Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Esquire

The Esquire Men’s Grooming Collection is a complete line of products that clean, nourish, strengthen, and style hair regardless if it’s short, long, or ahem, a little of both. Formulated with proven ingredients to stimulate hair growth and exfoliate the scalp—all without harsh chemicals and parabens—the collection features expertly developed products and powerful tools for every hair type and style. AVAILABLE AT FINE SALONS, ULTA.COM AND MENSWEARHOUSE.COM…

Kim Jong Un is the current leader of North Korea, the country created by the UN after World War II and marketed as a “funsized Russia.” Kim is the second son of Kim Jong Il, the notorious dictator who was fanatical about both nuclear weapons and conferring on himself hundreds of official titles. Kim Jong Un was officially given leadership in 2011 when his father assumed the role of Thoroughly and Supremely Dead Former Leader. Like “the wave,” Kim is large, circular, and originated sometime in the 1980s. He was educated in Switzerland, where he developed a love of basketball and American celebrity culture, even eventually becoming friendly with former NBA star Dennis Rodman. Kim is typical of most millennials in that he only wants good food, freedom from obligations…

1. The National, Sleep Well Beast Known for their hypnotic grooves, the National have become one of the most reliable bands in rock music, and their minimalist sound continues to mature. Listen for the cinematic flourishes on the early singles from Sleep, their seventh studio album. 2. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream More than six years after playing their farewell show at Madison Square Garden, the deans of dance-rock have returned. Some things change, but LCD remain the same beloved band that left too soon. It’s the timeless, intricate album James Murphy’s fans always wanted but never expected. 3. Queens of the Stone Age, Villains QOTSA have always been unconcerned with the fads of the moment and more interested in making rock as fun and menacing as possible. Villains will cut…

Think of the Cartier Tank as the Muhammad Ali of watches. Designed 100 years ago by the French jeweler Louis Cartier, it was as revolutionary as Ali was—an unbeatable melding of elegance and performance that feels current even today. When the Tank was created in the closing months of World War I, pocket watches were the standard. But with the invention of the airplane and the automobile, men of action needed a timepiece they could actually use. Cartier ingeniously made something strong enough for the field and light enough for your wrist. Legend has it that Cartier based the design on France’s FT-17 tank, and that, looking to thank the American military for turning the tide in the Great War, he gave a prototype to General Pershing. Since then, the…

For any man who cares about his clothes, it is September, not January, that marks the true New Year of style. That’s when the weather finally allows me to wear what I actually want, instead of heat-friendly compromises. Each fall, I pull out everything I’ve stowed for the past six months: flushing out dead weight, mending holes, and rediscovering old friends. This season, I’m in the mood to revamp my wardrobe, too: investing in updated proportions and experimenting with texture, the ultimate fall dressing hack. Here are some of my top picks. 1 A Swagger Coat Topcoats—like suit jackets— show signs of getting longer and roomier, so look for a knee-grazing version that doesn’t button too tightly around the middle. A strong visual texture helps a coat, like this one…

There’s no excuse for a bad haircut anymore. The apothecary-barbershop movement now blankets the country like a piping-hot towel, and guys from just about anywhere can get expert straight-razor shaves and extra-sharp fades, making strip-mall walkin chains nearly defunct. But it doesn’t stop there. A bunch of our favorite shops have gotten into the product game, turning out pomades and shave creams road-tested by top barbers. If anyone knows what works on your follicles, it’s these guys. Which is why we’re highlighting some of their best offerings below. 1. Rudy’s Conditioner Rudy’s has come a long way since it started spiffing up Seattle in its grunge heyday, 1993. This conditioner, part of the shop’s newly launched product line, will add texture when hair is puffy and moisture when it’s dry.…

Designed in collaboration with the experts at Esquire, The Esquire Men’s Jewelry Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and styles. Featuring the right blend of classic and contemporary, new and traditional, the unexpected and the exploratory, this collection delivers the extra 10% with substance and style. Onyx and Sterling Silver Ring, $475; 1/4 Ct. Diamond, Black Leather, and Stainless Steel Bracelet, $700; Curb-Link Sterling Silver Bracelet, $500; Onyx and Sterling Silver Beaded Bracelet, $400…

