He quickly assembled a dressy outfit around the piece and then proceeded, one by one, to replace each item in the look, until, 120 minutes later (take a second to consider all the mathematical permutations of a six- or seven-piece ensemble chosen from the 13 racks of clothes in the bedroom-size “closet” of his Hollywood Hills home), he has arrived at a simple but sharp jeans-and-leather jacket look, which he says he likes because it looks like he just threw it on. This process began two hours ago, with a mauve Balenciaga tuxedo shirt he had purchased that afternoon at Barneys (where you and he ran into Puff, of all people… But that’s a story for another day). It’s 10 p.m., the night before the Grammys, and he’s trying to find the perfect fit for the evening. And he’s sorry, too he knows you must be bored. Kanye says that it usually comes effortlessly, but tonight he’s just not feeling it. This story was originally published as part of Complex’s April/May 2009 magazine issue.

808s and heartbreak outfit