Brit GQ
Brit GQ
Brit GQ
What Trump
did next
By Michael Wolff
Matthew d’Ancona
Alastair Campbell
Matt Kelly and more
The 2018
MARCH . 2018 .
Car Awards
Twilight
of the
influencer
By Eleanor Halls
Why your
wardrobe
hates you
(Introducing the anti-dress code)
RISE
UP
Black Panther star
The GQ
theatrical
portfolio
Michael B Jordan starring...
fights the power James Norton
Interview by Kevin Powell Photographed by Gavin Bond
Sienna Miller
Bryan Cranston
Damian Lewis
Andrew Garfield
Horizon
The new luggage.
louisvuitton.com
DESIGNS INTERIORS IN SAO PAULO.
CLIMBS ROCKS NORTH OF RIO.
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY.
CALLS MUM EVERY SUNDAY.
MET HER HUSBAND ON A FLIGHT TO TEL AVIV.
GOT MARRIED ON A LAKE IN CANADA.
DOES HIS BEST THINKING WHILE WALKING.
OCCASIONALLY BUMPS INTO THINGS.
PLANS TO GO TO BED EARLIER.
STARTING NEXT YEAR.
BELIEVES IN KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE.
TENDS TO MAKE THEM COMPLICATED.
128
141
Travel
110
67
Details
This month’s complete
cultural digest: glitch-graphic
T-shirts; Cartier’s new watch
takes off; Lightning lead
headphones; stealth-styled 133 141
CEOs; backstage at London
Fashion Week Men’s.
81 147
The GQ Drop
Dropping disgraced actors is not the
answer to #MeToo; futurist morality;
Brett Anderson on life before Suede;
music’s new power players; Corbyn’s
Brexit; Tony Parsons’ fear of medicals.
109
New House Rules
Belt off, braces up; open your
mind and hang up your hats;
LA’s psychedelic mushroom
parties; watches go green;
cash in your ISA and invest 90 147
in hotline bling.
From Audi’s
self-driving limo
Features
to the private jet 188 Donald Trump
on wheels, we What goes on behind closed doors? GQ
present another presents the definitive account from the
mighty year most confounding White House in history.
BY MICHAEL WOLFF, MATT KELLY, MATTHEW D’ANCONA,
in motoring – 202 ALASTAIR CAMPBELL, CONRAD QUILTY-HARPER,
228
The collections SS18
Want to know what you’ll be
wearing this season? GQ
Fashion Director Luke Day
curates the only wardrobe
you need to know about. 188
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARIANO VIVANCO
260
260
Out To Lunch
Illusionist
Derren Brown
228 works his magic on 220
Jonathan Heaf at Blixen.
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F
times a year, at a corner table ‘an embarrassment’.”
in The Wolseley or in a hotel He has been called – disparagingly – a
bar in New York, I have sat “media provocateur” and yet he has also
down with Michael Wolff been one of the most astute commentators
for two or three hours and not just on new media, but also on the old
gossiped. Relentlessly. About newspaper and TV behemoths, those dino-
media, politics, Hollywood, Silicon Valley saurs who Wolff comes to bury. When media
and money. Never lost for an opinion, Wolff organisations queue up to call you “pathetic”,
will hold forth and get whatever it is that is “disgusting” and “twisted”, and say your arti-
currently vexing him off his chest. And then cles are based on “zero evidence”, then you
do it again for good measure. While these know you must be doing something right.
breakfasts, lunches and dinners are always He has fallen out with many of the people
enormous fun, they are never aimless and are he has written about. After Wolff’s piece about
fundamentally R&D sessions for Wolff’s pieces former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor
in GQ. In his time, he has investigated every- Tina Brown, for instance, she refused to ever
Cover: Coat by Burberry, £2,950.
one from Barack Obama and Jann Wenner to burberry.com. Rollneck by John Smedley, speak to him again – which, considering that
Tina Brown and Alan Rusbridger (the former £150. johnsmedley.com. Beret by Lock & Co, they both stay at Claridge’s when they visit
£95. lockhatters.co.uk
editor of the Guardian), and written reams London, has resulted in some rather embar-
about the New York Times, Boris Johnson, rassing encounters in the lobby (however,
David Cameron, Vice and Rupert Murdoch the last time they bumped into each other
(before Donald Trump replaced him as Wolff’s at the hotel, he was incredibly flattering about
favourite bête noire). her recently published memoirs).
One of his favourite tricks is to gesticulate As the pendulum swings, so shall it fall.
with his face rather than actually speak, giving Donald Trump’s bizarre ascension to the White
what he isn’t saying an extra shade of tension, House was initially benchmarked as a vote
and giving you the feeling that everything he against the apparent liberalism of the Obama
says is somehow being listened to by those administration, and for a while everything that
who want to bring him down. He is never surrounded Trump was framed in this way, as
less than fascinating company and especially an understandable, if unacceptable, reaction to
so when he is regaling you with stories about what had gone before. Even those who were
prominent boldface names – much of which appalled by his electoral success – basically
is wholly unrepeatable. everyone you’ve ever met – begrudgingly
That’s saying something when you consider understood why it had happened.
how much he is willing to share in his bracingly A year in, however, and the conversation
well-informed columns. His access to the inside Subscribers’ cover: Coat by Burberry, £2,950. is a very different one. If truth be told –
track is precisely why, despite taking for his burberry.com. Rollneck by John Smedley, £150. something of a rarity in the White House these
johnsmedley.com. Beret by Lock & Co, £95.
purview such seemingly well-trodden ground, lockhatters.co.uk. Sunglasses by Ray-Ban, days, it seems – Trump’s presidency started to
he always kicks up a stir. When Wolff turned £127. ray-ban.com be defined by his behaviour almost as soon
» House during the past year. Wolff tells Murdoch hated it and went on the offensive,
the inside story of the most controver- turning Wolff into even more of a media celeb-
sial presidency of our time, unravelling a rity than he had been before.
period that was fraught with tension, fear
and speculation. Wolff’s material reveals an lsewhere in this issue you’ll find
administration already in meltdown, telling a
tale that is by turns stormy, outrageous and
never less than mesmerising.
When leaked passages of Wolff’s extraor-
dinary book Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump
White House appeared in the Guardian, which
had obtained an early copy from a bookseller
E
Kevin Powell’s extraordinary
interview with Michael B Jordan,
who stars in the new Marvel
superhero flick Black Panther,
which cost an estimated $200 million, is set in
Africa and stars a predominantly black cast.
“Black Panther was created, coincidentally,
in New England, and an extract ran in New by comic book innovators Stan Lee and Jack
York Magazine, it set social media ablaze. Kirby just months before Huey Newton and David Beckham’s favourite hairstyles
Every news outlet ran the story and seemingly Bobby Seale founded the political organisation On GQ’s YouTube channel, David Beckham
is grilled by Junior Fashion Editor Carlotta
everyone was delighting in the gory details. of the same name,” writes Powell. “He was the
Constant about his history of hairstyles as
Well, everyone apart from President Trump. first superhero of African descent in main- he launches new grooming range House 99.
His press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, stream US comics, and his cinematic avatar
immediately brushed it off as “trashy tabloid could turn out to be one of the most influen- To be or not to be?
fiction” and Trump declared that his former tial in Hollywood history.” In Powell’s piece Ahead of the
chief strategist Steve Bannon – one of Wolff’s (p178), one of Hollywood’s most dynamic Olivier Awards,
interviewees – had “lost his mind”. The White young actors speaks out about race, diversity, that is one of many
must-watch questions
House wanted to block its release, so Trump’s #MeToo and black power. a dozen of the
lawyers wrote a stern letter to the publisher, “There has never been an otherworldly world’s best theatre
actors answer in films
Henry Holt, demanding that it “immediately warrior treatment like Black Panther,” says
for GQ at youtube.
cease and desist from any further publication, Powell. “Indeed, it comes at a time of great com/britishgq
release or dissemination”, citing “numerous change and turmoil in the United States, from
false and/or baseless statements”. Wolff, the wildly unpredictable presidency of Donald
however, was steadfast. He responded that Trump to endless racial violence and divisions
he had recordings, that he had notes and, to nervous conversations about diversity and
contrary to what Trump was claiming, he had inclusion. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film
had access to the president. marks the third time, after Fruitvale Station and
Who could have wished for better marketing? Creed, that he and Jordan have collaborated,
The publisher moved the publication date very much in the tradition of the classic part-
forward “due to unprecedented demand”. The nership between Martin Scorsese and Robert
BBC ran a video of Washingtonians queuing De Niro. All of this is unprecedented, especially
up at midnight to read it first, as if it were the fact that it is two young black men staking The world’s best private jets reviewed
the release of a new Harry Potter. The author claim to a Hollywood that would not have been Ever wonder which private jet to pick? Join
us on our YouTube channel as we review the
posted a message on Twitter: “Here we go. open to them in this way when Spike Lee first Bombardier Learjet 75, bookable via Stratajet,
You can buy it (and read it) tomorrow. Thank hit the scene in the late Eighties.” and the Ferragamo stiletto-inspired HondaJet.
you, Mr President.” In complete collaboration with Jordan and
At various points during the past 12 months, his team, we decided it wasn’t time for polite- Tune into GQ on Vero
I would meet Wolff for breakfast, lunch or ness. For quiet. For traditional fashion images Download Vero for
dinner – both here in London and New York and interview. We wanted to address the issues daily posts on the
– and each time he would regale me with ever engulfing not just the film industry, but all music we’re listening
to, recommendations
more outlandish stories about Trump’s behav- industries – issues that are being discussed, from artists such as
iour. Remarkably, Wolff was initially one of regurgitated and recalibrated on an hourly Goldie and Rita Ora
and exclusive videos
the few journalists who Trump trusted. The basis, referencing Trump, Black Lives Matter featuring Bastille,
process exactly mirrors the one Wolff went and the likes of NFL player/protester Colin Miguel and many more.
through when he spent a year writing a book Kaepernick. The issue of empowerment is
on Rupert Murdoch, The Man Who Owns pivoting right now and it’s a subject that is no
The News, based on more than 50 hours of longer being treated with the abject tokenism
conversations with Murdoch and exten- that Hollywood has always excelled at. They
sive access to his business associates and his know those days have gone, as do Michael B
family. When the book was published in 2008, Jordan, Ryan Coogler and Kevin Powell. G
Featuring artwork by Andy Warhol ©/®/™ The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
55 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LX | 24 Brook Street, London, W1K 5DG
www.johnsmedley.com
Contributors
Guto HARRI
Former BBC chief political correspondent
and Boris Johnson aide Guto Harri joins
GQ as a Contributing Political Editor. “I
cannot think of a more critical time in
recent British politics,” says Harri. “GQ
covers the scene with great intellect,
integrity, profundity and playfulness Matt KELLY
and I’m honoured to join its ranks.” A new Contributing Editor,
writing mainly about politics,
Matt Kelly is also the editor
Tanya GOLD of the New European. “I
Journalist Tanya Gold, who writes for grew up loving the work
the Guardian, the Spectator and GQ.co.uk of Anthony Bevins, the
about everything from Jeremy Corbyn late political editor of the
to Meghan Markle, is another new Independent known for his
Contributing Political Editor. “GQ is a killer question to Margaret
Photograph Andrew Testa
F L A G S H I P S T O R E , 2 1 0 P I C C A D I L LY, L O N D O N W 1 J 9 H L
FOREWORD
‘I dig everything’
Like jazz before it, the age of rock has joined the choir invisible. So why did an
attempt to codify 60 years of hits reveal new life in records we’d left on the shelf?
STORY BY Dylan Jones
’m sitting on a plane, reading one that completists such as me really Above: Records switch on BBC Radio 6 Music at
I
that never made it
a book about Lou Reed. I don’t ought to finish. You see I’ve started to your collection pretty much any time of the day I’m
even like Lou Reed, not much, to subscribe to David Hepworth’s are still worth a bound to hear something I like, if you
but the reviews had been good theory that the narrative arc of pop is fair hearing look at the genre objectively, it’s over.
Photograph Getty Images
– the book is by the award- slowly but surely drawing to a close.* Which means that if you believe
winning Anthony DeCurtis and is Like the jazz era, I’ve got a sneaking that the golden age of pop lasted from
actually completely captivating – suspicion that the age of rock is going around 1955 to right about now, the
and like many people the reason to be finite and, while there will logical thing to do is to start working
I was reading it is because I’ve continue to be breakout stars who your way through it all, discovering
started to look at the 60-year will fill stadiums from here to Buenos lots of things that you didn’t know
history of the rock era as a jigsaw, Aires and while I know that if I you liked along the way. Which »
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 57
GQ FOREWORD
*In his book Uncommon People: The Rise And Fall Of The Rock Stars, Hepworth dares to announce the end of rock as we know it
T
readily admitted I actually
rather liked Donald Fagen
and couldn’t see why
everyone was always
beating up on Fleetwood Mac.
Then I fell in love with Queen at
Live Aid, spent so much time in the
fuss about Spooky Tooth or LCD
Soundsystem? What was it that chap
in the bar was saying about Lou
Rawls? And why did my older sister
have all those Kasabian albums?
Of course, in a world where Spotify
rules supreme and where songs are
of The Libertines rehearsing for a
soon-to-be-cancelled gig at The
Tabernacle? Was this of great cultural
significance or will it be collected
simply because it happened?
