HubThreads: Celebrating Boston Street Style
Meet Patrick.
Photo by Diana Levine
Critics say this city has no style. We’re here to prove them wrong. Welcome to HubThreads, where we chat with the most stylish people we find out and about in Boston. Think you or someone you know has the best street style? Let us know.
PATRICK
What do you do? I have an interior design firm and a fine arts brokerage in the South End.
What does fine arts brokerage mean? Basically we help people with their collections publicly and privately and we tour them through artists’ studios. My firm gets to do the design of the buildings and then do the art work.
That’s amazing. Do you have favorite galleries in town? That’s tricky. I have favorite artists. I like the Chase Young Gallery and I like Barbara Krakow a lot, although now the gallery is called Krakow Witkin.
Do you have an arts background? I have a partial arts background and then I went to Wentworth here in Boston for architecture and design.
And you also do work for the Artists of Humanity right? Yes I’m the board chair for the Artists of Humanity.
Is that position newish for you? I’ve been involved with them since 2007, it’s my last year and then my terms are all up. I’m doing work with United South End Settlements and the MSPCA and the ICA. My partner and I are hosting the gala this year for the MSPCA.
How would you describe your personal style? I would say classic with an edge to it. I like one-of-a-kind things. One of the benefits of being 6’5″ is that you can get custom things made, so you get to be a little more creative.
Where do you get that stuff done? Hermès for a lot of it. They make toiles of your body, it’s like a cotton material, like a muslin, and it hangs in your own locker in France. So every time you go into Hermès, you just pick your fabrics and it’s all made for your body parts.
Whoa. I had this jacket and these pants made. These don’t have them, but you can pick from Hermès’ scarves and line a whole jacket. I’m having this amazing suit made for the ICA gala, and the inside is all scarves. Alan Bilzerian in Boston is great too. They’ll call me when bigger things come in from designers that I like. But usually my size is just not on the rack.
Well then, that is the perfect excuse, you have to get things made! And I like that no one else has it.
Do you have any style icons? I like Yves Saint Laurent. His Paris studio had all the art he collected, which was unfortunately auctioned off, but it’s still an incredible interior that you can visit. Also Rei Kawakubo from Comme des Garcons, Ann Demeulemeester, and Elena Dawson, Casey Vidalenc, Rick Owens, Lemaire and even Issey Miyake. I have a lot of their jackets, I like how they’re cut traditionally, but then they flare them out. And I like vintage when I can find it.
What vintage stores do you like? They’re not in Boston, there’s one in Montreal that I go to called Era. It’s all women’s clothing, but the owner will call me when she gets weird one-offs and then I’ll usually have to doctor it up a little.
Are you from Canada? No I grew up in Connecticut.
What brought you to Boston? I came here to go to Wentworth. I did my degree there, and then just stayed on. I worked for a big company and then opened my own company.
Do you have any favorite spots in Boston? I like Mistral. I like Highland Kitchen. I like Trevor at Ostra; he’s a waiter, he’s great. For us, it’s more about the relationships and knowing the server or bartender. I like a lot of things… I always love the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I do a lot of hiking with my dog and I love a park in Dover. There’s like 500 acres of donated land and its all off -leash. There are ponds and it overlooks Boston, there are dogs running everywhere. It’s all old equestrian trails. Noanet Woods it’s called.
Where are some of your favorite interiors in Boston? Things change so much…I love the interior courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum and the MIT Department of Architecture conference room with the Frank Stella commission on all four walls named “Loohooloo.” So one classic and one unexpected.
