BLVD.’s opening on Newbury Street last summer was like a grand proclamation to the typical Newbury fare (you know who i mean) that Newbury isn’t just for Chanel and Serenella devotees anymore. The skate shop-cum-art gallery is a haven for local artists and when I look at Chris Villano it’s hard to miss the Jeffrey Deitch spark in his eye. We can’t get enough of it. Curiouser and curiouser about the man behind all that dynamism? Behold, Alice, Chris Villano’s Notes on Style:


INCORPORATE ART. We try to find artists that tie in with the store’s scene and the majority have come from Boston. Most of the artists we showcase are related, somehow, to skateboarding, fashion, or music. Our most recent show featured the artist, ‘Bigfoot’, who is heavily involved in the skateboarding community and in the past we’ve also hosted Mikey Welsh from Weezer. Now, Mikey’s one of my favorite painters. I met him a few years ago through a friend who had a gallery down in Newport, Rhode Island and kept in touch with him over the years. His paintings express him so well and that style matches my personality. He’s working on a shirt for BLVD. and possibly a mural. We’ve always been big into art and having the opportunity to showcase at the store is an amazing experience. We couldn’t be happier.





MIX FASHION, FORM AND UTILITY. Vans shoes are always going to be in the mix but in the past few months I’ve been wearing Gravis’s new skate line. Their footwear is a mix between fashion and skateboarding. They incorporate a lot of different materials like wax canvas and leather. It’s good to see companies doing something different—making a skate shoe that’s slim and stylish as opposed to the classic “chunky” skate shoe.

BE PASSIONATE AND DO IT YOURSELF. Overall, I think a big part of my style definitely comes from skateboarding. I haven’t had a pair of shoes that wasn’t from a skateboard brand since the 3rd grade. I’ve always been heavy into the skateboard culture and not much has changed since I was a kid. Style is what you make of it. People may not be into it but that’s why it’s your style, not theirs.

TAKE CUES FROM THE PAST, BUT LOOK TO THE FUTURE. I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. I like seeing different styles and influences and then turning them all into one. I’m really into vintage clothing and having something that nobody else can really find. I know when I buy something at the bigger shops around here I’m always running into people wearing the same thing. I don’t buy a lot of clothing anymore for this reason. Insight and Altamont are my two favorite clothing brands.  Most of Insight’s collections are ahead of the game. Being from Australia, their fashion sense is quite different. I like brands that really go the extra mile on their own terms. Most brands take what the “cool” thing is at the moment and focus on it until it’s overplayed. Altamont sticks to their roots as a skateboarding brand and is heavily influenced by vintage and retro designs. Their slogan “cut from a different cloth” tells you what they’re all about. They allow each team rider to have their own signature series, so you get a wide range of styles and influences in every collection.

blvd.
251 Newbury St.
Boston, MA
02116

similar posts: notes on style | seac athletic company ; notes on style | joseph gordon cleveland

Justin Burdon and Dan Fitzgerald from 652 Tremont Street’s South End Athletic Company (SEAC) tell all on how they established a retail space that reflects their personal style. When SEAC opened in October 2009, they kept in my mind how to make the shopping experience fun and unique. Here are some thoughts from co-owner, Dan Fitzgerald.

A SPACE WHERE PRESENTATION IS PARAMOUNT

Showcasing product. We choose what we buy carefully and have sought to create a venue that is clean and bright, allowing each piece to speak unencumbered.  We also chose the black and white color scheme and track lighting for this reason.  The shoe wall is made of wire and clear plexi-glass on a white backdrop to give each shoe its space. When there is considerable effort expended in the design of each shoe, it’s important to give each one the spotlight.

The Vibe. The store and the shopping experience should be fun.
Elements like the open traffic flow, the low tables, and the soundtrack, are designed to make people feel welcome, like they’re a part of something. The combination of the simple presentation elements, the product selection, and the vibe create an original environment for athletic retail.

The Logo. I designed the logo of the store to suggest a forward momentum. I like that simple connotation and its applications to life, to sport, and to fashion.

Inspiration. I really look up to what a store the like the Tannery does, particularly in the new stores. They carry such a depth and variety in the categories on which they focus. You know when you go there that you are seeing the best products by virtue of their presence in the store. Their brand is that powerful.

Parallels between individual style and interior space. My personal style is influenced by my interests in surfing, music, art, and fitness. I’ve enjoyed the trend toward slimmer fits in denim, classic vulcanized sneakers, and blank tees. I like to pick one element: be it a new pair of sneakers, a pair of jeans, or shirt, and build a look from that. It’s a look that is ready for anything can be dressed up or down with accessories, jackets, and layers. I love the minor details of a jacket or the subtlety in a fabric, so I’ll quietly complement those things in an outfit.
The store is a reflection of this simple personal style. The rack system was designed to give the product enough room for the details to come through.  There is ample white space around the face outs for that reason. The same goes for our eyewear tower: each piece is in a lit box to make its own statement.

In the end, it’s all about fun. Our hope here is that it all comes together in a fun place to shop. If not for fun, why bother?

+ Dan

(Justin Burdon, left; Dan Fitzgerald, right; creating their custom space)

more ‘Notes on Style’

I should begin by saying I abhor lists. Even from the most revered of icons (Save Anna!), they are, at best, a distilled dictum, and it is in my not-so-humble opinion that, truly, style lives in the idiosyncratic variations, the visual cadenzas, the flagrant violation of those hallowed ‘rules’ of style. Coco? Yes, yes, I’ll take one thing off before I leave the house, love. Apfel? No, no, you’re right, I must add, just must. Three rings too many? Perfect. The ever mercurial enfant terrible that it is, fashion creates rules one season so that it may rebel against them the next.

That diatribe aside, my work as a stylist has taught me that while taste may be subjective, style is an essence, not merely an au courant aesthetic assemblage. I strive to help my clients define their own essence through the following fundamental principles:

Always begin with inspiration. It need not be aesthetic, either. I once had a client tell me she wanted me to dress her the way she imagined Rosalind from This Side of Paradise would. This particular inspiration was rather difficult to articulate, because she wasn’t speaking purely of period-specific apparel, but, rather, a studied irreverence. She lives in cropped motorcycle jackets now and wears more bracelets than even I do, and that is no small feat. Oh, and she’s come to adore Balenciaga. Quelle Surprise!

Understand your body’s limitations, even if you don’t always heed them. This is simple: know what works, and only leave your comfort zone when you are absolutely in love with a look — the confidence you have will eclipse any insecurities (ahem-the hips you usually make an effort to disguise).

Accessorize. Whether you draw inspiration from the aforementioned Ms. Apfel, or a more streamlined subject, never underestimate the impact of a few well-chosen accessories. Even in those dire situations where you simply cannot coordinate an ensemble, a glam neckpiece (big is in again, ladies! Think Givenchy or Lanvin…) will give that Hanes tee you stole from your significant other a chic, polished touch.

Do not take ‘this stuff’ too seriously. Nothing is more unattractive or, frankly, gauche, than a woman dripping in designer who speaks of Schiaparelli as if she were our lord and savior. Fashion should be a source of fun and fantasy, not just another arena in which we can wax academic. Did I love the afros at Louis Vuitton for Spring? Absolutely. Does it signify a paradigm shift? Not so much.

So what I am really saying here is take a risk. Dress to suit yourself, and you may
just find, as I have, that style is an expression, and if you let it, joyous it will be.

xo joseph