Man Of Style - Chris Noth 

In Style Magazine

Fans of HBO's Sex and the City might think they know Chris Noth. As Mr Big, he's the commitment-phobic, on-again, off-again, maybe on-again object of Sarah Jessica Parker's attention. Big is meticulous, conservative and drop-dead gorgeous - even at 3 am, when roused from a deep slumber. 

But then there's Noth himself, whose up-coming projects include Cast Away with Tom Hanks. The former Law & Order star loves flip-flops, hates trendy restaurants, and adores Delmore Schwartz's poetry and Stephen Sondheim's music. Though his look has evolved from thrift-store baggy pants with suspenders to Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss suits, Noth insists he's no Big.

 "We're worlds apart," says the Yale Drama School grad, whose childhood home in Connecticut was a converted barn and whose sense of style now extends to his art-filled New York apartment. "Where I live is a sanctuary against the madness of the world", he says. 

When Noth isn't at home, he's often at the Cutting Room, the Manhattan music venue he co-owns - and the perfect hangout for a dedicated iconoclast who insists he prefers "pubs, not clubs."

Q. Do you have any clothing obsessions?

A. With the clothes I love, I wear and wear and wear them until I have to throw them out. My Calvin Klein T-shirt is so comfortable, and it doesn't crop the neck; I can't find another one. My only sport coat is my blue wool Louis Copeland that I got in Dublin in 1995. These Italian shoes - I need to throw them out. I also have this Ralph Lauren dark blue cashmere sweater. I'd wear it every day if I didn't have to take it to the cleaners.

Q. What makes you feel romantic?

A. There are perfumes that make me stop dead in my tracks. Chanel Cristalle - oh man, I have to get on my knees and beg for a whiff. When I was very poor and in love, I rode my bicycle to get around the city. We never took cabs. I remember riding home on snowy nights with (my girlfriend) on the bars, me on the seat. That memory is particularly romantic. We didn't have to run off to the South of France.

Q. What do you do to relax?

A. I'm pretty sports crazy. I'll play anything but polo. Sports provide me with a certain calm. I run five or six miles at a time. I meditate when I run--just follow the breath. I love a good sweat. I
can't stand sports that don't make me sweat.

Q. Your apartment is very cozy. Do you like to entertain?

A. I had a Russian-inspired party in December--I love DOCTOR ZHIVAGO--with tons of beluga caviar and smoked salmon, buckets of champagne and vodka. The women had to wear gowns and the men tuxes.

Q. So you like tuxes?

A. You can't go wrong in a tuxedo--like sometimes you just feel you want a Bondian martini. I have a Hugo Boss tux, which I wore to the Golden Globes, and a Ralph Lauren and a Perry Ellis. Tuxes are fun--they make me feel special. The lines are so clean.

Q. Have you ever picked up any great clothes from film sets?

A. Last year I did a movie, Searching For Paradise, and I play an Italian-American movie star. I was dressed in conservative dark-gray Prada suits and Prada shirts, which are wonderful.

Q. On Law & Order, did you influence your character's wardrobe?

A. The plaid ties I wore were mine. So was that leather coat - I got it on the street for 10 bucks. And I wore a flag tie pin; it was a great touch-you wouldn't think a young guy would do that. It showed that Detective Logan stood apart from the hip crowd. I made unfashionable a fashion statement.

Q. How about Mr. Big, your character on Sex and the City?

A. I feel so far apart from that guy. He's a fussy dude. He's got six of everything. He'll wear a robe, I'll wear a pair of ratty pajama bottoms-and wear them all day. Still, I enjoyed a good suit. Put me in those clothes and I start thinking differently-my posture immediately gets better. I really love Michael Savoya, the tailor of the custom-made suits from the series. I buy a lot of clothes from the show.

Q. Who are your fashion influences?

A. Look at rock stars in the sixties-Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.  They got away with amazing stuff: feather boas and shirts with dragons.  Then the seventies came - ugh.

Q. Did you ever have a hippie moment?

A. I had really long hair when I was a teenager. Not like these model kids today - it was like Neil Young. It was a real hassle when I washed it. I'd get these knots as big as a rain forest. It's like having a beard. You get fed up and say, "I'm shaving this off."

Q. Did cutting your hair change your life?

A. My weight changed. It was like taking 10 pounds off my head.

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