subscribe to Style Like UTaylor Moore | artist and student
"You have to remember your soul, goals, amenity, and the big picture, but at the same time you don’t want to be consumed by the big picture. You have to see the trees not the forest." Taylor Moore
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"I put my soul into what I do, I pray for those who I love, I like an ice cold Double Gulp from 7-Eleven, I do not reject unripe apples, and I still don't know how to work a DVR." J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, grandmother's brooch, grandfather's sunglasses -
On when he first moved to NYC from Alabama: "My dorm was right in Chelsea, so every time I would go outside, I would get jolted. Me from little Alabama being thrusted into Chelsea just blew my mind. I'm well-traveled, but at the same time, living somewhere is completely different from just visiting. It was definitely a shock for me." Dad's glasses, bow tie from a friend, vintage leather jacket, J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, Obey jeans, Dr. Martens boots -
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"There is so much hostility, negativity, and unnecessary disgusting behavior between people in this world. I would love to use my talents and resources to present positivity and help create a sustainable happiness for the universe." Grandfather's vintage Dior bow tie, dad's glasses, J. Crew cardigan, shirt, and pants, Tarina Tarantino skull bracelet, stud bracelets from St. Marks Place -
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"I dressed up a lot as a kid, and would always put on shows and do voices. I love making different voices and coming up with different characters and personas." Grandfather's cardigan, grandmother's brooch, J. Crew shirt and tie, Obey jeans, boots from Search and Destroy -
"I love taking bits from my parents and incorporating them [into] myself, because style to me is incorporating your surroundings and developing your own interpretation of what you see." -
"New Orleans is by far one of my favorite places. I am so proud to be a Southerner, and NOLA is prime Southern comfort. NOLA keeps me grounded. It reminds me of things I forget, it resurrects my faith, and it simply makes me happy. Good,pure, deep-fried happiness." Vintage Levi's jacket from friend, J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, Obey jeans, Dr. Martens boots, dad's glasses -
"Everyday I wake up praying and go to sleep praying. Most days, it’s all that I have...You have to figure out how to channel things differently because you will get sucked into a void and end up hurting yourself. " -
J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, tuxedo jacket from a friend, Obey jeans, Dr. Martens boots, grandmother's Brooch, grandfather's sunglasses -
Taylor on his love for his grandmother: "She is such a good soul in word and thought. She is just one of those people who spreads the word of God in such a pure way, not rubbing it in your face. She is so deep in faith that it just spills out. She is not a hypocrite at all. I really look up to her. She keeps me grounded." -
"I love apples. If you were to look at my photography work and design work, you will see them everywhere. They are just so iconic and classic." -
"I love making beautiful things and beautiful pictures." -
On his favorite activity: "Eating! How cliché for a 'favorite activity.' Whatever. Food incorporates something for all five senses: you taste it, you see it, you feel it, you hear it, and you smell it." Grandfather's cardigan, grandmother's brooch, J. Crew shirt and tie, Obey jeans, boots from Search and Destroy -
On growing up in the South: "One time, I was grounded for buying a Madonna CD because she was Madonna and she was considered 'bad news.' Just that whole experience at being grounded at age 10, after saving up my allowance money for a month to buy the Limited Edition. It was just shocking to be punished for something that was not a crime." -
"Coming from a small town and not having everything at my fingertips like most people, it gives me a different perception of the world. I guess a better understanding of people and detail." Dad's glasses, bow tie from a friend, vintage leather jacket, J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, Obey jeans -
Grandfather's cardigan, grandmother's brooch, J. Crew shirt and tie -
Grandfather's cardigan, grandmother's brooch, J. Crew shirt and tie, Moscot Waldo glasses -
"This is the book of hours that I am doing for a lab class. The original book of hours is the Psalter, if you know about Catholicism. These are texts from dreams I write down because I believe dreams are visions from a higher power, so I write them down constantly." -
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"The way growing up in the South molded me artistically is that I would find these little things that would act as windows for myself, out into another world." -
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"One night when I was miserably ill, my father created this fantastical story about my dog and how she came from this amazing place. This place was full of positive energy and light. Since then, I have made it my goal to create that described world for myself and for the people in it." Grandfather's vintage Dior bow tie, dad's glasses, J. Crew cardigan, shirt, and pants, Tarina Tarantino skull bracelet, stud bracelets from St. Marks Place -
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Taylor's favorite thing about fashion: "Fashion is a lifestyle. Fashion is an opportunity to inspire and create a declaration of independence. You and I both know why we love fashion." Vintage Levi's jacket from friend, J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, dad's glasses -
Window frame that Taylor found on the street -
"I think that the recession is somewhat forcing people to reevaluate materialistic things and what they do with themselves on a regular basis. Since people are being more aware and being more awake to different situations, people are going to start becoming more ingrained in humanity [rather] than consumption." J. Crew shirt, tie, and sweater, tuxedo jacket from a friend, Obey jeans, Dr. Martens boots, grandmother's Brooch, grandfather's sunglasses
Taylor says that for him, style is incorporating his surroundings and developing his own interpretation of what he sees. He is from a small, “WASP-y” town on the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama – “we go sailing on the weekends.” His life is a visual journal, communicated through his grandfather’s cardigans and WWII sunglasses, his grandmother’s broaches, a studded bow tie and jackets given to him by friends, and a black leather bomber from the Lower East Side. Interior design and painting are all included in his illustrated story, but it’s done with huge overtones of humor and irony. Madonna, among other things, were windows into “another world” as a child. Thus, he painted a larger-than-life portrait of her in his bedroom, which he finds “liberating.”
I admire that Taylor feels so deeply about the people in his life, and that he feels more compelled to wear their things rather than the latest and greatest. He says that he would rather have a hug than a new bag, and he feels that we are heading towards a time where humanity means more to people than consumption. Taylor is clearly not short on depth in his thinking, and he feels a tremendous connection to the South and to his Baptist heritage, both of which have provided him with the belief that to receive positivity, you have to give positively.
When we came to shoot Taylor, he had made an apple pie for us. This was not only a testament to one of his favorite symbols in pop culture, the apple, but also to his very apparent gratitude towards life in general.
If you like Taylor, you might also enjoy Paul Johnson-Calderon, Rachel Ballinger, or Jack Sehnert.
