Having modelled for more than a decade in New York, Paris and Beijing, Hong Kong-based model David Oshry has a portfolio that's a veritable catalogue of menswear. But his wardrobe reveals a few surprises (including his cat, Hobbes, snuggled between rows of Calvin Klein and Jack 5 underwear). You might expect to see a rackful of monogrammed swag, but Oshry’s collection is surprisingly modest.
“Sometimes we do get to keep the clothes, but it is not as often as people think,” he says. “What’s more surprising are the things that I have been asked to give back. Like designer underwear that I wore for a couple of hours, running around on the beach and swimming in the ocean. Not sure what they plan to do with them.”
Oshry has worked with most of the major brands in the world, and his personal favourites include multiple shiny acronyms. “I love the greats, like CK, LV [Louis Vuitton], D&G [Dolce & Gabbana], and Boss,”he says. “But a funny thing happens to models: we get a bit desensitised to brands. Ultimately, I prefer simple clothes that fit well and don’t cost a fortune.”
Instead of glistening accessories, his cupboard is full of sentimentally gilded trinkets and tokens. “The Skagen watch I have is from my father,” he says. “Actually, it is not typical of my sort of style, but it has sentimental value, and that’s more important than how it looks. All my most treasured things are the ones that my favourite people gave me. Things don’t have to be expensive to have value.”
But there is one item worth its weight in gold that Oshry always wears. “My wedding ring – a simple white band, made of yellow gold, coated in white gold. As time passes the white gold wears away, and the ring turns more and more golden in colour. The longer the commitment, the more golden the ring becomes. It’s very romantic.”
As someone who’s on a plane more often than not, he invests in travel gear. “I can live without clothes – as long as I have my iPad. And noise-cancelling headphones. The cheaper you travel, the more expensive your headphones should be. There is nothing like being able to turn down the volume on the world around you.”
One fashion capital that has inspired him is Paris. “To be truly chic, you shouldn’t seem like you are trying too hard. Things should just seem to come together effortlessly. I have never seen this done better than in Paris. People look like they have just stepped off a film set, and yet it all seems completely unforced,” he says. “I have seen many outfits where a beautiful design has been carried past perfection with one or two unnecessary accessories. It’s like an artist who’s finished his masterpiece, but feels compelled to just add one or two more brushstrokes.”
When it comes to clothes, Oshry likes to keep it simple. “Calvin Klein got it right over four decades ago with simple jeans and a tee [T-shirt]. I have many plain shirts, and I’m not afraid of colour.”
One thing that does stay white in his wardrobe, however, is his sneakers. Even so, just because they’re white doesn’t mean he wants them to look pristine. “I was born in the ’80s, I grew up in the ’80s and I’m a product of the ’80s,” Oshry says. “I get a new pair every few months. When I get them, I make sure to scuff them up a bit, though: brand new, shiny white sneakers are just not cool.”
There’s one more thing Oshry says he always carries with him: “My blue swimming trunks from Zara. Great, lightweight fabric that dries in an instant. They have saved me more than once when a client decides they want a ‘creative’ shot of me running through the waves or diving into a pool, and I realise that I am going to have to spend the next few hours travelling in wet underwear.”
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David Oshry, outtakes by Carmen Chan |
Words: P.Ramakrishnan
Photography: Carmen Chan
25th May 2012
South China Morning Post
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