Want a new look? Go Nowhere
July 18, 2008 - 12:28PM
The Nowhere Makeover: Click here to watch the video
It's never too late to tap into fashion. And you shouldn't be embarrassed about knowing what's in season or not.
Flip through the pages of any tabloid or respectable men's fashion magazine and there it is, the look you've been searching for.
It may be street, rock 'n roll inspired or laid back skater with a twist but you know those are the threads that what will get you noticed.
The folks at Nowhere Clothing are well aware of what's hot and what's not and most definitely want the fashionista in all of you fellas to spring forward.
They also want to offer customers what no shopping mall in a 200 mile radius could offer. And you don't have to surf the Internet or deal with pesky sales people either.
The type of clothing found at Nowhere can be seen on A-listers, rock stars and guys who aren't afraid to show some...personality.
"We didn't want to look like everybody else," said co-owner Jessica Villarreal of the boutique located on the 4000 block of North 10th at the Uptown Shopping strip. "(Nowhere) is for creative minds and style that we followed that we think is cool."
The first step is educating the public about fashion forward designs that require you to step out of your comfort zone, she said.
Villarreal encourages male clientele to check out what the stores has on the rack, try it on at least, and see how each piece feels.
"The worst thing they can do is not even try it on," said the 26-year-old McAllen native. "Sometimes the clothes works sometimes they don't but you have to at least try it on."
These aren't your daddy's t-shirts
With high-end brands including Smet (more on this later), Modern Amusement, Tank Theory and True Love False Idols as anchors, when it comes to street wear it might not get any better than this.
These are brands only found at Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms and select boutiques in bigger cities. For a Valley store to have them in your own backyard is even hard to believe.
Take Smet for example, as seen on the Real World: Hollywood, on rocker Bret Michaels, Ryan Seacrest and on UFC superstar Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, to name a few. The brainchild of the Godfather of couture casual wear, Christian Audigier (the guy basically responsible for Ed Hardy's success) it's easy to spot guys in Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles sporting the metallic and all-over print shirts. Why not someone from the Valley?
When it comes to denim, Nowhere offers top of the line jeans including J Brand, Cheap Monday and WESC. (Don't be afraid of skinny jeans. Slimmer fit jeans will create a better silhouette than other styles. You don't have to be a hipster to rock these out).
Once you rummage through their selection of t-shirts, Nowhere also offers embellished trucker hats, shoes that make a statement and accessories.
"A lot of guys have a straight mind set," Villarreal said of some customers' tendency to shy away from eccentric, yet stylish clothes. "You don't have to go to all of those extremes to look cool. There's something for everyone."
Welcome to the real world
Owners Jessica Villarreal and Mark Garza are a power couple who have always thought outside of the box. She started out with plans on becoming a lawyer. He was interested in the movie business. Their ambitions took them to sunny southern California where they dabbled in the enterainment industry and free lance work for several years.
After moving back to the Rio Grande Valley they thought long and hard about what kind of stamp they wanted to put on such a close-knit place.
And in Fall 2007, Nowhere was born.
"It gets really scary sometimes," Villarreal says. "I'm playing with my life. IT's not a game anymore and I continue to grow and do well. Sometimes I think, 'I'm a grown up, no more messing around, no more calling in sick-sick doesn't apply anymore."
Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.
Nowhere Clothing