Paul and I enjoy watching B.O.R.N To Style - yup you read that right, despite Paul's nonchalant attitude towards fashion he shows a surprising interest when it comes to the art and science to clothing and accessories. He did surprise me one birthday when he brought an entire outfit for me with shoes- he even had this whole explanation of matching print with plain and a pop of color over neutral ones.
Which brings me back to the both of us enjoying the Fashion Make-Over show - B.O.R.N To Style; which focuses on New York based vintage/thrift shop B.O.R.N (which stands for Borrowed, Old, Refurbished, New) which also tackles make-over clients as well as styling for clients as well.
The shop is helmed by the stylish Jonathan Broderick and his colorful and hilarious assistants.
I had the honor of interviewing Jonathan over the phone and here is how it went down.
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| Man Of The Hour: Jonathan Broderick |
I just wanted to ask, you’ve actually quoted a saying that “you can be comfortable and fashionable at the same time.” So, do you have that same goal for your clients or is it a case-by-case basis?
I totally agree with that. With each client, that’s still something that I would tell everyone. Because once you’re comfortable, you’ll feel more confident, so you’re able to walk better. You’re able to not feel that if it’s too tight or if the dress is rising up or if it’s pulling you down. Or the guy who’s jacket is not fitting right so he’s uncomfortable in his shoulders, won’t stand as broad as he would be comfortable with. So that’s really something that I stick by and that’s for every client that we do. Comfortability is totally first. Be it that in shoes, be it that in the belt, if it’s too tight, if it’s too loose, fit is everything - fit is everything. I always encourage the women to always go to a tailor to know their size and as far as with the bra size. you know, which is very important, the undergarments. Like a lot of women, the majority of women do not know their bra size! They’ve been walking around with size that is not theirs and wondering why their clothes don’t fit, as why the look don’t look as polished as it does when they see somebody on the red carpet. It starts with the undergarments.
I’d like to ask, at the end of the day, what are you most happy about with what you’re doing, with your day job, so to speak?
Yes. At the end of the day I’m most happy that I made a difference in somebody’s life. Because very early on, I didn’t think that fashion- and I always denied it - I didn’t that fashion was so important. You know, like a scientist, or a doctor, you know, or all those other professions - I didn’t think that fashion was that real, was that necessary. So each and everyday, at the end of the day, of the notes that I get and the emails, and people coming-we just had people come from Texas and they bake cookies for us and they bring their children and you know, people cry afterwards-So I mean like, it’s making a difference. Who would think that clothes can make a difference in somebody’s life? Because it’s all about their esteem-self- esteem and they get assurance and I listen to them, and you know, they trust me-that’s another thing. Because if I’m telling them and suggesting something that they gonna go out and present themselves to the world, that’s really important-that’s very important. People will go on job interviews, people could go out on their first date-people could just do all those firsts and I feel that I was part of it. So at the end of the day, it just makes me smile and makes me feel that this is worth it-it’s worth it.
I’d like to know, what else do you like to do when you’re not styling a client or when you’re not out, shopping for vintage clothing. What are your other hobbies or interests?
You know, that’s such an interesting question and I might seem a little boring or anything, but I love shopping. I love shopping. I don’t care if it’s at a grocery store, the fruits market or just like inquiring. I love the hunt. I love the hunt like everyday I’m shopping. Be it if it’s for me, if it’s for the store, if it’s groceries for food, if it’s in the pharmacy for you know, lotion and soaps. I love to shop. I love to people watch. I love to talk and I love conversing. I love to read-I’m reading everything. I’m staying current on everything-I read the newspaper, the daily news, the Women’s Wear Daily, I read Harper’s Bazaar, I read the New York Times, the New York Post. You know, International Magazines-I love pictures, I love the story.
So would say that you’re probably the best shopping buddy anyone can ask for?
Absolutely! A lot of people can’t hang with me because they’re exhausted at the end of the day and I’m just energetic, ready to go-‘cuz it’s still that one more piece, that one thing that I didn’t see. I like to window shop as well. It’s New York City! like Bergdorf Goodman. 57 street you see Christian Dior, you see Louis Vuitton, you see all the new stores that are opening up and down in Soho, like, you’re watching the people in the subway-it’s fashion everywhere. It’s everywhere.
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| Jonathan Broderick and his crazy, colorful crew. |
So, you work with your friends, what has that been like? Tell us about the pros and cons of being in business with your friends.
