Jay Fielden

Favorite Makers?

• Tio y Tia: Hats (I’m in a hat phase and discovered a great brand on a recent trip to Austin)
• Private White: outerwear jackets
• Dom Vetro sunglasses
• Dos Carolinas: handmade guayaberas
• Olivetti: type writers (especially Lettera 32)
• Moccamaster: coffeemakers
• FujiFilm: cameras
• Denis Frison and P. Johnson: affordable bespoke suits
• Birdwell: all things you need to wear when getting wet
• Romp: skis
• Kenetrek: hunting boots

Favorite Artist?

To be honest, I’m more a fan of the dead than the living. I’d start with Piero, throw in Breugel and Chardin, Turner. Cezanne’s undeniable, as is Rodin, Max Beckmann, Munch, Brancusi, Giacometti, Bonnard. . . . But I don’t want to be a grouch. I also like Turrell and Sugimoto, Anish Kapoor, and especially Michael Lindsay-Hogg, a good friend who is having a show in Paris this October at the Galerie Pixi. You’ll see the connection between some of the names above and Michael’s work here: http://galeriepiximarievictoirepoliakoff.com.

Silver or Gold?

My wedding ring is a combo of the two. So, I say, go with what Burl Ives sang: silver and gold.

Shoes, Black or Brown?

I’ve always been partial to brown, but then I got a glimpse of a par of black shoes worn with chocolate brown socks and that looked pretty damn smart, especially with a pair of off-white pants.

Style Icons?

Ralph Lauren, Brunello Cucinelli & Charlie Watts, PETER Beard, Saul Bellow, Miles Davis, Balthus, and Alain Delon

Extra Credit: What is your general dressing philosophy?

You can never look too formal, not in this day and age. That doesn’t mean you should wear white tie to a barbecue, but don’t drop your standards because everyone else is. Raise the bar! Essentials or tricks? Having too much is worse than having too little. It gets confusing and takes up too much brain space figuring out how it all goes together.