Morgan d’Alessandro

Matthew Morgan: Being confident and comfortable makes a man sexy. Style is about making a look your own – whatever it is. If you’re a slob, do it all the way. If you like wearing a seersucker suit, suspenders, and a fedora, do it all the way.

Alessandro Poddie: I agree with Matthew about style. Fashion is what you see in magazine editorials or something original you see on the streets. For me, sexy is a short, fitted blazer, polo shirt, skinny jeans, and Italian sneakers.

MM: I like Steve Jobs as a style icon for making computers and electronic equipment so beautiful. He could use a good stylist for himself, though.

AP: I have always liked the tormented look of Paul Newman à la Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. And I have to admit, my PowerBook is pretty sexy.

MM: I admire musicians such as my fellow Nebraskan Connor Oberst of Bright Eyes and others on the Saddle-Creek label. They have something to say with their music unlike their popstar peers. Download When the President Talks to God by Bright Eyes, it’s free on iTunes.

AP: Do: treat yourself to sneakers. I own more than thirty of them. Don’t: wear your polo shirt with the collar up.

MM: The most important accessory in your wardrobe should be an authentic vintage belt. Or a nice smile.

MM: My favorite jeans are fitted, clean, and without dirty washes or over-distressing. Basically, what Helmut Lang has been doing for a long time.

AP: For inspiration, I really like Matthew Barney. I love his mix of materials in his art. Anyone who can transform the Guggenheim with Vaseline and videos has got to be an interesting person.

MM: I like the French artist Sophie Calle. She stalks her subject matter and then turns the encounters into her art. She once posed as a maid in a Venice hotel to photograph and document the possessions and habits of the guests. Or the anonymous sending of clothes to a man she met at a party who had really poor taste. I guess living in New York; you encounter strangers every day without interaction—sometimes riding day after day on the same subway car. I’m fascinated with what people’s lives must be like and she actually finds out.

AP: I’ve noticed a trend towards indulgence. I think New Yorkers are really enjoying themselves again these days—eating butter-drenched food and drinking full-bodied wines. I thoroughly enjoy the ricotta gnudi, late night at The Spotted Pig.

View their collection at morgandalessandro.com.