• Parties
  • Upcoming Parties
  • Past Parties
  • Links
  • Photos

• Listings
  • bar crawl
  • East Village
  • Chelsea
  • Hell's Kitchen
  • Brooklyn

• Editorial

• Ask Bianca
• The Writer's Block
• The Antitwink Tattler
• Anti-Blog
• At The Decks

• Guys
  • Chat
  • Spank Bank
  • Pay per view theater

Jeremy Jankowski's Personal Style

In his first style column for AntiTwink.com, Jeremy Jankowski examines his own Personal Style

Having come to terms with my sexuality much later in life, I always held back on the things I truly wanted to wear. I always wanted to be a little party monster growing up. A quasi-Manson yet not-so-sadistic, elaborate circus creature. Only there was no outlet for me to achieve such a look in my New Port Richey Catholic home.

Things have since changed.

One of the most important aspects of my own style (or to anyone’s style, for that matter) is balance. If I want to wear an extremely feminine accessory, I pair it with a masculine shirt. If I want to wear elaborate goth eyeliner, I steer clear of wearing anything else that looks like it came from Hot Topic.

And black, black galore. You're either black or brown. Edgy or classic. Studded or vintage. I am black, edgy and studded. Searching through bins at Goodwill does not do it for me. So, black is my staple. My back-drop, if you will. Some color block on me (whether it be pant, shirt or jacket) is always a shiny, faded or solid wash black.

Essential to my weekend look is eye shadow, which I use in place of eyeliner. Heavy, thick, smeared under the eyes. I go with either a deep black (Mattese Elite from Ricky's is best) or a red. I've also found that loose powder eye shadow applies best and lasts the longest.

Last weekend I paired a vintage pin-up Playboy shirt with spray-on black skinny jeans, eyeliner, brass knuckles and black riding boots. It is pairing these kinds of opposites (a gay man wearing a Playboy shirt, eye liner and brass knuckles) that defines my personal style: All about juxtaposition.

Another element I try to incorporate into my outfits is army accessories: aviators, combat boots, stars. I have multiple tattoos that have a military edge to them.

Since I have a very corporate nine to five-type job, I try to play around with clothes as much as possible, while maintaining professionalism. I generally wear a tight Ben Sherman shirt (making sure my tattoos show) with skinny jeans, glasses and combat boots. This is my day-to-day. For important meetings or client interactions, I make sure to wear a sweater over my arms to cover the tattoos, Diesel dress shoes and skinny dress pants. I like to blur the corporate lines as much as possible—again with the juxtaposition: dress shirt and tattoos blazing, combat boots and glasses.

I noticed out at bars I can wear a tie, no eyeliner, skinny jeans and a patterned shirt and be hit on left and right. But that's not what I feel comfortable in, that's not who I am. It is important to wear what makes you feel comfortable, what makes you you. In the words of Marilyn Monroe: “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”