Walking a mile in my latest photographer’s shoes was just as stimulating as I thought it would be, if not even more so. And, in all honesty, Nick‘s impeccable ensembles more than earned him a few minutes in front of the camera. His intricate, cohesive, and refreshing looks have always inspired me, so I was very curious as to the source of his own inspiration.

“Dipping my toe into photography for the first time has been pretty cool. I have always been interested in the arts and fashion… my brother a ceramicist and talented artist, my aunt a painter, one uncle a crazy good musician, and the other a designer and now interior decorator.  I think those who know me will be quick to confirm my longstanding love of footwear, which I still attribute to the times spent polishing my dad’s shoes for a few bucks when I was young.  DC has allowed me to explore my own thoughts on style, with the welcome sense of “no one really gives a shit” about what I wear… and I say that in the best way. When you feel comfortable enough to just wear whatever you really LIKE, sans-judgement or acceptability, and then figure out what works and what doesn’t… I think that really lends itself to how I like to dress.

I am a firm believer in spending for quality and longevity in clothes, a notion I definitely got from my pops. Denim and leather definitely stand out here, but pretty much anything which develops character as it ages is good by me. What I’m wearing today is pretty representative of that:  my Barbour jacket, Rogue Territory denim work trousers, and a pair of Alden black shell cordovan boots. The commonality: all of these will look better with age when cared for appropriately. The jacket is 3 years old, the jeans coming up on 2 years, and the boots will last me 10 years, easy. I really dig that (and the return on investment).”

And because style is above all a symbol of our own personalities, and a mirror of our creativity, I also wanted to know what Nick hopes to portray through his clothing.

“I follow a blog here on the interwebz called “Put This On”, which I think does a terrific job of presenting the notion of one’s personal style as something accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be all into the street wear drop crotch sweats and YSL sneakers, or wear a suit to lunch on the weekend to consider yourself ‘interested’ in clothes anymore. I think they’ve done a good job at breaking down that stereotype. A few months back, Pete from PTO summed it up pretty well: “… despite the fact that everything we wear is costume, what you wear shouldn’t be costume.  … That said, wearing essentially the same damn thing every day gets boring.”  I couldn’t agree more.” 

Photography by Steponya (sauf the selfie)

Alden Boots || Barbour Jacket || Rogue Territory Jeans || Merola Gloves

P.S.: Nick posts plenty of pictures of his feet on his Instagram (@shacknino)… follow him if you’re into that kind of thing. Bisous!