By Liana Satenstein

Name: Professor John Giampetro

Subjects: Theatre and Acting

“My worst mistakes? The 80s; I had the parachute pants,” laughs Professor John Giampetro as he candidly tells me about his past clothing mistakes, “And the zipper ties. Yes, the zipper ties.”

Giampetro, a professor of acting and theatre, gives me a quick run-through explanation of the zipper tie,

“Well, it is thin and there is a zipper inside of it.” I later learn that although this device seems to look and act like a real tie, it is an impersonator, a simple sham that slips over the neck, fastens by a zipper and is adjusted by a knot. A zipper tie: a cheap imitator of skill and quality.

Fortunately, zipper ties, along with parachute pants and the 80s have faded from Giampetro’s wardrobe. As I sit in his characterless office, a foil to his dark wash jeans and thin silver bracelets, he continues to tell me about his clothing choices of the past.

“I was briefly into the gothic scene. But not like the today’s gothic with all of the makeup. It was black clothing, but nice black clothing.”

“And where do you usually find your clothing?”

“I usually go to sample sales. They have designer items at non-designer prices. You can find items that no one else will have. Like Barney’s, they have a twice a year sale. I try to get there early in the morning.” He tells me as he swings a pair of dark leather calf-length boots onto the desk, “These are from a store called Varto in Soho.”

Like his Italian cinema influences, such as Marcello Mastrioanni, Giampetro pantomimes a style that is sharp, well fitted and simple, but is gesticulated by his own individual touches.

“So, can you tell me about your bracelets?”

Giampetro laughs, “These are all old. I got my first one when I was 14. Each is from an old girlfriend from my teen years. But this one is a replacement,” Professor Giampetro points at a faded gold bracelet, “They are all something I can remember them by.”

“So do you have any tips?”

Neither scripted nor contrived and no longer wearing a zipper tie, Giampetro gives some final advice, “Clothes we wear reflect ourselves. Like people who wear ill-fitting clothes, it isn’t who they are. People can’t dress who they aren’t intrinsically. Find out who you are and then go buy your wardrobe.”