Interview: the modern-day style icon, Brendan Fallis
Words: India Gladstone
Brendan Fallis is the type of gentleman who really seems to have his ducks in a row. Fallis moved to New York (kind of) accidentally back in 2007, having arrived for a trip from his native Canada. The rest, as they say, is history. In the short 9 years since then, he’s become one of New York’s most sought after DJs, playing for brands from Chanel and Cartier to Redbull. He burst onto the scene, gaining worldwide attention in 2013 after releasing “Day and All Night,” using Kate Moss’ vocals for Stuart Weitzman’s Fall 2013 campaign.
The music world isn’t the only one that he’s a part of: Fallis is one of the most fashionable men in New York and is becoming increasingly well known for his coveted style and incredible dress sense. He’s recently appeared on the best dressed lists of both Mr Porter and Vanity Fair – a feat that is not achieved by any old gentleman. He’s also a partner at Pre.veyor, NMRKT and Rentcheck, New York City’s premier rating system for landlords and buildings.
We chose to include Fallis in this series because of his unique approach to style, whether that entails pairing and slick suit with a pair of Common Projects trainers or wearing the best casual Sunday outfit we’ve seen for weeks. You can’t put a price on style and Fallis has a certainty about the way he dresses that doesn’t come easily and something that we rarely see in a lot of gentlemen who we consider as style icons – which is particularly impressive considering his age. So what exactly makes Brendan Fallis, Brendan Fallis?
1. Describe your personal style in three words.
Clean. Classic. Contemporary
2. How did you first get into DJing?
I started DJing as a way to get a free meal and hang out with a good friend of mine. He managed a restaurant in New York called Pop Burger and I would go in on Monday nights when the restaurant was fairly dead. During that time we would teach ourselves how to DJ. I had just moved to New York and was working for a very small salary so I needed to find other ways to save money – DJing became one of them.
3. What excites you about fashion?
Fashion continually evolves while also working in circles. It’s exciting to me because it continues to get better, or at least the styles you like continue to get better (more streamlined, better materials with technology, etc.) and you’re able to find something you like because there’s such a vast selection available to everyone. To me, it’s amazing that you can dress well at any price as long as you know what your style is.
4. How often do you travel?
I travel about once a week. It’s nice if I get two weeks in a row at home and while that is rare, I’m not complaining at all. I love travelling for work and pleasure; I find my career very pleasurable so it’s nice to be able to move around with it.
5. Where is your favorite fashion city?
I love Paris and always have. I love the classic European style there. The coast of Italy in the summer is also a great city and time for fashion.
6. What are three items you always travel with to stay stylish?
A black tuxedo jacket, black Common Projects and crisp white and black t-shirts.
7. What’s the biggest challenge you face when staying current in the fast-moving fashion world?
You said it… The challenge is staying current. The youth will always push new trends so it’s good to keep up with them and pay attention to what’s happening, within reason of course! Making sure to know what’s coming up and then applying subtleties into my wardrobe has been the key for me. It comes down to not moving the needle so much that people second guess what you’re doing, but adding hints of it into your everyday life.
8. Talk us through your everyday style rules.
First and foremost, feel comfortable. That doesn’t mean only wearing sweats, but more so comfortable in your confidence. An outfit that is well put-together gives you some extra confidence.
Secondly, push your limits a little bit. Sometimes you think something might be a little too much, or someone might point out that you look overdressed, but it’s always better to be overdressed then underdressed in my opinion.
Have a good selection of white shoes. For me, crisp white shoes show a clean style. It’s tough to keep them clean, and if your look is accepting of clean white shoes as mine is, then it’s good to have a few to accent outfits.
9. What is one fashion faux pas that no gentleman should commit?
I personally don’t like shorts past the knee, or clamdiggers as they were once referred too. I think that’s up there with one of the worst styles I’ve seen. But more so, try to avoid mixing prints. I stay away from prints in general, unless they’re tonal, but that’s my personal opinion.
10. What is the one piece of fashion advice that’s stuck with you?
Dress in a manner that if someone took a photo of you today, you wouldn’t be upset when you looked back at that photo in 10 years.
Follow Brendan’s travels at @brendanfallis and visit his website here.
All images from Brendan’s Instagram // Cover image from his website
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