Andy Spade is the creative director responsible for the American nostalgia revival that's been trending in fashion branding since the early 2000s. After launching his wife's playful bag company, Kate Spade New York, he tackled the menswear market with Jack Spade, then the loungewear market with Sleepy Jones, a brand that prides itself on wearing pajamas in public. In the interim, he opened his own creative firm, Partners & Spade, who are the ones responsible for J.Crew's attempt at a "boys club" outpost with Liquor Store, a mahogany and leather filled retail speakeasy dotted with unopened bottles of brandy, vintage trumpets, and purple cashmere sweaters. He also has a stake in the youthful eyewear brand Warby Parker, where one of their first marketing campaigns involved an yellow school bus driving around the country. Spade's signature form of art-as-campaign makes him what people these days love to label as a tastemaker, which really just means he has a specific eye for design.
Spade's way of finding bits of classic fun and reformulating it to a contemporary landscape plants him into the category of auteur. His natural quirkiness has seeped into his projects and is now his trademark. Much in the same way that Wes Anderson has his foothold in the whimsical repackaging of memories in film, Spade has harnessed this feeling and injected it into brands. His attention to detail and respect for authentic historical components makes the marketing feel relevant, rather than cheesy or phony. It makes sense that Spade's personal style oozes these elements as well, treading somewhere between that of a New England college professor, a Manhattan ad man, and a sporty prepster dad. And though his style might not necessarily exude youth, a younger generation of fashion bros are infatuated with his aesthetic, most acutely with the fan-curated Tumblr page.From a fashion perspective, Spade's style is a practical formula. His way of dressing feels more like a capsule wardrobe compared to the average wardrobes of today's standards as it consists of only tailored staples meant to be worn everyday. His look is so versatile that at any moment he could walk into a cocktail party, a meeting with clients, a gallery opening, or a sports bar and fit in seamlessly. This is how people used to think about how they dressed, only investing in pieces that would become part of their day-to-day lives, prior to the trend driven fast fashion movement that began in the 1980s. Today, a frenzied, disheveled quantity of styles shoved onto racks still wins over steady quality. But Spade's style is honed in, so you get the feeling he's comfortable with himself and knows exactly what he wants, whether or not it's on trend, and with this sensibility, he channels a feeling of old-school cool.
While it may go overlooked, his most distinctive staple is his footwear, a simple Chukka boot (available at DSW), that crosses over from day to night and business to casual. Not too hearty, not too delicate, the Chukka boot and its variants were built for work and play, making them extremely popular in the 1940s and 1950s as they could be worn as a more comfortable alternative to men's dress shoes. Clarks make a variation known as the Desert boot, a favorite of Spade's, which is most popular since they pair well with jeans or chinos, but a Chukka boot with a more delicate sole and leather upper could even be worn with a suit.From there, you can work your way up: Find a pair of jeans and tailor them to fit you perfectly. Wear them everyday to get that 'lived in' feel (the same goes for chino shorts in warmer climates). Don't bother with denim that's pre-distressed, as it won't look as good or last as long in the end. A pale colored vertically striped button-down paired with a corduroy blazer or Patagonia down sweater, depending on the type of day, are also Spade mainstays. Add a personalized belt buckle, clear rimmed glasses, and cleanly combed hair-do to finalize a look that's somewhere between businessman and artist that seems just right.Or, better yet, apply Spade's distinction in essentials to telegraph your own personal style. While a uniform could be interpreted as boring, it can actually reflect confidence and self-assurance. This, in practice, takes more effort and experimentation, but the results can last a lifetime.Find more styles and chukkas at DSW.-- Hanna Heismann
Advertisement

Advertisement
