Last night, Brad Goreski brought his ever-so-dapper self to S.F.'s very own Black Fleece boutique to meet and greet fans and sign copies of his tell-all memoir and style guide:
Born To Be Brad, My Life and Style, So Far. Naturally, we were on the scene and sat down with the bow tie- and glasses-clad stylist to talk gadgets, spring fashion, and — of course — The Zoe.
Your book is a memoir and style guide. What sort of fashion advice can we find inside?
"One of the longest sidebars in the book is about packing for trips and my general fascination with the decline in how people dress for travel. I'm like, 'Do you really need to be wearing pajama bottoms, a hoodie, and bring your pillow from home? It’s really not that long!' My thing right now is to try to get people to just put a little bit more thought into it, because when you’re traveling somewhere you’re beginning a journey, no matter where it is. So, why not start it with some sort of look?"
Got it. No sweat pants. What should we wear instead?
"I think people confuse comfort with sloppiness. But you can wear jeans and a button-down or a T-shirt, a blazer, and flats and be comfortable. Also, I always have a scarf when I’m traveling because airplanes are always all of a sudden refrigerators, as well — they’re so cold!"
What runway pieces are you dying to work with?
"I would say anything from Givenchy's spring collection, for both men and women."
Are there any trends you want to be over (besides velour on planes)?
"I’m not a big fan of embellished jeans. I was just in Miami, and every single shop window had jeans with some sort of embroidery on them. I think a simple, well-fitted jean is enough. I love colored jeans, but I’m just not a big fan of embellishments and extra fixins."
We love your style. How would a lady get her boyfriend to dress like you?
"Just drug him, slap a bow tie and some glasses on him, and take him out somewhere."
What areas of S.F. have you explored during your stay here?
"I’m staying at the St. Regis right now and it is beautiful — one of my favorite hotels I’ve stayed in this month. We just ate at The Slanted Door today. We had something called glass noodles with chicken, the Slanted Door spring rolls, the spare rib, and a grapefruit and jicama salad. Now, I don’t even know if I can do dinner."
San Francisco is such a tech city. Would you consider yourself a "techie?"
"No, not at all! I couldn’t even get the wifi to work at my hotel!"
Have any fave fashion apps?
"Style.com is what I’m always on and Trendabl is another I like."
Finally...are you sick of the Rachel Zoe drama?
"I wouldn’t say I’m sick of it. It just doesn’t exist, so it’s not really anything that I put my energy towards. The only thing to say is that I wish Rachel all the best, and I’ve totally moved on and have my own business, and she has her thing going on. It’s a pretty simple process of an assistant leaving a boss, and whatever her feelings are towards me are her feelings."
Photo: Courtesy of Brooks Brothers