Come on. Who knew I would one
day own everything ever recorded
US that I finally began to understand decontextualised to such an extent by Father John Misty? How could I
the appeal of Bruce Springsteen and that we don’t know when they were have known back in my teens that
when I learned to drive I cottoned on released, why they were written or I would one day own over three feet
PDQ that few things sounded better what the people who recorded them of yacht-rock CDs? How could I have
blasting out of the car speakers than actually look like, it’s easy to imagine foreseen that I’d have more than
“Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. the great 60-year canon of rock as 100 Bob Dylan songs on my laptop?
And so it has carried on. In a flat surface, a level playing field (Sorry. Bob was another one I could
much the same way that Bowie where nothing foreshadows anything never really buy into, and to say I
said to himself in the mid-Seventies, else, where nothing takes precedence came late to the Dylan party is a bit
“You know what? I think I’m going or plays second fiddle and where like saying I turned up the following
to become a cocaine addict for a jigsaw puzzles become constantly morning after the police had left
while and I’m going to do it better changing algorithms, both purposeful and after everyone else had gone
than anyone else,” so I’ve gone and purposeless at the same time. home, but just in time to see the
through periods when I’ve said to The accessibility and randomness of faces of the horrified parents who
myself, “Right, Dylan, you know culture these days means that people had just returned in time to see their
largely nothing about the later create their own stories, their own pathetically hung over offspring
works of The Kinks and even narratives, carrying them around like desperately trying to sponge an
though their Seventies albums are an Amazon warehouse squeezed into absinthe stain out of the sofa.)
much derided they can’t all be bad, a smartphone. Honestly, it seems as though I’m
so why don’t you dive in and see going to end up liking everything
what you can find?” that’s ever been recorded.
Which is what I’ve done for the Just like you. The great rock’n’roll
last 25 years of my life, just like
you might if you had never read
The accessibility of library, pop’s ultimate box set, is very
nearly full and it’s probably time you
any books by Saul Bellow or Philip K
Dick or never watched a film by Pier
culture means people stared making withdrawals. Who
knows? You might even start to like
Paolo Pasolini or Robert Rodriguez. create their own stories Lou Reed. I nearly did. G
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Grooming Maarit Niemela at Bryant Artists
P O R T R A I T BY
DAVID BAILEY
THE
RISING
S TA R
Bert Seymour
It’s like we’ve always said: good grooming makes the man. Meet the young British actor
whose rapid ascent to stage and screen began with a moustache
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Don’t miss
Journeys With
The Waste Land
at Turner Contemporary, Margate
In his most famous poem, TS Eliot
wrote, “On Margate Sands/I can
connect/Nothing with nothing.” The
curators of this exhibition about his
work’s impact on the arts had no
such trouble. Until 17 May.
RUMOUR
MILL
BY Alex Wickham
MY
STYLE
Simon Webb
Wish list
The My Style photographer
steps in front of the camera to Jacket
share his wardrobe highlights “The vintage leather
is stunning. The back
SELF PORTRAIT BY Simon Webb is pleated, so your
shoulder blades can
move around when
you lean over.”
By Ralph Lauren, £2,865.
ralphlauren.co.uk
Coat
“Sandro always delivers a great cut
Wish list in a wonderful material. I often pop
my collar because it looks better.”
Sunglasses £550. sandro-paris.com
“I’ve loved Tom Ford frames
ever since I found a pair in
a South African airport. This Watch
style suits my round face.” “The mocked-up designs, which I first saw
£320. At Selfridges. selfridges.com on Kickstarter, were inspired by old café
motorbike racers and tanks. I loved them.”
By Seals, £600. seals-watches.com
Jewellery
“This bracelet is still as beautiful
as the day I bought it. I really like
cowboy-style accessories and this
one features pistols.”
By Metal Couture, £445.
metalcouture.com
Camera
“I wanted a camera to
carry in my bag instead
of relying on my iPhone.
This Leica is a field model. Dog
It’s so well made, I can “Tommy is always in the
studio. He makes my
take it with me every day.” subjects so much calmer.
£3,570. leicastore-mayfair.co.uk There’s no ego when
you’ve got a lovely dog
jumping on your lap.”
Boots
Story by Eleanor Halls
NEW
THE
WATCH
PAG E
I
n 1906, the Brazilian
aviator Alberto Santos-
Dumont became the first
man to achieve powered
flight without the aid
of a launch device. He
was, a scant two years
later, the first to produce
a commercially available
aircraft, the Demoiselle.
Unsurprisingly, he was
also the first to sport his
eponymous wristwatch,
created by his friend Louis
Cartier, which is credited
as being not only the first
pilot’s watch, but also the
first wristwatch designed
specifically for men. The
Santos went on sale in
1911, serving as perhaps
the most elegant “tool
watch” of its age, achieving
truly mass appeal when it
was finally made available
in bicolour and steel
models in the Seventies.
But the design is no relic:
PH
its handsome “rounded OT
OG
square” case is instantly RA
Photography assistant Davide Cassinari Paper artist Maud Vantours
PH
recognisable and its BY
Th
credentials as a horological om
groundbreaker ensure as
Le
its continued currency. gr
an
Cartier has chosen 2018 d
to celebrate Santos-
Dumont’s daredevil
genius by offering two
new steel-cased models:
one automatic (available
in two sizes), the other
a skeletonised, manually-
wound version available
in the larger size. Bill Prince
Santos De Cartier by Cartier,
from £4,100. cartier.co.uk
Eric Underwood
Isaac Carew
Allen Leech
Jim Chapman
Craig McGinlay
Douglas Booth
Joe Cole
THE
PARTY
Amaury Vinclet
Jeremy Irvine
THE
TREND
ALERT
T-shirt by Diesel, £50. T-shirt by APC, £95. T-shirt by Prada, £440. T-shirt by Boss Orange, £35. T-shirt by Givenchy, £320.
diesel.com At Harvey Nichols. harveynichols.com At farfetch.com hugoboss.com At matchesfashion.com
GQ is the only magazine in Britain dedicated to bringing you the very best in style,
investigative journalism, comment, men’s fashion, lifestyle and entertainment.
British GQ is the brand to beat
NEW! 2017 BSME Editor Of The Year 2010 Amnesty International Media Award
2017 Lovie Best Website For Lifestyle 2010 One World Media Press Award
2017 Digiday Publishing Awards Europe 2010 The Maggies Magazine Cover Of The Year
Best Use Of Facebook Live 2010 P&G Awards Best Styling (GQ Style)
2017 Digiday Publishing Awards Europe 2009 PPA Writer Of The Year
Best Branded Content Program 2008 BSME Editor Of The Year
2017 PPA Writer Of The Year 2007 BSME Magazine Of The Year
2017 AOP Audience Development Team Of The Year 2007 BSME Brand Building Initiative Of The Year
2017 CNI Best Brand Financial Performance In 2007 MDA/MJA Press Gazette Awards Best Cover
Native Advertising 2007 P&G Awards Best Styling (GQ Style)
2017 CNI Best Native Campaign Of The Year 2006 P&G Awards Best Grooming Editor (GQ Style)
2016 BSME Editor Of The Year 2006 P&G Awards Best Styling (GQ Style)
2016 Digiday Awards Europe Video Team Of The Year 2006 MDA/MJA Press Gazette Awards
2016 Shots Awards Brand Entertainment Interviewer Of The Year
Of The Year - Series 2006 MDA/MJA Press Gazette Awards
2016 Ciclope Festival Finalist, Best Direction Best Designed Consumer Magazine
2016 Lovie Long Form Or Series Video First Place 2006 MDA/MJA Press Gazette Awards
2016 Lovie Long Form Or Series Video People’s Choice Subbing Team Of The Year
2015 DMA Men’s Lifestyle Magazine Of The Year 2006 PPA Writer Of The Year
2005 PPA Writer Of The Year
2015 FMJA Stylist Of The Year (GQ Style)
2005 Magazine Design Awards Best Cover
2014 BSME Digital Art Director Of The Year
2004 Association Of Online Publishers Awards
2014 DMA Designer Of The Year Best Website
2014 TCADP Media Award 2004 BSME Magazine Of The Year
2014 FPA Feature Of The Year 2003 PPA Writer Of The Year
2014 FPA Journalist Of The Year 2002 BSME Magazine Of The Year
2014 Amnesty International Media Award 2002 PPA Writer Of The Year
2014 PPA Editor Of The Year 2001 BSME Magazine Of The Year
2014 FMJA Online Fashion Journalist Of The Year 2001 PPA Designer Of The Year
2013 EICA Media Commentator Of The Year 2001 Printing World Award
2013 DMA Men’s Lifestyle Magazine Of The Year 2000 Total Design Award
2013 BSME Editor Of The Year 2000 Jasmine Award Winner
2013 FMJA Outstanding Contribution To 1999 Printing World Award
London Collections Men 1999 Jasmine Award Winner
2013 PPA Magazine Writer Of The Year 1999 PPA Designer Of The Year
2012 Mark Boxer Award 1995 Ace Press Award Circulation
2012 BSME Editor Of The Year 1995 Ace Press Award Promotion
2012 DMA Lifestyle Magazine Of The Year 1995 PPA Columnist Of The Year
2012 Help For Heroes Outstanding Contribution 1994 PPA Publisher Of The Year
2012 Px3 Prix De La Photographie Paris Gold Medal 1991 British Press Circulation Award
2011 Foreign Press Association Media Awards, Sports Best Promotion Of A Consumer Magazine
2011 Amnesty International Media Award
DETAILS
THE
LONDON
SCENE
W
P9 Signature by
This pair of stylish cans scooped a Red Dot Bowers & Wilkins
design award last year and we can see why. As One of the best over-
well as their slick charms, they also neatly fold ear Lightning ’phones
away for easy travel storage and offer terrific money can buy –
sound thanks to their bang-up-to-date “planar Bowers has retooled
magnetic” drivers. As good for the recording its classic P9s for the
studio as they are for a long-haul flight. jack-free world. The
£400. audeze.com build (Saffiano leather
pads and a thick steel
band) is sublime; and
the sound (deep and
expansive) is just out
of this world.
£700. bowers-wilkins.co.uk
THE
LAB
TEST
Data hit... Rather than a traditional jack, this crop of must-have headphones have
a Lightning connector, which plugs into the universal socket on all new Apple devices.
UrBeats3 by Beats
W
We haven’t always been the biggest fan of
Beats’ bass-heavy numbers – but for its in-ear
UrBeats3, the Apple influence is now clear.
From the small-form factor to sleek styling,
there’s a lot we like in these buds. It still doesn't
hit all the right notes, but few look this good.
£90. apple.com
W
iSine10 by Audeze
Yep, they don’t exactly look conventional. But
then, these aren’t conventional headphones.
The bigger size enables them to offer a deep,
robust and detailed sound – and, at this price,
you would expect nothing less.
£450. audeze.com
W Rayz Plus
by Pioneer
They might be on the
cheaper side of this
high-end group, but
Pioneer’s in-ear buds
still pack a punch. With
smart noise-cancelling
and nifty features such
as auto-pause (thanks
to the powered
Lightning connection),
these are a solid and
stylish option. SM and CB
£150. pioneerrayz.com
THE
Snapchat king
Evan Speigel
is the boss of
this flex – only
betrayed by
the supermodel
leaving his PJ
The world’s ultra-monied elite have
abandoned conspicuous consumption
(you might not have noticed)
THE
RETAIL
TREND
Soda (London) Opening Cermony (NYC) YME Universe (Oslo)
The concept (in their words): The concept (in their words): The concept (in their words):
“We’re the School Of The Digital “In addition to stocking established “A curated universe of fashion,
Concept stores Age, a destination for new ideas and and emerging homegrown art, interior and design.”
emerged as a way to innovative technology products.” designers, every year OC showcases Who’s behind it? Central Saint
lure online customers Who’s behind it? Grace Gould, the spirit and merchandise of Martins graduate and graphic
back to bricks-and- formerly entrepreneur in residence a visiting country.” design trailblazer Nicolai
at venture capital firm LocalGlobe. Who’s behind it? UC Berkeley friends Schaanning Larsen.
mortar shops. Now,
Buy: The Light Phone, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. Buy: “03 Untitled (Frog)”,
the best have
a credit card-sized Buy: A classic OC varsity a limited-edition
websites so you handset that stores jacket with bespoke poster artwork by
can browse nine numbers. embroidery. £317. Tim Barber. £50.
from afar... £120. soda.shop openingceremony.com ymeuniverse.com
DETAILS
THE
INSIDE
STORY
5
1 Clock by 22 Design Studio, £120.
At Kohezi. kohezi.com
2 Carafes by Nisi, £80 for two. nisiliving.co.uk
Illustration Jonathan Allardyce Photograph Alexander Kent
Hard work
Who needs colour when outstanding design can brighten up your desk? From marble to concrete and
steel to ceramics, reshape your office with an assembly of monochromatics
swimwear O - M AT I C
this year
Hot new brand Les Girls Les
Boys gets set for summer
ENTREPRENEUR
Fabien Riggall
The founder and director of Secret Cinema – the immersive cinematic experience that has
sold more than half a million tickets since 2012 – reveals what he has learned
Photographs Getty Images; James Mason; Beccy Nuthall; Nigel Pacquette; Rex; Ashley Verse
THE
FASHION
EVENT
Charles Jeffrey
The Kent & Curwen show Rita Ora and Liam Payne
James Massiah The Liam Hodges show The Bobby Abley show
DETAILS
The Astrid Andersen show The Xander Zhou show The Edward Crutchley show
The Grenson x New Balance launch James Basmajian and Tom Stubbs
DETAILS
Caroline Rush The Band Of Outsiders show The Wood Wood show The Christopher Raeburn show
The Belstaff show The Kiko Kostadinov show Toby Huntington Whiteley,
Darren Kennedy and Hu Bing
Photographs Ben Broomfield; Getty Images; James Mason; Beccy Nuthall; Nigel Pacquette; Ashley Verse
The Man show
DETAILS
hosted
Côtes Du
Martinis and
Men’s dinner.
