I admit it. I'm much tougher on men than I am on woman when it comes to good subjects for the New York Sartorialist. Why? Because I am one. I hold them to the same standards I hold myself in both dress as well as personal style and character. If I'm walking the streets of New York, I pass by literally thousands of men (and woman). As far as dress and presentation, woman have greater latitude in what they can look stylish in. For men, we're dealing with a more confined set of sartorial guidelines. Even those who are wearing nice clothes, tailored well and nice shoes- there is inevitably something missing most of the time. Panache!
The Wall Street uniform doesn't do it for me unless they add personal touches to express their unique style (Bugs Bunny ties are not what I have in mind). Things the way they are, I inevitably find things that are "deal-killers" for me. For woman, the obvious sartorial deal-killer are their shoes. That's the beginning. Boring, mundane and lazy will kill a look. For men, that same rule applies. However, being a guy I know exactly how a jacket, slacks, ties, colors, patterns and fabrics should all work together and look as well as perfect tailoring. I'm pretty tough on my fellow man in this regard. It's slim pickins' out there, which is why I show more woman than men. That said...
I met Marco Radakovic a while back. Always a gentleman. Always dressed impeccably. The irony is we got together on a warm working Saturday afternoon and he had pulled the shirt out sans jacket. Knowing his style, he gets sartorial slack here. Being a straight male, I'm not wired for picking out really good looking guys and those who aren't. For Marco, he's a damn good looking gent. Even I can tell that.
Marco is Croatian. A football (soccer) star in his native country, he came to the U.S. in his early 20's to play professionally. About two years into it he suffered a career ending torn ACL injury. This is the beginning of explaining the soul of the man. In retelling the story to me, he said countless times how much he loved his surgeon. To this day he has tremendous warmth and sincere gratitude for the Dr. Why? He did his job and did it caringly and honestly. One would expect that those feelings would be reserved for someone who performed a miracle and got him back onto the field. No. Told from the beginning it was over and indeed it was. Short of not being able to play anymore, he's 100%. That deep gratitude for someone else in the now distant past tells me a lot about who Marco is. You won't hear that heartfelt talk from selfish, egocentric people. It's all about them and there's no room for anyone else. That's character. That's style.
An entrepreneur, Marco has lived and is living the American dream... the opportunity of which is something else he's very grateful for. It would take pages to list his bio since his football career; let's say it's inspiring. Even in the face of people telling him he can't do something, he inevitably proves them wrong. Business? Got it. A few years ago he started playing with the idea of modeling and acting. Modeling? You're too old! Oh really? Guess again, his sideline modeling and acting career has come into full bloom. Versace runway, Four Seasons print ads, undercover special agent in the new Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz film, "Knight and Day". Too old my foot!
Aside from the blossoming modeling and acting career, Marco is currently spending most of his time as the COO of the newly formed Wold Model Pros Modeling Agency as well as the Manager of Business Development for Couture Fashion Week. When I previously mentioned it was a "working" Saturday, they were casting for the event.
The real deal. Character, optimistic, gracious, warm, open and honest. The kind of gentleman a gentleman wants to surround himself with. If only there were more.
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