Jorge Gallegos was born and raised in Rioverde, a small city in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, a six-and-a-half-hour drive north of Mexico City. While he was getting his bachelor’s degree in graphic design, he visited friends in Texas, who suggested he move there—and off he went. He then moved to New York and became involved in the fashion biz before returning to Texas, setting up camp in Dallas.
While he was in university, Gallegos got interested in the emerging 2010s fashion blogger culture, following the likes of Bryanboy and Prince Pelayo, which gave him the idea for his own blog, I Am Manchic. GQ magazine found him and invited him as one of five bloggers to join a styling competition. In those early days, he was all about suit jackets and office-ready outfits. But when Gallegos left New York, and particularly during those stay-at-home pandemic days, he started to play with looks that would delight himself, as a gay man, not New York fashion magazine editors.
Which is to say that Gallegos got into much sexier, queerer fashion, championing the thong as a must-have item for men. In the right situation, it’s outerwear. We asked him about his style choices and, of course, his travel habits.
Your looks have gotten much more risqué and playful over the years. Can you tell me about the evolution of your fashion sense?
In New York, I was trying to fit in and get work. I got into GQ, Details, Radar. I wanted to appeal to that audience, you know, suit and tie, very dapper. A little formal. But when I moved back to Texas, I didn’t have access to those contacts anymore and I had to change. I started expressing my real sense of style, which is about colour, more edgy stuff. During COVID, when I couldn’t go anywhere, I started talking about underwear, things I could shoot at home and that’s how Manchic turned into something more sexy.
So the clothes started to come off.
Less and less clothes, but louder and louder.
I know one of your must-pack items for any trip is at least one thong. What else do you have to pack for every trip?
Well, I don’t pack one thong, I pack at least 25. But thongs, obviously. A playlist of good music. Sunscreen. Electrolytes because you can never be too hydrated. I like to have a plan of attack of the things I want to do. I’m not a very organized person, but I know what I need to plan for to do what I want to do. I travel a lot to California and I’m always asking friends what’s the new hot shop, places where I can work remotely. So I have lists of cities that I’m going to, with recommendations from friends, research I’ve done online or from magazines. And I’ll create itineraries based on the recommendations.
So rather than just throwing clothing you like into the suitcase, you’re packing to do specific things?
Correct. I find out which place I’m going to visit and target my wardrobe according to that. Yesterday I went to this Dutch-Indonesian restaurant and it had this vibrant, very millennial vibe to it, full-on colour. I was like, “Perfect.” I have my hair coloured pink and I wore an outfit to match that. Sunglasses are always important. I usually travel with at least five pairs. And shoes. That’s why I can never travel with just a carry on. I need to travel with at least five pairs of shoes.
Shoes are such a bulky item. Do you have any strategies for being able to stuff a lot in a bag?
What I do is take a big suitcase, and then pack on my shoes on one side of it, then put my underwear and socks inside the shoes to save space. If that doesn’t work, I’ll bring an extra bag I can expand, so if I buy anything, I can take all my shoes out of the main suitcase and carry them separately in the expandable bag.
What makes for a perfect destination for you?
Friendly people. Accessibility. I like to be in a place where I can walk to the main landmarks easily. Obviously, gay friendly. At least accepting enough that you never feel that you’re in danger.
You dress to attract attention. Have you ever felt like you were in danger?
Not really. When I went back to New York for the first time after the pandemic, people were a little bit not knowing what to do, so that was weird. But for the most part, I’m very trusting of people. I don’t even really think about those things. I do make sure that I’m paying attention to my surroundings, especially if I’m going somewhere that I don’t know very well. I try not to be on my phone out in public, especially at night. Get your eyes off that phone and pay attention to what’s happening around you.
When you arrive to a new place, how do you get yourself set up and ready?
I’m one of those people who needs the room to have an actual closet. If I need to unpack all my clothes, that’s the first thing I do. I get to my room and I put everything together nicely. If I’m arriving early in the day, I’ll find a good breakfast spot. If it’s the weekend, I’ll hit a club on my first day to meet the locals. In addition to the nightlife, I usually like to find a good local thrift store, a local clothing brand and a local coffee shop.
What’s your favourite destination?
I’m going to have to say Palm Springs, just because I’ve spent a lot of my birthdays there and it’s always a great time. I didn’t appreciate it until I experienced the city itself outside the nightlife and the gay scene. There’s great food, amazing architecture. The landscape is spectacular. I’ve done a few of the hikes around the city. It’s close to Joshua Tree National Park, which is a must thing to do in California. The fact that it’s one of the gayest cities in the U.S. is just the cherry on top. I have a long-lasting partnership with the Santiago Resort (650 E. San Lorenzo Rd., Palm Springs) and they’ve always taken excellent care of me. The last time I was there I was at Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel (100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs), which has an amazing rooftop and architecture. It’s right in the middle of downtown so you can walk everywhere. The Saguaro Hotel (1800 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs) often hosts gay events, and if you’re an Instagram freak like me, you’re going to love the ambience for taking pictures.
What’s a destination that really upended your expectations?
A few years ago, I went to Ogunquit, Maine, which is this little beach town I didn’t know anything about. I couldn’t believe there was this amazing gay town in Maine, and how cute the place was. It was the fourth of July and we watched the fireworks from the deck of The Front Porch (9 Shore Rd., Ogunquit). It’s a very tight gay community and I loved that everybody was super friendly. You could walk to the beach in 10 minutes from, like, anywhere in town.
What’s your main pet peeve when you travel?
Poor service, especially at a hotel. It can be a real bummer if they don’t know what they’re talking about or if they’re not helpful. It can make or break the whole experience. You’re never going to tell people to go there and you’re never going to write about it. But you, as the guest, have always got to be polite and approach things in a nice way. That will take you much further.
What’s one thing you feel you were doing wrong when you started out travelling that you don’t do anymore?
I only take the things that I need to pack for my trip because you end up with your luggage full of clothes that you don’t really need. Another thing is packing the right amount of medication. I’m on PrEP so I always make sure to take an extra couple of pills in case my flight gets delayed.
