Eric Villency Style

CEO Eric Villency: A Study in Versatility

We'd like to edit Pilar Viladas' New York Times feature on former model Eric Villency; the title reads 'Modern Man' but a perusal of his personal site would give 'ol da Vinci a complex. The man isn't just blessed with good genes (and, yeah, he looks good in the denim kind, too) - currently the President and CEO of luxury home furnishings company Maurice Villency, Eric continues the tradition of craftsmanship and flawless attention to detail set forth by his grandfather in 1932. But the company, under Eric's direction, transcends the "we sell cool furniture" model and operates as a fully integrated design and branding firm; product development, fabrication, new media, industrial design, art, and fashion all fall under its sleek wing. With accolades including the prestigious FIT "All Star Salute" and IFDA "design industry" awards (the list goes on), don't be fooled by the placid waters of his blue eyes. 

Still waters run deep style.

Eric's entire being exudes a creativity and a restlessness to challenge and explore new horizons. Villency Contract clients include Citi Field Lounge, Bryant Park Hotel, The Plaza Residences, W Hotels, and Mercedes-Benz to name a few. Villency Pure Design looks to the future and offers a unique line of eco-conscious furniture. His style is old school and elegant, but he'd be equally comfortable smoking a cigar with Cary Grant as he would kickin' it with Ja Rule. An enviable waltz between heritage and innovation, classic. . . yet intensely modern. Not a step missed, and impossible to label.

HuffingtonPost: Diet and Exercise: One Man's Awakening

He's appeared on every three letter network combination you can think of as a lifestyle expert - NBC, ABC, TBS, etc. and shifts topics from home decor to front row of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week with disarming facile. Oh, and he's also Contributing Editor at Details magazine, but somehow found time to pioneer The Villency Emerging Fashion venture and supported up and coming designers. . . who went on to become the exalted labels we know as Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, Imitation of Christ, Thakoon, Ruffian, and Erin Fetherson. But why stop there? His own fashion label, Restoration of the Monarchy - the launch campaign featured Julia Restoin-Roitfeld - was purchased by Hartmarx. Did we miss anything? A sizzle reel that staggers and a press portfolio so motley one wonders if it's possible to be that Jack.

All trades mastered style.

Most recently we're loving his Huffington Post pieces - videos and blog entries which have been lighting up cyber space - because Villency's writing and interview style once again manage to merge the impossible - innocence, with razor sharp, biting perception. He's affable at Sundance, but he'll tell it to you straight as he "investigates the hype."

Villency informs why being a Blackberry user is a bit like driving a pickup truck and hopes his picks for the upcoming fantasy football draft will arrive unmolested. Wait. . . whhhat? Come again style. The metaphors and word choices breathe with a life of their own; they strike a chord because they're unique, funny, and dead accurate. Eric will share what dads really want, and you have to believe him when he shares:

My own dad, for instance, is incredibly content with a 10-pack of socks (gold-toe if you're wondering). Anything more sophisticated and he will stare at it like an isolated tribesman from the Amazon would upon being presented with a Macbook Pro.

InsiderStyle believes nothing is more stylish than humor, and we cannot resist Villency's HuffPost page. How To Get Your Guy to Appreciate the Stylish Things in Life? Yes, please. But then, before Villency tells us what to do, he shares what "Guy" is thinking:

The Scene: woman is pointing to a sport coat another guy is wearing: "Honey, that would look cute on you." What her man thinks: Why is she checking out that dude? This quickly becomes: I wonder what that guy benches. I bet I can lift more than him. Probably am faster too. I'll race him right now. How crazy will I look if I walk over to the linens department and challenge him to a foot race right now? Scanning the aisles and noting the nearest exits I don't see much security in this Bed Bath and Beyond, if this escalates I can probably escape before the cops arrive...and...I can get out of shopping....

We think LOL and ROTF are acutely annoying internet lingo, but the HuffPost entries do make us kinda LOL. (Okay, ROTF we still hate because nobody ever does that). But the writing is fresh. With a cerebral undercurrent so subtle if you blink you'll miss it. . .right after "Guy" contemplates beating the crap out of the other "cute dude," Villency advises girl to be cunning like a serpent (a little Lady Macbeth tellin' hubby to look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't Act I Scene V style) then drops an allusion to Homer's Odyssey, but makes it hot with a unique spin: Hide your style suggestions in a Trojan Horse of masculinity. Nice. Dalton boy style.

CEO, innovator, comedian, trendseeker, trendspotter, cultural enthusiast - you're beginning to understand Eric Villency. You think you know, but you don't know style.

Father, son, beach. Keepin' it simple, elemental style.