Nicole Chaszar, 28, chef and co-owner of Sea Bean Goods (seabeangoods.com), and Brian Fitzgerald Chaszar, 27, co-owner of Sea Bean Goods and artist (brianchaszar.com); Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Nicole’s personal style: “Feminine and eclectic.”
Brian’s personal style: “Ocean-side early retirement.”
Nicole’s inspirations: “Nicolas Roeg films, Tilda Swinton in I Am Love, fabric swatches, Grey Gardens and my fellow straphangers on the G and L. I like to think a little Rita Hayworth sneaks in sometimes as well.”
Brian’s inspirations: “1960s California, 1980s New England, my dad and my grandfather.”
Nicole’s favorite stores: “10 Ft. Single by Stella Dallas (285 North 6th St between Havemeyer St and Meeker Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-486-9482) has a fantastic mix of inexpensive thrift and select vintage pieces. I shop by looking for prints and fabrics, and never leave empty-handed. Shopping at Amarcord (223 Bedford Ave between North 4th and 5th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-963-4001, amarcordvintagefashion.com) is like hunting through your favorite great-aunt’s closet. Everything looks like it was owned by someone fabulous and maybe a little eccentric. In God We Trust (265 Lafayette St between Prince and Spring Sts, 212-966-9010 • 129 Bedford Ave between North 9th and 10th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-0700 • 70 Greenpoint Ave at Franklin St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 718-389-3545 • ingodwetrustnyc.com) has a collection of its own designs plus vintage and indie labels. Bonus: It carries men’s clothing, so Brian will tolerate my shopping for a few extra minutes. Whatever I buy at Steven Alan (locations throughout the city; visit stevenalan.com) ends up in the favorites pile—it sells new clothes with a vintage feel. And I like Malin Landaeus (155 North 6th St between Bedford and Driggs Aves, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 646-361-0261, malinlandaeus.com) for its thoughtfully curated vintage. On a nice day, you can’t walk by without going in—the owner always has beautiful dresses billowing on racks outside.”
Brian’s favorite stores: “Ad Hoc (135 Wythe Ave between North 8th and 9th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-302-2462, adhocnyc.com) has great belts made right in the store, not to mention a very well-curated selection of old-school American menswear—lots of Gant Rugger plus genuine vintage pieces. In God We Trust has a great tie selection. They pick their own fabrics and send away for them to be made. I got the majority of my groomsmen ties there, all in different floral prints. Raised by Wolves (174 Franklin St between Java and Kent Sts, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 646-272-8776, rbwnyc.com) is a beautiful space with everything from books to dog collars. I recently picked up a pair of awesome pants from a designer called Vanishing Elephant (vanishingelephant.com).”
Nicole’s favorite salon: “Woodley & Bunny (196 North 10th St at Driggs Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-218-6588, woodleyandbunny.com). I go to Sasha Alekseyeva, and I think she has finally broken my habit of promiscuous salon-hopping. She’s super efficient, makes great conversation, and I leave looking like a much better version of myself.”
Brian’s favorite salons: “I used to go to Erin Drakeford at Tomcats Barbershop (135 India St between Manhattan Ave and Franklin St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 718-349-9666, tomcatsbarbershop.com), but I don’t know where she disappeared to! Jill McArthur over at the Parlour Brooklyn (72 Greenpoint Ave between Franklin and West Sts, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 347-294 0444, theparlourbrooklyn.com) cuts my hair these days. Nicole and her sister lovingly refer to my hair as ‘the wig.’ ”
Nicole’s signature item: “My hair, whether it’s in a top knot, slightly wild, or air-dried and similar in look and texture to a horse’s mane. I felt a little like Samson when I went for a bob a few years ago.”
Brian’s signature item: “The midweight jacket. I love coats in general, but these tend to be more colorful and diverse. It may very well be that these jackets are associated with my absolute favorite weather—not too hot, not too cold, plus a good breeze off the East River.”
Nicole’s favorite designers: “I like Rachel Comey (rachelcomey.com) and [Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of] Vena Cava (venacava.com). I love designers that take a vintage sensibility to make a modern piece of clothing. Each has her unique point of view, but they all offer vibrant prints, use natural fabrics, and play with dimension and proportion in surprising ways. Alexander Wang (alexanderwang.com) is another favorite. His clothes are sensual without being overtly sexual, which is a beautiful thing.”
Brian’s favorite designers: “It’s hard to say because I’m such a sucker for the old-dog American brands, such as Woolrich (woolrich.com), L.L. Bean (llbean.com), Pendleton (pendleton-usa.com) and Gant (gant.com). All of them are doing a great job of revamping their fits and keeping things classic.”
How Nicole describes New York style: “Extremely self-aware playing nonchalant.”
How Brian describes New York style: “Well-fitting and sometimes weathered.”
How Nicole’s style has evolved: “I no longer follow the ‘what’s hot and what’s not’ lists. I buy for keeps, so the trendy stuff rarely makes it into my shopping bag. I’d rather look like the polished 80-year-old than the precocious 16-year-old.”
How Brian’s style has evolved: “Right now, I’m almost a clone of what I wore in high school—everything just fits much better. In college, I strayed off into the preppy abyss a little too far. But I think I found a good balance between the two phases. I’m also barefoot a lot less since moving to NYC, which is definitely something I miss.”