Though in music circles Graham Cruz is known for being a founder member of Dove, and in Dublin’s social circles he’s – well – just known, the fashionistas among us will recognise him as the style guru for The Afternoon Show on RTE One. Thus we can expect his own clothing to reflect his vast knowledge and fashion sense, as embodied in his favourite outfit, modelled above.
There’s just one problem: this outfit might not be his favourite as the magazine goes to press.
“The basis of how I dress is that I like to look to completely different every day, so it’s hard for me to choose an overall favourite outfit,” he explains. “Some days I want to look like I’m in Pirates Of The Caribbean and other days I want to dress like a schoolboy vampire - that’s one of my favourite looks,” he jokes. At least, I think he jokes, given that the hat he dons for the photo shoot was originally part of a Hallowe’en outfit.
“I bought it in Ad Hoc in Temple Bar last October,” he grins, “though I had to wait until Hallowe’en was well over before I could get away with wearing it.”
Also on display is – wait for it – his Perfect White Shirt, obligatory to any man’s wardobe. He explains its importance: “For men, buying the perfect white shirt is like women buying the perfect little black dress. If you get right, you look great. If you get it wrong, one of two things happens: you either look like you’re about to go to work in a restaurant, or you look like you’ve just finished school. So it’s important to get the white shirt correct, and I was lucky in that last season I managed to get one. It’s Alexander McQueen and it’s from Harvey Nichols in Dundrum. It cost €250, which is absolutely grand.”
Is it safe to assume that’s not the most he’s splashed out on a piece of clothing?
“Definitely not – the most expensive item of clothing was my Balenciaga combats which I got for $1,050. I wear them all the time. On Tuesday afternoons when I feel really rubbish or I have no money, that’s when I put them on. Getting dressed is all about making you feel good, so if you feel like crap, put on the most ridiculously expensive thing you’ve got, or the most over-the-top thing. I’ve been known to go shopping in a three-piece suit: shirt, tie and slacks, just because.”
This idea of clothes affecting the wearer’s mood is one that underpins all of Graham’s style choices.
“The sexiest quality in anyone is confidence. If you wear clothes that make you feel good, you carry yourself differently and therefore you look better, because it’s coming from the inside. I know it’s all very hippy and knit-your-own-shoes, but that’s my philosophy.”
It’s one he certainly stands by: “The amount of times I’ve been laughed at on the street for the things I wear – but I could not give a fuck. I recently purchased a pair of canary yellow girls’ skinny jeans. People screamed at me on the street, but they’re fanstastic. They make me look like I’ve got denim bananas for legs.”
Also to that effect, he cites much fashion respect to Andre 3000 of OutKast and Li’l Kim, but there must have been times when he’s looked at a celebrity and just thought: “Why?”
“Yeah, and it’s usually directed towards the stars of Coronation Street at award cermonies,” he laughs. “I’m thinking: ‘What are you doing? Did somebody tell you that worked, because they’re lying to you.’”
On the subject of his favoruite designers, he considers the subject for a while before returning with his collected thoughts.
“The thing about menswear versus womenswear is that with womenswear, clothes are cut to accentuate and minimise different bits of your body, whereas men’s clothes generally run straight up and down and are designed to stop men from being naked. So I like designers that would help to shape the body, like Dsquared2 and a Scottish designer called Andrew MacKenzie. Also, you can’t fault Alexander McQueen. And for the sheer aesthetics of it all, Vivienne Westwood would be one of my favourites.”
Rest assured, dropping supercool names doesn’t mean he’s a fashion fascist. He names H&M as his favourite high street shop, and the tie he currently sports was bought from River Island.
“It was a bargain, I got it for €14 because it reminds me of my confirmation. I wore a skinny brown tie even back then, with a motorbike jacket.”
Bet his mum loved that. Go on then, Graham, leave us with a laugh: what’s your most flamboyant piece of clothing?
“I have a pair of ladies’ McQueen embroidered jeans which are a crazy shape, with an embroidered pattern down one leg. Also my red and white Gucci flock-print trousers are full-on – they look like my granny’s curtains. And one of my favourite accessories is a Westwood penis-shaped brown leather necklace.”
Really?
“Yeah, I wear it a lot. It’s fab: a giant, brown, studded willy.”