GQ’s London
Les Dauphins
Les Dauphins
Les Dauphins
Guests drank:
Fashion Week
Rhône Villages
Berners Tavern
Jason Atherton
and the team at
Grande Réserve
Blanc De Blancs
Côtes Du Rhône
Belvedere Vodka
Espresso Martinis
Tinie Tempah and Tracey Emin
Kenton Cool
Born in Slough,
Berkshire, Cool, married
with two children, is one
of the UK’s leading
alpine and high-altitude
climbers. He has led
many expeditions to
Everest and conquered
the mountain 12 times.
Cool has worked on
numerous climbing
documentaries for
television and is
currently working on
his second book;
his autobiography
One Man’s Everest was
published in 2015.
ith a jawline as sharp as any staggering 12 times. Not only has he led the physically demanding, highly pressurised
W
ridge he’s traversed, Kenton
Cool, 44, is one of the most
experienced and successful
high-altitude climbers Britain
has ever produced. Cool – originally “Kuhle”,
the family named was changed by his half-
German grandfather during the Second World
likes of Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ up the highest
mountain on earth, in 2013 he attained the
Everest Triple Crown, hitting the three peaks
that make up the Everest Horseshoe in the
space of seven days without going back to base
camp. “People always ask, ‘What is it like up
there?’” says Cool. “I tell them, it’s not those
journey that has led you to that incredible
moment.” When Cool isn’t guiding wealthy
adventurists into (and, mostly, out of danger)
you’ll find him preparing rigorously for the next
challenge. “Gym work, cross fit and my diet is
all very significant. But climbing is where my
passion lies. Get me out of the city and into a
War – has reached the summit of Mount last five steps to the summit that are important. wide-open space and I’m home. I need to keep
Everest (8,848 metres above sea-level) a It’s about what takes you there; the intense, testing myself; I need to keep evolving.”
‘Knowing
how to turn
pressure into
useful energy
rather than
cracking is
crucial’
Lance Tredell
Not yet 30 years old and
only six centimetres shy of
a towering two metres,
Tredell has the potential
to become one of this
country’s greatest ever
rowers. Selected for the
GB men’s eight at the
European Rowing
Championship in 2012, he
went on to graduate from
Oxford Brookes University
in 2015, then studying and
rowing at Cambridge
University, earning a Blue
in 2016 and 2017. He is
working towards
numerous competitions
and securing an Olympic
spot for Tokyo 2020.
You don’t just become a world champion you’re not just competing against whomever got at least got one eye trained on the
rower, a budding Olympian even, by hopping you’re racing against, you also want to beat Olympics in Japan then I’d call them out.
into a row boat one day, having a paddle your own times – and your teammates. It’s Yet, it’s about taking incremental, measured
about and waiting for your number to be ferocious. Putting pressure on yourself, and steps rather than peaking too soon.” When
called in. To reach the sort of heights that knowing how to turn that pressure into he’s not using his massive frame to propel
Lance Tredell, 29, has achieved as a member useful energy rather than cracking is crucial.” the thin, elegant rowing boats down the
of the British Rowing squad, you have to Tredell was selected for the GB men’s eight Thames in Putney with some serious elan,
know that rowing will become your life; it at the European Rowing Championships in he’s in the gym or, occasionally, on his
will consume you until you and the boat 2012 where he finished fifth, although his second great passion, his beloved motorbike.
are one. “As a professional athlete, you best result so far was a gold medal at the “Speed is a thing for me. Speed, control and
have to want to win above all else,” Tredell WCI Sydney. Naturally, he is eyeing Tokyo performance. Well, my coach would worry if
explains. “Every time you get on the water 2020: “If any athlete tells you they haven’t it wasn’t to be honest.”
G Partnership
Jeremy Todd
Todd is a currently a
Watch the GQ Under
Contract Administrator at
Crossrail Ltd, and part of Pressure film
a team of engineers
working on the new GQ filmed Kenton, Lance and Jeremy in an
Elizabeth Line station at exclusive look into each of their areas of
Tottenham Court Road. expertise. Go to gq-magazine.co.uk to watch
He graduated with a BE the video to find out more about using
(hons) in Mechanical pressure to your advantage.
Engineering from the
University of Canterbury,
NZ, in 2009 and previous
professional positions
include time as a team
co-ordinator at Revolution
Fibres and as a contract
administrator on HS2. He
lives in London and
enjoys running.
As a native New Zealander, when he which seems to suit the way my brain works.
graduated in Mechanical Engineering from There’s nothing else like it. Imagine such a vast
the University of Canterbury in 2009 you project occurring in central London, as busy
would think that Jeremy Todd was somewhat and dynamic as that is. It’s about turning the
used to dealing with epic distances and pressure of working in such an environment
huge, panoramic superstructures. Yet little into a set of achievable, practical solutions.
did he think he’d be working on a project The benefits of the new line will be staggering;
as all-encompassing as Crossrail – Europe’s it will bring an extra 1.5 million people to
biggest infrastructure project costing £14.8 within 45 minutes of central London.”
billion, now in its final stages with the new Of course, there’s no suggestion of Todd and
Elizabeth line due to open in December 2018. the Crossrail team not making the deadline.
“Crossrail provides such a great opportunity “The different engineering teams working Visit gq-magazine.co.uk
and a unique set of challenges to set your at the individual Tube stations being built or to view the film
mind on as an engineer,” says Todd, having upgraded are very competitive; it drives us #underpressure
before this worked as a contract administrator on and keeps us focused. Pride is a powerful
on HS2. “It’s mostly about problem solving, thing when put under pressure.”
Jonathan Heaf
Photograph Allstar Collection
EDITED BY
Velocity Black
these
2.
Wanna eat wagyu beef on the edge
of a live volcano while dressed in
impossible-to-buy Vetements? Your
wish is Velocity’s command.
@ugandaskateboardcommunity
Bringing the country’s skaters
together, one grind at a time.
3.
Stealth ‘analogue’ tech
watches
The Omata One bicycle speedometer;
combining beauty and (digital) brains.
Purple reign
Pantone predicts that “Prince” purple
will be the colour of 2018.
Daniel Day-Lewis’
non-phantom threads
Heavy denim, crumpled flannel shirts
and junkyard belt buckles – sartorially,
when
4.
an astonishing personal performance.
5.
BAROMETER
you’re Hoodies
So… regular.
Liquor accoutrements
There is tragic. And then there are
whisky stones.
Wallets
ANGRY
Nothing says old-school/disorganised
Illustration by Ricardo Fumanal like a bloated wallet the size
of a Big Mac.
drop Commodities schommodities. Stocks and bonds are for chumps. Trainers, watches, luggage and
streetwear are now the new asset class. Greed may be good, as Gordon Gekko famously declared,
but here, at New House Rules, we always respect the “style never sleeps” rule.
Buy clothes to wear? What are you? A schmuck on wheels? Bought that shirt because your wife
or
liked it? Loser. You can get rich while getting dressed if you know how: cop (invest) or drop and flip
(resell on eBay or grailed.com). Look at the hypebeasts (cool-hunting investors) lined up outside the
Supreme store every week. You think they wait just to spend their parents’ hard-earned cash on yet
another branded hoodie? Nope. They’re hustling their way to the next “grail piece” (an extremely hot
commodity), such as those rarer-than-Elvis-duetting-with-2Pac pair of Pharrell x Adidas NMDs.
flip? But what happens when Craig David is seen carrying that Supreme x Louis Vuitton rucksack? How
do you minimise the potential price drop? Or, if Drake is instead sporting the rucksack, maximise the
reward? Simple: portfolio diversification and insider information. It’s time to get rich, the New House
Rules way, with GQ’s essential style stock tips.
By Alfred Tong
Expert take: “The Expert take: “Andrew Expert take: “Demna Expert take: “The thing Expert take: “My feeling
Virgil Abloh collab is Grima was the celebrity Gvasalia’s version of Ikea’s about a mechanical watch is that the Supreme x
Nike’s response to the jeweller of the Sixties blue tote bag doesn’t have is that in 50 or 60 years’ Louis Vuitton trunk will
really successful Adidas and Seventies. His work the same appeal to me time it’ll still work,” says be the iconic embodiment
Yeezy collab,“ says DJ was truly extraordinary,” and might be seen as Chris Hall, digital editor of collaboration in this
Kish Kash, whose trainer says Tim Bent, founder purely ironic and soon of luxury watch magazine decade, a statement of
range has been exhibited of vintage luggage forgotten,” says Bent. “At QP. “Will that necessarily intent from the ultimate
in the Design Museum. specialist Bentleys. “His least the Louis Vuitton be true of the Apple luxury fashion house to
“The story is really extravagance has been out trunk [far right] is Watch Hermès? Or will embrace street culture,”
interesting because of vogue, but the brutalist handmade by its best it become yet another says Bent. “Any Vuitton
Abloh of Off-White is a textures he created are craftsman and reflects electronic device collector would feel
Kanye West collaborator. mesmerising. I’d buy the brand’s heritage and gathering dust? It might they should have one
Demand is driven by them. They’re wearable values. So I’d say that have some appeal to a in their collection – it’s a
supply and hype, so art, beautifully detailed the Vetements bag is a certain kind of nerd, massively impressive and
Photographs Matthew Beedle
while the hype for these and utterly unique.” high-risk option – a real but I wouldn’t buy it for immediately recognisable
is off the charts, it’s still GQ says: An artist’s roll of the dice.” investment reasons.” piece of design.”
unclear how many will be reputation is often GQ says: Is the GQ says: Some ultra-rare GQ says: Collabo di
released. We don’t know established when an luxurification of the digital watches have huge tutti collabo.
how high the prices will influential collector starts mundane by Gvasalia cachet among collectors.
go and for how long. to buy their work. Right either postmodern art for Could the Apple Watch
It depends on the now, Grima is being the Instagram generation Hermès go the same way?
eventual availability.” talked up by every luxury or simply the emperor’s Oversaturation could be
GQ says: Cop and flip magazine editor this side new clothes? That’s the an issue as Apple will
– and do it quick. of the Burlington Arcade. gamble you take... have made a ton of them.
Ari Gold
pyramid. It’s important to get
the dose right.”
The dealer harvests the
mushrooms on a full moon
and adds essential oils – I
mean, it wouldn’t be LA if
there wasn’t some pseudo
health-kick to all this, right?
Takes
Hawaiian mushrooms make
for an ecstasy-type high,
which is smoother and less
brain-flipping than British
psychedelic mushrooms.
“They’re popular at Coachella
and Burning Man,” says the
actress. “Filmmakers and writers
take it in micro doses to help
them focus. It helps to reset you
in a way and it’s been proven to
a Trip
help with depression.”
A while back the likes of
Nick Nolte used to enthuse
about the creative advantages
‘Filmmakers
take it in
micro doses
to help
How psychedelic truffles became LA’s new after-dinner mint them focus’
By Alfred Tong how rich, how deeply, the ground is cool, but of taking GHB, now it’s
mysteriously, sumptuous!” since you failed biology psychedelic fungi that’s got LA
You may think that Woah. Every decade and and chemistry GCSEs also talent all starry-eyed. Think of
you like clothes, but social set has its drugs pretty dangerous. Right them like turbocharged dinner
have you ever looked at your of choice and, right now, now, a mysterious dealer of mints. “You’d never be able to
trousers while high on magic upwardly mobile creative psychedelic champignon tell what it was by looking at
mushrooms? Allow us to people are all about chocolate is the talk of it,” the actress tells NHR. “I
enlighten you. Here’s some psychedelic mushrooms. Trust Tinseltown. “I’ve never met the left a half-eaten [mushroom-
next-level trouser appreciation us, your bespoke suits and connection and the guy I get infused praline truffle] in the
from Aldous Huxley’s 1954 midcentury furniture will never them off has only just started fridge and I was like, ‘Dad, do
book, The Doors Of Perception: look the same again. Nor will dealing with the person directly you know what happened to Illustration Jason Levesque Photographs Getty Images
“Those folds in the trousers your next screenplay, app or after eight years,” a Hollywood my herbal chocolate?’ He went
– what a labyrinth of endlessly marketing strategy. actress informed us at a British to Homebase afterwards...”
significant complexity! And the But don’t just do any old wedding last summer. “They’re His trousers must have
texture of the grey flannel – shrooms. Picking them from beautifully packaged little looked incredible, man.
subscription offer
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Bloom
himself. In fact, from
gives ZERO f***s eveningwear to airports
to the beach and back
again, Bloom is the most
low-key and laid-back
Hollywood dresser
we’ve ever scoffed at.
So, here’s four signature
Bloom manoeuvres you
can integrate into your
own look this spring.
By Alfred Tong Hang loose, fellow
style slackers.
You’re wrong about
Orlando Bloom. Yes, you
heard. Just plain wrong. Four ways
And here’s why: he has to Bloom
single-handedly turned
the oxymoron “well- 1. Easy airport style
dressed lazy hobo” into Bloom’s relaxed approach
spring 2018’s liveliest seems precision tooled for
long-haul flights: lightweight
style statement. When
layers consisting of vest,
was the last time a shirt with three buttons
Hollywood star did undone and a bomber jacket
that? Keanu Reeves on top, drop-crotch trousers
and brown Nikes down low.
sitting alone on a bench Turning left has never looked
with a cupcake? so effortless.
