Snapped & Caught

NELLY MARSHALL

Let me go on the record and say that I absolutely love this guy, but hate this guy... Hate that he is so beautiful that is...  Just when I thought I was the epitome of a prettyboy, I come across this joker. lol.  All jokes aside, my latest Fashion Forward-It Guy, Nelly Marshall, is a sweetheart. 

It was the first week of November, and I had just come off what seemed like an amazing but never ending shoot with my friend/photographer Elvis Piedra.  After making a connection with the hard working subject of the day(Ben Muller), I called myself relaxing just a tad once I arrived home when I noticed this exotic like creature being suggested to me in my friends column.  Barely giving a rats ass, but curious, I clicked on his profile and was instantly placed in a trance.  "WOW!!! An attractive guy, with an out of the norm style," I thought and probably said aloud to myself.  He instantly accepted and we figured out why he popped up in my always questionable list of recommendations.

True to myself, I reached out to him to see where his head was and came to realize that Nelly was a pretty cool guy.  But what really drew me to him even more so was all of the tribal inspired editorials that have been surfacing in magazines as of lately.  I looked at the dates of my magazines, and then back at the dates of the pics on his facebook profile, and noticed that this was a guy who danced to the beat of his own drum before hand.  It just so happens that mags just recently started featuring these looks, and Mr. Marshall had been doing them all this time.  keeping score, another CHECK on his scoreboard for being a Fashion Forward Man. 

I have always found that my It-Guys born in another country to be more intriguing... Sure there are exceptions but I dare not specify which ones.  After all, they all capture my eye for one reason or another.  I did however learn that Nelly was born in Germany,and have spent more than half of his life in Europe.  How he and he twin brother... yes identical twin brother, identified with a more native American culture, I don't know, but it works. 

"My style, it's about empowerment, giving an edge and some life.  Its not about looking at it and saying it doesn't make sense.  It's about making sense.  Going into a thrift store and seeing potential in what an item could be, not what it is," he explains.  Being a man of such a diverse, yet complicated background myself, I left his response at that.  

 What I will say about his upbringing/family is that he has an twin.  His brother Lavell is identical...so much so that I had to find and post a picture of them sporting different hairstyles so that I could tell them apart in pictures. (do you you know which one is which?)

When asked who his primary mens fashion icons were, he was given another CHECK to my fav It-Guy list with his answer.  Calling His Purple Majesty my long lost father, Nelly seemed to have this in common with me.  "Oh man, I'm not sure I can limit myself... for much of my inspiration is from females yes. Ha! Many would think I pull from Prince. Haha I couldn't tell you how many times a day I here " Ey Prince," I give him great props! Really I'd say any male daring enough to throw their body outside an expected box of simplicity and run with there imagination.... I dance for androgyny, it's a beautiful thing!"

 With chiseled good looks and dead on answers, I was only hoping that this particular Fashion Forward-It Guy had flaws.  "What are some of your bad habits." I asked.  Although playing coy, I will say that he confessed to somewhat having a shopping addiction.  So much so,, that he is willing to put himself in jeopardy of a utility being shut off in order to have them.  I cant even laugh, I have been there and done that myself. 

 

And although vintage stores, and Goodwill locations may be places Marshall frequents to find his pieces, he admits to liking Topman. 

Another thing that I learned about the multicultural  beauty was that aside from being a talented hairstylist, he also sings.. And just when I thought he was purchasing the majority of his native inspired  pieces, he was in fact sitting in a corner, drinking juice, making them.  All the while his brother and mutual friends break danced and drank "stronger" beverages.   

Well, with that being said,  I must say, this It-Guy has me in his corner and totally motivated... Trust me, I am doing all I can to get him as well as his brother in front of a camera to see how much they can really shine...