Well, this is just for Cobra fans. Namely, me.

Gabe Saporta

The Cobra Starship front man will buy the shoes off your feet

By Julie Vadnal | November 04, 2009 3:00 p.m.

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In 2006, Gabe Saporta formed pop-rock band Cobra Starship much to the delight of the neon-Wayfarer-wearing MTV set. Since then, they’ve released three synth-heavy high-energy albums, and their latest, Hot Mess, quickly became radio fuel thanks to the anthem, “Good Girls Go Bad,” which features Gossip Girl actress (and now, part-time pop singer) Leighton Meester. This month, Saporta, collaborated with merch maker Glamour Kills to produce his own clothing line, Overnight Sensation, so girls and guys everywhere can sport his sense of humor. (One shirt reads, “Gabe Saporta slept here and he even made me breakfast!) The 30-year-old sat down with ELLE to discuss reality TV, his on-stage style, and why he’ll buy the shoes off your feet.

ELLE: Is it true you were on the Real World at one point?
GS: When I was a little man, I was on a couple episodes of the Real World, when it was back in New York.

ELLE: The second New York, right?
GS: Yeah, I’m not that old, geez. I’m not talking about The Grind. Eric, Eric, what’s his name, Eric Nies?The Grind was the best show ever.

ELLE: MTV’s not what it used to be.
GS: Well nothing’s what it used to be. You guys started putting celebrities on the cover of magazines instead of models, you know? I watched The September Issue.

ELLE: Did you like it?
GS: You know, it wasn’t as heartwarming as the Valentino movie. I’m just kidding, I didn’t see the Valentino movie.

ELLE: But are you into fashion?
GS: Oh yeah. My girlfriend works in fashion, and her sister works at Glamour. I’ve been trained very well.

ELLE: And you looked nice at the VMAs.
GS: I thought I looked pretty dapper. With that suit, I wanted to look like I walked off the set of Mad Men. It was Balenciaga! It’s weird cause now that we’ve started doing stuff for fashion magazines, we’re definitely fashion geeks. I have a love-hate relationship with it because I love to look good and I love clothes, but I’m also a guy. Sometimes I just like to put on the same thing every day, you know? You love it, but you don’t want to be a slave to it.
JV: And sometimes you don’t want to pretend that a $1,000 pair of shoes is okay for everyone.

GS: Right. I mean there’s a guilt factor. I’m also a Jew, so I can’t bring myself to spend money on stuff like that. So it’s like, yeah, I can afford a $6,000 suit, but I could use $6,000 in so many better ways.

ELLE: Don’t you always wear hoodies on stage?
GS: I used to always wear hoodies, but I stopped. When we started, my style on stage was very Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I was really big into bringing bright colors back, especially because we came from the punk scene, which was, at the time, like three years ago, really emo, with wearing all black and eyeliner. And we were like, “Yo, cheer up kid. Let’s have a good time.”

ELLE: Cobra’s style seems very Japan-inspired.
GS: Yes, like the Harajuku girls. I’ve been to hip-hop clubs in Japan, and it’s really funny. It’s totally chill and everyone has crazy shoes on. One of my first times there, I was in Shibuya. At two in the morning I see this kid wearing these Demonia high top shoes. I’m like, “Oh my god. I saw these in magazines but never in real life. I want to buy these from you right now. How much do you want?”
JV: You wanted to buy them off his feet?
GS: Oh yeah. I’ve done that before to people when I see something cool. Usually it’s something we can switch. I’ll be like, “ Yo, I’ll give you my t-shirt and twenty bucks.”

From http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Movies-TV-Music-Books/Gabe-Saporta