Bloom’s slouchy
approach to getting 2. Dress-down black tie
Black tie with no tie? No
dressed makes him
problemo. Hi-top trainers
the living, breathing Orlando Bloom navigates with tieless black tie? Why
embodiment of zero- the roads of LA in style the hell not? Double down
fucks-given slacker on the casual at night and
you won’t be mistaken for
style. Smart-casual is a waiter. Make sure your
for fashion apologists,
those who sit on the
fence between making
Smart-casual white shirt is crispy AF to
pull off dress-down black tie.
an athleisurewear
statement and wearing
is for fashion 3. Restructured suiting
What’s softer than Drake’s
apologists
Photographs Blackgrid; Getty Images; Alexei Hay; Xposure
They’re right. They work. They clarify, cut through and capture the essence
of ‘corporate escapism’. Oh yes, gentlemen, Wall Street’s best look is back
The Nile Rodgers mix of doubly well from skinheads, A Clockwork
“Lost In Music” rolled on in braces. Waistbands have Orange and the big dick-
my ears days after it accompanied gone higher too and swinging culture of Wall
Fendi’s Spring/Summer show. It braces bring them up Street. There’s bondage
was an electrifying affair. A hectic, critical inches. Trews involved, too, straps
alpha mix of Eighties tracksuit- just hang better without evoking Sam Browne
inspired leather blousons, madras belts, which can be holsters. Tongue-
jackets clashing with bold print ties bulky and restrictive. in-cheek bravado in
and wicked-pleat trousers held up Braces are effectively getting “twanged-up”
high by striped braces. Fendi called pro-tailoring. Belts is a stance upgrade.
it “corporate escapism” but to me are heinous with suits Another appeal is the
it was Wolf Of Wall Street does anyway, but now instant access; there’s a
casual. Braces cranked up the ballsy deploying braces gives low-budget braces scene
retro mix. That’s what braces do. a fresh frisson of virility. on Amazon and eBay for
Michael Douglas as Gordon
I got into braces through the Braces channel a strain those who are looking.
Gekko in Wall Street, 1987 burgeoning wide-trouser scene. of macho aggro via A couple of clicks and
Well-cut voluminous strides hang associations with snap! You’re holding
an arsenal. Go for cool
colour matching or
tonal blending with
The NEW members’ club anti-dress codes existing looks. Contrast
with stripes. Even go
(Clue: trainers are fine so long as you can’t actually run in them) exotic with leopard- or
zebra-print for a hidden
flash under eveningwear.
As for fastenings, you
have two options: clip-
on or buttons. Clip-ons
are a major “skin” motif,
MARK’S SOHO 5 HERTFORD but also punk and
ANNABEL’S WHITE’S
CLUB HOUSE STREET
new wave and have a
generally homemade
look – an immediate
OFFICIAL/ One of the improv accessory. I’m
UNOFFICIAL Mark Birley
James
Otis Ferry
Derek Queen’s
MEMBERSHIP Corden Blasberg corgis. also busting out strides
MASCOT A male one with existing brace
buttons too, such
Anything that
as from Anderson &
T-shirts, polo
shirts, collarless
isn’t a bespoke Sheppard or Edward
“Leather navy-blue suit,
WHAT NOT or unbuttoned A neck tie
or suede” tie and polished
Sexton. These look
TO WEAR shirts. Oh, and Flip-flops significantly vintage
black leather
cowboy boots
Oxfords and evoke the early/
Box-fresh mid-20th century, which
Gucci ace Whatever
you drove up can be a cool accent.
Loro Piana embroidered Occasionwear,
cashmere- trainers preferably
in from Stow- Whatever your Avoid looking too
WHAT TO On-The-Wold
blend blazer velvet groomsman quaint and antique
WEAR (except picked out
the wellies) for you with the button option,
though. Plus, watch
“How does one “The only (another age concern)
Photographs Alamy; Getty Images
make a mark on your body. are just showing stormtrooper or a best hats in the world. But then
Well – to use a word that Radio off, trying to appear zoot-suited razor due to excessive use of perox-
4 hate so much – I feel pretty as a hipster or an boy. For him it ide as a teenager I’ve been bald
much the same about hats. To wit: itinerant boho and was fancy dress since I was 20.
you only wear one if you can’t looking ridiculous in and nowadays he So, unless you’re similarly
succeed at anything else. Sure, the process. If you wouldn’t get away afflicted, please go commando.
T H R E E WAYS TO W E A R : T H E P O LO S H I R T T H E B A S I C T H AT ’ S A N Y T H I N G B U T
Listen, we get your apprehension As we pull ourselves out of Remember when you used to look
at rocking a plain polo shirt our winter wardrobes, we can at photos of boys in bands draped
without any other style trimmings finally think about what our by supermodels at parties and
– no varsity bomber to give you lives might be like without wonder why you’re going home
some swag, no safety blanket by cold-battling coats, scarves with an M&S meal for one and
way of a grey marl sweater. No and snoods. A smart polo a copy of the TLR? Well, a polo
one wants to look like a golfer, shirt with a killer suit is shirt might be your way back into
not even men who play golf, a surefire way to get props. the game. Pick something with
but stop to appreciate how You need some élan to carry swagger – in silk or one with an
someone such as Idris Elba uses it off: the best route is to let eye-scrambling pattern – and then
Photograph Mark Lebon
the humble polo shirt. Combined your suit do the popping and throw over a vintage leather jacket.
with a pair of well-tailored underlay the tailoring with a Wear untucked with a pair of black
trousers, a quality cashmere-blend subtle polo shirt. You don’t Acne narrow jeans and (if you dare)
polo shirt can look hyper modern want to look like anyone those Saint Laurent Cuban heels.
and confident. The trick is to get who’d call themselves a Walk like Jim Morrison, drink like
the fit right: not too tight or too “creative”, so stay away Jim Beam. For extra points add
loose. It also helps if you have a from fashion trainers or a gold chain and (why not?)
punchy set of guns to add shape. jazzy embellishments. an earring. JH
Illustrations by Bill Hope
Forget brand values and mission statements, this luxury leather goods start-up lets its wares do the talking
It is not often I get excited Walliams yeses that results in a high-quality, even stitching, skins your life looking for in the dark-
by a luxury start-up. I am shower of golden tickets falling skived away to nearly nothing in ened depths of your hand luggage.
bombarded with information from the ceiling in Britain’s Got the wallets, handles built around This modular approach has been
from inchoate brands impatient Talent. The croc is soft, supple cores of rope not rubber, edges extended to include a number of
to burst upon the world and into and super expensive – a bag will painted with the sort of care that zip-up pouches for shirts, socks,
the wallets of the rich. While I am cost about the average national Canaletto would have appreciated. toiletries etc. Their carefully cal-
delighted that people still make salary. The black calfskin is But it is the concept that makes culated dimensions ensure that
nice stuff, experience tells me that French and blemishless. But the the difference. The entire range they can be arranged in an inter-
luxury requires maturity. When brown “Marrakech” suede is the is built around the “Runaway”, a nal jigsaw puzzle in each bag.
parting with large sums of money, real winner. I am sure it would, travel wallet/clutch that opens flat The brand was inspired by the
things need to be thought through ahem, “patinate” rapidly with use, and fits into the larger bags using a Sixties and Seventies. Mieck will
and grown up: materials, execu- but it is gorgeous. Its handle is clever system of chrome hooks to happily tell you how the stitching
tion, retail experience... the lot. addictive, almost worth a detour provide an instant in-bag organiser on the Vagabond, the most ver-
And that takes time to get right. to the shop to come and stroke it. for all the stuff you spend hours of satile of their bags (pictured), is
But once in a while something The overall feel is robust rather borrowed from a vintage motor-
comes along that has done all
the thinking in advance. LONB –
than delicate and the result is an
aesthetic that is equally at home
It is equally cycle jacket and the undoubtedly
satisfying and solid click when
which stands for Love Or Nothing on a hot and dusty bus journey in at home on you snap the Runaway into place
Baby – is just such a thing. Morocco as it is on a private jet. a hot, dusty inside the bag is based on the
Although it might sound like a
tattoo parlour slogan from the
Construction and finishing
appears to be commensurate
bus and a sound when he closes the door
of his 1971 Porsche.
early Seventies, it is in fact a new with the standard of the materials: private jet The Sixties/Seventies fetish
luggage brand that comes ready continues in the shop, which fea-
bundled with its own concept. tures a statement chandelier in the
Created by Reinhard Mieck Pierre Cardin-meets-Barbarella
and Melissa Morris – they met idiom, slatted wooden panelling
when he was CEO of Labelux and and, instead of a cash desk, a little
she was at Belstaff, one of its bar at the back that creates the
brands – my advice is to bypass ambience of a cocktail lounge in
the mission statement, which an upscale hotel, circa Studio 54.
is all “traditional luxury values And in that it mimics the inte-
married with a modern outlook rior detailing of the bags: there
to create a heritage which starts are pockets and slots and gussets
today”, and go straight to their galore. So many that in the larger
London flagship store on South bags one loses count as another
Audley Street, conveniently compartment is opened and
located across the road from a new set of card slots,
Harry’s Bar and George, phone holsters, pass-
a couple of doors down port places and so on are
from Purdey. revealed, making LONB
I see a lot of leather the luggage for you if
bags in a year and the you have multiple iden-
criteria by which I judge tities. But even if you are
them is simple: would I not Jason Bourne you will
want one? The answer to still find much to like.
what I saw at LONB is yes. 59 South Audley Street, London
Four yeses. One of those David W1. lonb.com
Bamboo Charcoal Whitening Polish by Mr Blanc Teeth 9/10 Face Mask by Le Labo 8 /10
This is the toothpaste I will be using for the rest of my life. I’ve seen Le Labo makes beautiful fragrances and the packaging of this mask
people promoting the whitening effects on Instagram and the results has the same kind of “apothecary” vibe as the brand’s other products.
looked too good to be true. It’s just so easy to edit photos that I didn’t They look great in any bathroom and when you open the lid, you’re
trust a single one of the images I saw, but I can testify that it works. greeted by a good-enough-to-eat scent of marzipan (the fact that the
Charcoal whitens teeth in a similar manner to the way it cleans skin – substance itself is a black paste should be enough to deter you from
by soaking up anything that shouldn’t be there. It also improves general actually having a nibble).
oral health by altering the pH balance in your mouth, making it an It’s refreshingly cool on
environment that discourages the usual dental suspects. your skin and very easy to
The packaging, however, is diabolical and brushing your teeth with work into every nook and
black paste does take some getting used to. It’s also worth noting that cranny your face has to
I have naturally offer. Once on, it goes to
white teeth and work absorbing pollution,
this is a stain toxins and general detritus
remover, not and ten minutes later you
an active can enjoy a complexion
whitener, but that feels clean and oil-free.
it’s the best one A little goes a long
I’ve used and way and the tub holds a
at £8 a tube, generous 125ml, so even
I’m sold. though it comes in at £32
mrblanc it has serious longevity.
teeth.com lelabofragrances.com
Charcoal & Black Pepper Soap by Scrubd 7/10 Detoxifying Charcoal Facial
Male skin has some features that differ from female skin, with specific Wipes by Yes To 7/10
areas requiring a little TLC. This soap is made specifically for men and For the most part, face wipes are
you can tell by the way it looks. It’s a big black block. Admittedly, we a bit naff. You can’t massage them
didn’t get along on our shower together: it was cumbersome to hold into your skin and there’s nothing
and took a lot of working before it would lather up. But it didn’t take to wash off. Essentially, when you
long to become more ergonomic and bubble-friendly, at which point, use them you’re just pushing dirt
my opinion totally changed. around your face. Adding charcoal,
Often, I find bars of soap can dry out my skin, but the shea butter though, is a stroke of genius. It
left me feeling actively pulls unwelcome additions
hydrated, the from your skin.
black pepper Wipes of any kind are never going
oil energised to replace an actual facial wash, but
me for the day if you’re in a rush or travelling, or as
ahead and an additional step after a cleanse or
the charcoal face mask, they can definitely add
Illustration Ricardo Fumanal
WATC H J I M C H A P M A N ’ S V I D E O R E V I E WS AT G Q .CO. U K / P R O F I L E /J I M - C H A P M A N
Bringing you the very latest in fashion, grooming, watches, news and exclusive events
1 Jacket by Oliver Spencer, £290. oliverspencer.com 2 Glasses by Tom Ford, £220. tomford.com 3 Jacket by Michael Kors, £970. michaelkors.co.uk
4 Rucksack by Moncler, £425. moncler.com 5 Watch by Bremont 1918, £16,995. bremont.com 6 Bag by Emporio Armani, £550. armani.com
7 Jacket by Loro Piana, £1,930. loropiana.com 8 Shoes by Massimo Dutti, £109. massimodutti.com 9 Jacket by Barbour, £179. barbour.com
We love
Spring/Summer 2018 by
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Photograph Roger Stillman
Rucksack by
Prada, £830.
prada.com
Glasses by Lindberg,
£1,220. lindberg.com
How to
Dress for both work and play
Looking for a Shoreditch House substitute? professional encounters and for times when
The Curtain may be just what you need. business needs to take a back seat. But
With an interior straight out of Downtown whether you’re there for work or play, it’s
Manhattan (think warehouse industrial with important to keep your look sharp. Keep
a sense of modern masculinity) blended your tailoring relaxed and layer over
with an effortlessly cool east London textured knitwear to give a soft alternative
attitude, the Curtain slots seamlessly into its to a stuffy suit. If using its co-working
Retail Editor Holly Roberts
bustling surroundings of Shoreditch while space, ensure your commute is hands free,
breathing new creative energy into the area. with this sporty, but smart, rucksack from
The members club, which opened last year, Prada – perfectly sized to pack all of your
is a place to work, network and play. Along daily essentials.
with the newly opened co-working space, it The Curtain, 45 Curtain Road, London Bag by Remus Uomo, £149.
remusuomo.com
has all the tools in place for both EC2A 3PT. thecurtain.com
store-uk.raymond-weil.co.uk
the book O the recipe O the bar O the bottle O the restaurant O the clubs O the hotel O the trolley
The Book
The Recipe
The Bottle
Ceylon Arrack
A highly sought spirit from Sri Lanka’s palmtops
Ceylon Arrack owes everything to the “toddy tappers”, the
men who clamber spider-like up tall palms, then walk between
them on perilous single ropes to collect the precious coconut
sap. It must be harvested at dawn so exactly the right amounts
of yeasts and sugars are preserved, after which the sap is left
to ferment naturally before being distilled then aged in native
Halmilla wood vats.