The pros and cons - at first, if you always see like it’s not always good to do business with friends-from my experience, I would disagree with that. Because once you have friends and people that really care for you and see your vision…All the cast, and there have been times when I’m just so overwhelmed and they remind me of the vision and my purpose on why I’m doing what I do-they treat the business as if it’s their own. There’s a difference of having employees that are just there for the check and they just work in clock in and clock out and that’s it-they’re invested-my friends who are invested in B.O.R.N-it’s THEIR business. You know, I don’t have to worry about with people like…there’s a lot of theft in businesses: people just take advantage, people who steal, like I never have to worry about that-everybody will ask for anything that they wanted, they need-it’s not collective, we put it together to make something happen, we encourage each other, you know, and the flip flop side of that is is that your friends really know you and you can take advantage of each other because you know the brain to push, you know the way to ask for something. Oh, you know, you come in and do that smile, or do that dance and make me laugh you know, once you make me laugh, you got it-you get everything you want (laughs), you know, so they know me like that and I’m usually softer with my friends as I would be with somebody else that wasn’t.
Have you had any creative differences when it comes to styling?
All the time. We always have creative differences. All the time. I would think one thing is gonna work and I just like have it, then JJ has his opinion on it, and Brandon has his opinion on it, and Terry will say something, and Christian will go in, and then Devin will say something you know so it’s so many, it’s so many chit! And at some point, that’s when I become Attila The Hun: I put my foot down and I say: This is gonna be it and that’s it. You know, you hear steers and whispers, and everybody doesn’t agree, but at the end of the day, you know, you’re representing B.O.R.N. and that’s who I am-you know, it’s my company so I have to put my foot down a lot of times.
You mentioned a couple of style icons earlier like Gwen Stefani and Solange Knowles so, who are your favorite style icons?
Great question. I love Diana Ross-I LOVE Diana Ross. One of my favorite fashion movies would be Mahogany and also I love The Great Gatsby-love that era. Love the 30’s and the flapper dresses and just the opulence and the glitz and the glamour of all of that-the feathers, the fun of it-it looks like you were having a wonderful time-I love that. I love the old, old Hollywood movies like Artsy Maine (?) with Jane Russell and with Lucille Ball: the way that they carry the pocketbooks and the gloves, and the furs-it’s just really over-the-top glamour! I just love that! I love it so those with Diana Ross, and Jane Russell, and Jane Mansfield-they look confident women-they really own their looks and everybody can do that.
It’s nice that you mentioned that-we’ve been talking a lot about vintage clothing and how much you really have the passion for it. How do you think is vintage clothing relevant nowadays when people just you know, the ordinary joe, would just buy his clothes off the rack and these clothes are produced in masses so, how does vintage clothing become relevant in this day and age when people just go to Walmart or look to Sears to buy something and it’s like, a dozen others have the same exact style. How would vintage clothing be significant?
You know what, Macklemore has that song out-was it last summer?-about a thrift shop—how he goes to the thrift shop-he kinda’ made it cool. You know, like the kids, they really followed that. He made it cool like: “Got $25 in my pocket…I went to the thrift shop” (sings) and it’s like this low- budget video of him and his friends and people in a thrift shop so it’s like, Wow! That must be cool because now, especially of how I grew up? I didn’t have to go to thrift shop! It wasn’t I had to it, was because I wanted to. I think that makes it significant that when you are into fashion and you can go and afford to go other places, but you make the decision and the choice, it makes it that much more special-because it’s not as if that I can afford to get anything that I want or I can go to these mass market and retailers, but I have this creative edge that I wanna be different-you know, I want to stand out. I wanna make a statement. I wanna be different. And people nowadays, I think they’re getting tired of just like seeing that average person even on the red carpet-you hear “Who are you wearing?” “Oh, it’s vintage Valentino.” “Who are you wearing?” “Oh, it’s vintage Gaultier.” It’s vintage-it’s that, they’re wearing the vintage-and it’s cool!
Jonathan, for my last question, when you get to help others thru your styling or thru styling them, do you somehow see yourself as Cinderella’s godmother?
I do so that way-I think that’s just the nurturing side of me. I think I really and truly feel, and people are surprised by this, that the clothes are just the backdrop-the clothes are the backdrop to really of what’s going on. I work from the inside out. It’s not just you go to the show and you pull, and you pullin’ these fabulous clothes, and you just pulling and you look terrific in it-a lot of times that’s not who the person is-it’s not who they are. It’s like I find those diamonds in the rough and then they come in, they feel a little damaged and then I like just kinda’ talk, we go through it together-we work through it together. We work through it together so of course, I feel so proud. At the end of the day I’m so proud and I had a hand in it, you know? It’s like I’m a baker: I bake the cake, I have the ingredients, I bake the cake and I put the frosting in it then the cherry goes on top-then we sit there and eat it together. (laughs)
B.O.R.N To Style is currently showing on F.Y.I. (Former Bio) channel 79 on Sky Cable every Friday at 9:00PM. ^_^
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