If they’re willing to put it on the table, take it. Take it all. J. Walter Thompson [the global advertising firm where Patterson was a CEO] really wanted to nail me down. This was in 1987. Thompson was being threatened with a takeover by [rival agency] WPP, and they didn’t want to lose me. So they offered me three possible packages. I had an advisor who represented Tom Cruise and Superman—I forget his name. . .Christopher Reeve. I asked him which package I should take, and he said, “All three. If they put it on the table, they’re willing to give it.” And that’s exactly what happened. My father was a cheap bastard. He grew up in the Newburgh [New York] poorhouse, which he called “the pogey,” and his mother…

THE MAN MIXING IT UP Q:How would you describe your style? A: A mix of Ric Flair and Steve McQueen. Q: What did you wear growing up? A: I found a shop that printed shirts in our small town in Florida, and I would bring T-shirts from a thrift shop and print stencils I made from the Internet. I made alternative merch from bands like De La Soul or Nirvana or Marilyn Manson. I was very DIY. Q:Have you picked up any style tips from your collaborators? A: Someone like Riff Raff is so bizarre, I can always look to his Instagram to understand complete fashion independence. Other guys like Frank Ocean— a lot of my friends in L.A. are great in the way they dress and have this real…

THE DESIGNING MIND Kulapat Yantrasast may work with concrete, but don’t call him inflexible. The Bangkok-born architect (and creative director of design firm wHY) is known for creating spaces that complement the cultural treasures they contain, including Michigan’s Grand Rapids Art Museum and L.A.’s newly opened Marciano Art Foundation. For the latter, he transformed an abandoned Scottish Rite Masonic Temple into a vast, 110,000-squarefoot gallery space that houses the art collection of Guess Jeans founders Paul and Maurice Marciano. “I see it as a collaboration,” he says of the project. “Like we’re playing music together.” For his uniform, Yantrasast (whose hairstyle could best be described as punk-rock badger) relies on a collection of about twenty jumpsuits—utility wear that moves easily from workday to night. His favorites include a Junya Watanabe…

“I JUST LOVE TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT I’M HAPPY THROUGH WHAT I’M WEARING.” _ Khalid THE VALEDICTORIAN At the beginning of his senior year of high school, Khalid Robinson moved from New York to El Paso, Texas. He knew he’d have to move fast to make an impression. “These people have less than a year to find out who I am,” he remembers thinking. “How can I use the way I dress to help them understand me?” It was good practice. A year and a half later, he would invite the world to get to know him with the release of his debut album, American Teen. (The world, for its part, has been more than receptive— his single “Location” has been streamed more than 243 million times on Spotify alone.)…

A Fact Checker’s Guide to Spotting B.S. “Unsourced quotations are always suspect.” —Mahatma Gandhi. See? ¶ Real mercenaries don’t brag. ¶ Car guys know their shit. ¶ Gun guys know their shit, but having to explain it pisses them off. ¶ The bigger the asshole, the more zealous the posse. ¶ Insisting that your name in print reflect your personal brand does not make you exceptional, it makes you ADi©K. ¶ It turns out you can survive a deadly tornado in a big-ass beer cooler. By Robert Scheffler Research editor, Esquire…

• Neighborhood to turn your nose up at: Notting Hill. (Any area that has had a romcom named after it is off-limits, unless you’re an oligarch.) • Neighborhood to pretend to turn your nose up at while actually secretly loving: Hackney (London’s Park Slope). • Neighborhood to proselytize about without ever actually visiting: Peckham (artisanal-cheese shops and Taiwanese-bun popups, or so we’ve heard). • Neighborhood to loudly denigrate without ever leaving: Soho. • Famous restaurant a true local wouldn’t be caught dead in: the Ivy. • Dish to pretend you love: offal. • Meal to pretend you hate: gastro-pub fare. • Where to say you shop: Knowing Savile Row and Jermyn Street won’t cut it. Try Chiltern Street, in Marylebone, and Lamb’s Conduit Street, in Bloomsbury. • What to complain…