It’s a versatile spirit, popular in cocktails at the likes of Hoppers,
Soho’s perpetually packed Sri Lankan bolt hole, where it’s the
star of the arrestingly named Arrack Attack No2 (Arrack, lime,
cucumber, ginger beer and turmeric). Neat, it lies somewhere
between a refined rum and a light single malt, with whispers of
caramel and honey alongside the coconut and floral aromas. Pour
out a glass, imagine the breezes from the Indian Ocean instead
of the biting wind and be thankful to the toddy tappers that your
next drink is no longer a tree-climb away. Amy Matthews
The Bar
O£28.99. ceylonarrack.com
The Berkeley hotel’s new alcohol odyssey begins homeslicepizza.co.uk bleeckerburger.co.uk caravanrestaurants.co.uk
Titanic, Liverpool
Mersey’s dockside regeneration starts here, at this high-end waterfront address
Where we have been
No jokes about sinking, eating this month...
please. Titanic is not a
themed hotel, but it does
borrow from the storied tradition
of Liverpool’s docks. It is also the
first major step in the £5 billion
redevelopment of the Mersey
waterfront that will transform the
look and feel of the entire city.
Like so many things about this
resurgent and resilient place,
football is a factor. Sport tourism Luca
is not only the biggest pull the Bearded hipsters who gush about
city has – along with some pop The Clove Club, this one’s for you.
Highbrow pseudo-midcentury interior
band you may have heard of – meets clever Italian comfort food.
but almost all the Premier League Standout dish
and European teams visiting to Conchiglie with pork sausage,
play either Liverpool or Everton – plus the calm-inducing silence of their generous suites. tomato and ricotta salad.
decamp to the Titanic, knowing GQ’s Dockside suite had more rooms than The Crystal 88 St John Street, London EC1.
020 3859 3000. luca.restaurant
they will get the luxury, privacy Maze and from the window, we faced the millpond
and quality of service their stillness of the docks and the next building set for
pampered players expect. rebirth, the even more monumental Tobacco Warehouse.
One of the advantages of such Downstairs, Stanley’s Bar & Grill delivers the moreish
an impressive – indeed massive – classics you would expect and the bar specialises in
building with which to develop the quality rum, with more than 100 names from around
offering (it was constructed in 1854 the world, while the spa’s below-ground pool and
as the North Warehouse on Stanley treatment rooms add to the sense that this a genuine
Dock, which is itself part of a retreat in the most unlikely of locations. Titanic shares
Unesco World Heritage Site and the size and style of its namesake, but when it comes
had stood derelict between 1980 to the future it is heading in an entirely different Meraki
and 2014) is that it can facilitate direction. George Chesterton Peter and Arjun Waney’s modern
Greek restaurant offers authentic
awesome spaces for restaurants OLiverpool Stanley Dock, Regent Road, Liverpool L3 0AN. regional dishes and classic mezze.
and conference and event centres 0151 559 3356. titanichotelliverpool.com
Standout dish
Celebration leg of lamb with herb crust
and caper salsa verde (for three).
Pop into London’s Michelin- 80-82 Great Titchfield Street,
The Trolley London W1. 020 7305 7686.
starred Aquavit and ask for
a Scandi Mule and you’ll be meraki-restaurant.com
Aquavit London served the house’s signature
cocktail consisting of a lemongrass and
Meet the Scandi spirit service shaking things up grapefruit syrup mixed with lime juice,
fennel, ginger beer, caraway tincture
and a shot of OP Anderson Original,
Sweden’s oldest and most celebrated
“aqua vitae” – the healing liquid first
distilled by a Spanish alchemist in the
13th century more commonly known
as aquavit. Today, the national spirit of
Scandinavia – and therefore the perfect
nom de cuisine of London’s premier
Nordic restaurant – is now served from
its own tailor-made trolley containing
The Northall at Corinthia
the largest selection of aquavits in the Hotel London
Photograph Ming Tang-Evans
The Trail
Take
a
Photograph Plainpicture
hike
Alex Hannaford leaves the taprooms and roasters of Portland to scout falls,
peaks and coastlines in the Pacific Northwest
Subscribe
…to the British GQ
football podcast,
Strike!, hosted by
“foodball mad” GQ
Style Fashion Director
Elgar Johnson. Guests
so far have ranged
from Theo Walcott
to Oliver Spencer.
Treat
...yourself to a table at one of London’s most
romantic restaurants. Select one to visit from
our hugely popular and regularly updated
online guide.
Earn
Like …relationship points
by getting them
something they’ll
…British GQ on Facebook actually like this
to catch all our latest #Valentines. Go to
GQ.co.uk to find out
articles, galleries, videos what Team GQ will
and Facebook Lives. be buying this year.
TRAVEL
Falls, the state’s highest waterfall. Portland, Oregon 97211. +1 503 249 3983. mcmenamins.com. Cars from
It’s here that I find myself one winter £30 per day. hertz.com. For more information, visit travelportland.com
afternoon, standing amid the pines
overlooking the river. While scores of Cannon Beach on
people negotiate the icy car park below, Oregon’s northern coast
trying (and mostly failing) to avoid slipping
while walking in inappropriate footwear to
the nearby Benson Bridge for a spectacular
view of the Falls, I’m smugly sporting a
pair of £20 crampons. I hiked on for an
Beware
hour, feeling like a mountain goat, for the the bears
best view. if you’re
But Multnomah Falls, which has provided
countless photographers with a scenic vista there at
for postcards since its construction in 1914, the tail
is just the tip of the iceberg. Head to the
lodge near the bridge for a hot chocolate and
end of
take a look at the map on the wall: you’ll see winter
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 143
TRAVEL
The Piste
Where to eat
Photograph Camera Press/Guenter Stand
Glenmorangie Spìos
Private Edition No9, £74.
glenmorangie.com
Whisky
in the
rye
Glenmorangie’s new limited-
edition single malt is its first
ever to be fully matured in
American ex-rye whiskey casks
very year since 2010,
E
Glenmorangie has released a new
single malt to add to its Private
Edition collection, a series which
has already helped the Highland
distillery pick up a long list of awards. This
year’s ninth entry into the canon is one of its
most intriguing creations yet. Glenmorangie
Spìos is its first ever single malt to be entirely
matured in casks that once contained
American rye whiskey.
As any Scots Gaelic speaker will tell you,
spìos means spice. The name invokes the
distinctive, spicy style of the rye whiskey,
which was so popular back in the early 20th
century that it inspired such timeless
cocktails as the Old Fashioned and
the Manhattan.
Although rye whiskey later slipped out of
fashion, its rare cinnamon and clove notes
caught the attention and the imagination of
Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling &
Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden. In the late
Nineties he arranged for the finest first-fill
casks from American rye whiskey’s heartland
of Kentucky to be shipped over to the
Glenmorangie Distillery in the Scottish
Highlands. In the years since they’ve
imparted their intriguing spice to
Glenmorangie’s famously smooth spirit.
It’s now available for the first time ever.
Glenmorangie Spìos represents the bringing
together of whisky traditions from either side
of the Atlantic, a process which has created
a full-bodied, savoury single malt that’s
unmistakably Scotch while also conjuring
up American rye whiskey’s golden age.
Glenmorangie Spìos tasting notes
The nose is fresh, herbal and perfumed with hints
of cherry. The taste has a spicy texture, with
toffee, clove and buttery vanilla. The finish is rich,
sweet and lingering.
Common ground The concrete pitch that gave Eddie Peake the title of his new show at White Cube Bermondsey refers to the artist’s boyhood hangout in Finsbury
Park, London. “I liked that it could be used by everybody and not contingent on class or race or sex.” As in life, so in Peake’s absurdist, sexually ambiguous aesthetic,
which enrols performance, video, installation and sculpture to explore the body as an erotic object. As well as paintings, Concrete Pitch hosts Kool London DJs, who
are broadcasting an online radio show for the duration. Until 8 April. whitecube.com. To read Sophie Hastings’ full interview with artist Eddie Peake, visit GQ.co.uk
how to fix the future. It’s how Silicon Valley he pays a moving tribute to the unusual edu- digestible account of US and Mexico rela-
can again become our friend. cation and influence she provided. “As almost tions, a nuanced portrait of Mexican cultural
How To Fix The Future: Staying Human In The everything at home was homemade, the idea blessings and ills, The Line Becomes A River
Digital Age (Atlantic, £20) by Andrew Keen of making one’s own songs didn’t really seem is a page-turning personal story that holds
is out on 1 March. like a stretch.” Coal Black Mornings wisely until the final page and wrenches long after.
Or, now that we can airbrush out assholes, and Lex Luther. The closest he’s come to list. That a man like Spacey should be seen
where do we stop? playing a likeable person was in American on screen playing a giant like Vidal would
According to people familiar with the Beauty, and even there he was trying to horrify more still. But shouldn’t we be the
reshoot (dubbed the “Spacey Replacey”) sleep with his teenage daughter’s best friend ones to decide?
only close-ups will be reshot on loca- from school. All The Money In The World is out on
tion. Those featuring other cast members, To watch Spacey in All The Money In The 22 December.
here is a black hole in our health its proper medical name, a finger up the a feeble excuse because some forms of cancer
ow that the New Year festivities are deal with the professionally sour Democratic no such thing. To win office, Corbyn must
CUVÉE ROSÉ
CHOSEN BY THE BEST
Ranked N°1 for braking on dry surfaces* and excellent on wet surfaces, the
MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 S is engineered for superior safety and performance.
Thanks to its Dynamic Response technology and ultra-reactive tread pattern,
it delivers revolutionary steering control and instantaneous responsiveness.
Acclaimed by most performance car makers, it’s for those who love driving.
For more information and to find out just how good a sports tyre can be,
visit michelin.co.uk
*Tests conducted by TÜV SÜD in June and July 2016 on tyre size 255/35-19 96Y.
COMPILED BY Jason Barlow, Paul Henderson and Rich Taylor PHOTOGRAPHS BY Christoffer Rudquist
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H
This is it. The biggest and best line-up of GQ Car Award winners... ever. For this year’s awards, in
association with Michelin, we turned Rupert Murdoch’s old printworks in Wapping into the world’s
most spectacular garage to bring you 12 pages of killer concepts, hardcore hypercars, all-EV dream
machines, futuristic supertrucks and even our own custom motorcycle. Impressed? You will be
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 159
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 s
Genuine Passion
Exceptional Drives
Ranked N°1 for braking on dry surfaces* and excellent on wet surfaces, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 S is engineered for
superior safety and performance. Thanks to its Dynamic Response technology and ultra-reactive tread pattern,
it delivers revolutionary steering control and instantaneous responsiveness.
Acclaimed by most performance car makers, it’s for those who love driving.
For more information and to find out just how good a sports tyre can be, visit michelin.co.uk
*Tests conducted by TÜV SÜD in June and July 2016 on tyre size 255/35-19 96Y.
82 per cent
Proportion of
components and parts
in the new Continental
GT that are unique
to this car.
Bentley Continental GT
● Best Interior (And Possibly Exterior)
The original and slightly mischievous plan was to give the new Continental GT a GQ Award
purely for its interior. Bentley’s challenge was to locate the sweet spot where hi-tech intersects
with fabulous luxury. Challenge met: the leather that swathes so much of the GT’s cabin has
310,675 stitches, there’s ten square metres of veneer and the new central infotainment display
sits in a binnacle that deploys 40 motors to rotate it out of view. Bentley has created a stunning
environment. And then you drive it – rarely has such epic performance been so gracefully
orchestrated. Best interior? Yes, and the rest.
From £154,400. bentleymotors.com
‘RR’
As in “Skepta RR”,
the track recorded
by grime’s golden
boy in the back of
a Phantom.
Rolls-Royce Phantom
● Best Supernatural Driving Experience
Rolls-Royce’s millennial reboot, the company airily declared back in 2003, was “the last great
automotive adventure”. The all-new Phantom doubles down on that and then some – simply put, this
beautiful machine does nothing less than reinvent the concept of car travel. Beyond its four enormous
wheels and 6.6-litre, 563bhp twin-turbo V12 engine, the Phantom keeps the outside world firmly at bay
(especially if you sink into the embrace of the most sumptuous rear compartment ever created). When
driving, it feels like Rolls-Royce has found a new and improved version of silence, as well as space – it
has an art gallery where others have a humdrum dashboard. A dazzling experience.
