A PLACE IN THE SUN: MICHAEL YERGER

a PLACE

in the SUN

INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY { JOHN RUSSO MAKEUP BY { LALY ZAMBRANA HAIR BY { GUY ROMEO / HER- STEPHANIE HARPER STYLING BY { JOHN BENIGNO

MICHAEL YERGER

I sent you a message a few years back and told you I wanted to work with you. Finally, we make it happen, are you happy with the results? Happy would be an understatement! I am absolutely thrilled with what we came up with. I am grateful to finally get to work together on this story that you beautifully articulated.

I love the 1970’s collegiate theme of this shoot, I was so happy to see you and Helena bring the story to life. Tell me your thoughts on the concept? This shoot was particularly exhilarating because I got to embody that iconic and prestigious ivy-league persona that I have seen over the years. I remember being so excited when you first mentioned the concept to me. Sometimes it’s hard to connect with certain editorials, so this was fun because it came so naturally. Helena was such great energy and loads of fun to work with, too!

Do you like the old school preppy look? Do you ever rock it? I totally do! While wearing that attire, you can’t help but have a posh sort of feeling. I can’t say I’ve ever intentionally rocked the preppy look, but I did go to a private Christian school growing up and southern prep was the social norm when it came to style. So, it was pretty natural for me to wear that sort of clothing.

If you had to choose one vintage accessory, what would it be? Watch? Leather jacket? Sunglasses? I’d have to say that a cool vintage piece of luggage would be my first choice. I feel like it would have more of a story to tell with the history attached to it. They are also pretty hard to find, so the exclusivity of owning one makes a statement.

I know you said you like newer cars better, but that yellow vintage 911 was sick. If you had to choose a vintage car what would it be? You’re spot on! I am such a fan of technology that my taste follows innovation, especially whenit comes to the automotive industry. But, nothing that I love today would exist without its predecessors. This is a hard one for me to choose, but I’d likely go with a Lamborghini Countach or a Ferrari F40. We shot an incredible estate from the 1930’s. What were your thoughts on the house? Could you see yourself smoking a cigar in the library? The estate was absolutely breathtaking. It had such charm and character and made me feel like we took the delorean back a few decades!

Besides football did you play any other sports? You look legit in tennis gear, has learning tennis ever crossed your mind? In addition to football, I trained several forms of martial arts resulting in a 1st degree blackbelt. Also, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout in The Boy Scouts of America, so I spent a considerable amount of time engaging in outdoor sports such as hiking, kayaking, cycling, etc. I remember playing tennis a bit when I was younger, and enjoying it too. But, I catered more to volleyball when it came to recreational sports with friends.

What’s your favorite “old school” movie? I’m a huge sci-fi fan... so naturally I would say that my favorite old school movie would have to be the film that defined the genre, Ridley Scott’s 1979 “Alien”.

Who is your favorite “old school” band? I would have to go with Earth, Wind, & Fire or Heart. Those were two of the many bands my parents would play growing up and I have great memories listening to them together.

If you had to choose one Ivy league school that you would have loved to attend which would it be? Even though it’s not technically in the ivy league, I’d have to say MIT. I am more geared towards science, technology, and mathematics over history and literature and think I would’ve thoroughly enjoyed an experience there.

When you think of preppy, which designer do you think wrote the book on it? My mind immediately thinks of Ralph Lauren. They, to me, are the epitome of preppiness!

Gio