Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2025 i Esquire

MARK TWAIN BY RON CHERNOW (OUT MAY 13) After publishing definitive biographies of Alexander Hamilton, John D. Rockefeller, Ulysses S. Grant, and George Washington, the 76-yearold Pulitzer Prize winner has turned his sights on the white-haired Bard of the Mississippi. From Twain’s birth in Missouri to his death in Connecticut, Chernow’s new 1,200-page door stopper promises to be the most detailed account of the writer’s life ever published. METALLIC REALMS BY LINCOLN MICHEL (OUT MAY 13) In addition to having one of my favorite covers of the year, Lincoln Michel’s new novel is a brilliant, funny, and pulpy homage to the golden age of science fiction. Set in Brooklyn, it’s about a group of young writers who collaborate on a shared fictional universe called The Star Rot Chronicles, which readers…

A SUBTLE BUT PROFOUND SHIFT HAS happened to sunglasses. Call it the rise—or the return—of tinted lenses. You still can’t go wrong with classic black shades. But if you’re feeling adventurous, consider rose-colored glasses, or pink, or yellow, or light blue. Anything you desire. Though you will want to proceed with caution. Executed incorrectly, tinted shades can make you look like a guy who drives a panel van and spends his evenings making everyone uncomfortable at the local watering hole. So skip the wire frames (too skeezy) and wraparound shapes (too Y2K) and opt for chunky, acetate aviators inspired by the previous golden era of tinted sunglasses: the ’70s. Look for thick frames, a subtle teardrop shape, and an abundance of swagger. A double bridge, like the one you see on…

I LOST PATIENCE WITH alleged “independent” voters a long time ago. My feeling was that anyone who told pollsters that they were “independent” was either disassociated from politics entirely, or ashamed to admit they were a Republican. As the GOP was overtaken gradually by the prion disease it acquired when President Ronald Reagan fed it the monkey brains in the late 1970s—when the party married itself to the rising Christian nationalist movement and to the active remnants of American apartheid—calling yourself an “independent” was a handy rhetorical lifeboat. Being a Republican meant you allied yourself with the likes of Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and Lee Atwater and to the dark side into which the country was led by George W. Bush in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The two terms…

CALEB WILLIAMS, THE NUMBER-ONE PICK in last year’s NFL draft, has almost blocked out the trauma of his rookie season. The Chicago Bears—the team for which he is the starting quarter back—finished at the very bottom of their division. After a promising 4–2 start, they lost ten games in a row. The head coach, Matt Eberflus, got fired in late November, the first time the Bears franchise had ever canned a coach mid-season. And Williams spent much of the year running for his life on the field: He was sacked a league-leading sixty-eight times. For an athlete who’d carried the nickname “Superman” since high school, it was a cold dose of reality. Nearly two months after the final snap, Williams still has trouble computing how much losing he had to endure.…

SUE BIRD AND MEGAN RAPINOE ARE unbothered. There are a number of things the couple could be fazed by throughout our hourlong Zoom call on this dreary, damp evening in early March—like the hours they just spent running around town in the torrential downpour I now see and hear through the large windows of their Manhattan apartment, or any of the infamous moments from their respective careers that we talk about later—but they seem entirely unrattled. By everything. Maybe it’s their pro-athlete backgrounds that have instilled such coolness. After all, when you’re a retired WNBA superstar like Bird and former elite soccer pro like Rapinoe, with six Olympic gold medals between you, how could you be shaken by something as trivial as the weather—or, in Rapinoe’s case, Donald Trump posting that…

TWO QUESTIONS FOR DAN HURLEY. THAT ends up being all I really need. The first is, What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you that had nothing to do with basketball? Because it seems like everything that’s ever happened to Hurley is connected to basketball. We know this, that his life has been measured in wins and losses. We know his father, Bob, won a zillion high school championships as a coach in Jersey City. We remember his brother, Bobby, winning two titles at Duke and playing in the NBA. Danny? He played at Seton Hall, but his career as a player was never what it perhaps could have been. He coached in Jersey at St. Benedict’s Prep, driving the cheese bus to games and teaching history. He coached…

MY DAD WOULD SAY TO ME, “You’re not the most talented, but you are the most tireless.” I WAS A BASKETBALL JUNKIE as a kid. I had to outwork everybody because I wasn’t the fastest, I wasn’t the tallest, I wasn’t the strongest. MY DAD ONLY listened to classical music, which was an odd choice for a New York City cop. HE GAVE ME Catcher in the Rye, and I was blown away. I can picture myself sitting on my bed thinking, Holy shit, they’re allowed to say this in a book? MY MOM INTRODUCED ME to the arts. For my birthday, she took me to see Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway. I just fell in love but never thought that would be something available to me as a career.…

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN ONE OF THOSE naps from which you wake up with no idea where you are? Maybe you’ve only been conked out for ten minutes, but on the other side of it, you’re like a soap-opera amnesiac in distress: Where am I? Who am I? Eventually you see something—your rug, your coffee table, your spouse—that draws you slowly back into the real world. Ah, you sigh, I am in my home. This is my life. I recognize this. I had one of those naps in late January, and when I woke up, I was in my stateroom on The 90s Cruise, featuring Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Digital Underground, and more. I was somewhere between Tampa and Cozumel, on a body of water still mostly called the Gulf of…

