FASHION WEEK PROFILE // Ignacio Quiles, Urban Dandy and Vintage Lifestyle Guru

Photo: Franzi Charen.

With Fashion Week here in full force, we were eager to catch up with Ignacio Quiles, one of 3rd Ward's most stylish members. For a quick taste of his sartorial prowess, check out this photo feature on BackyardBill.com.

Quiles kicked off Fashion Week last Thursday with a Fashion's Night Out event at Artists & Fleas, the indoor market in Williambsurg that hosts QP & Monty, his vintage lifestyle emporium. "The FNO event is a first for A&F and really set the tone for the week," he says "While I would love to attend a ton of shows, this is actually one of the busiest sales weeks for me. Some of our most special pieces sell to designers and buyers for design inspiration, so I have to be available for private appointments throughout the week." 

Even with a busy schedule, Quiles hopes to get out and see what's new. "While QP & Monty is a vintage lifestyle emporium, I especially take pride in my men’s haberdashery section, so I like to keep an eye on what’s trending in the media. However, I must say what I see at 3rd Ward and among our customers at the market is generally way ahead of the curve."

In Williamsburg. Photo: Joel Henderson.Cinema is at the root of Quiles' interest in fashion. "As a kid I tagged along with my mother when she visited flea markets and I was obsessed with old movies," he says. "Through the movies I was exposed to a world of great style that I certainly couldn't afford, but at the flea market I could put together unique looks influenced by that celluloid world. Talk about street fashion—flea markets truly unleashed my sartorial creativity."

His collecting obsessions also extend beyond just sharp outfits. "I love cowboy memorabilia and religious artifacts—this clearly came from my misspent youth sneaking into the cinema," he says. "But I also collect graffiti and stickers of all kinds. On most days you’ll find a sticker I picked off some obscure lamppost stuck to the lining of my jacket for safekeeping. In fact I have so many stickers that I am working on a long-term project where I resurface found furniture with stickers."

His sartorial choices also cover a wide range. "It’s always evolving though I view it more like layering rather than shedding," Quiles says of his style. "While I generally put together an old school look where I pair patterns and stripes, vests and suits, and top it all off with a great old hat; sometimes I can be found in head-to-toe hip hop gear or full on Western. It just depends on my mood and what I’m doing that day. Needless to say I rarely get rid of anything in my wardrobe. I just add more and more each year—I admit it I’m sartorially greedy."

Right now QP & Monty is Quiles' main focus, though he is also at work on "a secret food-related project." Before he began selling and consulting, he was a professional chef for 30 years. He's also putting together a men's accessory line which he hopes to launch next year.

"The bottom line is I am an urban dandy who earned his sartorial and decorating prowess by watching old movies and trolling flea markets," Quiles tells us. "I live in New York City and, when not at the flea or my studio above 3rd Ward, I can be found either walking my two dogs, Monty and Saki or riding around the city on my bike dressed like an English gentleman. However I always, always, always have my eyes open for the next great find!"

-- John Ruscher