Allow me to introduce you to Jonzu Jones

 I know I have said this a bazillion times but I can never stop praising the internet for allowing me to expand my web, pun intended, of “friends” to include some of the most prestigious, gracious, intelligent, talented, beautiful and creative people in the world.

                                                                           click image to enlarge

                                                                           click image to enlarge

 My latest addition, complements of Instagram, is Jonzu Jones! You might say ... who?  You might say what is a Jonzu?  But, all of your questions will be answered by reading this very articulately written interview.

 I am one of those weird people who use Instagram not only for visual stimulation but also as a search engine since I have this peculiar habit of actually reading the hashtags, following them and it is that little idiosyncrasy which leads me to people like Jonzu. Needless to say, the first thing that caught my eye was his incredible physicality and then via countless conversations…. I have to come to learn there is way more to this young man that just his outward appearance. He is a hive of talents and aspirations.

                                                                          click image to enlarge                       

                                                                           click image to enlarge

That old adage about not judging a book   by its cover is particularly apt here as this man is so much more than just skin-deep beauty and yes, I am occasionally taken in by that beauty but this time I feel confident that I have made a friend who deserves attention both as model and stylist as you will see in his images.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

 So, now that I have gushed about him, he is going to tell you about his life, some of which is hard to believe, and then … well you’ll have to read all of it to find out more… and believe it or not ... this know it all namely,  ME, … actually learned something from what he had to say ….

                                                                        click image to enlarge

 Jeffrey Felner: Let’s talk about your career path... was this the plan? How did you arrive at your present working situation?

Jonzu Jones: I feel like my career is always taking twists and turns. I had a vague idea from young of what I wanted to do and it has always been in the realm of art and fashion. I am still learning and growing, figuring things out along the way and to be honest just winging it. I will say I had a distinct vision of the man I wanted to be and more and more I became this idealized version of myself that the 12-year-old drew up. Currently I am a freelance fashion stylist, which I’ve been doing for around 7 years and I’ve been lucky to work with some truly incredible artists during that time. Styling came about as a kind of extension of me wanting to be a designer. I studied fashion design in high school and college and for so long I truly believed that was my true innate calling. I may revisit design in the future but styling has really been my big passion. While studying design, I was assisting fashion editors and stylists for school credit and to mold my approach to design. After doing that for a bit and loving it, I branched off as a freelance stylist and the rest is history.

                                                                      click image to enlarge

My second career which is fairly new is being a model. I by no stretch of the imagination believed this could be me as an angsty teen. I was the weird kid most of my life and still in a lot of ways am that same kid. I grew up hating my body, uncomfortable in my skin, shy and awkward as fuck. I was content aiming to be unseen and more behind the scenes but still having a name. Being on set more and more as a stylist and dressing in my outlandish garb, I would on occasion get snapped by the photographer. These unexpected instances unlocked something in me and I guess deep within me was a craving to be in front of the camera more. This was short lived and after a 2 ½ year stint playing house wife, gaining 80 pounds, and losing a lot of confidence, I needed a reboot. After leaving my marriage at 24, I did a full visual reset, getting tatted, ripped from home using Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) app Center, and jumping full on into modeling. Side note…  at this point I binge watched Top Model and was also religiously studying the model greats of the 80s to present times. While on set as a stylist I found myself studying models more than usual as well as photographers’ notes on poses. I am still figuring shit out as a model for sure but I’ve definitely learned a few tricks of the trade that have come in handy. The path continues and not sure where exactly it’s going to lead but I’m sure as hell having fun on this journey.

                                                                       click image to enlarge

JF: Do you or did you have any style or any type of mentors or those who continue to inspire or inspired you as you have matured and why them?

JJ: One of my biggest stylist inspirations is Patti Wilson**. She truly knows how to do avant-garde but also make it sexy, dark, and accessible.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

 JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner, who would they be and why?

JJ: Lady Gaga for sure. She’s a fellow Aires and I think we’d connect on weird and obscure references.Daphne Guinness because she is a major style icon for me and I need any excuse to roam her probably never-ending closet.Cody Fern because he’s a cutie and his personal style is pretty damn amazing.

If she were still alive, Edie Sedgwick because she really inspired me as a kid as being my glamour girl. It wasn’t Marilyn or Judy; it was Edie with the sickening Smokey eye. Someone not here anymore but David Bowie. Still a huge inspiration to me, visually and aesthetically.

