Get Ready With Felix Flores: Special Travel Edition

In spite of the fact that he would be leaving for Mexico in just a week, singer/songwriter Felix Flores was kind enough to let us photograph him as he got ready his month South of the Border. As we photographed Felix packing for his trip, he continued to impart some pretty sage advice on shoes (Crocs hurt his eyes), revealed his sources of inspiration, and shared his thoughts on the future of fashion as we know it in NYC. That said, put on your favorite tracks and come with us as we Get Ready With Felix Flores!

Retail DJ: So your real suitcase—let’s talk about that! You told us a little bit about what you’re planning on taking, in a general sense, but you didn’t mention shoes. And one of the things I really like about what I notice you wearing whenever I run into you is your shoes. I’m always like, “Wow, those shoes are awesome!” You always have interesting things going on below the knees . . .

Felix Flores: Never heard that one before! [all laugh]

Retail DJ: But it’s true! I’ll see you in these cool socks with flat dress shoes, etc. So what kinds of shoes are you planning on bringing?

Felix Flores: Just a few pairs, really—a pair of flip flops for the beach and the ones I am wearing, which are by H&M.

Retail DJ: Are they really H&M? You’re lying!?!?!

Felix Flores: No, they are.

Retail DJ: Wow. I would have never guessed that they had come from there.

Felix Flores: And I am going to take this pair that my grandma got me for Christmas, a pair of black loafers. I don’t know what else, really. I don’t want to take too much stuff because I want to get things when I’m there.

Retail DJ: And now with all our lovely and fun regulations for luggage, security, and all that, it’s hard.

Felix Flores: Yeah. I was visiting a friend of mine in Florida doing recordings. I took my piano one way and no one said anything to me. But then on the way back, the woman was like, “Oh, I’m sorry. How would you like to pay for your oversized baggage?” And I said, “I’m not going to pay . . .” [all laugh] So she says, “It’s too large,” but I was like, “Well, they should have told me that when I was flying from New York.” She was insisting that I pay, but I asked for her to get the manager. “I’m sure he’ll agree with me. I am not even going to argue with you anymore,” I said. Then she just came back and dropped the subject all together.

Retail DJ: Nice. So going back to packing, do you have a specific method when you pack? Do you pack certain items first before getting to the rest?

Felix Flores: Yeah, I always pack my underwear first.

Retail DJ: Really? That’s what I pack last!

Felix Flores: I do it first –socks and underwear—that way, I don’t forget it.

Retail DJ: [laughs] I do it last because they are typically the smallest items, so you can fit them anywhere. And if you forget them, you can always buy more!

Felix Flores: You know, you’re right. I should probably do that.

Retail DJ: Yeah, but it’s important not to forget. So whatever works! So are you compulsive packer, the type who has to have everything neat or organized? Or do you just put stuff in and let it be?

Felix Flores: I roll my clothes, and I arrange things in layers. I’ll do rows [of clothes] then just stack. So it’s all the same.

Retail DJ: And do you have different clothing items separated into rows, like: pants one row, shirts another? Or is it just mixed?

Felix Flores: It’s mixed. I just go through my closet and throw stuff on the floor, and that’s what I take with me.

Retail DJ: Really!?!?!? How does that work? Have you been successful in that?

Felix Flores: Yeah. If I forget it, then I didn’t really need it. I didn’t remember it enough to care that much about it. Sometimes that’s bad though.

Retail DJ: So you have a little more of a method here, right?

Felix Flores: Oh yeah. I choose what I want first!

Retail DJ: Ok, because I was picturing you literally pulling random things out of your closet, throwing them on the ground, then putting them in your suitcase. I was thinking, “Wow, that must be fun once you get to your destination!” [all laugh] So is your trip expensive?

Felix Flores: Luckily, no. Flights to Mexico right now are pretty cheap, and we have friends down there, so we will only need to find outside accommodations for 10-12 days of the month. January, February, and March are not the best months when you do freelance work like we do, so we’d figured we’d just go down there and work in a better location. A big part of this is networking, meeting people, and expanding.

Retail DJ: How’s your Spanish?

Felix Flores: Good. Though, I mean, I haven’t used it in, like, 3 years . . .

Retail DJ: Uh oh! Does anyone else going with your speak Spanish?

Felix Flores: No, but I’ll be ok. I lived in Spain for a while and did ok.

Retail DJ: That you did. [all laugh] So I wanted to ask you a little bit about the music you listen to when you’re doing this sort of thing. Is there a type of music you listen to when you’re packing that motivates you and keeps you on task?