Great Moments in Bullshit, Part II DO: Dress like you belong. Blazer and slacks is the go-to uniform for supercar buyers. Add a nice watch if you can, but no knockoffs. Dealers can spot a fake from across the parking lot. DON’T: Bring a buddy. This is a solo mission. DO: Your research . Walkink nowing exactly which model and t r im you want to drive—and the cars it compares to . DON’t: Walk or Uber to the dealership. That’s a car thief ’s move. DO: Drive up in the nicest car you can get your hands on, freshly washed. IF THEY ASK: You work in finance. Stocks and equities, mostly. Act non chalant and immediately change the subject. IF THEY FALL FOR IT: For Pete’s sake, drive like…

In Lapham’s Rules of Influence, from 1999, Lewis Lapham noted that the “courtier spirit” Tocqueville observed in nineteenth-century America was alive and well. He proposed a series of rules for ambitious careerists, or anyone “afraid of losing a fraction of advantage or a degree of self-importance.” After all, he noted, “if it is possible to lick one boot, then, with a little patience and not very much practice, it is possible to lick the boots of a regiment.” Eighteen years have passed since Lapham published his Rules, so we asked him for some principles to assist the enterprising courtier of the Internet age: A FACEBOOK PAGE is window-display advertising for the product that is you. Conceive of yourself as an air-freshener or a fragrance. Your purpose is to comfort and…

If you want to go up against a sommelier, you must have a strategy. (You know about strategies, right? They’re what the United States doesn’t have when we conduct military operations in the Middle East.) You are confronting a man or woman who knows more about wine than you will ever know, and your mission is to act as though that isn’t true. It’s too late to study the lesser-known regions of France—Jura, Corsica, Savoie— since the sommelier is one of most deeply learned restaurant employees you’ll meet. But you might make an impression if you know something about Austrian pinot noirs. Start by learning that they go by the name Blauburgunder or Spätburgunder. If the sommelier is impressed, ask, “Whose pinot do you prefer, Ebner-Ebenauer’s or Loimer’s?” Unless the…

1. BASIC LITERACY is a plus, but not essential. 2. Write a novel about a MAGICAL WORLD filled with one or more of the following : dying high school students, BONDAGE ENTHUSIASTS, murderous wives, or drifters who solve crimes. Or: Write a one-paragraph nonfiction proposal about YOUR HIDEOUS CHILDHOOD, drug addiction, SEX TAPE, or years as president. 3. Never use the word LITERARY in your proposal. Publishers know that means selling five thousand copies—at most. 4. Assume the reader/editor/publisher suffers from attention deficit disorder. Don’t be shy about using LARGE PRINT or blank space between chapters as a “design element.” 5. Write a “SELLING BLURB,” attribute it to a best-selling author, and wait until after you have a deal to ask permission to use it. 6. Don’t seek out the…

INAUGURAL DERBY CULINARY KICKOFF MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER MAY 4, 2017, LOUISVILLE, KY The Culinary Kickoff was off to the races as the newest event on the scene during Derby week. Benefiting the Muhammad Ali Center, the event featured special live musical tributes honoring the champ himself in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The event featured incredible courses designed by three celebrity chefs. Chefs Todd English and Beau MacMillan curated a special menu with local favorites designed alongside featured wine partners: The Withers, AldenAlli, Charles Woodson Wines and Tuck Beckstoffer Wines. Local celebrity chef, Damaris Phillips, created a delicious dessert paired with a hand-crafted cocktail by Woodford Reserve. The affair was emceed by Sage Steele and featured Music Producer and Director, Martin Shore, award-winning producers and performers Boo Mitchell, Bobby Rush…

Earlier this summer, I went to Milan and Paris for almost two weeks. It was a business trip, mind you, but I’ll never complain about having to be in Europe. Over there—torn free of the familiar routines—I couldn’t take in all the news I do at home. Here I’m a human shuttlecock, commuting between my house in Connecticut and the Esquire offices in Manhattan. Going into town, it’s The New York Times and various websites; coming back out, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. All the while, cable news is chasing me down, blaring its “breaking news” on my TV, my laptop, and my iPhone. Trips overseas offer a legitimate excuse not to pay as much attention. The newspapers mentioned above either aren’t available or are a…

