just got awesome. I was in New York from Alex Mill In a in a French blue corduroy. Oh fantastic. I mean, they're great aren't they they're amazing They you know, like you said, they come in different fabrics different colors different weights You know some are more canvas II and and a little you know more rigid and some are more soft and
00:32:38
Speaker
They're great and and I understand why it's a staple For you and in almost every day, you know, yeah I mean I do worry that I've become such a cliche and it's like oh Bruce in the chore jacket because I know it's great literally worn it into the ground, but I also just like I I just I just love when you can kind of develop a uniform for yourself and that it absolves me of
00:33:04
Speaker
spending too much time thinking about my own clothing and I can devote my time to thinking about my work and my customers and my colleagues and what we're doing for the stores. So there is a reason why uniforms work for people. It really does. It is a time saver. And there is a huge amount of originality possible throughout this specific, I guess, the proliferation of this garment because
00:33:32
Speaker
you know, we just got a new shipment this season. We're doing it for spring in this kind of parchment, the French company, they call it craft, like craft paper, which I think is really great. So it's sort of like a very golden khaki color. And then we did this more abstracted, it's different colors of indigo, but in this sort of patchwork jacket. So
00:33:54
Speaker
There are more statement making versions of these. And as you said, there's a lot of different weights from pinwell corduroy to, you know, heavy wool melton. Massimo Alba, a great designer out of Italy, does his own version of a chore jacket called the Ballietto.
00:34:11
Speaker
And he does them in velvet. And so I have a black velvet chore jacket from him that I wear for evening. And so I think there are so many different iterations that I dare say I will probably be wearing them for the next couple of decades as well.
00:34:28
Speaker
I don't blame you at all. I know we're short on time, so I want to make sure we get the collector's gene rundown squared away. So let's get into that. What's the one that got away? This could have been a chore jacket that you missed, or this could have been something you wanted to add to a collection that you were curating for the store.
Regrets and Inspirations in Collecting
00:34:49
Speaker
Take it away. Yeah, no, I thought about this a little bit, and it probably is more about
00:34:57
Speaker
Jaeger LeCoultre did a Reverso in stainless a while back. It was special edition and it was really well priced and I kind of kicked myself for not getting that. It was maybe like six or eight years ago. Again, I am so not as up on the recent developments in the watch world as I was when I was covering it for the New York Times, but that's one where I kind of wished I'd, you know, let's pay a little more attention to this and we should
00:35:27
Speaker
get into it. So yeah, I was a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso that they did a special edition of a while back. What's the on-deck circle? So what's next for you in collecting or curating? That's a hard one to answer because, again, it's not a mindful thing. But again, when you mentioned about collecting, it's like when you wear these chore jackets, you have quite a few of them. It's not such a proactive activity that I engage in, but it does
00:35:55
Speaker
certainly happen sort of maybe without my real awareness or activity. So that's hard for me to say. There's nothing on my horizon that I'm... It's to be determined. Yeah, I think so. How about the unobtainable one you can't have? Maybe it's too expensive or in a museum or a brand that maybe you just haven't worked with yet.
00:36:22
Speaker
I mean, I'm a huge Craig Green fan and he's an amazing English designer. I saw his first collection, his graduation collection, and he's
00:36:33
Speaker
persisted and succeeded in a very difficult industry. And I find him just infinitely creative and expansively inspiring. I have some interesting pieces of his, but he had some early collections. I do wish he did very kind of psychedelic work jacket. And he developed this work jacket of his that continues to be a fashion staple for many people in the business.
00:36:59
Speaker
And so I think there were some early pieces of his. I have one from a collection you did that was based on carpets and pubs. And I have a version of that, but there were some others that I unfortunately did not get a hold of. But I do get in fits where I scour the internet every few months and see what's out there. But yeah, I would say like a Craig Green collectible is always interesting to me.
00:37:24
Speaker
How about the page one rewrite? So if you could collect anything, money, no object, what would it be and why? I would love to be able to financially afford collecting houses. I think that would be really funny. You're the second person to say that. It's a good one. That is not economically feasible. So I am grateful and thankful and have a huge amount of appreciation for the fact that I have a
00:37:50
Speaker
a little teeny cottage out East and have an apartment in the city. So that's enough of a collection for me. But, um, you know, we're going to start more money, no objects. That would, uh, I think be fun to, I think explore having homes and spending time elsewhere. But I think ultimately I would probably wind up using that as a survey to see where did I want to most spend my time. And then that would probably, um, hunker down in one of those. Love it.
00:38:18
Speaker
How about The Goat? Who do you look up to in the collecting world? I'm sure you know Matthew Horanic and Yolanda Edwards. He of William Capital Project, and Yolanda has a magazine called YOLO Journal, and they were a long, amazing photographer, creative directors that kind of asked publications. And Maddie, I knew for a very long time, we were both assistants in the fashion world. He was a photo assistant for a photographer, and I
00:38:48
Speaker
assisted at GQ magazine and we traveled on shoots together all over the world and became really good friends and he and he and Yolanda have developed these amazing magazines that they do, William Brown Project and the other journalists we mentioned and I think they have such a really a smart appreciation for
00:39:08
Speaker
clothing, experiences, travel, places, food that I find incredibly appealing. And I think the information they share is really valuable. And they travel to a lot of vintage markets.
00:39:23
Speaker
tag sales. They have a house in the south of France where they're always sharing incredible finds from villages nearby. And Yolanda has great collections that she'll photograph from time to time, like hotel room keys and vintage matchbooks and all different kinds of things that ephemera from the world of travel that I always find fun to look at. Yeah, they're great people. Very, very great people.
00:39:53
Speaker
Do you enjoy the hunt or the ownership more? I enjoy the search. But once I'm aware of something that I want, I just I don't want.
00:40:06
Speaker
to be frustrated by not being able to have it. So I think it's about the information gathering I find really fun. I love the searching. And then once I find something, I definitely want, you know, I'm quite judicious. Like I said, I have a uniform, so I'm not a big procurer, but I do think I'm quite clear about things that I do want. Most importantly, Bruce, do you feel that you were born with the collector's gene?
00:40:37
Speaker
I would say that you have convinced me that I have been. That's my job. Exactly. Yeah, for sure. I appreciate the awareness. That's a good way to put it. Bruce, thank you so much for coming on. It's truly a pleasure to talk with you and hope that we can get together next time you're in Arizona and chat more about this stuff. Indeed. Indeed. It's been my pleasure and thanks. I appreciate the interest and it's been a fun conversation. Thank you.
00:41:09
Speaker
Alright, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collector's Gene Radio.