Carlos, "gallerina," Toledo Museum of Art
Carlos, like J.Lo and Prince before him, prefers to go by only one name. That restriction didn't deter us from featuring the shorts-clad TMA employee in our Style Sense column — he rocks prints like nobody's business. We stopped the one-name style man to discuss his fashion inspirations.
How do you view getting dressed?
I like to think of individual pieces of clothing as pieces of art and I curate my wardrobe accordingly. But I'm not into fashion.
Why not?
Fashion is a lie. It's this unattainable thing that's actually about selling fragrances and suitcases. I'm more into style. Style is a tangible representation of your personality.
How did growing up in Toledo impact what you wear?
Maybe it's not even a Toledo thing, it's a Rossford thing. I was an odd animal there. I was the only brown kid, the only Jewish kid. Being out there gave me license to get away with wearing things like a linen caftan. People just assume that's my native costume. If you're going to stick out anyway, you might as well be as weird as you want.
What are your style inspirations?
This summer my inspirations are photos of my dad from the ‘70s — he was a dapper man. He had a Perry Ellis thing going on. My other inspiration is the character Benny from City of God. I want my whole wardrobe to be nothing but floral shirts and the tiniest shorts — Brazilian favela style.
