Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2022 i Esquire

IN 2013, WHEN I WAS A REPORTER FOR THE magazine Ad Age, I had occasion to interview David Granger, who at the time was three quarters of the way into his nineteen-year tenure as Esquire’s editor in chief. He characterized the feature stories on which Esquire built its reputation—deeply reported, vibrantly written, wholly immersive—as “big acts of storytelling.” The phrase has stuck with me, and today I use it frequently when talking about Esquire articles, past and present, because big acts of storytelling have been part of the magazine since its inception. Our first issue, published in September 1933, opened with a page called “Backstage with Esquire,” our take on the contributors’ page. The column contained a note about big-act storyteller Ernest Hemingway’s contribution: “For those of you who have…

WE ALL WANT A TOP SHELF that wows. But without a strong middle shelf of $40-and-under bottles that you can pour without a second thought, you just have a trophy case instead of something you actually live with. Those solid, everyday go-tos make the special stuff just that, special, and not the bottle you deplete after a few weeks of after-work drams. This doesn’t mean buying obvious big brands. Recently, in an effort to get price-conscious younger drinkers away from their White Claw, distillers of middle-shelf whiskeys have brought about a renaissance worthy of more adoration. While there have been values punching above their price point for years, like Rittenhouse and Buffalo Trace, these new bottles of revived old styles or innovations offer some genuine delight and just might keep…

Whether or not you’re still solely WFH, endless on-camera meetings over the past two years have probably got you seeing yourself in a whole new light. In fact, the words “skincare regimen” may have even entered your lexicon. And just one well-chosen product can make a dramatic improvement in how your skin looks. The powerful plant extracts in Chantecaille Anti-Pollution Mattifying Cream minimize the appearance of pores, eliminate shine, and guard skin against damaging pollution (both the stuff outside and the kind emanating from your computer screen). Keep a tube next to your razor and consider it another morning must.…

IT’S NOT EASY TINKERING with an icon. The steel Omega Speedmaster—aka the Moonwatch, as in the one NASA astronauts wore on the Apollo missions—is an epic piece recognizable at ten paces. It belongs in any collection of historic watches. Changes to the look of it have been minimal and made only after much deliberation. All of which makes the 43mm Speedmaster Chronoscope, out now, something of a quantum departure. The Chronoscope is available in six versions in steel and one in gold, including a panda dial (silver with black subdials), a blue dial, and, most striking of all, an all-silver dial with blue hands. Then there’s the unmissable set of three concentric circles emanating from the center; this element makes the watch truly compelling. Put simply, a chronoscope is a…

After you’ve shampooed, scrubbed, slathered, and styled with every last drop of your grooming products, those bottles have to go somewhere. That’s a big problem, because the vast majority of the 120 billion units of packaging—e.g., plastic bottles—that the beauty industry creates every year ends up clogging our waterways and landfills. But wait, you’re thinking, I recycle my empty bottles. You’re on the right track, but less than 14 percent of plastic thrown in trash and recycling bins in the U. S. is actually recycled, and many “recyclable” packages still include parts like pumps and metal springs that are bound for the trash heap. Before you go all Ashton Kutcher and swear off showering altogether, save the bottles and get a refill. More brands than ever are developing refillable packaging…

DONALD TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE SHOWERHEADS. Well, in one respect, anyway. There is something singularly demoralizing about bad water pressure, and one of the purest joys in this world is having a rinse under a powerful spigot. But this minor creature comfort in the vast sea of life’s indignities requires water, which the human race is consuming an awful lot of these days, so we citizens must do our part to conserve what remains. That’s why, in 1992, the Department of Energy limited how much water American showerheads can splash out to 2.5 gallons a minute. In 2013, amid a proliferation of multiple-showerhead fixtures, the Obama administration updated the rule: The limit would now apply to the total output of all nozzles combined. A few years later, though, Trump…

__ I WISH I wasn’t taught so much fear in my childhood. Fear of going outside. Of failure. Being a chocolate guy, you came with a lot of issues. Even walking into a room, walking into a party, being a dark-skinned guy had some very interesting issues around it. __ FROM WHAT I’M seeing, chocolate is a blast right now. I’m like, wow __ I WAS TEN years old. My mom had given me twenty dollars to go to Harlem to buy a Chams de Baron shirt for Easter Sunday. As I’m walking, I see these guys with a nice table playing three-card monte—and people were winning! I’m like, Yo, if I win, I get more shirts. I walked home with no shirt, no twenty dollars, terrified of my mom.…

