A career in construction could easily mandate a wardrobe of neon vests and safety goggles. But looking good is all in a day’s work for Paul Jenkins Jr., vice president of business development for MIG Detroit Building Co. Even if it means getting flak from fellow employees for his Prada work boots, Jenkins mixes style into his 9-to-5 life, transforming the job site into his own gritty fashion runway.
“I’m fly. I keep it fly,” Jenkins says. “I might put on gym shoes and a Cavalli jacket, or I might do the whole thing in Armani. It just depends on my mood.” Of course, his look also is dictated by his schedule, which can vary from casual office days in denim and sneakers, hard-hat sites, or suit-and-tie meetings.
With operations in Detroit, Nevada, and the Gulf Coast, MIG has been building for nearly 10 years. Jenkins, 34, stepped on board a few years ago to help his father, MIG founder Paul Jenkins Sr., to expand the company through marketing. MIG’s latest project is MotorCity Casino.
Like a true construction executive, Jenkins builds his wardrobe with a careful foundation of good taste and a cosmopolitan underpinning. With influences drawn from Detroit to Miami to Vegas to L.A, Jenkins has a closet to prove his passion for flashin’. He says his look for a casual day might include “Adriano Goldschmied jeans, Gucci loafers or cowboy boots, T-shirt, blazer … and the company baseball hat,” he says.
His shoe collection includes Prada boots, leather loafers, and colored sneakers (hot pink Adidas, high-top wrestling-style Kangaroo sneakers, All-Stars, and loads of Pumas). “I’m a gym-shoe guy,” he says. “I’ve been rocking Adidas since Run DMC’s ‘My Adidas,'” he says.
Then there’s the denim, a staple for both construction guys and fashion-minded men. His array of denim is arranged from light washes to dark with tags from Roberto Cavalli, Seven, Diesel, and AG. “As much as I can, I try to put jeans on,” he says while clad in a pair of faded True Religions. That explains his closet’s six-to-20-plus ratio of slacks to jeans, with the exception of two Andrew Marc leather pants. Jeans, of course, need belts. And Jenkins is prepared with a boxful of designer ones, including Versace and funky buckles. Other waist accents include a coiled Kieselstein-Cord belt with an aged-silver alligator buckle that’s hefty in both weight and worth. Rounding out his closet is a display of dress shirts from Gucci, Thomas Pink, and Hugo Boss.
Jenkins’ fashion accents prove he’s a man with an eye for detail. He’s amassed smart accessories, including Philippe Starck watches, hip Chrome Hearts aviator sunglasses, a blue leather-banded Corum timepiece, and a slew of “P” hats from Philadelphia Phillies to Polo, albeit to him they’re “Paul” caps.
Among it all, what he holds dear is a very special silver Tiffany cuff, engraved with his daughter’s name, Nadia, who is, he says, his most beloved treasure.
The closet of this working man and doting father is missing just one thing, something he just hasn’t been able to find: A fly pair of designer safety goggles.
|
|
|
