Meet Sam McReynolds
A fashion stylist not only with a hard and edgy look but also with a personality and charisma that could move mountains. Sam and I decided to meet at a Starbucks so that we could later visit stores and boutiques and while at it get to know him, pick his brain and his thoughts and learn what he has to say about fashion, art and life. Sam likes his coffee strong and I ordered my usual Mocha Frappuccino. We decided to sit for a moment at the park on Lafayette St. and Spring St. to warm up and move on with our interview. We started with the basics; Sam McReynolds is a 23 year old fashion stylist from Philadelphia. He has been in NYC for a few years where he has moved up to where he wants to be; a successful fashion stylist working for himself. He mentioned that the fashion industry (working in fashion) is a slow process; consistency is one of the pivotal qualities that can take you where you want to be. I totally agree with Sam; as I personally decide to fully embark on the “Fashion World” patience and consistency is the only thing that has helped and nurtured my talent. I think Sam would agree with my statement.
As we kept talking; I asked Sam about his favorite designers, a hard question to ask. Sam responded that for casual looks Rag&Bone and Alexander Wang are his go-to brands. Since Alexander Wang came into the conversation, we talked about his ascend at Balenciaga and what were his thoughts about it. Sam and I can add one more thing to our repertoire of agreements. We do not like it. We feel is very similar to his namesake brand. This led us to talk about Marc Jacobs’ bittersweet end at Louis Vuitton. We both agreed that Marc Jacobs’ last collections for both brands were looking and feeling the same.
Out of the big brands/heritage designers, he enjoys Commes Des Garçon for the uniformity of style throughout the years. Also, Yohji Yamamoto given his take on the women’s shape, his unusual silhouette and his lack of fear to cover women up. This is rather interesting given Sam loves to dress in black and inadvertently this creates a sense of mystery; the same way Yamamoto’s covering women through his design mystifies their femininity.
Sam’s look is full of mystery, given the color of his clothes but at the same time full of drama and WOW factor. As we were heading down the street on Lafayette towards his favorite New York boutique; he was getting looks from every passerby, and with good reason. Sam was wearing a black jacket, black shirt, black leather pants and these amazing crisp white Kris Van Asche sneakers; the culprit of the WOW factor on his outfit.
We arrived to
IF a long standing independent high-end boutique. It has a simple polished-industrial decor of white columns and walls with wooden floors. In other words, it’s very old-school Soho and it feels that no drastic changes were made to the space.
While in there, Sam and I geared up to shopping mode though we both knew we did not come to shop. While at IF one feels very welcome at least Sam’s familiarity with the store helped feel more comfortable. Upon entering, Sam sees a friend he knew from before, his name is Phillip and he’s one of the most fabulous men I have ever met. I was very impressed by Sam’s ability to recognize/discern that Phillip is one of the people that only come once in a blue moon and every interaction with him is filled with joy, wisdom and laughter and therefore should not be wasted. After Sam introduced me to Phillip, I say to him ‘love your jacket’ and he responds ‘Thanks, I’m glad I got it’. That’s one of the wittiest, non-sarcastic and honest answer I have ever gotten. It was rather refreshing. Sam and I get down to business and utterly adore most of the stock at IF. There were a couple of outstanding pieces but Sam would not try them on because of a fear to want to get them right there and then. If you go through IF’s selection of merchandise; you could see Sam wearing every single piece and lots of them from the women’s department as well. The selection at IF is hard, edgy, stylish, dark and of quality.
One thing that awe me about Sam is his tender and sincere approach; the clash that coexist between his hard and edgy look and the dulcitude and elegance of his interactions with others. It was aspirational and inspiring seeing Sam interact with Phillip. It made think of the times where I was not as graceful and elegant as Sam is. It also inspired me to do a shoot of very stylish older man passing on the torch of style to a younger stylish man. Their rapport felt very genuine and fruitful for the both of them.
So we leave IF; though I did not want to. I recommend every body who is interested in fashion to take a trip and immerse yourself on the vibe and atmosphere of that place.
We go across the street to
MM6. From the moment we get inside, Sam reunites with an old friend from his days working at Barney’s who now works at MM6. Their mutual reactions upon seeing each other was filled with joy and laughter, much like seeing an old friend. Another example of how sweet of a person Sam is. We pondered on the selection at MM6 and though is all women clothing, the brand itself lends to an unisex liberties based on silhouettes and how some of the garments are oversized.
As we keep talking, I ask him about his interest outside of the fashion industry; he likes art but has no favorite artist, same with music. He explains that visuals are his big motivator and inspiration, regardless of what or by whom. His democratization of his inspirations is tied to his answer when I asked him if he had any fashion icons. He says New York City.
Sam has NYC engrained on his fashion and style DNA. This is certainly no different than many people in the city. The thing that sets him apart it’s his candor, approach and his respect for himself and for others. Sam real fashion DNA is his ability to create unintended WOW factor through the way he relates to other. That’s the Kris Van Asche of his style. It’s not hard, neither simple.
