Meeting the king of good vibes and vintage clothing

A conversation with Denny Balmaceda, creative director and vintage connoisseur from NYC.

Feb 29, 2024

Today’s post is extra special.

Pleased to introduce you to my friend, Denny Balmaceda, someone I’ve known for over a decade. I went to college in NYC, and while I was studying, I started a menswear blog on the side when we were in our Tumblr and WordPress era.

The blog kinda took off and gave me incredible opportunities to work with brands, get paid for making content, and meet dope people like Denny, a fellow blogger at the time.

We’ve shared some fun memories over the years. We’ve traveled together, partied in Vegas at trade shows, done photoshoots, shared meals, and more.

Denny is one of my favorite people in menswear because he’s been doing this shit long before it was considered cool.

He really loves this stuff and he’s slowly chipped away at building a brand for himself as a curator of great content and even better vintage.

He produced and shot the photos below himself at his home in Jersey City, so we hope you enjoy this piece where we walk about life growing up, being adopted, loving clothing forever, his favorite eras to collect, pieces he’d never part ways with, and more.

Show some love and give this man a follow!

Who the hell is Denny Balmaceda, and how’d you get here?

What up, I’m Denny I’m from Jersey City. I’m originally from the Philippines and moved to the States when I was about 7 years old, where I was adopted and grew up undocumented most of my life until about a couple of years ago.

Back in school, I was always the one who could draw and have a sense of humor. I’ve always loved fashion but never won best dressed, sadly.

I’ve always had my own style and have loved mixing and matching genres for as long as I can remember. I could walk in wearing a suit one day, baggy looks other days, and just punk rock looks most of the time. I liked many different things and always combined it all to form my style.

After high school, everyone was off to college except me because I had no papers. I worked so many odd jobs that I lost count, but it shaped who I am today. Working in a video shop taught me to love film, style, aesthetics, and color play, which helped me as a creative director.

I’ve worked at thrift stores and flea markets, where I learned how to price things, communicate with people, set up tents, and understand the concept of being a vendor. And working in vintage stores is where I learned everything about fashion, decades, quality and taste.

But working as a travel agent is what changed me the most. I discovered blogging in 2008 because I was so bored with life that I needed to fill a void without feeling like a hopeless person with no future. I started documenting my style every day, and the rest is history.

I’m forever grateful because I wouldn’t be who I am now without all the challenges I’ve been through. But the most full circle moment is that I now live in an apartment blocks away where I started taking photos of my daily looks.

Man. Blogging since 2008. What are some of the craziest things you’ve seen change related to clothing and culture since the early internet blogging days? What feels the same?

The funny thing is it feels like we are kind of back to 2008. The landscape then was heavy on menswear and suiting but with tighter silhouettes. Now, it’s more structured, but it’s like that: everything always comes back around while new bits and pieces are added to it.

To me, the biggest change is definitely getting paid for your content. I started at a time when creators would post and share outfits. The community was coming around with the likes of Lookbook.nu, Chictopia, Tumblr, etc. I had no idea it was ever going to head this way. I started around 2008 and didn’t get a real paid partnership until 2011! Imagine making content now for three years with no pay.

A lot of people would quit after a few months.

These days, most people like being a content creator more than the creation process. It’s a different landscape that’s definitely more good than bad. I just hope it goes back to when people support each other more instead of trying to one-up each other!

How have you kept up with creating consistent content that feels genuine?

Because I started doing it at a time when it was purely about the love for clothing. I just did it and haven’t looked back. To this day, I have never reached out to any brands. I am very fortunate to have established myself in a space where brands and people who want to work with me work with me because of my vision.

I never once had to think about what I would put out there and what people would say.

For me, my work is and for whoever wants to enjoy it.

I’m not gonna tell you how to wear stuff, share set rules about style, or talk about what trends are in / out. My goal was to always encourage anyone to just be themselves, and that’s why I love what I do.

I’m content with this setup; I want a decent life doing something I enjoy every day. That’s it. I came from nothing, so I’m more appreciative of the position I’m in.

You’re a certified vintage head. What got you into vintage in the first place, and what have you learned along the way?

I got into it on my own. Growing up with little money, I discovered Salvation Army and Goodwill in the early 00s when secondhand shopping was considered uncool and dirty. Thrifting led me to vintage; over time, I’ve learned the difference between the two.

I’ve always gravitated towards prep and Western style. Hats and ties are my favorite accessories, so I’ve collected many ties and cowboy hats, which I still wear!

I’ve learned a lot about building a uniform with vintage. A lot of subgenres are like that, and I never wanted to conform to just one style, so I combine my favorite pieces and lean into a personal style that I will sprinkle little trendy pieces to.

My style is a strong mix of vintage, streetwear, and designer!

Got a favorite decade of vintage? How do you describe your style?

My favorite decade is definitely the 70s! The 60s and 70s changed the game forever, and remnants of it will always be found everywhere. I also enjoy the 80s prep, suiting silhouette, and early hip-hop style from the 90s.

I would describe my style as a chameleon. I like to explore all types of styles and figure out how to wear them in conventional and unconventional ways while still keeping me to the core.

What’s a grail in your closet that you’ll never sell?

Too many to choose from! But I gotta go with my 80s silk chain Chanel bomber jacket in blue! My old boss gave it to me, and it’s a great sentimental value to see how far I’ve come. She always knew I would make it in the fashion world, so she gave it to me as a gift.

She’s truly the best.