FADDY Magazine - Issue 24 Sep 2020

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

NICK WOOSTER

INTERVIEW BY LINDA ARROZ

Everyone is from someplace else. You grew up in Kansas. Do you feel coming from the mid-west gave you a sensibility that keeps you grounded when you’re surrounded by fashion, fame and fortune?

There is no question that where we are from, our history, forks who we are...and being from Salina, Kansas is the polar opposite of the life that I got when I moved to New York in January 1983! But no doubt, being from the Midwest and having a “relatively” traditional upbringing, has informed my entire career. Everything about my past was “middle.” I recognize, now, how lucky I was.

One thing that fascinates us is that you embrace the high and low, the unexpected. Not only in your daily attire, but in your work. You’ve worked with Neiman Marcus and JC Penney. There is a scene in the film, The Devil Wears Prada, where Meryl Streep’s character, the editor in chief of a top fashion magazine, berates her assistant, played by Anne Hathaway, for wearing a cheap sweater. She goes into a diatribe, breaking down the evolution of the color, style and price point of the bright blue cable knit sweater. Can you tell us why it works to pair high and low, mix and match, and how you feel about price points in general?

I think that goes back to my firmly “middle” upbringing. The interesting thing about how I grew up was, we weren’t rich and we weren’t poor. And I think that sensibility has permeated all of my choices. I have had the good fortune to work for some of the most glamorous and luxurious stores and brands, and also some of the most “basic.” In a certain way, they are exactly the same, everyone wants to look and feel better. And I always say that we had the same discussions at Neiman Marcus as we did at JC Penney.Can you give us a bit of background on how your career evolved?

Your choices go from eclectic to buttoned down. Is it possible you have a favorite item of clothing and if so, what is it?

I don’t have any “one” favorite item of clothing. I go through phases of what I’m really into. But I always love outerwear and jackets, shorts, and shoes. Actually bottoms - pants and shorts (or skirts) are my favorite classification. The bottom determines everything about how you look. Everyone thinks it’s the top. For me this is a misguided notion!

Is there something in your collection that you could never get rid of?

There is never one thing. I have an emotional attachment to clothes, but I constantly get rid of things and replenish. I don’t subscribe to the notion that you toss things if you haven’t worn them in a while. The lifespan of something in my wardrobe is about 10 to 20 years. I’m trying to think of the oldest thing I have, it’s a t-shirt. I have lots of shoes that are 20 years old, outerwear too. I’m thinking of things I might not wear for years, like a kilt, or certain pants. I have these jodhpur pants from Ralph Lauren I don’t wear often, but they are there, waiting for me. I’m about “the sum of its parts.” Having it all together works for me so I can draw upon it.

What is your favorite part of putting together a look. Do you actually shop or do you happen upon things?

I am always looking. There is never not a moment that I am not cataloging and filing away things that I see. Shopping doesn’t necessarily mean purchasing. I believe being observant and curious are the most important qualities for all creative people. English shoes, chino pants, button down oxford shirts, and navy blue t-shirts …these have to be in my wardrobe or I wouldn’t know what to do.

You’re credited with saying “Instagram is your 401K.” What has it meant for you to become an influencer and what should others who seek the same status or opportunities in fashion understand?

I honestly have no idea how or why this “job” happened for me. What I know is that I’m incredibly lucky and grateful for it all, because during this extremely strange time, it’s what is keeping me going! But as it relates to advice, I wish I could offer something concrete. All I can say is that in order to enjoy success in any endeavor, I can assure you, it requires hard work, and passion. The rest is luck and putting yourself in the position to be able to see and receive opportunities. You have to pay attention. And it might be that where your success lies is not where you think it’s going to be.

The power of observation is the single most important tool you can employ to work in fashion. It’s not about copying, it’s about noticing and remembering. It’s about understanding how and why people dress, and when people look a certain way, how you feel about it. Do you like it? Are you repulsed by it? People watching is my hobby. If I went somewhere with my family, like an airport or train station, I was just content to sit and look at everything. When I travel I try to stay away from my phone as much as possible so I can see things. People on the street are always staring at their phones, they’re not looking around, and that’s sad. Fran Lebowitz talks about walking around New York City. She says she’s the only person noticing everything because everyone else is on their phones.

If you want to work in fashion, the answer is, go work in a store, because that’s where things happen. It’s how I got started. Ralph Lauren used to promote all kinds of people who worked in his “mansion” flagship store on Madison Avenue. When I was in high school, I wanted a cashmere sweater. My mother said, “I’ll buy you a sweater, but it won’t be cashmere.