Felix Flores: Hmm . . . not necessarily a type. I mean, there are always artists I go back and listen to like . . . Kate Bush. I feel like the Hounds of Love album is really good . . . it’s a traveling album. It has lots of drum machine and stuff like that that makes you feel like you’re moving. Another album that helps me focus in general is Phillip Glass. He did the soundtrack for The Hours. That one just makes you concentrate on whatever you’re doing. That’s another good one to pack to. The Knife . . . I was watching the video this morning for “Pass This On.” I love that video. It’s so good. It takes place in what looks like some bumpkin town bar in Sweden. It almost kinda looks like a VWF.

Retail DJ: [laughs] We’re back to that?

Felix Flores: Aaaaand, we’ve come full circle. [all laugh]

Retail DJ: And what of your fashion inspiration? I see you have some photos of music artists up in your room—there’s a picture of Dolly Parton up in the corner over there, for example. I also see some Felix the Cat memorabilia, and God knows what else. I saw so many things. Do you have any celebrity inspiration, inspiration from family members, or is it just . . . you?

Felix Flores: Yeah, I think I am influenced by cartoon characters a lot. Felix is super awesome because he has a bag that turns into anything. It turns into a hot air balloon. He doesn’t ever have to pay for transportation. It turns into a toga. But yeah, I am sure I am influenced by tons of people, but I can’t really think of anyone in particular off the top of my head.

Retail DJ: It sounds like the inspiration is all conceptual – like how they think about fashion.

Felix Flores: Right. I guess I don’t say, “Oh, I want something like that.”

Retail DJ: Also, we touched a little bit on some things you see around the city that you don’t like (i.e. the Ugg boots, generic look), but are there any other trends that just make you cringe?

Felix Flores: The only thing that comes to mind, and I don’t know if people even wear them anymore, is Crocs.

Retail DJ: Nah, people STILL wear those!

Felix Flores: Do they? I know I saw winter Crocs that have fur lining or whatever.

Retail DJ: Yikes.

Felix Flores: That’s the worst.

Retail DJ: But on the subject of Uggs . . . I have never tried them on, but they look SOOOO comfortable. I am tempted, but then I am afraid I will give in and start wearing them for that reason alone.

Felix Flores: It’s not the look of the boot itself that I hate, it’s just the sloppiness and [sartorial] laziness I associate it with.

Retail DJ: I guess it doesn’t help that people don’t pick up their feet when they’re wearing them.

Felix Flores:YESSS!!! Also, not at all into flannel or plaid.

Retail DJ: Yeah, they definitely overdid it. I remember once, when I returned from Brazil, I walked into the Forever 21 in Union Square and saw an entire half of the store—no joke—dedicated to that flannel/plaid pattern in multiple colors.

Felix Flores: It’s like the uniform of Williamsburg.

Retail DJ: Or everywhere! It’s all over the place.

Felix Flores: There’s one exception: My So-Called Life. Of course, they could wear as much plaid as they wanted.

Retail DJ: But that was the 90s, which is where that trend belongs and needs to stay! [all laugh]

Felix Flores: I just think that everything’s a flashback. There’s very little innovation. I want to see spacesuits. I want to see futuristic stuff. I saw this Alexander McQueen show, I think it was Spring 2010, and everything was “alien.” They put prosthetics over their eyebrows and made them look like they had alien faces. Everything looks like Judy Jetson. He uses all these crazy prints on silk, but it looks stiff and involves really severe cuts.

Retail DJ: Yeah, it’s unfortunate that McQueen passed away. He was really one of the people out there trying to do something truly different. Do you ever make clothes yourself?

Felix Flores: Not really clothes. I made the costumes for the video that we shot, and will be making the costumes for the other one as well. I take stuff and alter it a lot, but clothes, no. It takes a lot of skill . . .

Retail DJ: Yeah, and it can be costly.

Felix Flores: It’s expensive. It’s often cheaper to go buy. Though I don’t buy things that often, just when I see something and I really need to have it.

Retail DJ: Do you have any favorite stores or brands?  Or stores that you frequent where you find most of your stuff?

Felix Flores: No, not really. I feel like I just wander around until I find what I want. There aren’t a lot of places where I always find something. It’s usually just luck.

Retail DJ: Do you have an item you’ve assigned special meaning to? Something you cannot part with or your clothing equivalent of a child’s blankie?

Felix Flores: I don’t think I do, honestly. I do have attachment to some clothing, but I am also the type that whenever I buy something, I throw something away. I don’t keep clothing for very long. I guess it’s ephemeral to me. I think everything has its place in time. There’s no point in my holding onto something if I lose it because it’s meant to be lost.

For example, whenever I buy a new pair of shoes, I always leave a pair somewhere else. I don’t want to have too much of anything.

To view the entire Get Ready With Felix Flores photoshoot, click here.

- Retail DJ

Tags: alexander mcqueen, get ready with, get ready with felix floresfelix flores, h&m, kate bush, the knife