Q&A with Roman Wolfe 

Q: How would you describe your style?
A: “It’s very late ‘70s-early ‘80s, like just as people were getting over flares and A-lines and that kind of stuff. Pants were starting to straighten out. It’s inspired by a lot of punk type characters, but it’s very, very far from actual punk style. It’s like ironic casual, not to sound like the world’s biggest a–hole.”
Q: Do you have any specific people that you model your style after?
A: “David Byrne from the Talking Heads, Fred Schneider from the B-52’s and Patti Smith. The white t-shirt thing is very Patti Smith, and I wear a white t-shirt almost every day or every other day. My Katharine Hepburn pants are very Talking Heads, and I like them a lot.”
Q: If you could trade wardrobes with anyone, who would it be?
A: “I don’t know; somebody actually asked me this the other day, and I couldn’t think of anything. Probably Patti Smith because she has jeans that fit her, and I can never find that. And she has a lot of white t-shirts, which I draw on all of mine.”
Q: Can you tell me about the drawing on your t-shirt?
A: “I draw on most of my white shirts. The drawing is from this movie called ‘Stranger Than Paradise,’ which is an independent film from 1984, and I like it a lot. There are so many movies that I love that are just independent films from like 1984, and it’s like, ‘Why would anyone make a t-shirt out of that?’ So I was like, ‘I’m not a great artist, but I can draw more or less.’ I drew this with Sharpie and set it with saltwater and ironed it.”
Q: You used to wear a lot of flared pants, so when did that change?
A: “It’s funny because I finally got over flared trousers, and I work at Absolute Vintage, so I can kind of see which trends are coming back. So like three months after I got rid of the rest of my flared jeans, people started coming in like, ‘Hey, do you have flared pants?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess we do, but why? They’re over.’ But I guess not; they’re pretty popular.”
Q: I remember during freshman year you said your fashion inspiration was Jimi Hendrix, so has that changed, too?
A: “I love him, even still. I probably wouldn’t dress like him today. There are a lot of fashion inspirations that look really cool but that I have gotten over dressing like. I can wear [the outfit I have on now] in almost any situation. I wore this outfit to a date, but I can also wear this to work or to school. It’s much more practical.”
Q: Where are your favorite places to shop?
A: “Well, I shop at Goodwill pretty decently. Consign & Design and New Beginnings downtown are two other thrift stores that I like. I go to a lot [of stores], but I don’t necessarily buy from a lot because my body is shaped weird, so things don’t really fit me very often. I’m at Absolute Vintage a lot since I work there, so I buy clothes with the trade credit that I get.”
Q: Is there anything you would like to add?
A: “You should shop at Absolute Vintage because I work there, and I get commission.”