If you want a cashmere sweater, go work for it.” So I went to the store where I had seen the cashmere sweater. I was 16 and I asked them if they could use some help. I worked after school and on weekends so I could buy the clothes. From there I started doing the holiday windows and displays. The sales rep would come into the store and the owner would say, “Nicky, pick the best ten ties,” or he’d trust me to choose the best plaids. Later on, I got to go on buying trips to Dallas and eventually, New York City. He helped me hone my taste.

I’ve worked in retail in all life. It’s been the foundation of my entire life as it relates to fashion. At one point, after some dynamic career moves, I had a lull. Things weren’t going so well and I found myself needing a job. I went to work on the sales floor of Barneys. It wasn’t the kind of money I had been making, but it was comforting to go to work in a store, it’s something I knew about. And when it was time for me to get back into the game, the Universe provided. One Sunday afternoon a woman came into the store and I was helping her. We got to talking and it turned out her husband owned an apparel firm. She made the introduction. I went to work for him in a position that was more in line with what I’d been doing before. If I hadn’t been working in that store that day, that wouldn’t have happened.

What you can say to the people in charge of hiring regarding finding the best fit for the work? Fashion and Design curriculum is controlled by people with master degrees and doctorates, who spent their careers getting the advanced degrees vs. actually working in the industry.

There has always been a split between people who pursue education and those that just jump into the work pool.

Both are valid. Sometimes people use education as a placeholder to avoid joining the workforce. Others are actually more inspired by the process of learning. It’s the same way with startups—some people enjoy the act of creation—not managing and maintaining a business day to day. We need both types in the world.

What city do you feel has the greatest sense of themselves in relation to fashion, where people feel free to express themselves?

I believe a Japan is the country where people are the most knowledgeable and passionate about fashion. Right after that is Paris, London and Milan. Many other Asian cities (Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai) are more rabid consumers of luxury goods and fashion. I’m afraid the US (aside from New York City), is quite a barren wasteland, especially where fashion is a tool of self-expression. But, thankfully, there are outliers everywhere!

Of all the many accomplishments in your vast career, Nick, what are the highlights you’re proud of? Is there an anecdote of one moment in time where you realized you were established or had arrived?

I was so bowled over and surprised to be included on the International Best Dressed List in 2015.

My first opinions were about what to wear. My mom would try to dress me, but from about the age of four, I had to do it. My mom would get exasperated. I just knew what I wanted, I was emphatic. I would say things like, ‘I don’t like that t shirt, or I don’t like the sleeves on that.” Getting dressed and putting myself together is the one thing I can do. I’ve always been able to do it, I don’t know why, but it’s not a mystery for me.

Your fashion experience has so many facets, you’ve been a design director, a collaborator on collections, tapped as a turnaround exec, you’ve embraced social media, you’ve merchandized and been behind the scenes, selling advertising at New York magazine, it’s really exciting. It’s refreshing to see the zig and zag, creating a well-rounded awareness of the entire fashion/lifestyle zeitgeist. You’re bursting with creativity, how do you determine what comes next, what collaborations you’ll take on, what you will put your attention to next?

Basically, I just work on emotion or instinct. That’s really the only thing I have. If something seems interesting or fun or different, I will usually say yes. Sometimes certain opportunities don’t feel right, then I have to say no. You know, I love clothes but I hate fashion.

Obviously everything is upside down in this exact moment. I don’t know what the future will look like. COVID has forced us all to slow down and for me that’s been a gift. Traveling as much as I do, over 250 days a year, spending my life on planes and in hotel rooms, isn’t

sustainable. I now have the luxury of time and that’s been a plus. I loved the first month of lockdown. I have a great apartment that I never get to spend time in and I’ve been able to enjoy my home. It’s forced me to cook! I would see a photo and figure it out. I’ve practiced learning to grill a steak, roast vegetables, and make a frittata with things I have in the fridge. Or assembling a salad with arugula, fresh peaches and burrata. That’s been fulfilling.

One last question Nick, how did you meet our Contributing editor, Candice Solomon?

I know Candice through Instagram. I’d always heard about her, as we share a mutual friend, George Cortina. We were in the same orbit in the late 80’s, going to clubs like The Saint, Sound Factory, and Paradise Garage. I rarely have time to view all the comments on my posts, but she commented on one, which I randomly saw, so I replied, “Are you the Candice Solomon who is friends with George Cortina,” and she said yes, and so here we are.