On the Street in NYC....Nana Boateng

[The Sartorialist]

Nana Boateng ,young fashion designer and cousin of Oswald Boateng, tells me about who was the biggest sartorial influence on him growing up (it isn't who you think) and it is something any fashion guy can relate to - at The Sartorialist http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

 

[Sevcom]

I like it. Clearly reflects his sense of style, and it's clean and unusual without being clownish or unseemly. Kinda reminds me of JoeG saying he'd like to wear his (RLPL?) morning coat with jeans.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by The Sartorialist

Nana Boateng ,young fashion designer and cousin of Oswald Boateng, tells me about who was the biggest sartorial influence on him growing up (it isn't who you think) and it is something any fashion guy can relate to - at The Sartorialist http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

This has got to be one of the most stylish dudes you've photographed. Forget about all the Williamsburg hipster types (although some of those outfits are uncannily familiar) or suited up guys or fashionista types you've photographed. This dude makes pretty much every other guy out there look the fool. I just wish I had his natural style and confidence. If his collections can convey his personality, they should be, if there is any justice, the next big thing.

 

[Get Smart]

Nana looks awesome!! I am huge fan of Ozwald Boateng so I am really interested in seeing what Nana's collection looks like. Here's a guy that is definitely doing his own thing and really reflects what a styling geezer could look like.

 

[Lucky Strike]

I have to agree completely with the above remarks, except that I dislike the detail on the shoulder of the overcoat - it's not exactly a coat for shooting, to my mind. Looks contrived.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by Sevcom

I like it. Clearly reflects his sense of style, and it's clean and unusual without being clownish or unseemly.

Are you and I looking at the same picture? His sense of style is atrocious, and, in fact, borders on the clownish. Confident he may be. But ill-clad he most certainly is.

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

Are you and I looking at the same picture? His sense of style is atrocious, and, in fact, borders on the clownish. Confident he may be. But ill-clad he most certainly is.


I disagree because on the same note, it could be said for a man who you consider "well dressed" to be too conservative, staid, uninspired, "follows Flusser to the T", etc. Looking at Nana, you can tell he is someone who chooses what he will wear very precisely, just as the conservatively well dressed fellow also is precise in his decisions. That precision of thought that goes into your look is what I would consider to be the element of what makes a man "stylish" (even if it's not *your* style), since most geezers tend to just "throw things on".

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I disagree because on the same note, it could be said for a man who you consider "well dressed" to be too conservative, staid, uninspired, "follows Flusser to the T", etc. Looking at Nana, you can tell he is someone who chooses what he will wear very precisely, just as the conservatively well dressed fellow also is precise in his decisions. That precision of thought that goes into your look is what I would consider to be the element of what makes a man "stylish" (even if it's not *your* style), since most geezers tend to just "throw things on".

I hear you, but by your reckoning, a man who sources his entire wardrobe from the International Male catalogue, and chooses precisely which of his swell duds to wear every day, would be stylish. Sometimes it matters not just how you choose your clothes, but what you choose to wear.

 

[mack11211]

One of the pleasures of NY life is how we perform our personalities.

Costume is an important element of this.

In my city now, his look works on him extremely well.

On another person, in another place, who knows?

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

I hear you, but by your reckoning, a man who sources his entire wardrobe from the International Male catalogue, and chooses precisely which of his swell duds to wear every day, would be stylish. Sometimes it matters not just how you choose your clothes, but what you choose to wear.


lol touche, but I'd give Nana a bit more credit over a fellow who does his entire wardrobe from Intl Male, or any other mail order catalog. That's a guy who doesnt seek out items to compliment his already developed style, but rather lets the catalog determine his style. I have a feeling that Nana goes out and knows what he wants, and gets it when he finds it.

I'm sure Nana's outfit will illustrate "different strokes for different folks" perfectly.

 

[mack11211]

According to the Daily News, Nana will be in a Brooklyn fashion show in May:

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/...p-334892c.html

 

[aybojs]

Originally Posted by mack11211

One of the pleasures of NY life is how we perform our personalities.

Costume is an important element of this.

In my city now, his look works on him extremely well.

On another person, in another place, who knows?

I was always wondering this. Are all these bizarre "costume" outfits we see all the time in Sartorialist photos, that NY fashion rag we made fun of a while ago, etc actually the norm in NYC? I could see this particular look working if the jacket were a normal fitting one and not a morning one and if his shoes were a standard shade of brown/tan, but even though he has the visible attitude, the choice of attire betrays him regardless.

I understand the value of individual style, but at the same time conventional taste has its place. People who dress blatantly over the top like that aren't smashing the artificial boundaries of the mundane society or whatever profound expression is used to describe it, they're just being odd for the sake of being odd. I remember you mentioning coming from a theater background, but I'll wager that 99% of the caricatures we see in these types of photo shoots don't fancy that they're living a Genet or Pirandello play or whatever, they just want attention and are taking the easy approach, shock value, to get it.

 

[drake]

Those shoes are way too pointy, reminds me of this weirdo:

 

[whoopee]

That's great. Perhaps the shoes could be different, but he's truly has style.

 

[mack11211]

conventional taste has its place

Just not on the Sartorialists' blog.

Reminds me of when Nixon nominated a very mediocre jurist to the be a justice on the SCOTUS. When the man's record was criticized, Nixon said that mediocre people needed representation just like the rest of us...

Not that conventional = mediocre, but while some go on these boards in order to learn not to make mistakes, others do it to learn how to better and more creatively express themselves in clothes. Nana's clothing expressivity bandwith is rather wider than mine, but I admire it.

Also, the personality-performance note doesn't have anything specifically to do with the theater, or my work in it. Rather it has to do with all the different sorts of people we have in NYC & how closely we are jammed together & also the concentration of artistic and creative professions people practice here.

Most male theater people I know are working very hard to make a living in order to practice their semi-remunerative art. Even the ones who make a living at it don't care deeply about dressing well, except in order to avoid looking like an ass on an opening night or at some awards dinner or benefit event. There are exceptions, of course, like Tommy Tune as I saw him on a PBS documentary the other night, but these are the exception by far.