HEIDI GUILFORD RODE SHOTGUN IN HER BOYFRIEND’ S white Dodge Charger. Her stepsister and a couple friends sat in the back, with the windows rolled down for the smokers. It was a cool night in June—sweatshirt weather—an unremarkable Sunday on an island off the coast of Maine. They could have been in any small town, just about anyplace. A loud engine, blaring music, laughing shouts from the front seat to the back. And all around them: Quiet Heidi knew every inch of these roads. They all did. They’d grown up on this island, Vinalhaven, fifteen miles out to sea by ferry, a rock in the ocean that the glaciers hadn’t quite smoothed over. Seven miles by five, population 1,200, give or take, and triple that when the summer people showed…

IN A RECENT RAGE CLIP dujour, a furious young dad in a parked car bellows into his phone camera about California’s Covid-vaccine mandate. “For the kids to go back to school, they have to be fucking vaccinated,” he shrieks, tommy-gunning his screen with spittle. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Then he turns one drawn-out, modern-dance “FUUUUUUCK” into a quivering warning for all liberals to unfollow him. This is 43 excruciating seconds of tough-guy posturing on TikTok, the app featuring children recording themselves dancing to “Fancy Like.” He’s not scary, but this is: TikTok’s algorithm—the nicotine behind the app’s addictiveness—fed his rage to millions. Some saw it and thought: Now, there’s a patriot. And it confirmed their hunch, even as the bodies piled up, that Covid can be bullied and patrioted…

Whisky that costs as much as a BMW 5 Series? Sounds intimidating. Will a sip of such an extravagant elixir mean you can never appreciate the cheap stuff again? Perhaps, but that’s a chance you should be willing to take. So when I found myself sampling the $60,000 Yamazaki 55, I did my best to consider it as I would any dram, because old and expensive doesn’t necessarily translate to good. Turns out this extra-mature Japanese single malt was quite special, with notes of mango, caramel, and cotton candy, and a touch of spice. Just 100 bottles were released globally, so most of us will have to experience Yamazaki 55 vicariously. But drinking this rarity was a reminder to slow down and appreciate my favorite bottles. And that’s a skill…

THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2021 SQUID GAME Even though Squid Game ruined cookies and tracksuits, we can thank the South Korean thriller for being the best and bloodiest series this year. Sure, the premise—down-on-their-luck types compete in fatal childhood games with a fortune at stake—triggers Hunger Games flashbacks. But the show offers a ruthless critique of a society that pits its lower classes against one another—and downs a glass of whiskey in a bedazzled panther mask while doing it. Thanks to dozens of moments, like the tug-of-war match, that kept us up for nights, as well as Lee Jung-jae’s bighearted portrayal of the hero we’ve been waiting for, Squid Game is a masterpiece. Now, which body parts must we sign away to get a second season? —BRADY LANGMANN MOST…

IF YOU LIVE IN New York City, like me, your coat is your car. The same goes for any other town reliant on public transport (and feet). Cars protect you. So do coats. Cars say a lot about their drivers, and coats do the same for their wearers. But coats can change with your mood, and so I like to experiment with mine. That’s one reason I launched a project on Instagram called the Coat Chronicles—a way to share my adventures in outerwear with the world. The other reason is that this isn’t just a way of life; it’s how I make my living. Over the years, I’ve worked as a stylist, a consultant, a fashion director, and a buyer for stores big and small. These jobs bring you into…

1. LAB SERIES MAX LS SERUM The new refillable pump for this hydrating, antiaging serum curbs plastic waste by 20 percent, according to the brand. When you run out, pop a new vial in and you have the next month’s supply. $81; $52 for a refill 2.OLD SPICE REFILLABLE ANTIPERSPIRANT & DEODORANT It’s the same protection you expect from classic Old Spice but with a modular upgrade. Once it’s used up, twist in a new pod with the same scent, or change it up with a different one. $10; $8 for a refill 3. LA PRAIRIE PURE GOLD RADIANCE EYE CREAM Even the most luxurious brands are getting into the game. You’ll spend the same amount to refill this eye cream, but at least you won’t feel guilty about acquiring…

WANDERLUST IS A REAL THING. HUNGER IS A REAL thing. And in a year when you couldn’t stand to look at your Instant Pot anymore and had to delay that vacation to Paris, when you craved something more than travel shows and takeout, the most satisfying way to feed the need for a journey was to go to a restaurant, feel taken care of, and try at least one thing from the menu that you’d never had before. The transportive power of food, the soul-stirring nature of hospitality—real things, too. This is all to say that in these not normal times, we need both the normalcy and the escape of restaurants now more than ever. And we want to support an industry that still needs it. So, to shine a…

