FOLLOW THE FASHION DR
A TALE OF NYC
A few months ago, I received a call from a Director at LIM College to assist with finding and selecting a “Celebrity Host” for LIM College’s 74th annual Fashion Show, titled "Art Meets Fashion,". This is a show that is solely put on by the students that are near graduating from LIM before they head out into their respective fashion fields while also being used as a fun welcoming presentation to incoming students and their family.
I had attended the show in the past so I knew right away this was a huge job for whomever would be this year’s host. After sorting out a list of names for the Director to review I received a gracious email asking if I, Marcus Stewart; The Fashion Doctor would have interest in hosting this year’s show. I was shocked and honored and a bit nervous all at once. Last year’s host was a major YouTube sensation with millions of Instagram followers and the year before that the host was a huge TV personality so how could I, Marcus Stewart, compete with that? Those were my first thoughts and my second thoughts were “you are going to do this and you are going to enjoy every moment of it” SO without skipping much of a beat I sent back a letter of intent to host and here I am, weeks away from welcoming a room of 1500 people to a very special show!
art meets fashion
my second thoughts were “you are going to do this and you are going to enjoy every moment of it”
The story is of a youngster who would venture to the Lower East Side to party with his favorite DJ and friend “Dexter Love”. LES felt like what NYC must have felt like 20 years ago. It had edge and grit. I was inspired by the boldness of the streets and youthfulness that was there. It was there that I became BOLD
credits
Photographer: @michael_paniccia
www.michaelpaniccia.com
Designer: @linder.nyc
www.linder.nyc
Designer: @bryanjimeneznyc
www,bryanjimenezny.com
Make Up Artist: @neahivanna
Model & Stylist: @thefashiondr
For this issue of Vaccines, I did not have to get a visa, book a flight, make hotel reservations, or even pack my favorite Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulière 60. This time around, as my partnership with LIM blossomed we decided to use the theme “Art Meets Fashion” to tell a local story of a tale of NYC and some of its wonder through my eyes.
With a loose focus on some of my favorite areas in NYC which include Central Park, SoHo and LES, I started to think right away of local designers that would be able to artistically, with their garments as the paint and myself as the canvas, collectively tell a story and create a masterpiece.
The first designer that came to mind was Kirk Millar of the co-ed skyrocketing brand Linder whom I have been friends with for almost a decade. We met the very first month we both moved to NYC to pursue our dreams of being male supermodels and after a while we both realized we had other interests besides being photographed or walking a runway and, well, we clicked and have been friends since then. Fast-forward to now as he, along with his creative partner Sam Linder, have created one of the most talked about, interesting, creatively raw, and intentional brands within the last few years; let’s just say I’m not surprised.
The second person who came to mind is a 20 year old Dominican Republic born and raised designer named Bryan Jimenèz whom I had only met once while out shopping; at the time he was a sales associate and student at FIT. As I was shopping for trousers I noticed he had an amazing pair of simple cropped trousers but the fabric was beyond and the detail was next level. As I inquired about his pants and where I could purchase a pair he so lightly said “oh they are mine and I’m the designer” right away I knew he was most definitely someone whom I wanted to follow and see what would become of what he was creating so we exchanged Instagrams as the youth do these days and we have liked each other’s images for over a year before we came together now to create.
After confirming these two talents all that was missing was an artist that would allow the paint and canvas to meet with his or her guidance and eye. One day, as I was having breakfast at The Soho House with Alyson Eastman who happens to be my good friend, but she is also a designer whom I refer to as “The Leather QUEEN!”, I conveyed my vision to her regarding this shoot and without skipping a beat she said “Michael would be great, he is heading to meet us right now” I had no idea who this one name person was until he arrived and I realized that we had both worked together photographing a top socialite a few years ago. I immediately spoke of my concept and he was in. Michael Paniccia would be the last link to this puzzle.
The following week it was time to get to work. I arrived at 8am with coffee and my two assistants. Already there was the photographer and Event Director of LIM, soon to join us would be two of Michael’s photo assistants, my personal videographer, and a makeup artist. As the LIM students prepped my looks I focused on the story and we pilled into a 15 passenger van to start creating the story.
The story of a kid a young boy moving to NYC with dreams but no plan and no cash, a young boy who would venture to Central Park to dream, to think, to escape, and be inspired by the historical element of the park. It was there that I found STRENGTH.
The story of my start in Soho where I lived for 6 years and for me, no matter how small my apartment was or how many stairs I had to walk up just to get to my apartment door, it was a dream to live there.
The cobblestone streets of Mercer and Greene somehow reminded me of my magical hometown, New Orleans. It reminded me that no matter how far away from home I was, home was truly where you made it.
It was there in Soho that I saw all sorts of people traveling from near and far, from different cultures and walks of life, to walk the streets, shop or just to be seen with no rules or regulations. It was there that I became Marcus Stewart - the fashion doctor.
linder
bryan jimenez