You won't find a single suit hanging on any of Andy Weed's clothing racks. To wear a matching suit and pants, the Arizona State University Design School professor says, is trying too hard.
Just one look inside of Weed's downtown Tempe home is a true testimony to his desire for simplicity. The wooden floors, white walls, and handmade furniture all set the stage for a well-designed, but naturally sincere life.
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Weed moved to Arizona in 1970. He came with his family from Manhattan after his father grew tired of writing jingles for ABC. He graduated from Arizona State University and then began to travel. Weed lived, interned, and worked in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Basel, San Fransisco, and Seattle before returning to the Sonoran Desert to accept his position as a graphic design professor.
Weed's style first bloomed out of the simplicity of his Montesorri school uniform. As he grew older and became inspired by people like artist and educator Josef Albers, he realized that their clothing was similar to what he wore while in Montesorri.
When shopping, the 48-year-old's searches are textile-driven. He prefers to find a textile he likes, search for it online, and then have clothes made out of it.
You may see parallels between Weed's style and classical period dress of the 19th century. He describes his look in one word: simple. "That's my goal, anyway," he says. Weed's day-to-day look was once composed of khaki pants and a white shirt -- an almost perfect match to his home's minimal interior surroundings.
Another thing you won't find in his racks of clothing? Anything black. When asked about the lack of the color, he shrugs and states simply, "I just don't really like black."
What are you wearing right now? Braces, pants, a shirt, a sweater. That's all there is. That's alphabetically sequenced.
What's the last item of clothing you bought? Long underwear
Where do you usually shop? I shop online, but I don't have one explicit store that I look at. I'm realizing more and more that I like to find material that isn't dyed. These pants are the color of lambs, and this shirt is the color of cotton.
Name five items every man should have in his closet. 1) Shirts 2) Pants 3) A belt 4) Braces 5) Shoes
It just depends on where you live. In the desert, you don't need that much. In Iceland, they dress like onions: They just layer.
What's one fashion trend you can't stand? I have no idea about fashion trends. I'm more interested in clothing design and textile design.
Give us a childhood memory of you and clothes. I loved my Montessori school uniform in Manhattan. I thought it was great: a sweater, wool pants, and a white shirt just like this one. They also had us wear a latchkey on a string. I was a latchkey kid but my mother insisted that I wasn't.
What is your one piece of fashion advice for Phoenix? Be simple. Don't be complicated.
