Artists have their own sense of style, and as a graphic artist, photographer and actor, Cheyne Gallarde was never one for rules. He lasted all of one semester at Honolulu Community College when he decided to go his own way after realizing, “School was getting in the way of my education.”
So the idea of being a fashion role model is new to him. He’s one of 50 men, one from each state, featured in the September issue of Esquire magazine, answering the question, “What do you wear when you want to look your best?”
The magazine, now in its 82nd year, is the oldest men’s magazine in the country, founded on the philosophy of presenting “Man at his Best.”
When he got the call about three months ago, the 34-year-old said he first thought it was a telemarketer.
“I thought they were trying to get me to subscribe. They said they were selecting 50 men from across the U.S. and I was the one from Hawaii. They already knew what I do, photography and art, so I checked it out and the woman who called was a legit editor.”
Esquire editor Julia Black said a team of researchers scoured the Internet for subjects, and photos of Gallarde and his work caught their eye. He was asked to send in a photograph showing his interpretation of what “dressed up” means to men in Hawaii.
“I figured most of the other guys would be wearing suits,” he said, but he didn’t purposely set out to distance himself from the pack. All he had to do was be himself and wear what he normally would wear to go out, to stand out.
“The outfit I put together was more casual. We have to dress lighter because of the weather, and I also love to layer, so that means going with lighter fabrics.”
He opts for a neutral palette of blues and browns, mostly in lightweight cottons. “Even if you’re on the stockier side, lighter materials work because they breathe and offer more ventilation, so you feel cooler and look more comfortable,” he said.
Gallarde said he never imagined he would ever be giving mainstream fashion advice. “I style all my fashion shots, but it’s more costume-y, more theatrical. It’s not for normal, everyday people,” he said.
And he wasn’t raised fashionably, but that worked in his favor by giving him the courage to experiment.
“I grew up in a household where my grandma literally put a bowl on my head to give me a haircut. Now I’m fine with cutting my own hair and embracing the asymmetry of it, knowing it will grow back while I save some money.”
Despite being in that fashion twilight zone, which according to Gallarde is that “problem age range” between “not super young and not super old,” he has found a casual chic style that works for him, without the trap of looking like he’s trying too hard.
“The older you get, trying to dress young will make you look older,” he said. “I’m also in a particular budget range that means improvising and thinking outside of the box.”
Even so, he’ll splurge on items that are keepers like a good pair of shoes and outerwear. “You have to invest in some quality stuff. One $90 shirt I bought is lasting me three years now.”
Because of his slight physique, for him, being a man is having the confidence to shop in women’s and even in girls’ boutiques such as Claire’s, where he often finds conversation-piece earrings.
“Guys who are athletic can pull off a look off the rack from men’s sections because they can fill it out. I don’t have the budget to get things tailored, so I buy dress shirts in women’s sections, as long as they don’t have boob lines. They’re more fitted, so they make me feel more confident. You just have to get used to the buttons being on the other side, but no one ever notices.”
