A Candid Hour With Marcellas Reynolds, Part 1

From walking the runways of Ralph Lauren, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger, to styling Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone, editorial work for InStyle and British Vogue, countless TV appearances, and one very successful stint on Big Brother, it is safe to say that Marcellas Reynolds  is the epitome of a fashion success story. I caught up with the famed Chicagoan during a chic Ford Models beauty soiree last week, for a candid conversation about Chicago fashion, trends, pinch-me moments that include none other then Sharon Stone, and what’s in store for Marcellas in the near future. Below is Part 1 of our  chat, all about the Chicago fashion industry, and what it  needs to take it to the next level.

Even though you’ve lived in LA for some time now,  you are in Chicago often. It’s great to see that you keep coming back to where it all started. 

Chicago is the best city! And there’s no place better on earth than Chicago in the summer. Plus, I work a lot in Chicago. I started out as a model in 1995, so a lot of people that used me as a model back in the day, now use me as a stylist. I work with Chicago Social magazine, Fox News… so it’s really nice to come back home.

I’m not born Chicagoan; I am from Eastern Europe and I came here years ago, and just fell in love with this city. What is it about Chicago?

There’s so much art, architecture, business and fashion. Literally you meet one person in Chicago and you end up feeling like you’ve met every person there is.  Living in a city like LA that  has such a car culture, makes me really appreciate Chicago because you walk from place to place to place, you get on the train, every area is different, it feels like a real neighborhood. Plus, there’s world class shopping here,  and brick and mortar stores, that aren’t part of chains, and are doing really interesting, cool things.

Perfect transition to my next question. What were your thoughts on the Chicago fashion industry?

There’s amazing shopping in Chicago, period. I mean, Ikram is a world-class store, June Blaker, I love. But what I would love to see more in Chicago, local designers really becoming international designers. And I don’t know if that’s by them opening their own stores, maybe, figuring out a way to get into national stores or national chain stores.

It’s difficult because there’s more money invested in fashion in New York. From all the Chicago designers I have interviewed, the number one concern is always  the lack of investment here.

Right, and they don’t feel supported. It feels like in Chicago it is much easier to open a clothing store, than to be a designer and have a brand based in Chicago. Or be a designer and open a free-standing brick and mortar store. So if I wanted to come back here and open a store that sells a bunch of different designer brands, I think that there’s a market for that. But it would be very hard if I started my own line in Chicago.

What about the fashion musings of the people of the Windy City? It is such an international hub with so many infuencers from around the world, and I feel like fashion here gets better and better each year. Would you agree? 

I’ve lived in LA for 12 years, and the thing that makes me crazy about LA is that it’s a city without style.  If I see another girl trumping around in shorts and Uggs…. I feel like you gave up. So when you’re in a city like Chicago, people have a point of view: You see the very chic, pulled together woman that shops at Ralph Lauren, or you see the very chic, pulled together woman that shops on Oak Street. But then you also the cool girl that’s really into fashion, that is mixing her look up from H&M and Forever 21, but she’s doing trends. And you can tell that she was at Last Call Neiman Marcus, and found her really cool pair of Louboutins. And I love that part of Chicago. I think it’s a very chic city. I think that Chicago thinks of itself as a New York and I think that a lot of people in Chicago dress and behave in that manner. They care about style, they care about fashion. You’ll see  a random guy on the street rocking a pocket square, and wearing real men’s accessories and carrying a good bag. You know what I mean?

Definitely. Is there something missing in Chicago, that maybe LA or New York have?

Chicago is missing the bridge store, that gets us nationally recognized as those stores. It’s like when I talk to people form New York or LA, and they ask me about Chicago, or I mention Chicago, all they want to talk about is Ikram. There needs to be another store that really takes it to the next level. Because if we’re talking about New York there’re a billion stores – you’ve got Scoop, you’ve got Jeffrey. Or you talk about LA, you talk about not just one, you talk about Satine, Curve, so many.

The fashion scene has grown tremendously in the last five years though.  Things are differently going in the right direction. 

I agree. In 2008, the world went into a slump in business and in fashion. But I really think it is bouncing back. I am a stylist who’s a television host, and for years I was much more successful as a television host than I was as a stylist, because there weren’t clients that were willing to spend the money on me. Where as now, if I were to move back to Chicago I could work every day. As a stylist. It’s become different. I have been making as much money as a stylist as I have been as a TV host and that’s within the last few years.

You don’t want to miss Part 2 of my chat with Marcellas Reynolds, coming next Tuesday, where we talk fall trends and favorite moments with celebrities (like that one time he ended up at Sharon Stone’s house. No, seriously.) 

Top photo via Ford Models blog