New York Votes

Street style can be interpreted in many different ways. Because of its recently revived influence on mainstream fashion, many see it as just another trend of the season. However, many New Yorkers have been providing the groundwork of this trend far before its rise to fame. Sumit Poudyal, 26, radiates thoughtful but effortless style that could only be described as a calculated comfort. When asked what inspires your street style, he would answer with an undeniable confidence, “comfort”. When he reflects on his favorite brands, he mentions, “ I don’t really have a preference for brands. When I come across a brand I might like, I study their aesthetics”. One might find comfort and aesthetics to be words from opposite sides of the spectrum; however, Poudyal explains how they can go hand-in-hand.

As a Queens native that treats Manhattan as both his playground and his office, he finds a way to make every style choice beneficial to his bigger picture. “Some days I can go from school, to lunch with a friend, back to school, and drinks at a bar after having dinner with family. My clothes have to allow me the comfort of moving between environments, while the proper aesthetics would allow the clothes to show quality in its simplicity,” he explained. “I have to get dressed in the morning with the idea in mind that it (the day) is not going to be monotonous.”

When discussing his own style choices, Poudyal possesses a certain level of calculated thought, however when discussing fashion as a whole, he exudes an optimistic outlook, “It’s an exciting time [in fashion]. It’s always been exciting for whatever generation is into it at the time.” He continued, “I think we are seeing some safe gender bending, accessorizing and people are being more experimental in menswear. Try instead: When it comes to his personal style choices, Poudyal tries to maintain a certain level of calculated thought. His outlook on fashion and the industry as a whole, however, is much less complicated and instead quite optimistic and upbeat. “It’s an exciting time [in fashion]. It’s always been exciting for whatever generation is into it at the time,” he contended. “I think we are seeing some safe gender-bending, accessorizing and people are being more experimental in menswear.”

Unlike many, Poudyal does not shift his style to fit the trends of the current season; instead, he invests in longevity. “It’s a given that expensive clothes will have more quality, so I make sure I buy classic pieces I can easily wear for the next 10 years,” he elaborated. When discussing his closet, one finds out that there is an art to creating a sound and cohesive wardrobe. “I only own one pair of Stan Smith’s and they are the only sneakers I own other than my workout trainers,” he said with a proud smile. Reflective of the typical New Yorker trying to maintain some type of sanity in the minimal space the city provides, Poudyal has created a simple technique that allows his closet to maintain its versatility without losing it to clutter. “My footwear is the one thing that I can repeat the most. Once I’ve broken in a pair of shoes I want to keep wearing them,” he described, relaying his process with the ease of a professional athlete describing his daily workout routine. Poudyal approaches his system for managing and maintaining his wardrobe no differently than any art form, sport, or other discipline or skill that can be honed over time and ultimately perfected, though he seems quite close to achieving the ultimate. “I only currently own 10 pairs of shoes, and I recycle clothes every two years while constantly rotating things out of my closet,” he affirmed. His keen fashion sensibility combined with his calm thoughtfulness allows for Poudyal’s elegant interpretation of streetwear that is as dapper as it is comfortably casual and cool. Paired with his Chelsea boots and canvas backpack, Poudyal’s effortlessly neat and laid-back fashion sense mirrored by the cleanliness of his well-groomed beard is both impossible to ignore and guaranteed to impress.