From £360,000. rolls-royce.com
24-hour care
Marchi’s
engineers can
remotely check
a vehicle’s
diagnostics
anytime,
anywhere in
the world.
Heli-car
The Elemment’s front
interior is designed to
look like a luxury jet’s
cockpit, but the cool
bubble-shaped
windscreen was
inspired by a
helicopter’s.
68 square metres
The largest
model offers
more living
space than many
two-bedroom
apartments.
Heavy metal
The Visione model
is 12 metres long,
2.5 metres wide,
four metres high
and weighs in at
26 tonnes.
Supermodels
There are four
models in the
Elemment range:
the MMpro,
the Visione
(pictured), the
Viva and the
Palazzo.
modern
luxury
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Hamish Brown
Rules of
engagement
Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s Chief
Designer, is the man responsible for
turning the concept of modern luxury
into automotive reality. Here are his
five rules for taking the BMW brand
to the next level…
“It is not enough to be at the
forefront of technology. We must also
be at the forefront of design. The
challenge for us when producing the
7-Series was that it wasn’t enough to
produce a luxury car. It also had to be
Dylan Jones a completely modern, top-of-the-
Paul Solomons
Editor-in-Chief, GQ Creative Director, GQ
range luxury car, that also delivers
Photographed in his GQ Photographed at the Design
the most vital BMW element: the
office at Vogue House Museum in Kensington driving. We need to create the
complete package.
initially greeted with scepticism. In 2017, Editor-in-Chief, Dylan Jones, these younger Millennial customers
BMW sold over 100,000 electrified vehicles. consumers are already “hyper aware of those
Dreher believes that it is younger consum- big brands, perhaps more so than any previ-
know what they want
ers that are pushing designs to be braver, more ous generation”. from a luxury car and it
innovative and have greater ecological respon- However, for these consumers, it isn’t just
sibility. “Millennials know what they want about the luxury, or about the cost. “What is up to us to fulfil that
from a luxury car,” he says. “They want an they are still looking for is ‘cool’,” says Jones. “Customer demand has changed our
electric component, super-connectivity, fantas- “What they are looking for is ‘design’. Some thinking. A few years ago, the concept
tic looks, and they want comfort.” He laughs. things are still driven by cost, exclusivity, by of improving engine technology and
“Twenty years ago, things were simpler... cus- rarity, but equally they want a product to developing connectivity seemed
tomers wanted beautiful design, comfort, and be interesting because they want to know contradictory in terms of enhancing
the driving experience. But because
decent handling. Now, if your iPhone doesn’t more about it. And they are prepared to customers wanted both, we found
connect with your car the instant you sit down, wait for a product they want if it fulfils their a solution.
it’s a problem.” ethical criteria.” “In the future our cars will be driven…
This new consumer, the next generation of With those six new models in the luxury and not driven. Our research tells us
dedicated – and very well informed – follow- range set for 2018, spearheaded by the that our customers enjoy driving as
much as they ever have, but if they can
ers of fashion, have thus become the target stunning 8-Series, it looks certain that the
spend half of a six-hour journey in
market for every luxury company competing next generation of BMW drivers won’t have control of the car and half of it relaxing
for their business. And according to British GQ to wait long. and letting the car take over, that is
their ideal scenario. That should be a
possibility within the next five years.
“Next year will see an entirely new
BMW concept 8-Series
line of design for BMW. Our new form
language will be cleaner, there will be
fewer lines, and the lines we do have
will be sharper than ever before. On
the interior, the cars will be cleaner,
with fewer buttons because the cars
will become more and more intelligent.
And the model I am most excited
about is the new 8-Series, which
is going to redefine the top end of
our brand.”
Audi A8
● The Taking The Limo To The Next Level Award
The only surprise about the Audi A8 winning a GQ Award was that it didn’t turn up driving
itself to collect the prize. Not only is the A8 a luxury technological marvel, it’s also the
first production car to feature “Level 3” autonomy, which means it can take over the driving
duties up to 37mph. That alone is utterly incredible, but even more amazing is that Audi has
produced a luxury automobile so refined and such a pleasure to drive that you won’t even
want to engage its AI smarts. Now that’s really clever…
From £68,215. audi.co.uk
No ‘e’
Derived from the latin
velare, meaning “veil”,
the Velar name dates
back to the Sixties when
Land Rover was building
its first Range Rover and
wanted to keep it
under wraps.
Bugatti Chiron
● Best Way To Make The Jump To Light Speed (And Stop Just As Quickly)
If the Rolls-Royce Phantom is luxury and beyond, the Bugatti threatens to tear clean through that into some
unknown outer edge. The Chiron’s essence is hard to compute: a £2.5 million price tag; an 8.0-litre, quad-
turbo, 16-cylinder engine that produces 1,479bhp and a top speed of 261mph; then 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds,
124mph in 6.5 or 186mph in 13.6… It would go faster if only the Bugatti’s (already spectacular) Michelin
tyres could cope. When Andy Wallace, Bugatti’s chief test driver, told GQ that, “It really comes alive above
150mph,” we wondered how many clients had their own private runway to test that. Paradoxically, the Chiron
is so magnificently designed, engineered and made that it’s just as impressive at 0mph.
From £2,518,000. bugatti.com
15
seconds
The time it takes to
lower the McLaren’s
roof at any speed
Farewell V12
below 25mph.
It’s believed the
Superfast will be the
final Ferrari powered
by a pure V12
engine.
TYRE TECH
THE ROUTE
Vision Mercedes-
Jaguar E-Type Zero Maybach 6 Cabriolet
● The Vision Of The Future Award
● Best Use Of Electricity Since The Lightbulb
The Mercedes-Maybach 6 looks like it has time-travelled from the
Nearly 60 years after the world’s most beautiful car hit the road, the E-Type Back To The Future: Part II set. Or, as GQ decided at the photo
still turns heads and reduces grown men to slack-jawed schoolboys. But now, shoot, the Cabriolet’s design is a cross between the Batmobile
thanks to Jaguar’s growing classic division, the E-Type is not only gorgeous and FAB 1 from Thunderbirds. This all-electric, hyper-modern and
to look at, but also good for the planet, after being retro-fitted with a zero- stunning concept car not only shows design at its most ambitious,
emissions, all-electric powertrain. There is only one right now, of course, but but also that it can be purposefully playful, with the interior
Jaguar says that it can convert any classic Jaguar – and change it back again featuring a pulsating, fibre-cabled “flux capacitor”. All we know is
too (if so desired). If that doesn’t deserve a GQ Award, then nothing does. that wherever the Vision is going, hopefully we will need roads…
jaguar.co.uk mercedes-benz-co.uk
Power pack
If the standard i30N
isn’t fast enough, an extra
£3,000 buys you the
Performance Pack,
with an extra 24bhp
and an electronic
differential.
Four
The difference in bhp
between the new
VW Up! GTI and the
original Golf GTI, at
109bhp, made
40 years ago.
Hyundai i30N
● Life And Seoul Of The Party Award
How do you turn up the heat on a hot hatch
from scalding to practically geothermal?
The answer, in Hyundai’s case, was to hire
a German engineer. Albert Biermann, the
head of high-performance development in
Volkswagen Up! GTI South Korea, made his name as the man who
pushed the BMW M Series to its absolute
limit – and now he is taking the i30 to
● The Scream If You Want To Go Faster Award
infinity... and beyond. This ferociously fun
Lest you think we live in a world utterly detached from reality, we give you the Up! GTI. five-door rocket ship has been developed
VW’s tiny city car was designed by the man now in charge of colouring-in at Ferrari and on the Namyang proving ground and the
its transition from spirited to sportiness is deftly managed. The Up! is almost Apple-like in Nürburgring Nordschleife (which might
its minimalist surfacing and detail. Its engine – one-eighth the size of the Chiron (VW owns explain why Hyundai calls its sporting
Bugatti) – is a 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder that produces 113bhp. But its size and lack of R&D team the N division) and, as a result,
mass (hitting the scales at less than a tonne) make for a diverting physics lesson, because is giving the Focus RS, the Golf GTI and
maintaining momentum in the VW is the main source of entertainment here. And even when the Honda Civic Type-R a serious run for
you are pushing on, you won’t be going all that fast. You’ll be going fast enough, though. your money.
From £14,000. volkswagen.co.uk From £24,995. hyundai.co.uk
Noisy pipes
The Thruxton R’s original
exhaust was chopped
off just below the
Back in black foot-pegs and replaced
with a perforated Light fantastic
The original rear was straight-through A handmade headlight
replaced with a stealthy steel exhaust. bracket, fabricated
LED-powered brake light
from sheet aluminium,
to keep the back
holds the dechromed
of the motorcycle as
Handcrafted Blinking cool and blacked-out
minimal and aggressive
UMC commissioned Indicators by single headlight.
as possible.
Glenn Moger to make a Motogadget, visible
handmade brown leather from both the front and
seat that’s slimmer and rear, are built into the
tighter than the original bar-ends of the lowered
Thruxton R seat and is clip-ons with no
fully exposed. visible wiring.
The big question on GQ’s mind was: how do “Uncompromised engineering is combined with “This is a timeless authentic design that conveys
we decide on the best motorcycle of the year? elegant lines, poise and ultimate performance.” a freedom of spirit, confidence and individuality.”
Then we had an idea: why not build our own? And with that, Kay set to work. “Design-wise, we But the Thruxton is no stealthy bike once it’s on
(With a little help from our friends, of course.) chose a stealthy black theme to run throughout the the road. “The sawn-off, straight-through exhausts
A collaboration was born between GQ, Barbour bike. And then contrasted that with the gold fork are loud and the low-mounted clip-on handlebars
International and Triumph Motorcycles. With the stanchions, chain, Barbour branding and a hand- make for a no-nonsense riding position,” says Kay.
GQ man in mind, we wanted style, sophistication stitched leather seat,” he says. Combined with the premium Ohlins suspension,
and a hint of rebellion in our bike design. But, The centrepiece of Kay’s design, however, is Brembo brakes and sticky Michelin tyres, it’s a bike
of course, we couldn’t do that ourselves, so a fabricated rail around the seat of the Thruxton that means business and ticks all of our boxes.
we gave the job to custom bike builder Adam to hold two bespoke Barbour leather satchels, “I am really pleased with how it turned out,” says
Kay, the man behind Hampstead-based Untitled perfect for a touch of traditional sophistication. Kay. “It’s the embodiment of UMC style with GQ
Motorcycles (UMC). “Our Barbour International clothing collections are and Barbour sophistication, inspired by Triumph.”
For the GQ-Barbour International bike, Kay all inspired by the brand’s motorcycling heritage And we agree with him. It is undoubtedly our
selected a Triumph Thruxton R as the starting point since 1936 and I think this bike represents the very motorcycle of the year. G
and Triumph heartily agreed. “The Thruxton R was best of Barbour International and GQ’s style and Thanks to: untitledmotorcycles.com.
born to be a GQ bike,” says Triumph’s Luke Bowler. personality,” says Barbour’s Paul Wilkinson. triumph.co.uk. barbour.com
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Gavin Bond CREATIVE DIRECTION BY Paul Solomons STYLED BY Jeff K Kim
MICHAEL B JORDAN
‘Whenever
there’s a shift
in power, it’s
going to be
rough. We’re
going through
that right now’
Coat by Burberry, £2,345. burberry.com.
Rollneck by John Smedley, £150.
johnsmedley.com. Trousers by DSquared2,
£455. dsquared2.com. Boots by Jimmy
Choo, £595. jimmychoo.com. Beret by
Lock & Co, £95. lockhatters.co.uk.
Sunglasses by Ray-Ban, £127. ray-ban.com
TIME
conversations about diversity and inclusion. two boys in the industry so I went and
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film marks crashed one of their auditions. I booked
the third time, after Fruitvale Station and the first one that I went out on. It was
Creed, that he and Jordan have collaborated, just like a snowball effect. I never really,
I truly noticed Michael B Jordan was in the very much in the tradition of the classic as a kid, dreamed or watched movies
2013 low-budget indie film Fruitvale Station. partnership between Martin Scorsese and thinking, “I want to be an actor.”
Yes, I knew his journeyman standing from Robert De Niro. All of this is unprecedented, KP: What was your first acting job?
TV shows such as HBO’s The Wire and the especially the fact that it is two young MBJ: It might’ve been a public service
American soap opera All My Children, but black men staking claim to a Hollywood announcement for Big Brothers Big
nothing – nothing – prepared me for his that would not have been open to them in Sisters [the US’s largest mentoring
spirit-chilling depiction of police shooting this way when Spike Lee first hit the scene network], something super small. I was
victim Oscar Grant. In this extraordinary in the late Eighties. on The Sopranos as background extra
performance as the young black man shot Things done changed. work. All those small little successes
and killed by a police officer in Oakland, But have they really? added up to this path.
California in 2009, Jordan simultaneously This is what Michael B Jordan wants to talk KP: When was the first time you actually
morphed himself into a major actor and a with me about and I with him. used the word actor to describe yourself?
living, breathing symbol of what most black And there he stands, inside a cave-like old MBJ: Probably on All My Children. It was
men fear: being killed simply because we warehouse in sun-kissed Los Angeles, one after The Wire. I got killed off in The
are black. moment costumed as a hybrid of Martin Wire and then immediately after I went
In Fruitvale Station, Jordan was a poetic Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, the next on this audition in New York for All My
embodiment of the issues Grant and many seen in a black beret, like Newton and Seale Children and I got it.
men like him face in life and death. It was an when “Black Is Beautiful” was in vogue, long KP: How old were you?
ancestral dance about black lives mattering before we began using words like “woke” MBJ: I was about 16. That was the first
that brought to mind Viola Davis and Denzel to describe social awareness. Woke he is, time I owned up to what I was doing.
