(Photo: Jake Chessum)

Great socks.
Well, you know, I’m sort of a firm believer in wearing mostly basic pieces, then throwing in one punch in the face, and that’s what my knee-highs are. I think that one quirky piece on a background of basics is totally the way to go.

What are some of your other “punch in the face” pieces?
I’m a big scarf person. I have a lot of crazy striped, tasseled, metalwork scarves. And I do a lot of tuxedo shirts. And warm colors.

So you’re liking New York?
I’m from West Virginia, and in my town there were 1,000 people, so I wouldn’t be meeting people from Tonga. Or Uzbekistan. I couldn’t see Russian folk art at home, or an enormous collection of medieval tapestries. There’s this vibrating energy here. It’s like so much molecular energy in the air or something.

Where do you live now?
In Bed-Stuy. There are trees on my block, and it’s quiet at night. That’s the mountain boy in me.

Do you like John Denver?
No, but I don’t want to get crucified when I go home for Christmas. I like torch songs—Conway Twitty, all that—but John Denver was just a little too hokey.

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Articles by Amy Larocca
• Table of Contents: Oct 29, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!