TUCKED INTO AN UNASSUMING street near Union Square in New York City, the Michelin-star Korean restaurant Oiji Mi is known for elegant dishes such as beef tartare, served with pickled radish and caviar, and lobster ramyun, which comes over noodles with spicy chile oil. It also features a drink menu full of inventive cocktails and mocktails. Recently, Oiji Mi deployed a secret weapon to add some fizz—literally—to its drink offerings: an industrialsize carbonation machine. The payoff? A popular new mocktail concoction called Orange Soda. Think of it as a luxurious spin on an Orange Julius. Some customers order tequila on the side and ask the bartender to mix it in to create a refined Tequila Sunrise. “I think carbonation really adds elevated freshness to any type of cocktail,” says Chris Clark,…

WHEN VACHERON CONSTANTIN’S yellow-gold 222 watch debuted in 2022, it was utterly unexpected. A reissue of the sexy, sporty timepiece created for the brand’s 222nd anniversary in 1977, it was a drastic departure from the utilitarian tool watches that dominated the market at the time. Suddenly, unabashed ’70s glamour was back. It attracted attention across the industry. And though suffused with Vacheron DNA—the 222 inspired the Overseas line, a pillar since 1996—it was somehow no less surprising. So, how would the brand follow up this knockout? The next two years came and went. Crickets. Then, at the beginning of January, VC dropped a second 222 in stainless steel. It wasn’t what insiders expected. Given the 222 reissue’s success, it would be easy to produce new editions in precious metals. Collectors would…

SOMEWHERE IN FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, a lanky nine-year-old named Paul Skenes plays catch with his father. Every day, as soon as Dad punches out and Paul finishes his homework, they come here: an elementary school flanked by two baseball fields. One day, the kid picks up a bat and smashes Dad’s fastball over the fence—to the busy street past the outfield. After that, they do their hitting in the batting cages. The same year, Paul puts on a jersey, steps on the mound, and pitches a fastball to another kid. “I hit fifty-one miles an hour,” Skenes remembers now. “And everybody went crazy.” Twelve years later, in the summer of 2024, Skenes isn’t so lanky anymore. He’s just fucking big. Six-foot-six and 260 pounds. A number-one-overall draft pick making his MLB debut…

IT’S EARLY MARCH—THE DOG DAYS OF the NBA schedule—and the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to surpass fifty wins on the season. Donovan Mitchell crosses the basketball between his legs, steps back, and swishes a three-pointer over six-seven defender Dalen Terry. It jump-starts the run that seals their eleventh win in a row. The dub is expected—this is the third time the Cavs have bested the Bulls this year—but the dynamic shooting guard is feeling especially locked in tonight. Let’s run it back to Mitchell’s hotel room a few hours before the game. I’m on the phone with the Cavaliers star when he suddenly pauses the conversation to share some news: “Sorry, I just won Player of the Month,” he tells me excitedly. He is stunned. Genuinely. He’s moved to share something…

INSIDE THE CBS BROADCAST CENTER IN New York, a stuffed squirrel is taunting Nate Burleson. It’s laughing at him and, a moment later, presses a giant red button. Fluorescent-green slime pours onto him. It’s bracingly cold and can stain clothing, but Burleson claps his hands and grins wide. Another episode of Nickelodeon’s NFL Slimetime has just wrapped. Welcome to life after the NFL. Nate Burleson is enjoying the hell out of it. If you’ve watched football since the turn of the twenty-first century, you know Burleson. For eleven years, he was a wide receiver and kick returner for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions. He was good, but he didn’t put up Hall of Fame numbers or hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. If you’ve been watching TV lately, then…

For the items featured in Esquire, please consult the website or call the phone number provided. The Blueprint, p. 24: Burberry trench coat, polo, trousers, and shoes, burberry.com P. 26: Cutler & Gross sunglasses, cutlerandgross.com. Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses, jacquesmariemage.com. Tom Ford sunglasses, tomfordfashion.com. Octobre Éditions knit, octobre-editions.com. P. 28: Vacheron Constantin watch, vacheron-constantin.com. P. 32: Tod’s bag and sneakers, tods.com. P. 34: Isabel Marant overcoat and shirt, isabelmarant.com. Dockers chinos, dockers.com. Marsèll boots, marsell.com. Chrishabana ring, chrishabanajewelry.com. John Hardy earrings, johnhardy.com. P. 35: NN.07 jacket, shirt, and chinos, nn07.com. Marsèll shoes, marsell.com. Shinola watch, shinola.com. John Hardy bracelets, johnhardy.com. Stance socks, stance.com. Mavericks of Sports, p. 47: Another Aspect coat, anotheraspect.com. Mfpen shirt, mfpen.com. P. 48: Polo Ralph Lauren overshirt, ralphlauren.com. P. 50: Dior Men coat, dior.com. Sunflower…