                                                                        click image to enlarge

 JF: If you could choose any collaboration or situation, what would it be and why? would it be as model or stylist and why?

JJ: I would say to work with Steven Klein. His work is a huge inspiration to me and I pretty much reference at least 1 of his images in every shoot I do. In an ideal world I’d model for him with Patti Wilson styling me. She’s the one stylist whose decisions I’d never question.

                                                                         click image to enlarge

JF: Can you tell what was your most amazing experience doing what you do and what was the worst experience you encountered and why?

JJ: I think my most amazing experience so far was shooting with Robin Lord Taylor a few years ago. I’ve worked with quite a few celebs and high-profile people but I’m pretty much a comic geek and mega fan of Gotham. Robin’s character Penguin was one of my top 3 favorite characters on the show and having the opportunity randomly to work with him was so amazing. He also really rocked it on set!

Worst experience was working with a specific photographer whose name I shall not mention out of respect but that whole day ended up being a nightmare. His first words to the team was “I usually have a better team I work with normally” so that kind of set the bar for the shit show of that shoot. There’s was a moment where he chucked a pair of shoes because they were not Prada or luxury enough. Besides the fuckery of that day and being that it was a non-paying TFP shoot for a known NY magazine, he actually tried to sue me and a couple other team members from that day for copyright since we posted the final images in our portfolio. Twas messy indeed and in retrospect, I should have probably handled things differently at the time like packing up and getting the heck outta there. New, evolved, and candid me probably would have ripped him to shreds but I was younger and a lot nicer…. still nice but don’t take as much shit as I used to.

   https://www.instagram.com/jonzu/                                                                      click image to enlarge

 **Patti Wilson has worked with Steven Klein, Steven Miesel, Peter Lindeberg, Terry Richardson, and David LaChapelle to name a few. Styling for Italian Vogue, I-D, Numero, and L'Uomo Vogue all of which have had an important impact on the fashion world over the past decade. Patti continues to collaborate with the most influential designers and is recognized worldwide for her eclectic taste and continuous capacity to provide her clients such as Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Christian Lacroix, Valentino.

meet Momo Attaoui.. food stylist/chef

Those of us who spend a fair amount of time on social media have come to understand that anyone who holds a camera or stands in front of it thinks themselves a model or photographer especially if they have 1000s of “followers.”

click image to enlarge

Then of course we have fashion critics and stylists who believe that they have a clue about fashion merely because they wear or buy clothes or own a keyboard of some sort. One of the the more ubiquitous oddities that has grown in popularity is food. There is hardly a day that goes by that one doesn’t see a plate that is being devoured at home or restaurant or even after it’s been eaten. Frankly, I like to keep my “food” private.

click image to enlarge

As I have said multiple times before, the internet is an amazing invention that offers endless possibilities and that is exactly how I came upon one Momo Attaoui… yes that’s his real name. What makes this man of special interest to me is that he calls himself a food stylist as well as a chef. The more I let that sink in, the more I found to compare it to fashion. We are so visually stimulated on a daily basis that this concept is so astoundingly and surprisingly logical. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

So since my area of expertise, as it were, is about fashion in its many aspects, today I thought I’d introduce you to Momo and let him explain to you his modus operandi and open another way to see fashion as it is portrayed and designed on a plate!

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

So here he is in his own words and I think you’ll find him to be quite credible as a creative or designer but instead of cloth or interiors or jewels, he designs food! So in his own words….

Jeffrey Felner: Can you sort of give us a brief resumé as to how you arrived at your present profession?

Momo Attaoui: My father enrolled me in military boarding school since he believed it would be good training and would help me to become a great leader.  I started at age of 6 and graduated 11 years later having earned a bachelor’s degree. Upon graduation I entered the military in Algeria, serving as an officer until I was 28 but while I liked it, I felt that the environment didn’t really encourage creativity.

While still living in North Africa, I read a book by Chef Michel Guérard titled Cuisine et Minceur. Chef Guérard had also started a school in the Landes region, l’institut Guerard à Eugénie Les Bains, which was dedicated to natural cooking.  It was the first natural cooking school in France and he was my inspiration. During my travels throughout France, the idea of food and celebration attracted me.  I began to cook meals and invite people to my home and everybody seemed to love it.  I began developing a reputation for my cooking and entertaining.

My interest has always been in healthy cooking, not just a Mediterranean diet, but a diet that includes beans and soya; it also intertwines with both vegetarian and vegan cuisines. 