Carne y Arena, Oscarwinning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest work, is six and a half minutes long. It can be seen by only one person at a time. And although it debuted at the Cannes film festival this past May, it’s not exactly a film. To experience it, you had to drive twenty minutes to an airplane hangar filled with sand and surrounded by steel fencing, take off your shoes, and don an Oculus Rift headset, headphones, and a backpack. Carne puts the participant in the Sonoran Desert at nightfall, just as a group of immigrants attempting to cross the border illegally are confronted by Border Patrol agents. The title means “flesh and sand,” and the experiential installation is as visceral as it sounds—a fully realized virtual reality that is…

Studio 54, in its first and most newsworthy incarnation, lasted less than three years, from April 1977 to February 1980. And yet, decades later, it remains the standard by which all other nightclubs are judged and found modest by comparison. The club is as famous for letting cool people in (like, say, Bianca Jagger on a white horse) as it is for keeping cool people out: After being turned away at the door, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic wrote a song initially titled “Fuck Off,” which became the dance-floor favor- ite “Le Freak.” Donald Trump made the scene, too. It was a place where you might go expressly to be photographed, and also to do illicit things in the basement. It is central to the short history of…

1. We All Have a Plane to Catch Tennis needs higher scores and more drama. Whenever a player is standing in the front service boxes, the points should count for double, encouraging a serve-and-volley game purists have been pining for. The fans will go crazy each time they see the court illuminate. Triple points if you hit your opponent! 2. Monster Nets OCD ball bouncing before each serve is ruining the game. (We’re talking to you, Rafa.) Our solution? When a player is found to be lollygagging, the umpire will blow an air horn. For each subsequent offense, the mechanized net will be raised one inch per bounce. 3. Life Is Too Short for Two Serves Henceforth, only the player down in points will get two serves, creating parity and…

Mid-century model: I would call my style classic American. I think of the ’50s through ’70s. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in fashion, so they help me out with my wardrobe. Rebel smell: I connected with Coach because of their attitude: the vintage American vibe, the rebelliousness. It’s right up my alley. And the fragrance just went with that—as I become more mature, I think more and more about personal presentation. You want something welcoming, something people will feel comfortable around. Color me bad: In the ’80s, I had these things called Jams. They were halfway between shorts and pants, and very colorful. They were not good. They were a flashing neon sign of bad. I didn’t learn how to dress myself until—well, until about a year ago.…

Most celebrity interviews fit a certain template. They are polite. Guarded. Brief. Perfunctory. Stella McCartney’s having none of that shit. Before I even start recording, she’s snuggled on a banquette, flipping through a lookbook of her latest collection. For the next 45 minutes, we sit and point and laugh and talk while the pages turn. It doesn’t feel like an interview—more like two teenagers checking out album covers. Stella wouldn’t have it any other way. Her Beatle dad and photographer mom taught her that McCartneys shine when they’re at their most natural. And she has a lot to say. Her first fall men’s-wear collection is about to drop, her second outing after a spring debut last year. Her previous output was almost exclusively for women: She was the creative director…

Q: What’s your style advice? A: Find that shirt you like; buy it in navy, khaki, black, and white; and wear that with a really good trouser. All the time, like a uniform. There’s this desperation for men to know what’s right. It’s like my friend’s dad used to say: “Keep it simple, stupid.” Q: Nothing else? A: A stylish man takes care of himself. He exercises and eats well. My ideals are people like Gregory Peck, Gianni Agnelli, Cary Grant. They were all sporty. It takes discipline, like anything else. A lot of people are just lazy. Q: What do you look for in your clothes? A: I’m all about the cut, not the flourish. If the cut isn’t good, I refuse it. The basis of fashion is silhouette.…

