Nathan is a retro fanatic, and is particularly fond of the post-WWII era with a little 1920s thrown in. He believes that there was a classic sense of style to the era, and that there were standards that just don't exist in the modern day. He is also a bit conceited and seems to feel he's about as cool as one can get.

He has a number of suits for different eras (complete with cuff links), a classic Ford Fairlane convertible, a custom-fit hat, a zoot suit, and a pair of pants that belonged to Sammy Davis Jr. He hangs out with a gang with similar tastes and goes to retro-themed restaurants - one in particular used to be a speakeasy, and requires a password to get in. Nathan is apparently well-known in his particular circle, or at least he says he is. Another hang-out for Nathan is an abandoned drive-in theater, where he and other retro buffs occasionally get together for swing dancing.

Nathan not only prefers the style of the past, he actually despises the look of the present. He feels that "Developers" have ruined everything with tract housing, mini-malls, and theme restaurants that serve potato skins. He also hates the decline of modern civilization displayed on "Sick, Sad World." He does appreciate Daria's look, which he describes as "Catholic Schoolgirl meets King's Road London circa '83."

Jane is rather taken with Nathan, and starts dating him. More than that, she picks up his retro style and begins dressing in old-style clothes and doing her hair to match. At first she enjoys his gentlemanly manners and has fun with the whole retro thing, but after a while gets tired of his obsession with the look and his old-fashioned attitude. For instance, she strokes his hair during their first kiss, and Nathan breaks away so he can run off and fix it. He also critiques her clothing choices to the point where Jane is ready to belt him.

Daria never does warm to Nathan, but Trent hits it off fairly well with him - perhaps because they both live in the past, it's just that Trent's a little more recent.