Designer Nicholas K Answers Fan Questions

Nicholas: I think having grown up in Arizona, we have a fond appreciation for nature, the outdoors and a simpler way of living. But I’ve lived in New York City for 18 years now, and I really appreciate the city life as well. So when I’m designing or when we’re thinking about the collection, I really try to find a balance between those two worlds. I think in our collection, if you look at the color palettes, it has a very organic, natural feeling. We use a lot sand tones, olive greens and browns. A lot of those inspirations are taken from landscapes and nature. When you look at the silhouettes of the collection, it’s more downtown, it’s much more fashion forward, it’s much more relevant to what’s going on in the fashion world. Fusing those two worlds together creates a very different look that is taken from our roots.

Nicholas: For men, I’m really feeling low- scooped Henley shirts in sheer, royal fabrics layered with tank tops. I think men are gravitating towards lighter-weight fabrics. They’re easier to wear, slightly crumpled. Everything doesn’t need to be polished and perfect anymore.

For women, I feel the same way – long, flowy, royal skirts. If you have a gauzy, gorgeous long skirt, if you can pair it with a tight T-shirt and it looks sexy.

Nicholas: For women, I feel like it’s definitely: Don’t wear heels if you can’t walk in them, like stilettos. I don’t really wear stilettos anymore because if you’re not practiced in walking in them — I feel like there is nothing more silly than a girl who can’t walk in her shoes. It’s like hobbling down the street, trying to exude elegance — it creates the exact opposite effect.

For men, I feel like it’s over-accessorizing. When you see a man over-accessorize or too gelled, you have this feeling that he’s trying too hard. A certain sense of vanity comes with that. Men should look effortless.

Christopher: There should be a sense of ease. One is that he is comfortable, that he’s not squeezing into something. Women can do that and still look sexy; but with guys, it doesn’t look like it fits very well. It doesn’t look like he can move. With men, they have to have a comfort zone. You see he looks very relaxed and comfortable and easy.

Christopher: You look at any family and you think of all the years you were as kids. I don’t think there are any families where you see the family portrait and they’re all hugs and everyone’s happy. I don’t think you see that on a daily base, I think those are the highlight moments. All the other times, it’s like you’re best friends then you hate each other, then you’re best friends again, and then you’re family and then you don’t want to talk to someone. I think you have those crazy ups and downs, and I think the intensity level is you can definitely air out things with a family member differently than you can with someone you don’t know.