THE ONE WHO WEARS THE PANTS “Androgynous glam rock”—that’s how Evan Rachel Wood, still riding high from a headline-making redcarpet season, classifies her style. In the sartorial shot heard round Hollywood, Wood vowed to wear only suits during awards season as proof that not every girl belongs in a poufy princess gown. That pledge fashioned Wood as a cross between Marlene Dietrich and Ziggy Stardust in navy velvet, bellbottom tuxedo trousers, and sleek, slicked-back updos. “I’d like to be the sort of role model I wish I’d had growing up,” says the LGBTQ activist, movie and TV star, musician, and future director, who cites David Bowie and Tilda Swinton as her muses. “It shows just how much work there is to do when a girl wears pants and it’s a…

THE CENTER WHO CAN HOLD IT DOWN What’s it take to stand out as a maverick in the world’s most stylish sport? For DeAndre Jordan, twentynine- year-old center for the L.A. Clippers, it mostly takes guts. “So often, guys equate style with a particular label,” he says. “I’m not interested in following trends, but I like taking risks. I’m confident in the patterned trousers and oversized hat and a ring on each finger.” (Some would say it takes guts to pose shirtless in a style portfolio, but then Jordan’s got nothing to be shy about.) At six-eleven, the NBA all-star favors designers that suit men of his size: Phillip Lim, Gucci, Nike. But he’s not just into the brandnew. “The pieces I gravitate toward are always distressed or vintage,” he…

THE NEWSMAN FOR RIGHT NOW Each night on ABC, David Muir greets America in a style you could chyron at the bottom of the screen “next-gen anchorman.” Trim dark suits; simple white shirts; solid dark ties. It’s a clean, modern look: not stodgy, but authoritative. No small thing, in his line of work. It’s no small thing for us, either, because we sure can use a guy like Muir right now. There’s a striking moment in his one-on-one with Donald Trump back in January. The president has just told Muir to “take a look at the Pew reports,” which he says support his claim that millions of fraudulent votes were cast in the last election. “I called the author of the Pew report last night,” Muir responds evenly. “And he…

1. “Is Tesla overvalued?” (There is no right or wrong answer, so sit back and enjoy the show.) 2. Ask, “Is the _________ industry getting Amazoned?” (Ditto.) 3. When someone tells you they’re selling a stock, ask, “Are you long or short?” 4. “I’m thinking about starting a family office.” (The superrich don’t use financial advisors anymore; instead, they are using “family offices” to manage their wealth.) 5. If someone tells you a stock is going to move, ask, “Is that on fundamentals or multiple expansion?” 6. “I don’t give cash to charity; I only donate low-basis stock.” (Giving cash is passé.) 7. “Why are you hurting yourself? I just do as Warren Buffett says and buy the index.” (You can’t go wrong if you invoke the sage.)…

To many Americans, foreign movies evoke boredom, confusion, and that Gitanes-reeking blowhard from freshman year. But if you’re reading this, you can handle subtitles. (And if you’re wondering what happened to that guy: Hi!) Approach these films the way you would any other cultural pursuit: Go in search of sex, violence, and wisecracks, and stumble into art. The six essential movies in this starter kit, all released since 2000, ascend in order from the accessible to the difficult. Invoke them as needed. ?Y Tu Mamá También (Mexico, Alfonso Cuarón, 2001) Cheat sheet: Two young horndogs (Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna) flee Mexico City with an older woman (Maribel Verdú). Fun fact: The male leads see as much action with each other as they do with Verdú. Blue Is the Warmest…

Professor Frankfurt noted that B.S. tends to bloom “whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.” But B.S. works best for victimless crimes. When the stakes are high, a gentleman plays it straight. The host of CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper has a few rules for plotting a course through an ocean of uncertainty: 1 Acknowledge what you know. 2 Acknowledge what you don’t know. 3 Don’t engage in idle speculation. 4 Bring in experts to talk about what the facts are. 5 Avoid “magic bullet” explanations, except when discussing the Kennedy assassination. 6 The more room you can make for nuance, the smarter you’ll sound. Things are very rarely as simple as any partisan wants them to be. 7 Sometimes there can be…