Washington. It was social realism: Michael Michael B Jordan, just creeping up on 31 The Wire was the first time I fell in
B Jordan was Oscar Grant and Oscar Grant years of age, California-born, New Jersey- love with acting. Actors like Idris Elba,
was him. That the events of the film would bred, power on his mind. Dominic West and Andre Royo I credit
end in the city where the Black Panther Jordan was a child actor who is a man a lot for my drive. That planted that seed
Party was born, at the height of the civil today, marching to a drumbeat tapped out in me, but I still had the fear that it was
rights movement in the autumn of 1966, by the freedom shoes of black artist-activists always going to go away.
was not lost on me. Nor the fact that Grant such as Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte KP: But you were going to regular school,
was gunned down a mere three weeks before and, yes, Nina Simone. Jordan is a bit under you weren’t out of school per se?
Barack Obama was inaugurated as the US’s six-feet-tall, both Hollywood and ’hood MBJ: No. The first two years of high
first black president. Jarring, all of it, and handsome with an Imax smile that could school I went to Arts High School in
hypnotic and prophetic too. woo ancient bronze church ladies with a Newark, New Jersey. The last two years
Afterwards, as the credits rolled, I sat in single flash. He is polite, humble and acces- I got home-schooled because I was just
the theatre, crying unashamedly at my coun- sible in a way that is highly unusual for a working so much. At that point, I made
try’s sordid love affair with racism. And I star. Perhaps it is because he was raised by a decision that I wasn’t going to college
said to myself, “This young man is going to a mother and father – Donna and Michael A and I was going to pursue this thing full
be somebody...” – who taught him early on to appreciate force. I planned on moving out to Los
And being young, gifted and black, as everyone and everything, to take no one and Angeles when I graduated high school
Nina Simone once crooned, for Jordan, nothing for granted. to see this thing through. My parents
meant being handed the Rocky franchise always really supported me. Family is
by Sylvester Stallone, in the form of the our support group. We hold each other
blockbuster movie Creed. It also meant co- ‘I have peers who accountable and we hold each other
starring in the new Marvel juggernaut Black
Panther. Created, coincidentally, by comic are extremely up. That was instilled in me as a kid.
I celebrated Kwanzaa growing up, the
book innovators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
just months before Huey Newton and Bobby
talented. Why seven principles, those things.
KP: Who did you love as an actor when
Seale founded the political organisation of
the same name, Black Panther was the first
am I the only one you were a teenager?
MBJ: The funny thing is I didn’t have that
superhero of African descent in mainstream who gets this?’ many. I didn’t have anyone as a kid »
180 GQ.CO.UK MARCH 2018
MICHAEL B JORDAN
‘When Trayvon
Martin got shot I
wanted to express
myself as best I
could, especially
as a black actor’
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 181
‘When you get success you get
judged by everybody, most
of the time by your own people’
Coat by Burberry, £2,950. burberry.com. Shirt by Dior Homme, £390. dior.com. Beret by Lock & Co, £95. lockhatters.co.uk. Glasses by Ray-Ban, £133. ray-ban.com
MBJ: Yes. no need for diversity. Since the beginning KP: Which kids?
KP: Why? of film, it’s [been] for white people MBJ: Black kids, white kids, all kids,
MBJ: I don’t know. I feel like doing what [who] slowly allowed other ethnicities because they can imagine just as much
I do, it’s not just acting; it’s what goes into to contribute and tell stories. As times as we can, but specifically black kids
becoming an actor. People see the end changed, we got to the point today that who don’t have that many positive
results. They see the lights, the premiere, you see so many men and women behind examples to look at on TV and film.
the movie. They don’t see the time that the camera. Women are getting more We’re giving black people power,
you put in by yourself, the lonely journey. opportunities in all different lanes, royalty – we don’t gotta be crackheads
They don’t see the moments you sleep in politics, scientific, everything. Mankind or gangbangers, selling drugs or robbing
your car. They don’t see the moment has been evolving; the technology has people. We don’t have to be comic relief.
when you have to go into a gas station, changed. I feel like anybody can pick up We can be superheroes. Imagine what
swipe your card to pay then hurry up an iPhone and become a filmmaker. that’s going to do to the imagination
and go in the convenience store and get KP: This is the ten-year anniversary of and ambition of kids watching these
chips and frozen pizza before your card Barack Obama becoming the first black movies. That’s the real impact of this film.
gets declined because you don’t have president of the United States. How far When it’s a black cast, everyone wants
that much money in your account. But have you come since Obama was elected? to act like the project is only for black
somehow you still have faith that you MBJ: Man, I feel like we’ve come a long audiences. That doesn’t make sense to
are doing what you’re supposed to way. Ten years since Obama? That’s insane. me. Why can’t we look at this movie and
be doing. When you get some success I remember the day he got elected. I still be inspired and go on that journey? They
you get ridiculed and judged by have the newspapers. should be able to do that and if you can’t
everybody, most of the time by your KP: That’s around the time you were about that’s the problem.
own people: “You’re not this, you’re to quit acting. KP: You’ve mentioned women. #MeToo
not that, you’re not doing as much as MBJ: Exactly. I feel it’s the perfect storm has exploded worldwide. What are your
possible.” It’s tough. Being a black right now. thoughts as a man about what’s going on?
man in America, you have a systemic MBJ: I think it’s just a cleansing. I think
oppression that’s there. A system that’s it’s a power thing and that’s in all
put in place that’s always constantly
ripping you down, [saying] that you’re
‘It would be industries. I feel like whenever there’s
power and men in power, there’s going to
not good enough. It’s tough being a
black man in America. It comes with a
disrespectful not be an abuse of power, that’s just human
nature. The conversation: how do we hold
lot. So, it’s why I have chosen to do what to bang down people accountable and responsible for
I do, because it’s a weight I’m willing and
able to bear. I’m still trying to figure this
that door, to pick having that power? The culture of
Hollywood is changing now, on all levels,
shit out.
KP: What’s the biggest misconception
up the baton’ behind the camera [and] in front. And
whenever there’s a shift in power, it’s
about Michael B Jordan? going to be rough. We’re going through
MBJ: I’ve been blessed there’s not that KP: For Black Panther or everything? that stage right now. I’m glad it’s coming
many things that have been misconstrued MBJ: For everything. Just to get the out. Because now you have to hold people
because I stayed out the way. There’s opportunity to have a conversation about accountable. People that were scared to
things I’ve got to do to be the best actor a movie like Black Panther, however say or speak their truth now are feeling
I can be and to be in a position to create many millions of dollars the budget is. It comfortable. People are going to be
my production company, to be able to had to be a perfect storm. The studio had more responsible with the positions that
create more opportunities and more roles to feel it was the right time to back a film they are in right now and that’s taught
for men, women, people of colour, all with a predominately black cast, that down. The assistants that are coming up,
ethnicities, to reverse-engineer this hasn’t been done before with this budget. the producers, the actors coming up –
whole prejudice racist shit. They felt comfortable enough that it everybody’s learning. You have to weed
KP: Are you a leader? was going to make an impact, make a the motherfuckers out so the next crop
MBJ: Very much so. statement and make money, because this that come up can learn the right way. G
KP: Why? is a business and it is about money. Kevin Powell is the author of The Education Of
MBJ: Because I have to be. KP: How important is Black Panther? Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey Into Manhood.
KP: Like Malcolm X or like Martin Luther MBJ: I think it’s extremely important. I Follow him on Twitter @kevin_powell.
King Jr? feel like I never had that many actors to Black Panther is out on 12 February.
MBJ: I’m a mixture of both. I’m a little bit look at and inspire me growing up. Black
of Malcolm, a little bit of Martin. You actors that I could identify with, that
More from G For these related
know, you gotta be smart and there’s look like me on screen. I used to see
moments where you gotta be a little bit other films growing up and I would
stories visit GQ.co.uk /magazine
more like Martin and moments you have automatically play make-believe, films
to be like Malcolm. like X-Men. I watched Blade and I saw Adam Driver: Edge Of Darkness
(Alex Bhattacharji, December 2017)
KP: What does diversity mean to you Wesley [Snipes]. I didn’t have to try that
Chris Pratt: Guardian Of The Galaxy
in Hollywood? hard to imagine because I was seeing (Stuart McGurk, January 2017)
MBJ: You know, diversity only makes someone that resembles me. And I’m just
How Benedict Cumberbatch Became
sense in a system where it’s lacking. If thinking about what this movie is going Marvel’s Strangest Superhero
it’s not lacking equal opportunity there’s to do to the kids growing up. (Stuart McGurk, November 2016)
WHAT TRUMP
DID NEXT
188 GQ.CO.UK MARCH 2018
MICHAEL WOLFF
O
conservative father and liberal sons. Ailes’ message to his would-be protégé was n Trump’s part this was, argu-
A few hours after the O’Reilly announce- plain: not just the rise of Trump, but the fall ably, something of a large
ment, Ailes, from his new oceanfront home of Fox could be Bannon’s moment. misunderstanding about the
in Palm Beach, Florida – precluded by his In reply, Bannon let Ailes know that, for nature of conservative media.
separation agreement with Fox from any now, he was trying to hold on to his position He clearly did not understand
efforts to compete with it for 18 months – in the White House. But yes, the opportu- that what conservative media elevated,
sent an emissary into the West Wing with a nity was obvious. liberal media would necessarily take down.
question for Steve Bannon (at the time, still Even as O’Reilly’s fate was being debated Trump, goaded by Bannon, would con-
Trump’s chief strategist): O’Reilly and Fox by the Murdochs, Trump, understanding tinue to do the things that would delight
News host Sean Hannity are in, what about O’Reilly’s power and knowing how conservative media and incur the wrath
you? Ailes, in secret, had been plotting his much O’Reilly’s audience overlapped with of liberal media. That was the programme.
comeback with a new conservative network. his own base, had expressed his support The more your supporters loved you, the
Then in internal exile at the White House, and approval: “I don’t think Bill did any- more your antagonists hated you. That’s how
Bannon – “the next Ailes” – was all ears. thing wrong... He is a good person,” he told it was supposed to work. And that’s how it
This was not just the plotting of ambitious the New York Times. was working.
men, seeking both opportunity and revenge; But, in fact, a paradox of the new strength But Trump himself was desperately
the idea for a new network was also driven of conservative media was Trump himself. wounded by his treatment in the mainstream
by an urgent sense that the Trump phenom- During the campaign, when it suited him, media. He obsessed over every slight until
enon was about, as much as anything else, he had turned on Fox. If there were other it was succeeded by the next slight. Slights
right-wing media. For 20 years, Fox had media opportunities, he took them. (In the were singled out and replayed again and
honed its populist message: liberals were recent past, Republicans, particularly in again, his mood worsening with each replay
stealing and ruining the country. Then, just the primary season, paid careful obeisance (he was always rerunning the DVR). Much
at the moment that many liberals – including to Fox over other media outlets.) Trump of the president’s daily conversation was a
Rupert Murdoch’s sons, who were increas- kept insisting that he was bigger than just repetitive rundown of what various anchors
ingly in control of their father’s company – conservative media. and hosts had said about him. And he was
had begun to believe that the Fox audience In the past month, Ailes, a frequent Trump upset not only when he was attacked, but
was beginning to age out, with its anti-gay caller and after-dinner advisor, had all but when the people around him were attacked.
Photograph Getty Images
marriage, anti-abortion, anti-immigrant stopped speaking to the president, piqued But he did not credit their loyalty or blame
social message, which seemed too hoary for by the constant reports that Trump was himself or the nature of liberal media for the
younger Republicans, along came Breitbart bad-mouthing him as he praised a newly indignities heaped on his staffers; he blamed
News. Breitbart not only spoke to a much attentive Murdoch, who had, before the them and their inability to get good press.
younger right-wing audience – here, as exec- election, only ever ridiculed Trump. “Men Mainstream media’s self-righteousness
utive chairman, Bannon felt he was as much who demand the most loyalty tend to be and contempt for Trump helped provide a
in tune with this audience as Ailes was with the least loyal pricks,” noted a sardonic tsunami of clicks for right-wing media. But »
C O M M E N T
Truman
vs Trump
Can the global vision of America’s
33rd president survive the nation’s
current ‘casino boss’ narcissist?
By Matt Kelly
T
he White House Correspondents’
Dinner was set for 29 April, the
100th day of the Trump adminis-
tration. The annual dinner, once
an insiders’ event, had become
an opportunity for media organisations to
promote themselves by recruiting celebri-
ties – most of whom had nothing to do with
journalism or politics – to sit at their tables. Clockwise from top: Former chief strategist Steve not see the media’s lack of regard for him as
Bannon; with US national security advisor HR
This had resulted in a notable Trump humil- McMaster; Trump signs an executive order to
part of a political divide on which he stood
iation when, in 2011, Barack Obama singled undermine Obamacare, 12 October 2017 on a particular side. Instead, he perceived it
out Trump for particular mockery. In Trump as a deep personal attack on him: for entirely
lore, this was the insult that pushed him to
make the 2016 run.
In the workplace, unfair reasons, ad hominem reasons, the
media just did not like him. Ridiculed him.
Not long after the Trump team’s arrival
to the White House, the Correspondents’
Trump confided Cruelly. Why?