After living and working in Europe, I came to America and found jobs with a variety of chefs.  I also did catering and served as a private chef, working with people to encourage a healthy weight and health. In 2015, I appeared on “Chopped” (Food Network).  Although I wasn’t the last one standing, that appearance really boosted my reputation and recognition in New York. 

Recently I relocated to Toronto for two reasons—for love and because I felt it would be an interesting environment in which to introduce my cuisine.  

click image to enlarge

JF: Do you have any mentors or those you model yourself upon and why have you chosen them?

MA: Chef Guérard was definitely my role model.  He was the first internationally-recognized chef who specialized in really healthy cooking.  It wasn’t just healthy cooking… his dishes were incomparable when it came to taste and appearance as well.  Now, more than 30 years after he wrote his first cook book and opened his school, healthy cooking is trending upwards. Actually it is more than a trend; it is a way of life today for so many. Chef Guérard was ahead of his time and has been a great influence on many chefs, me included. He won a Michelin star for the Grande Cuisine Gourmande served at Les Prés d’Eugénie in 1974 and again in 1975. The Les Prés d’Eugénie , Michel Guérard’s restaurant, was awarded a third Michelin star in 1977 and simultaneously Chef Guérard joined the Chaîne Thermale du Soleil, France’s leading spa group.

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why and in your instance what would you serve and why?

MA: My guest list would be: My father who had such a great influence on me in so many ways, my friend, Nat Sutton, who has given me so much support, not just professionally, but as a true friend for over 27 years. Yves Saint Laurent, who is from my hometown Oran and whose work and style I have always admired, Pablo Picasso whose use of color and composition, is an inspiration to me and Chef Guérard because It would be an honor to serve him and demonstrate how I have interpreted the cuisine that he inspired so many years ago.

click image to enlarge

JF: I think we all understand what a chef does but can you offer further explanation as to the “duties” of a food stylist?

MA: I am a food stylist.  It is a part of my upbringing and culture which have influenced not only my choice of ingredients, their combination, the seasonings and spices I use, but how I present the finished product. I believe that for a dish to be truly memorable, it must look as good as it tastes.  Appearance and presentation make the food more interesting and inviting.  Food styling involves not only how the food looks, but everything surrounding it—the plate on which it is served, the table setting and table linen, how the food is arranged and garnished, all the textures in the setting, the lighting; everything that influences the appearance of food ultimately influences its enjoyment.

As a chef and a food stylist, I bring all those elements together to create a truly memorable experience—whether the food is being served or being viewed in a magazine or a cookbook. Food styling is very detail oriented and it requires a very artistic eye.  A successful food styling should ignite your senses and make you want to smell it, touch it and taste it.

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could choose any collaborator who would that be and why and what would that collaboration entail?

MA: I would definitely choose Pablo Picasso.  When you think of Picasso, you think of color and composition—but color and composition used in very modern and very creative way.  His paintings abound with everyday people and objects presented in unconventional and sometimes startling ways. His painting style is the perfect complement to my cooking and food styling.  It is clean, colorful with interesting lines with always a dash of the unexpected.

Follow  Momo on Instagram  @ momohealthycooking

click image to enlarge

f

meet Vitalii Pleshkov.. the man who defied the odds

click image to enlarge

Today’s world of fashion is filled with misguided and ill-conceived notions and standards for everything from what is considered stylish and fashionable to whom and what is runway or print ready. We have reached this sort of interchangeability in both clothing and who models or promotes it. When I first met Vitalii I was instantly drawn to this man by his perseverance, yes of course by his looks, his carriage and demeanor. There was a kindness that was palpable and I had the feeling that this is a guy who will defy the odds. P.S. yes he exudes sensuality that so many of his so called peers seem to lack!

click image to enlarge

 
And so while there are models by the truckloads who think they are models because they stand in front of a camera and have tens of thousands of Instagram followers, then there is this guy. Vitalii is the face of a brand, he has done numerous commercials and print ads and yes he has been paid for his work while the others can boast followers and he can boast a career despite the road blocks. 

click image to enlarge

full interview can be read by clicking here  ...  http://mandrawn.com/interview-vitalii-pleshkov-jeffrey-felner/

meet Tommy Ruscica .. the style virtuoso

There is little that can be said of a man whose career in fashion has stood the test of time by enduring in a business where the latest and the greatest seem to rule. The man’s resume reads like a who’s who of fashion and in all of its contiguous aspects. He is as prolific as a professional as he is an artist doing his job and doing what he does best.

click image to enlarge

If all that is not enough, Ruscica juggles two careers with the greatest of skill. While these endeavors might seem polar opposites to most, for him they are intertwined, inter-related and possibly even incestuous as you will read in this interview.