• Neighborhood to turn your nose up at: Bastille (home of fratboy- bar/velvet-rope monstrosities). • Neighborhood to pretend to turn your nose up at while actually secretly loving: Montmartre. • Neighborhood to proselytize about without ever actually visiting: Canal St.- Martin. • Neighborhood to loudly denigrate without ever leaving: Le Marais. • Famous restaurant a true local wouldn’t be caught dead in: Tour d’Argent. • Dish to pretend you love: andouillette. (It’s cold intestines, not the andouille you know from New Orleans.) • Meal to pretend you hate: cheeseburgers. • Where to say you shop: Not stores—say you go to press sales or the showroom of your friend’s boutique. • What to complain about: the Voie Georges Pompidou, the roadway running along the Seine that’s been closed as part of…

Great Moments in Bullshit, Part IV 2016 “You’re going to get tired of winning. You’re going to say, ‘Please, Mr. President, I have a headache. Please don’t win so much. . . .’ ” —Donald J. Trump 1. Very few of us walk into a sea of unfamiliar faces with ease or ardor, so the smoothest path in—and out—of a party is to grab a bottle of wine or a plate of hors d’oeuvres to pass around. You instantly have a reason to approach strangers. If they seem unfriendly or boring, move briskly to the next person. 2. If you’re a guest, act like the host. If you’re the host, act like a guest. 3. When you’re throwing a party, be sure to invite too many people, including some you…

I can’t remember why, but Haider Ackermann and I are talking horses. He’s a big fan of riding, which is odd considering he’s been on a horse only once. “I was in Colombia recently, and they had this beautiful stallion,” the forty-six-yearold designer tells me as we sit down at the Berluti offices in Paris one warm June afternoon. “I’d never ridden, so when I got on, he and I just turned and took off. We rode into the jungle, me just hanging on. It was near an area controlled by [armed guerrilla movement] FARC, so when I signed the insurance waiver before, they said, ‘Don’t go there!’ Of course, the horse and I went there.” This moment sort of sums up Haider Ackermann. He’s new to this. He’s a…

“I like the way CORDUROYS FEEL. I like the sort of jean aspect of them, but also the TEXTURE of them.” —Noah Baumbach MODERN LIVING My father, Eliot Noyes, built our house in 1954. For me, at age ten, it was just our home, a fivebedroom house in six acres of New Canaan, Connecticut, woods where family life thrived with my parents and three siblings. Pets—dogs, cats, and birds—abounded. We were constantly outside, wading in the adjacent brook or tinkering, making things. Art was everywhere, informally placed and fully integral to family life—we used to climb on the Calder stabile in the courtyard. Little did I know, or at that age care, that even before it was constructed, the house had won several awards for its provocative design. (There’s only…

If we needed any further proof that the loafer is once again king, Tom Ford’s new York Chain is surely it. Available in suede, pony hair, and calfskin (below), the shoes have a lightweight construction and dispense with clompy Goodyear welting. The highly flexible sole drives home the whole point of a loafer, namely comfort, but the deepgreen finish and antiqued-brass hardware give it Tom Ford’s signature—a ton of panache.…

Nick Sullivan, Matthew Marden, and Jon Roth Esquire’s fashion editors Sullivan, Marden, and Roth are the minds behind Esquire’s style pages. They’ve been especially busy coordinating this issue’s 42 fashion pages, and photo shoots that took them from Los Angeles to Montreal. Sullivan’s fashion icon is the Duke of Windsor; Marden’s is Fran Lebowitz. Roth is all for the big collars of ’70s-era Redford, Beatty, and Hoffman. Jean H. Lee Author of “Kings of Communism,” page 94 Credentials: Wilson Center Global Fellow; former Pyongyang bureau chief, Associated Press. Choice fashion period: The Jazz Age, to party and talk writing with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Favorite conspiracy theory: The Sony cyberattack was North Korea’s revenge for The Interview. Natasha Zarinsky Editorial Assistant at Esquire Her fashion icons: Lena Horne and Diana Ross.…

