Kristine Barilli

occupation: DJ, student, and musician

“I am obsessed with anything from London in the late ’70s, Seditionaries, Anton LaVey, black metal, Clockwork Orange, anything black, anything dead, the New Atlantis by Francis Bacon, Bas Jan Ader, anyone crazed and creative.” Kristine Barilli

I always leave a SLU shoot inspired by a tip or idea. In Kristine’s case, it was many things, but the one I followed through on was the Rick Owens onesie (birthday present to myself). She fully convinced me of its worthiness for every day and every occasion (you could sleep in it or wear it for black tie), which is pretty much how Kristine always dresses. She despises Halloween, because for her, every day is an organic expression of “dressing up” as she feels. It’s all about her uniform of all black (never jeans) and an architectureal silhouette. You might see Kristine walking to the corner bodega in her only vintage piece, an ostrich feathered bolero, inspired by her ultimate style hero Brian Eno, or in one of her cutting-edge pair of boots to the gym. She actually works out in her favorite band T shirt that she wears all the time, Suicidal Tendencies, and reluctantly caved into purchasing sneakers, but the closest ones to her armory of wedges. Admittedly hardcore about her passion for music (she is habitually either djing or home researching bands and songs), she is equally driven to perfection with her impeccable futuristic goth wardrobe.

To learn more about Kristine, click on the detailed credits page.

If you like Kristine, you might also enjoy Antino Crowley, James Gillespie, or Becka Diamond.

Matt Parrotti

occupation: student and designer/creator of Funky Faction hats

“I like stuff when it’s fake. I get more of a kick out of it.” Matt Parrotti

Matt was elated when he was fired from a job last summer and ended up working at a day camp for kids. As warm-hearted and fun-loving as could be, Matt is a GIANT kid, in his wide-open spirit and endless ability to turn literally everything and anything into a creative experience and ultimately into a creation. Life is his stage and humor his vehicle, from dressing up like a tourist and walking through Soho as if he is one, to turning plastic toys into his signature necklaces. Everything is game for him to make art with, including tie-dying his tighty whities, doodling all over his card table, and tearing the garbage apart at his job at an old age home in order to find material for reappropriating his clothing and jewels. Matt’s attraction to “the ridiculous and obnoxious” is a refreshing antidote to the pretension and seriousness of fashion, and is in and of itself avante garde. Like a true artist, he doesn’t know where to stop when he starts working on something, and what comes out of it is absolutely brilliant, like his elaborately bedazzled, hand-painted and collaged baseball hats and sneakers, each one a masterpiece. But for me, Matt’s highest form of art and the reason for his ability to be so innovative is his boundless love and fascination with people and life and the absurdity of it all.

If you like Matt, you might also enjoy Zarzan, Ash Epps, Koos van den Akker, Ben Oprstu, or Athena Stuebe.

Mack Dugan

occupation: fashion designer, pattern maker, stylist, and tailor

“Some people do the outfit as a wall [that] they can hide behind, but it’s not like that for me at all. I just do it because I like it. It’s not supposed to be anything. It doesn’t stand in the way of who I am. It’s not a ‘look’ I do. It’s not a costume. It’s just what I’m wearing that day.” Mack Dugan

“Nondescript” is what Mack is feeling these days in his Levi’s 501 dark jeans and heather gray Gap T, but to me, pretty much the pinnacle of clean and minimal chic. When paired with his DIY open-toed Converse, the look is the “artist’s” equivalent of the eternal Wall Street’s pinstripe suit in archetype. With his chunky silver rings and vintage shades, he could be photographed in the mulitiple series of Calvin Klein jean and underwear ads from the early ’90s that Mack feels so inextricably linked to in his aesthetic from when he was first falling in love with fashion. He was born in South Dakota but grew up in New Zealand, where Mack feels he got his gothier and heavier side, like his beyond obsession with the original Dirk Bikkemberg boots, strong in their avant garde reappropriating of the timeless construction, military, and ski boot. You can also see his “darker” side in some of Mack’s own designs, like his medieval-inspired capelet coat with a hood and his love of Lang and original Margiela. Equally aesthete in its height of subtlety, is Mack’s sportier gear. His quintessential canvas Palladium boots , APC windbreaker, and Marc Jacobs white back pack make it hard to believe he worked for Heatherette for five years. “Modern hiker” he calls it – ironic that there isn’t a mountain in sight.

If you like Mack, you might also enjoy James Ott, Stephan Jenkins, and Houman Farahmand.

Rachel Ballinger

occupation: model

“I dress really girly, but kind of tomboy at the same time. Kind of punk too. It’s a combination of everything.” Rachel Ballinger

An effortless and unassuming beauty with a preppy bent, Rachel’s a little Cher from Clueless and one of my all time favorites, a dead ringer for Ali MacGraw, who has as much natural style off of the screen as on (a sad rarity these days). Her resemblance to Ali is as much the thick, uncomplicated eyebrows and the 2009 version of hippie boots tucked into the jeans as it is about the Scottish plaid pants (but done punk) that is reminiscent of the ’70s style icon to me. Rachel’s got a knack for investment pieces, like her Givenchy bag, and has the help of one of our own in making those heart-racing decisions, Ian Bradley, whose taste is similar to hers in making the classics fresh and modern. She was literally breathless, when pulling out all of her boots which are a definite fetish. From homegrown looking eskimos to clunky ankle boots to the edgy classicism of Margiela to a veteran’s passion for all things black, they are like an expose of Rachel’s personality. Rachel is just that kind of quiet example of someone who doesn’t crave attention, but deserves to have it.

If you like Rachel, you might also enjoy Sarah Aoanan, Haley Wollens, or Sophia Bennett Holmes.

John Wellington-Simon

occupation: producer, stylist, choreographer, and dandy

“I’m very classic. I call myself a dandy. I live my life as a dandy. I don’t ever leave the house in jeans and a t-shirt or sweatpants.” John Wellington-Simon

John refers to himself as a dandy and he takes it very seriously. Charles Baudelaire defined the dandy as “one who elevates æsthetics to a living religion.” For John, being “impeccably clean” (always with his shirt tucked in) is heaven on earth, and he lifts off the ground into a mean hip-hop, jazz routine when referring to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly as his “fellas” because of how they wore a suit and tie. Back to Baudelaire: “For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of his mind.” How you dress does create a certain state-of-mind, and for John, “it’s a language that he is speaking to the world in the best possible way he can.” I love the language that he speaks and can only guess that seeing him in his top hat with plume on the subway would send me into a trance. His family is originally from Jamaica, once a colony of England, and thus, where English culture and the traditions of being “the gentleman” were handed down. His mom became a doctor when she and her family came to NYC in the ’70s, but the “the rounds” that John does are in the East Village at Metropolis, Union Square at Rags-A-GoGo, and Brooklyn at Beacon’s Closet. And there is definitely a sense of euphoria when he points to the corduroy detail on his shoe, how he scored the Bentley pants with the feathered pattern, or how a bow tie and pocket square can transform the day.

Check out John’s blog and styling portfolio.

If you like John, you might also enjoy Raymond Chu, Ebeneezer Nii-Sowah, or Carlyle Hanson.