“I knew at a very young age that I had a fondness for shoes,” says Vince, who is currently Summit Media Publishing Inc.’s Group Creative Director. “It started with a pair of white Reebok sneakers and Ralph Lauren kiltie tassel loafers when I was in high school.”
He adds, “Fashion is always changing, and having a strong sense of personal style makes it easier to adapt.”
Though he tends to mix street style with preppy, he always goes for a polished look capped with shoes in various styles: sneakers and lace-up shoes like Oxfords, brogues, derbies, and boots.
With 10 years of experience in the fashion industry, he has been the genius behind the stunning images found in magazines like Preview and Town & Country, among others.
He turns to street style snaps of editors, models, and celebrities for inspiration, and admits he goes for style first and comfort second.
Even as a grade school student, while most of his classmates wore rubber shoes after school, he preferred his Ralph Lauren loafers. He also recalls his other memorable, pairs, like his Burberry Prorsum distressed military boots and his first Lanvin sneakers, which even gave him blisters from wearing them with “the wrong type of socks.”
As someone who’s guilty of buying the same style in different colors, he can last with one bag for one whole month—but not shoes.
One of the oldest pairs he owns, Vince loves it for its combined metallic and matte finish plus it’s “so comfortable.”
“I remember being obsessed with a pair of Margiela ankle-high sneakers which I bought in four different colors and washes,” shares Vince. “I did the same with a pair of Valentino camo trainers.”
His obsession with shoes even made him purchase Christian Louboutin’s in-demand spiked sneakers that were two sizes bigger when he was in London, thinking he could pull them off by wearing thicker socks.
He recalls, “Turns out I looked like I had giant feet, so I only wore them once—but I eventually bought a pair in my size.”
As someone who sometimes starts with the pair of shoes he wants to wear, then works his wardrobe around it, he finds that “shoes punctuate an outfit more than any other accessory.”