A few months ago, I was summoned to a hotel in midtown Manhattan to taste something that is older than most people on earth. This was the cognac known as Louis XIII, which is famous for (1) requiring a full century to be produced and (2) making a notable appearance in the lyrics of Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.” I sat on a couch as the cognac’s ambassador, Philippe Vasilescu, a dashing guy who looks like the antihero in a Truffaut film, brandished a pipette to extract the cognac from a Baccarat decanter. (A bottle costs thousands.) What followed was a ceremony of sniffing and contemplation before the first drop passed my lips. How did it taste? Vapor trails of deliciousness seemed to hover and shift. One hundred years…

Woe be unto the relatives of this celebrated Norwegian author: Every slight, sneeze, and awkward silence in his presence has been fair game for his prodigious autobiographical novels. Now finished with My Struggle, the exhaustive, exhilarating, six-volume, 3,500-page tome covering his life to date, Knausgaard, 48, seems to have tired of writing about himself. Autumn (Penguin Press, $27), the first in a four-part series named after and taking place over the four seasons, is an extended letter to his newborn daughter. She has no idea what’s in store for her. In the meantime, her vigilant father tells us about some of his biggest literary influences. 1. A Wizard of Earthsea By Ursula K. Le Guin When I was around ten, my mother discovered my collection of comic books. They were…

Nothing carries the weight of a good coat. It’s your first and last impression, the final layer that completes a look. We’re starting the season with a standout: the robe coat. It’s like a trench, but softer—stripped of buttons, panels, straps, and epaulets, the usual buckled belt replaced with a sash. It’s got the elegant drape of Old Hollywood tailoring, but it’s a favorite with fashion’s new guard. (Jared Leto and A$AP Rocky are both fans.) And it’s the coolest way to bundle up without looking like you’re on leave.…

• • • If you’re looking to get more out of your shoes, look into Feit. Cofounded by industry veteran Tull Price (who left a career in massmarket footwear seeking just that—more), the brand relies on an approach that’s both artisanal and global. Shoes are designed in Manhattan, lasts are made in Italy, and leather is sourced in Sweden before each pair is hand-sewn in southern China. Often they’re made from a single piece of leather—a pricey process that allows the shoe to mold to the shape of your foot. Now the company is applying that same holistic method to a range of heavy-duty hiking boots. Price calls the Arctic Hiker (shown here) “an animal of a boot and a bit of a showpiece.” With a padded ankle, toe and…

Much as we may talk about runway trends, nothing shapes the American man’s style psyche like the big screen. (See: American Gigolo and American Psycho, for starters.) So when the first trailers for Blade Runner 2049 hit last year, we were psyched to see the new replicants and the old Deckard, but we replayed the clips for another look at Ryan Gosling’s coat. Slick, furlined, and knee-length, it’s a Western-military mash-up, the kind of trademark outerwear that can define a character. We hit replay a few more times, then got on the phone with the movie’s costume designer, Renée April. “It’s the same world, but it’s worse. It’s dirty, it’s slushy, it’s not a nice place to be,” April says of the new film, out in October and set about…

Q: How did you connect with your character in Moonlight? A: Chiron is a very specific character, so I had to feel him out. I connected with him in certain ways. I’m not the epitome of black masculinity, but does that even exist? I was bullied growing up, mostly for not being what the world wanted me to be as a black boy or a black man. So I kind of lost myself in Chiron, but became myself through him as well. Q:You and your castmates appeared in a Calvin Klein campaign. How was that? A: This Calvin ride has been crazy. Just seeing the billboards or walking into stores. I would never have thought the fashion world would take me in as comfortably as they did. We all have…

THE SWASHBUCKLER Talking with the print and runway model who just so happens to be an Olympic medalist. “I’M OUT HERE DOING MY THING—IF FASHION WANTS A PIECE, THEY CAN HAVE IT.” _ Race Imboden Q: How would you describe your style? A: I try to mix street and buttoned-up, high-end styles. Like wearing a suit with a pair of beat-up sneakers, or trashed jeans with a Beams button-up. Q: Any favorite brands or designers? A: I’m not loyal to any brands. I look for pieces, and I like to look to vintage stores for guidance first—places like the Rose Bowl Flea Market in L. A. Q:How do you move between modeling and fencing? A: The two worlds are polar opposites. The trick isn’t trying to move between them; it’s…