The purpose of these interviews is to enlighten and introduce readers to all aspects of fashion and style as well as just the obvious and Tommy is a man who fits the profile to a tee on multiple levels. It would be in your best interest to read the interview and then google him to find out what it takes to be a fashion and style virtuoso.

Now in his own words:

Jeffrey Felner: You can invite any 5 people to dinner. Who would they be and why?

Tommy Ruscica: Francesco Scavullo, whom I had the pleasure of working with several times before he passed. As a teenager, I idolized his work but never could I have dreamed of ever being in a position to work together. On a L'Uomo Vogue shoot, he quietly whispered in my ear "I have never seen anyone do men's hair like you". I would love to thank him again as that experience with Francesco was life altering.

Next is Gwen Stefani as I am fascinated by how incredibly good she looks and sounds. I think being on TV has revitalized her career as well as a recent divorce has made her once again a force to be reckoned with.  Next would be Elizabeth Taylor as I have been both obsessed and fascinated with her life, not only as an actress, but her struggles with her weight and addiction. I think she would be great fun at the dinner table with amazing stories and a great sense of humor.

Next is Frank Lloyd Wright since he is my favorite and the most famous architect of the 20th century in my opinion. His talents were so vast that I would love to pick his brain over dinner, just to understand how he came up with such incredible designs.

And lastly, Garren who is one of the most incredible hairstylists in the world.  I met Garren when I was a bartender, while in cosmetology school, and I showed him some of my illustrations of hairstyles. He said he would be interested in representing me as he felt I had raw instinctive talent and a personality that would fit in well on photo shoots. Garren's agency was the first to represent me in my early career and I have much to thank him for. He too, is hilarious and dinner would be a blast.

Man, what a dinner with these five would be! Huh?

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

JF: What advice can you offer to the legions of millennials who think they are stylists and or models? Can you speak to the topic of the celebrity factor as well?

TR: The fashion business has radically changed in the last 10-30 with the most instrumental/influential aspects being the dawn of e-commerce, digital photography, etc. So to answer your question earnestly, I needed to input a little back ground as my response is not especially a positive one.

Many experienced & talented artists have lost work because standards have been lowered. To speak to a young artist, I would advise getting a lot of experience testing. Particularly free testing. Don't be afraid to take risks even at the expense of not always looking favorably. This is all my opinion, not fact. After all there is no financial compensation, so before you agree to the work make sure you can collaborate creatively.
When creating or adding to your portfolio, online or even hard copy (rarely required anymore) do not put anything in there, even if it’s published work, which you do not like or does not represent your talent in some way...
Most importantly, to the young artist starting out, figure out who you are as an artist. It will not happen in a day or a week, but if you stick with it and the talent is substantial, you will find your way. Develop your own style so when someone of experience looks at your work in a magazine or ad they recognize who did it. It has happened to me many times and it’s a great feeling.

The really successes usually bring something different to the table as far as their look, attitude, and likability. Exceptions always apply.

As far as celebrity goes, I am much more impressed by talents actors, musicians, etc. when they are acting or performing. Working with celebrities in my experience on an editorial shoot has been both great as well as awful. The great ones are the genuine celebrities, unaffected by their fame and do not travel with a huge entourage. Publicists can often kill a photo shoot by dictating what a celebrity will wear, do etc. as opposed to just dealing with the celebrity which often is a much less complicated scenario.

To just touch on the subject of celebrity briefly as it has been covered by many, I think we as a society have put celebrities on a pedestal that often is meaningless and shallow. It’s amazing how many people with little or no talent are on TV and make a small fortune and are talentless but yet have a large impact on the youth of today.

Is it an asset to work with celebrities?  It is so often very advantageous for your career. Will they trust you if they do not know you? Sometimes, depending on the chemistry you have in a very short period of time.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

JF: Let’s chat about balancing 2 very full time and successful careers? Do you have a preference and why? Can you explain how you transition back and forth?

