Vintage Excelled Leather Motorcycle Jacket
(Image credit: Pat Merino)
It was Gary and Chelsey's personal style that first enticed us to peek inside their mod Astoria apartment. While they each have a strong individual aesthetic, their mutual love for classic vintage attire means they complement each other perfectly. With closets full of pieces ranging from classic motorcycle jackets and wool capes to Star Wars sweatshirts and Swedish Hasbeens, the couple seem to have honed their own cohesive brand of style.
(Image credit: Gary Knight)
Your very favorite outfit:
Chelsey: I usually dress for each day based on how I’m feeling and what I will be doing. This being the case, it is really hard to pick a favorite outfit. For a date night, it would probably be one of my vintage dresses…I have two that are velvet and I am always wishing for colder weather so that I can wear them. Velvet is a weakness of mine. Topping these with a cape coat and shimmery heels sounds perfect to me! For any casual night, I’d stick to jeans and a blouse with textural layers and throw on some booties with fun socks peeking out. And color! I’m not afraid to wear bright colors and prints — my favorite pieces in my closet are usually a bright hue or exciting pattern.
Gary: Motorcycle jacket, white dress shirt, black tie, indigo jeans, black dress shoes—basic, classic, and cool, which is what I always aim for.
The #1 item from your fashion wish list:
Chelsey: I have been eyeing some super high t-strap Swedish Hasbeens.
Gary: Custom-made navy blue suit from Brooks Brothers (aiming for our ten-year wedding anniversary).
The TV or movie characters’ wardrobes you’d steal in a minute:
Chelsey: Ginger Rogers in Swing Time, Audrey Hepburn in Charade, or Sarah Jessica Parker in Season 6 of Sex and the City, when Carrie moves to Paris—those dresses and coats are divine!
(Image credit: Gary Knight)
Your best bargain find ever:
Chelsey: I thrift on a regular basis, so I am always finding amazing things for super cheap, but my love affair with vintage probably started when I found my first ('60s) cape from a goodwill for about 12 years ago! I still have it and wear it often.
Gary: A beautiful vintage Excelled motorcycle jacket for .
3 things from your closet you couldn’t live without:
Chelsey: Capes, black leather ankle booties, my crinoline skirts—these are a must to layer under vintage dresses!
Gary: My vintage red Chelsea t-shirt, a rare Revenge of the Jedi sweatshirt, and my WWII-era navy pea coat (with corduroy pocket lining)
Your typical work “uniform”:
Chelsey: I work at a non-profit during the day and am lucky not to have a strict dress code at my office. I love wearing dresses in the spring, summer, and fall and then bundling myself up for winter. At night, if I am performing with my band, I will wear something more outlandish and usually top off my ensemble with a fascinator or statement jewelry.
Gary: Jeans and t-shirt (I love my job), but I’ll force myself every once in a while to wear one of my nice button-ups (a red vintage Levi’s western shirt), a pullover, and fancy footwear (Ferragamo loafers or Bruni Magli cap toes).
The item you no longer have but wish you did:
Chelsey: When I moved from LA to NYC 2.5 years ago, I got rid of a lot of items from my closet. Unfortunately, a short wool tweed coat was in the mix somehow and I still agonize over it. I go to pull it out of my closet sometimes and it's not there. It would often be the perfect missing piece to some outfits.
Gary: A pair of spectator shoes by Church’s (sigh).
Most fashionable friend and why:
Chelsea: I have a lot of fashionable friends, but the one I most admire is Courtney aka CoJo. She wears a ton of vintage, as well, and can put together inexpensive outfits out of nothing. She takes lots of risks and they always work out splendidly.
Gary: My wife, who has over the years put together an incredible and dynamic wardrobe, often combining the most disparate styles, effortlessly, and who always attracts attention without making a spectacle of herself—she just has really really good taste… and great hair.
Best fashion advice:
Chelsey: Embrace your body type! I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I’m not 5’9” and rail thin, but I do love my curves. I try to play those curves to my advantage by keeping most silhouettes nipped at the waist.
Gary: Don’t be afraid to steal, but be yourself, and own your look, even if it’s jeans and t-shirts.
Real life shop:
Chelsey: Anthropologie / Madewell / JCrew / Shareen Downtown / Salvation Army / Goodwill / Any vintage shop that I happen upon
Gary: American Apparel and Levi’s (for basics), and various thrift shops for ‘50s- and ‘60s-era button-ups and old t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets
Online shop:
Chelsey: Modcloth / Asos / Vintage shops on Etsy
Gary: Meadow for the once-in-a-blue-moon-expensive-purchase and to window shop
Makeup brand:
Chelsey: M.A.C. / bare minerals / Urban Decay
Haircare brand:
Chelsey: Davines
Best jeans:
Chelsey: Levi's (tried and true!) or Madewell
Gary: Levi’s 501s
Coolest sneakers:
Chelsey: high-top Chuck Taylors
Gary: Tretorn Nylite canvas sneakers, just like my grandfather used to wear
Signature scent:
Chelsey: Marc Jacobs
Gary: Old Spice deodorant—I can’t do scents… they make me nauseous.
Go-to source for style inspiration:
Chelsey: Classic movies from the '50s and '60s, the streets of NYC, and blogs (a clothes horse, Keiko Lynn, A Beautiful Mess, etc.)
Gary: My grandfather, Andrew Wyeth paintings, musicians Jason Falkner and Thurston Moore
(Image credit: Gary Knight)
