Uptown Magazine November 2016

his style

HAWAII E NINE TO FIVE-O

Chad Elling’s island meets artisan style

BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ PHOTO BY MARK MORGAN

ven back in high school at Brophy College Prepatory – where dress shirts and ties are the norm – Chad Elling marched to the beat of his own fashion drum.

“Aside from having to wear ties on Fridays, when I went to Brophy the only major daily dress code rule that was enforced was collared shirts. They, however, never specified what kind of collared shirts.”

His collared shirt of choice: Reyn Spooners in every color.

“Reyn Spooner first came into popularity in the 1960s, when their fashion-forward Hawaiian-inspired apparel replaced the then kitschy and poorly-fitting Hawaiian shirts of the day,” says Elling, who continued to rock the artsy apparel throughout college into his first professional gig , working in the Southern California restaurant industry.

There, he added touches of both surf and skateboard culture to his wardrobe – vintage leather Van’s, Ruca and Volcom – before making his way back to Phoenix to work for Hillstone, where suits and ties became the standard. He would continue this buttoned up look for years, eventually bringing it to Pomelo at the Orchard.

“But those days are officially gone – and it’s clear from my head to my toes,” says Elling, who is now with La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar, bringing his unique flair to both his wardrobe and the restaurant.

How is La Bocca going beyond just looking the artsy part? In as many ways a possible – we have partnerships with both Gammage and The Marquee to offer patrons of the venues with great discounts and promotions nightly. We also have an amazing in-house team of creatives – some are helping re-design our patio; some are leading art classes; some are even stepping away from the bar to DJ for us! We also have paint nights and salsa dancing.

If you had to describe your signature style in just a few words, what would they be? “Bro-chic,” funky, artsy and surfsophisticated. When you do have to dress up, how do you make the suit your own?

Skinny ties seem to do the trick.

UPTOWN |

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| NOVEMBER 2016