Brad Goreskiknown for bowties and Rachel Zoeis branching off on his own to show It's a Brad, Brad World on the Bravo Network. Each episode goes behind the scenes of this stylist guru, including his personal life.
We caught up with Brad right before the show aired.
Windy City Times: Hey, Brad. I have interviewed you a few times in the past.
Brad Goreski: I remember.
WCT: I've supported you from the beginning of your career and now look at you. This show is very focused on your personal life as well as your style.
Brad Goreski: Yeah, it is. It's very much balanced. The show is focused on my building my business and the lead role as stylist, as opposed to in the assistant role the way I was on Rachel's show.
WCT: What is the difference between you and The Rachel Zoe Project?
Brad Goreski: Bravo has a tendency to show people at top of their game, and Rachel is obviously that person. I realized that I had to prove myself as an independent stylist and really show that I was ready for a celebrity to put their image in my hands. I have to work really, really hard. So I think what you'll see is that the pace is very different.
WCT: What made you want to do the show?
Brad Goreski: I really wanted to show the actual process behind getting a photo shoot and getting a client. My personal life and my family life is a big focus because I really wanted to show people the other side of my life, my great boyfriend, my family and the different puzzle pieces that make up who I am. I hope the audience enjoys them as much as I do.
WCT: Are you nervous about exposing your relationship to the world?
Brad Goreski: I'm very proud of my relationship and my boyfriend is such a great person, funny, charming, handsome and I thought, "Why not?" But, yeah, there are parts that I am nervous about because it's close to home. Sometimes people can be unkind. I've been lucky enough to be in a relationship with somebody for 10 years who has been such a strong supporter of me in every sense of the word.
The main reason why I really wanted to put it out there is because I feel like it's a positive representation of what a gay couple looks like at home and the fact that we just have a normal life. We don't really bicker that much with each other and we have a really good life with a family around us that supports us. I think that's an important message to send out there especially at a time where bullying is going on and an increase in homophobia that I think anyway to be visible, be out, and be gay is a positive thing.
WCT: Is Rachel Zoe one of those people who takes things very personally when people move on?
Brad Goreski: I don't really know what it is. Working for Rachel is a very special experience. To work with somebody of her caliber and her talent, to be able to learn from her and watch her work is a really incredible thing. I really wanted to leave with a clean slate, just because of what had happened with Taylor when she was dismissed. Unfortunately, it turned out to be that way a little bit for reasons that are unknown to me. And so I don't really want to make assumptions about how Rachel feels. It's too bad, because I did really enjoy Rachel and I do respect her very much.
WCT: I hope you get to be friends again. It would be good for you both.
Brad Goreski: I do, too. It's awfully silly.
WCT: Who are your current celebrity clients?
Brad Goreski: Right now, I'm working with Jessica Alba, Noomi Rapace, Rashida Jones, Abigail Spencer, Christina Ricci and Shay Mitchell. I work with Demi Moore as well.
WCT: Who are your fashion icons right now?
Brad Goreski: In terms of men, I actually get a lot of inspiration directly from designers like Thom Browne, who is a constant source of inspiration for me. There are also Tom Ford, Simon Spurr and Michael Bastian.
I would say on the celebrity front for me the ones that I have my eye on are Ryan Gosling, who I absolutely love. I think he gets it kind of spot-on all the time and seems to have a lot of fun with clothes and enjoy fashion. He would be definitely my number one.
For women I think Emma Stone has been killing it on the red carpet; Kirsten Dunst has had a total image transformation this year. I think she just looks like a modern-day Grace Kelly.
WCT: How do you describe your own style?
Brad Goreski: I wear things that people wouldn't necessarily picture a guy wearing but will hopefully want to adopt for themselves. I like to keep it masculine but also showgirl at the same time. I have loved clothes my entire life and like to stand out so the more wacky the better for me.
With men's fashion it is important to push the boundaries. It's okay to wear a simple blue oxford instead of white shirt with a suit or bowtie instead of a tie.
WCT: I missed you in Chicago recently. When are you coming back?
Brad Goreski: I will come back to Chicago anytime Chicago will have me. I love the Underground Chicago. It's probably one of my favorite places to dance in the United States. I'll hopefully be back in the new year.
WCT: What's on the horizon?
Brad Goreski: The awards season is on us. I had my first Golden Globes fitting last night. We're booking up into February now. So I feel really grateful to have a great team. I honestly couldn't do anything without them.
WCT: You are writing a book?
Brad Goreski: Yes, it is a very personal book. The intention of the book is hopefully my story will enable somebody else to believe that they can do what I'm doing. There's really no reason that I should be here, coming from a small town in Canada, going through the things that I went through, that I'm so lucky to be where I am today.
Brad is back on Bravo starting Jan. 2. Visit www.bravotv.com for listings and details.