Biography
If you were to google Ryan Evans, you would find that I share my namesake with one of the lead characters in High School Musical, whose twin sister is named Sharpay. That being said, I am pursuing a bachelors in Hospitality and Service Management along with a Beverage (wines, beers, and spirits) and Spanish minor. I have worked for two wineries (St. Supery in Napa, CA and Casa Larga in Fairport, NY) and written for two magazines. I am 20 years old. I hate High School Musical.
Eleven Essential Items
1. [Favorite Shoe] As you have probably noticed, Mikhail and Osama plug desert boots like nobody’s business. What you don’t know is that before there was a desert boot related mass orgasm on the website, there was one among us. Have to say I fell to temptation and never looked back. Comfortable, affordable, and stylish they say just enough without saying too much.
2. [Favorite Accessory] I have this necklace, a celtic cross, that my mother got for me from Ireland about 4 years ago. It always held a special place with me but it took on superstitious status when the only time I hadn’t worn it in a year I almost died in a really bad car wreck. I had it tattooed on my back a few months later. I haven’t taken it off since and I’m still kicking. Coincidence? Probably.
3. [Go To Coat] I’ve always felt that one must try to look their best whenever they can. It feels good to look good. My go to coat is a 3/4 length black wool coat from H&M. It’s classy but can be worn with a hoodie underneath and maybe some jeans to make it a little less formal. If the need is to dress up, it holds its own just fine with my suits and going out clothes.
4. [Favorite Top or Suit] BDG has some killer sweatshirts and one I consistently come back to is my red and blue argyle zip-up. It’s just really unique, kicks copious amounts of ass, and looks good. Reliability and… styleability? So good it coins terms.
5. [Favorite Bottoms] I’ve never really bought a pair of jeans over $30 before. I actually used to pride myself on that. But I realized that sometimes you just need that one awesome pair of jeans. I found that in Gap’s limited edition Elevated Low-Rise Skinny Rigid Denim Rinse for $88. Pricey yes but these jeans have gotten me so many compliments and fit so well that it’s well worth it. They can practically stand on their own and I must agree with Haigh, there is something about Gap jeans that just works for skinny white boys like myself.
6. Apple Products. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am an Apple whore. I have a Macbook Pro and an iPod Touch that both can connect via bluetooth, along with my cell phone, to a pair of Oakley sunglasses with built-in microphone and headphones. I can’t imagine not having them now nor would I like to try. It kind of gives me a headache. Plus, the sunglasses make me look like this guy from Star Trek.
7. I love non-traditional things. The Ah So is one such example. The Ah So has no corkscrew, it is simply a handle with two prongs that go between the cork and the inside of the glass bottle. You just rotate and pull and you have a cork with no mess. Sometimes corks break or you might just be using a shitty corkscrew but I hate it when there is cork in my wine. I like to taste notes of woodiness and oakiness, not actually eat tree bark. The Ah So is quick, easy, cheap, and small. I’ve heard it called the Waiter’s Corkscrew or the Waiter’s Friend before because of how awesome it is. Actually, it might be scientifically proven somewhere that the name Ah So is derived from the first person who saw it in action. His reaction was “Ah, so, that’s the coolest thing I’ve seen this decade” and as you can imagine The Coolest Thing I’ve Seen All Decade was too long a name.
8. Dress Socks. There is nothing I hate more than wearing a really nice pair of shoes with low cut ankle socks. I’ve recently stocked up on a lot of argyle socks from the gap during the Christmas sales and I’ve not been disappointed.
9. One thing I could not live without is my corny/cheesy/horribly cliche sense of humor. I’m not sure when it happened but at some point I realized I thought really, over-the-top cheesy jokes were hilarious because they were so bad. I like cheesiness mixed with a certain amount of wit so that you get a little bit of everything. I’ve always thought that you have to be able to make yourself laugh before you can bring humor to anyone else. I know I think I’m hilarious, I guess it’s time for the rest of the world to get on board.
10. My mother. She is the reason I’ve turned out so well (or at least I like to think so). Simply put, there is no encyclopedia, advice column, blog, or newspaper that I have learned as much from or that gives me better advice than her. She is absolutely one of my Eleven Essentials.
11. This should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me. My 11th essential is wine. Each and every type of wine from each and every region in the world. It is historically, culturally, scientifically, and socially fascinating. I’ve not known real passion until I “fell” into the wine world. Now I know a true passion, one that burns inside of you at all times, is a magnificent thing.
Ryan Evans
Eleven Magazine 