TR: Both my careers are different in terms of my involvement; as a hairstylist, when I am hired for a day, a week etc., it encompasses most of that time. In the early days of DESIGNLUSH, starting in 2005, I did our financials and watched our status like a hawk as we were a young small business with limited resources. I also spent time in the showroom when not booked learning what I could about our designers, our products etc. I developed a very strong affinity for the artistic side of the business as it seemed to come to me as naturally as hair. My lifelong ability to see proportion very well has served me no matter the endeavor.  From 2009-2014 I then brought even more focus back to my hair career. Staying busy and creative is also just part of my M.O.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

In the last 3 years my role at DESIGNLUSH has laser focused on social media; to date we have over 80k Facebook likes. Two years ago I included twitter and Pinterest, learning as I went on. We have over 5K twitter fans in a short period of time and this past year we starting on Instagram.

My philosophy has always been, if you are going to do it, do it as well as you can. Half way measures are not very effective. I have no preference in careers as my love of both come from two very different places, but equally as relevant in my life.

On a final note, my affinity and passion for hair has not changed. What I have to do in order to do my work, is sometimes daunting as people can be both difficult and unprofessional but once I am in it, I am there 100% and loving the creative process as much as I did on my first shoot in 1983.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

JF: How about telling us what was your favorite project/moment when styling, designing for the home or just in life?

TR: Wow Jeffrey that is such a tough question. With a 33 year career in men’s grooming and a 10 year career with DESIGNLUSH, it is almost impossible to answer. Many of these episodes were the quieter more subtle ones. I remember Francesco Scavullo (who spoke very low and quietly towards the end of his life) and I were shooting a 16 page editorial for L'Uomo Vogue and he whispered to me in the most sincere way anyone ever has "I have never seen anyone do men's hair like you" it was just that simple.
This one short sentence changed my life in little ways which eventually grew to major changes. What artist doesn't crave praise from a master of their art or an icon?

As far as DESIGNLUSH goes, well I certainly had never opened up a business that actually had retail space. As we were renovating the space, I wondered and feared if we would we even make one sale. We were unknown in the industry and it appeared to me that we were probably crazy, inundated with denial and yet my partner Stephen and I felt compelled to take the risk... My partner and I sat on this beautiful sofa that is still one of our most popular (The Ella Sofa) looked around an otherwise empty showroom and felt elated and proud that we had our very first piece in our new showroom. What a feeling of wonder, excitement, fear, and exhilaration all rolled up into one simple activity.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

JF: If you could pick a dream project/collaborator, well in your case 2 dream projects, what/who would they be and why?

TR: As far as my grooming, my biggest dream now, is to help older men 45 years and up to look and feel better. I think one great way to do this on a large scale would be to land a great spokespersons position with a great hair / skin or company.

I think I can be a huge help as I have learned a great deal through much experience in my profession and have a natural gift to subtly and in some cases dramatically change the way a person looks for the better.
With models it’s less challenging. With the older gentleman there are some obstacles to get past. I am personally not in favor of plastic surgery for men and I have never seen face lifts looking good or natural on any man.

In addition I can publicly speak pretty fearlessly and I am told my sense of humor and spirit is infectious. So I think I have the skills, personality, and decent looking for my age to represent this age category.  I potentially would be a great package for the right company as this market for the older gentlemen has barely been tapped, at least tapped. The system has gone devilishly wrong with its greed and false advertising of ridiculous diets, exercise home machines that promise you, you will look like the guy on TV using it. I need to teach people where to start, how to do it, how far to go and simultaneously make it simple, fast and easy as the average man past a certain age tends to be less interested in their appearance than their younger counterparts. Time is always a factor, so motivation is crucial. I know I can help. I know I can motivate .I know I can be a power of example. I hope to make that dream and service a reality.

With regards to DESIGNLUSH: One dream of ours would be to collaborate with great architects such as Frank Gehry.  We would love to collaborate with him on any project, residential or commercial, hospitality or otherwise. What a dream that would be, his architecture, our furniture, lighting, and interiors together.

However, the best dream though is simple and that would be remaining at the forefront of great furniture design. Withstanding the passion and tenacity it takes able to meet the demands of our private clients as well as those that source us for their projects such as interior designers, architects, design firms, high end retail stores, etc.

As a final note, I would just like to thank you Jeffrey for your patience as I took forever to answer your interview. I hope it worthy of your followers and they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it; for more about DESIGNLUSH www.designlush.com. For more grooming and visit  www.truscicagrooming.com. Both businesses are on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Designlush is on Instagram as well.