JOSEF ADAMU, creative director, 28 “I’ve always been into collegiate chic—vintage athletic threads—and I often pair those with elegant workwear. I’m all about a well-fitted silhouette.” THE TAKEAWAY: Simple workwear exudes great style. But only if you get the fit just right. GEORGE HAHN, actor, 51 “My dad was a suit-and-tie man, a huge influence. He always looked clean and handsome. I grew up in Cleveland in the ’70s and ’80s. There was a sense of occasion back then. We dressed up to go to dinner or even get on an airplane.” THE TAKEAWAY: All suits are not the same. Find a reliable tailor or a brand that fits your body shape perfectly. And stick to it like glue. VICTOR JEFFREYS II, impresario, 39 “I always wanted those hand-sewn, semi-cordovan high-tops…

1 Open Your Mind to the Possibility… BY NOW, YOU KNOW it’s okay—healthy!—to talk about your feelings. But do you know it’s okay—and encouraged, by us, in these pages—to pay someone to listen to a weekly (or twice-monthly or thrice-weekly) spelunking through your psyche? Probably not, if the numbers are any indication: Men are half as likely as women to seek help for their mental well-being. That’s true not just here in ’Murica—that’s true around the globe, across races and ethnicities and ages. We’re emotional escape artists, masters at avoiding our inner discomfort. Some of us hoover drugs and alcohol, seek thrills through bad behavior, withdraw from the world. But the common narrative leaves out a few crucial details. The research shows that men do want to heal, we do…

STORE INFORMATION For the items featured in Esquire, please consult the website or call the phone number provided. Blueprint, p. 29: C.P. Company jacket, cpcompany.com. P. 30: Omega watch, omegawatches.com. P. 32: Dries Van Noten coat, driesvannoten-la.com. Ermenegildo Zegna parka, zegna.com. P. 34: BTFL Studio coat, btflstudio.com. Prada coat, prada.com. 4SDesigns coat, 4sdesigns.com. Begg x Co beanie, beggxco.com. Gabriela Hearst beanie, gabrielahearst.com. COS beanie, cosstores.com. Alex Mill beanie, alexmill.com. P. 36: L. L. Bean socks, llbean.com. Chamula sweater, nomanwalksalone.com. Lee jeans, lee.com. Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses, jacquesmariemage.com. Schott NYC jacket, schottnyc.com. Carhartt WIP jacket, carhartt-wip.com. Blackstock & Weber loafers, blackstockandweber.com. P. 38: Johnny Nelson ring, johnnynelson.nyc. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany 1837 Makers ring and Paloma’s Melody ring, tiffany.com. The Crown Collection ring, thecrowncollection.com. Chrome Hearts Plus & Bone ring, Spacer…

1865 “Abe, you’re gonna love Our American Cousin.” It’s unclear who suggested President Lincoln go to the theater on April 14, but whoever recommended the idea wasn’t necessarily wrong. Our American Cousin was a hit comedy that had been running in various cities for seven years, and Lincoln was said to be laughing through much of it. It was the timing of that hunch that proved deeply unfortunate. 1985 “What we should do with the most popular soft drink in the history of the world is change it.” The introduction of New Coke came with assurances from Coca-Cola executives that people would adopt the new formula. America rebelled against it immediately, without even rudimentary social media to foment the unrest. Three months later, the old Coke was reintroduced as Coca-Cola…

1. TOVALA SMART OVEN Most toaster ovens make toast. The Tovala makes meals. It does this with a smartphone app but also through the incorporation of steam-cooking technology, which ensures food emerges with the perfect balance of tender crispiness. $299; tovala.com 2.SAMSUNG JET BOT AI+ ROBOT VACUUM Does your robotic vacuum choke on your iPhone charger? This one uses lidar and object-recognition sensors to scan the interior of your household, so it won’t suck up any clothes or small pets. $1,299; samsung.com 3. TIDBYT DISPLAY Addicted to your phone? Maybe try a Tidbyt, a retro display that shows anything from calendar entries to crypto prices to Spotify playlists on a colorful, Lite Brite–like screen. $179; buy.tidbyt.com 4.AMAZON SMART SOAP DISPENSER The CDC recommends washing your hands for a full 20…

WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE GENESIS OF TODAY’S STREET STYLE? Look to C. P. Company, the Italian brand celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Founded by Massimo Osti, C. P., as it’s lovingly known to fans, took the functional and elevated it to high fashion via technical materials, tailored fits, and innovative wash treatments. Sound familiar? One of Osti’s most iconic designs for the brand is this, the Mille Miglia jacket, a short parka inspired by and named after the classic and often deadly annual sports-car non race down and back up the spine Italy. It comes with goggles built into the detachable hood and a window on the left sleeve so you can read your watch while driving. New iterations of the Mille jacket arrive each season at C.P., now…