Fashion is their passion — and these gents prove that personality is the secret to all that panache.
CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR, PUFFER MALARKEY COLLECTIVE; FOUNDER, CHEFS LIFE
PHOTO BY BECCA BATISTA
While celebrity chef Brian Malarkey—an alum of Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef: All-Stars—is well known around town and beyond for his quirky humor and beloved restaurant concepts (see Animae, Herb & Wood and Herb & Sea), the Oregon native also serves up some serious style. With a custom hat from Escondido’s Hardtack Haberdashery on his head, custom Vans or Converse on his feet, and a signature Hedley & Bennett apron, which he wears for both fashion and function, Malarkey mans restaurants and TV screens alongside the likes of Guy Fieri as a judge on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games and the late Anthony Bourdain on ABC’s The Taste. His latest venture is a line of custom-blended cooking oils for home chefs dubbed Chefs Life (chefslife.com), each craft ed for specific culinary techniques. Here, Malarkey shares his muses outside of the kitchen. brianmalarkey.com
From top: Jacques Marie Mage Molino 55 sunglasses in Frost, jacquesmariemage.com; Ted Baker Volosjs slimfit plain suit jacket, tedbaker.com; Vans Custom Culture Era sneakers, vans.com. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDS
I WOULD DESCRIBE MY STY LE AS… classic—with nonclassical accessories—and cheeky.
IN THE NEXT YEAR, I HOPE TO... buy my first pair of vintage Christian Louboutins with the big spikes on them.
IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, I WOULD TELL MYSELF TO... never go on TV wearing True Religion jeans because they are not timeless and make me look like I should be living in Arizona. Don’t ever wear True Religion jeans.
THE FIVE THINGS LEFT ON MY BUCKET LIST ARE... to watch my children grow old and happy, travel the world, catch a large marlin, make enough money to be a philanthropist, and streak at an NFL game.
IF I WASN’T IN MY CURRENT CAREER, I WOULD… be a jockey at the horse races.
I WANT MY LEGACY TO BE… that I was a great father, a great boss and a humanitarian with a wonderful sense of humor.
MY STYLE HE ROES ARE... James Dean and Matthew McConaughey.
I HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH... custom hats. I have a custom hat man that I’m in love with named Justin Panlasigui of Hardtack Haberdashery.
FOR KICKS, I ALWAYS WEAR... custom Converse and Vans! Th ere is nothing I like more than designing my own shoes.
MY STYLE PHILOSOPHY IS… make it timeless. Someone will have ammunition against you with an old photo or see you on TV wearing your True Religion jeans.
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