JON PARDI HAS MADE HIS BONES ON straight-down-the-middle, old-school country. With his brawny twang, clever (but not afraid to be corny) wordplay, and fiddle-forward arrangements, he’s had six number-one country hits across the past decade—including back-to-back singles, “Head Over Boots” and “Dirt on My Boots,” that were both certified six times platinum. And yet, pop fans have probably never heard his name. His success helped clear the path for classicsounding Nashville stars like Luke Combs and Midland. But like pretty much everybody, he’s trying to make sense of the current, rapidly evolving state of country music. “In all honesty, I don’t know what country music is anymore,” says Pardi. “We got Hardy heavy-metal country, we’ve got Beyoncé country, Morgan Wallen country, Jelly Roll. Everybody’s bringing in the stuff they grew up…

The trench coat is built for the battlefield. Seriously—it’s an invention of the First World War, part of an officer’s uniform. More than a century later, with only minimal tweaks, it’s an icon. And there’s no trench as iconic as Burberry’s Kensington, whether you go for classic khaki or navy blue (as shown here). Nowadays the trick to wearing one is to play against convention. Throw it over something casual; leave the front unbuttoned and the belt hanging behind you. Then pop the collar and you’re ready for everyday combat.…

MY BARACUTA IS A COMBINATION OF MY two favorite things. I grew up in a working-class family, but my father was a very stylish man who would save up to buy things. His style was informed by the ’40s and ’50s, which means the Baracuta jacket was always a part of his vernacular. Paul Newman. Steve McQueen. Tab Hunter. Any rugged Hollywood type wore this jacket. It represented a very clean, American thing that I love. Also, we couldn’t afford to travel, so I was jealous of people who went around the world or went on camping trips and collected badges from the places they’d been. I even joined the Cub Scouts just so I could collect badges. I think they’re beautiful in and of themselves but also as a mark…

Real fragranceheads understand that scents have no gender. So why do we think certain ones are for men or women? Marketing, partly. But it’s also a matter of time and culture. “Rose was once considered masculine, and heavy ambers were thought of as femme in the ’70s,” says David Seth Moltz, cofounder of perfumer D.S. & Durga. Every decade or so, the way we interpret scents shifts. That’s happening now. So-called masculine colognes are skewing sweeter and softer. These five new ones defy expectations and show us it’s all in how you wear it. 01 Iris DIOR HOMME PARFUM, $180 The hallmark of a Dior Homme scent is the floral flash of iris; the new version is no exception. While previous iterations used the iris as a background to more…

ELITE ATHLETES ARE UNITED BY DISCIPLINE. They wake up at god-awful hours to train. Push their bodies and minds to extremes. Seek victory at all costs. But some strive for even more. They develop their own methods, carve out their own paths to success—and change the game on and off the field of play. These are Mavericks of Sports. To celebrate that spirit of originality, we profiled nine athletes who are breaking the mold. And we traveled the world—Copenhagen; Los Angeles; London; Bradenton, Florida—to photograph and interview them. Yes, they are, or were, all outstanding in their chosen sports. But they’re more than just the sum of their stats. They demand our attention. Our journey begins with an NFL quarterback who is seeking to elevate his team, and to accomplish…

YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY CALL IT A COMEBACK. Six years after retiring as the most decorated female downhill skier of all time—eighty-two World Cup victories, three Olympic medals (one of which is gold), eight World Championship medals (including two golds)—Lindsey Vonn has returned to the high-octane world of professional downhill ski racing. At forty, she’s more than a decade older than most of her competitors at the peak of the field—in some cases, nearly two—but with a brand-new knee and an equally fresh outlook, Vonn likes her chances. “I can do so much more than I could in the last few years of my career,” she says in late February via a Zoom call from Europe, where she is training. “I can lift heavier, and I can jump higher.” Vonn’s body had…

NAOMI GIRMA SAYS IT’S COLD IN LONDON. Not that she really seems to mind. “I’ve loved it so far,” she says of her recent arrival in the UK. “There was a lot of buildup and anticipation, so just getting to be in training, around the team—I’ve loved every part of it. Minus the cold!” She’s laughing, and absolutely beaming through a computer screen. Among her priorities: “I’ve only been here like three weeks—I’m looking for an apartment!” Girma has taken time out to talk with us and reflect on this remarkable moment, for her and for fans of American soccer. “When I found out the transfer was going through, it felt unreal that it all came together,” she says. She’s referring to her record-breaking move in January from the San…

ON. OFF. ON. OFF. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT FEELS LIKE? You simply flip the switch up to turn the lights on and down to shut them off. Of course you know how a light switch works! Everyone knows how a light switch works; that’s the beauty of the design. So why have we abandoned it? These days, you can control your house, car, and hotel room from a variety of apps or, worst of all, a touch-screen control panel the size of a medium iPad resting on your bedside. Well, you could. Each has a way of making you feel like an advanced degree in hieroglyphics is required just to get through daily life. We must return to simpler times. And to be clear, this is no mere nostalgia: Not…