THE STEALTH STYLE MAVEN Q: How has your sense of style evolved over the years? A: I became a partner of Francine Racette in 1972. If you ask anyone who knows her, who sees what she does, what she wears, what she chooses, they will tell you that her evolving style is breathtakingly beautiful. Everything I wear, nearly everything, has her involvement. From the Paris thrift shops on the Rue de la Pompe to Yohji Yamamoto, Matsuda, and Issey Miyake, and once upon a time, Christian Aujard and Comme des Garçons. I have them all still. The long coat of Issey Miyake is a sailboat. The tail coat of Matsuda is the wind personified. The brilliant hats of James Lock, the shoes of John Lobb, I love them. And then,…

“SOMETIMES I LIKE DRESSING UP LIKE A PEACOCK.” _ Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis THE SON ALSO RISES A musician and a model out to prove he’s more than the sum of his parents. Q: How would you describe your style? A: Sometimes it’s very street, sometimes more elegant, sometimes graphic. Sometimes I like dressing up like a peacock. Original, unique, and colorful. Assorted. Q: How has that evolved over the years? A: It has a lot to do with where I’ve lived. I grew up in Paris; back then we all wore Cheap Monday skinny jeans. I lived in Ireland for a couple years and I was wearing track pants the entire time. In New York, I started surrounding myself with people in creative fields, people who knew how to dress. Q:What’s…

SHOW SOME SPINE Clean lines, hard edges. A case like this used to feel fusty, but these days a man could use some structure. IS THAT A PROSCIUTTO IN YOUR BAG . . . . . . or are you just happy to be back in America? Great pieces aren’t just about looks. They should feel special, too— whether they’re made of crocodile or suede, nylon or calfskin. S-S-S-SCALE IT BACK Beware of bulky bags. Slimmer cases like these will help you streamline your stuff.…

• Neighborhood to turn your nose up at: Xintiandi. • Neighborhood to pretend to turn your nose up at while actually secretly loving: former French Concession. • Neighborhood to proselytize about without ever actually visiting: Hongkou. • Neighborhood to loudly denigrate without ever leaving: the Bund. • Famous restaurant a true local wouldn’t be caught dead in: The Shanghainese like to try everything at least once! • Dish to pretend you love: Everything’s so good, you don’t need to pretend. • Meal to pretend you hate: ditto. • Where to say you shop: Fuzhou Road, otherwise known as Cultural Street, for books, magazines, and old-timey records, and Shiliupu Material Shopping Market, on Dongmen Road, for bespoke clothing. • What to complain about: the price of good Western coffee! • What…

STORE INFORMATION For the items featured in Esquire, please consult the website or call the phone number provided. The Code, p. 55: Canali coat, turtleneck, trousers, and bag, 212-752-3131. P. 56: Cartier watch, cartier.com. L.B.M. 1911 jacket, 901-761-3580. Stile Latino shirt, axelsltd.com. P. 58: Coach clothes and accessories, coach.com. P. 60: Feit boots, feitdirect.com. Levi’s jeans, levi.com. P. 61: Caruso coat, 646- 757-3041. Grenson boots, grenson.com. Boglioli shirt, 646-870-8250. Stile Latino jacket, axelsltd.com. PT05 trousers, 203-227-5165. P. 62: Stella McCartney jacket, shirt, and trousers, stellamccartney.com. P. 63: Stella McCartney coat, cardigan, shirt, trousers, shoes, and bag, stellamccartney.com. Pantherella socks, pantherella.us. Inis Meáin sweater, barneys.com. Begg & Co. scarf, beggandcompany.com. 2017 Mavericks of Style, p. 82: Raf Simons coat, rafsimons.com. P. 83: CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC jacket and trousers, calvinklein.com. Ray-Ban glasses,…