The journalist, trying to offer some
Dinner became a cause for worry. On a
winter afternoon in Kellyanne Conway’s
in women and comfort, told the two women there was
a rumour going around that Graydon
upstairs West Wing office, Conway and
director of strategic communications Hope
kept men at Carter – the editor of Vanity Fair, host of
one of the most important parties of the
Hicks engaged in a pained discussion about
what to do.
arm’s length Correspondents’ Dinner weekend and, for
decades, one of Trump’s key tormentors in
The central problem was that the presi- “He doesn’t appreciate cruel humour,” said the media – was shortly going to be pushed
dent was neither inclined to make fun of Conway. “His style is more old-fashioned,” out of the magazine.
himself, nor particularly funny himself – at said Hicks. “Really?” said Hicks, jumping up. “Oh,
least not, in Conway’s description, “in that B o t h wo m e n , c l e a r l y s e e i n g t h e my God. Can I tell him? Would that be OK?
kind of humorous way”. Correspondents’ Dinner as an intractable He’ll want to know this.” She headed quickly
George W Bush had famously tried to resist problem, kept characterising the event as downstairs to the Oval Office.
the Correspondents’ Dinner and suffered “unfair”, which, more generally, is how they Curiously, Conway and Hicks each por-
greatly at it, but he had prepped extensively characterised the media’s view of Trump. trayed a side of the president’s alter ego
and every year he pulled out an acceptable “He’s unfairly portrayed.” “They don’t give media problem. Conway was the bitter antag-
performance. But neither woman, confiding him the benefit of the doubt.” “He’s just onist, the mud-in-your-eye messenger who
their concerns around the table in Conway’s not treated the way other presidents have reliably sent the media into paroxysms of
office to a journalist they regarded as sympa- been treated.” outrage against the president. Hicks was the
thetic, thought Trump had a realistic chance The burden here for Conway and Hicks was confidante, ever trying to get the president a
of making the dinner anything like a success. their understanding that the president did break and some good ink in the only media
C O M M E N T
On the other arose a new to support him, not because of his barely
and trustworthy than men. Men might be
establishment of the cultural right: the there policy achievements, but because
more forceful and competent, but they were launch by Milo Yiannopoulos of his own of what they think he stands for.
also more likely to have their own agendas. company; Cassie Jaye’s renunciation For the first time since the rise of
Women, by their nature – or Trump’s version of feminism in her (frequently banned) fascism, culture matters more than
of their nature – were more likely to focus film, The Red Pill; the ethno-nationalism prosperity to a great many people. This
their purpose on a man. A man like Trump. of Richard B Spencer; the power of president has nurtured a version of
It wasn’t happenstance or just casting Breitbart and its imitators; and, of identity in which you are not what you
course, Trump’s own interventions on do, or even what you earn and own,
balance that one of his Apprentice sidekicks
a range of issues, from Saturday Night but what you feel. And the trouble with
was a woman, nor that his daughter Ivanka Live to militant Islam to transgenderism feelings is that, left to themselves, they
had become one of his closest confidantes. in the military. observe no limits: much, in fact, like
He felt women understood him. Or, the kind Interpreted in isolation, the president’s Trump himself.
of women he liked – positive-outlook, »
American
psycho
Medical ethics prohibit diagnosis of mental health
without consultation. But Trump’s alarming
behaviour is prompting psychiatrists to speak out
By Alastair Campbell
» can-do, loyal women, who also looked television – which is where Trump first saw
good – understood him. Everybody who suc- her and why he singled her out at the condo
cessfully worked for him understood that board meeting.
there was always a subtext to his needs and In a real sense, however, her advantage was
personal tics that had to be scrupulously not meeting Trump but being taken up by bil-
attended to; in this, he was not all that dif- lionaire Trump donor Robert Mercer and his
ferent from other highly successful figures, daughter Rebekah. They recruited Conway
just more so. It would be hard to imagine in 2015 to work on the Ted Cruz campaign,
someone who expected a greater awareness when Trump was still far from the conserv-
of and more catering to his peculiar whims, ative ideal, and then, in July 2016, inserted
rhythms, prejudices and, often inchoate, her into the Trump campaign.
desires. He needed special – extra-special – She understood her role. “I will only ever
handling. Women, he explained to one friend call you Mr Trump,” she told the candidate
with something like self-awareness, generally with perfect-pitch solemnity when he inter-
got this more precisely than men. In particu- viewed her for the job. It was a trope she
lar, women who self-selected themselves as would repeat in interview after interview
tolerant of or oblivious to or amused by or – Conway was a catalogue of learned
steeled against his casual misogyny and con- lines – a message repeated as much for
stant sexual subtext – which was somehow, Trump as for others.
incongruously and often jarringly, matched Her title was campaign manager, but
with paternal regard – got this. that was a misnomer. Bannon was the real
manager and she was the senior pollster. But
K
ellyanne Conway first met Bannon shortly replaced her in that role and
Donald Trump at a meeting of she was left in what Trump saw as the vastly
the condo board for the Trump more important role of cable spokesperson.
World Tower, which was directly
across the street from the UN
and was where, in the early noughties, In private,
she lived with her husband and children.
Conway’s husband, George, a graduate of
Kellyanne
Harvard College and Yale Law School, was
a partner at the premier corporate mergers
Conway
and acquisitions firm Wachtell, Lipton,
Rosen & Katz. (Though Wachtell was a
regarded Trump
Democratic-leaning firm, George had played
a behind-the-scenes role on the team that
as an absurdity
represented Paula Jones in her pursuit of Bill Conway seemed to have a convenient “on-
Clinton for sexual harassment.) In its pro- off” toggle. In private, in the off position,
fessional and domestic balance, the Conway she seemed to regard Trump as a figure of
family was organised around George’s career. exhausting exaggeration or even absurdity
Kellyanne’s career was a sidelight. Kellyanne, – or, at least, if you regarded him that way,
who in the Trump campaign would use her she seemed to suggest that she might too.
working-class biography to good effect, She illustrated her opinion of her boss with
grew up in central New Jersey, the daughter a whole series of facial expressions: eyes
of a trucker, raised by a single mother (and, rolling, mouth agape, head snapping back.
always in her narrative, her grandmother But in the on position, she metamorphosed
and two unmarried aunts). She went to the into believer, protector, defender and
George Washington University Law School handler. Conway is an antifeminist (or, actu-
and afterward interned for Reagan’s poll- ally, in a complicated ideological somersault,
ster, Richard Wirthlin. Then she went on she sees feminists as being antifeminists),
to work with Frank Luntz, a curious figure ascribing her methods and temperament to
in the Republican Party, known as much being a wife and mother. She’s instinctive
for his television deals and toupee as for and reactive. Hence her role as the ultimate
his polling acumen. Conway herself began Trump defender: she verbally threw herself
to make appearances on cable TV while in front of any bullet coming his way.
working for Luntz. Trump loved her defend-at-all-costs
Photographs Getty Images
One virtue of the research and polling schtick. Conway’s appearances were on his
business she started in 1995 was that it schedule to watch live. His was often the
could adapt to her husband’s career. But first call she got after coming off the air. She
she never much rose above a mid-rank pres- channelled Trump: she said exactly the kind
ence in Republican political circles, nor did of Trump stuff that would otherwise make
she become more than the also-ran behind her put a finger-gun to her head.
Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham on cable After the election – Trump’s victory »
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 195
» setting off a domestic reordering in the
Conway household and a scramble to get C O M M E N T
her husband an administration job – Trump
assumed she would be his press secretary. Atomic destruction is one
“He and my mother,” Conway said, “because
they both watch a lot of television, thought (personal) attack away
this was one of the most important jobs.” In
Conway’s version, she turned Trump down or In nuclear game theory, the side that offers the appearance
demurred. She kept proposing alternatives in of insanity has a powerful advantage. Of course, it only
which she would be the key spokesperson works if the madness isn’t real...
but would be more as well. In fact, almost
By Conrad Quilty-Harper
everyone else was manoeuvring Trump
around his desire to appoint Conway.
In 1961, a document from the most ghostwriter Tony Schwartz are worried
senior officers in the US military landed that if the FBI’s investigation goes badly
oyalty was Trump’s most valued
L
on President John F Kennedy’s desk for Trump, he might recklessly “punch in
attribute and in Conway’s view marked “For the president’s eyes only”. the codes to avoid his own catastrophic
her kamikaze-like media defence This document answered his question humiliation”. And we should certainly
of the president had earned her to the joint chiefs of staff: “How many all be concerned by Trump’s long and
a position of utmost primacy in people will be killed if plans for nuclear weird fascination with nuclear weapons,
war are carried out?” Daniel Ellsberg, especially considering how little he
the White House. But in her public persona,
the man who helped end the Vietnam appears to know about them. This is a
she had pushed the boundaries of loyalty War by leaking the Pentagon Papers, man who, during the campaign, revealed
too far; she was so hyperbolic that even happened to see this document before he had no idea what the “nuclear triad”
Trump loyalists found her behaviour extreme it got to Kennedy’s desk. In his chilling was (the US’s three delivery systems for
and were repelled. None were more put new book, which tells the story of the nuclear weapons: bombers, submarines
off than Ivanka and her husband, Jared US’s nuclear secrets, he recalls from and ICBMs) and who told Playboy
Kushner, who, appalled at the shamelessness memory what was on the first page: magazine in the Nineties that he “often
a line chart that estimated 275 million thinks of nuclear war” when asked about
of her television appearances, extended this
deaths on the first day of a global his “longer-term views of the future”.
into a larger critique of Conway’s vulgarity. nuclear war, rising to 325 million after What we should all be more
When referring to her, they were particularly six months. If the US struck worried about, however, is
partial to using the shorthand “nails”, a first, more than 600 million Trump getting himself into
reference to her Cruella de Vil-length mani- people would die, equivalent
to “a hundred Holocausts”.
The power an escalating situation with
North Korea from which
cure treatments.
By mid-February, she was already the
Today, we know that the to wipe out he can’t back down and
subject of leaks – many coming from Kushner
reality of a nuclear war all human emulating Nixon’s “madman”
would be much worse. Even theory of nuclear negotiation,
and Ivanka – about how she had been side- a limited exchange could life lies in which says you can win if you
lined. She vociferously defended herself, cause a “nuclear winter”, that the hands appear to be madder than
producing a list of television appearances still
on her schedule, albeit lesser ones. But she
would wipe out all human life
on earth within a couple of
of a volatile your opponent. Unfortunately,
madman theory only works if
also had a teary scene with Trump in the Oval years. The power to realise narcissist you’re not actually mad.
this horrible vision is now in Or there could be a
Office, offering to resign if the president had the greasy hands of a volatile, paranoid reoccurrence of a situation such as
lost faith in her. Almost invariably, when con- narcissist who threatens foreign states that which Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy
fronted with self-abnegation, Trump offered with violent rhetoric, sends early- Carter’s national security advisor,
copious reassurances. “You will always have morning maniacal tweets and runs the experienced in 1979: “Sorry to wake you
a place in my administration,” he told her. White House in a constant state of crisis, up. We are under nuclear attack,” were the
“You will be here for eight years.” full of inexperienced staffers. chilling words he received over the phone
Donald Trump’s threat to North Korea at 3am, which continued, “Thirty seconds
But she had indeed been sidelined, reduced
of “fire and fury” was notable and ago, 200 nuclear missiles were fired at
to second-rate media, to being a designated scary because of the nuclear power the United States.” Brzenzinski had three
emissary to right-wing groups and left out that he wields. Remarkably little stands minutes to confirm this information and
of any meaningful decision-making. This she in the way between Trump and the hand it on to the president, who would
blamed on the media, a scourge that further thousands of nuclear warheads in the then have had four minutes to decide
united her in self-pity with Trump. In fact, US arsenal. Thanks to a system invented whether to fire US missiles back. As it
by President Kennedy after the Cuban turns out, it was a false alarm (someone
her relationship with the president deepened
Missile Crisis, every US president can at Norad had left a training tape in the
as they bonded over their media wounds. authorise the launch of nuclear weapons machine) and Brzezinski went back to
Hope Hicks, then aged 26, was the cam- within minutes. Campaigners describe bed. The man who would answer the
paign’s first hire. She knew the president this system as a “nuclear monarchy”, phone today is General HR McMaster,
vastly better than Conway did and she with Trump being the current king. who was reported earlier this year to
understood that her most important media If he wanted, Trump could end the have told friends at a private dinner that
world by beckoning over the military Trump was an “idiot” and a “dope” with
function was not to be in the media.
aide who holds the nuclear briefcase, the intelligence of a “kindergartener”.
Hicks grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. selecting an option on the laptop inside Apparently, the fate of the human
Her father was a PR executive who now and reading out the verification code on race rests on the hope that this
worked for The Glover Park Group, the the “biscuit”, which he keeps in his suit kindergartener-nuclear king doesn’t
Democratic-leaning communications and pocket. Some, such as Trump’s former throw his toys out of the pram.
political consulting firm; her mother was »
Conservative
media saw
Trump as its
creature,
while Trump
saw himself
as a star
Vice president Mike Pence (left)
confers with speaker of the
house Paul Ryan (right) before
the president’s first address to
Congress, 28 February 2017
Photograph Getty Images
O
ver the 18 months of the cam- 6 September 2017
paign, the travelling group
usually consisted of the candi-
date, Hicks and the campaign
manager, Corey Lewandowski. Trump regularly her with the ultimate job: a good write-up in
the New York Times. That, in the president’s
In time, Hicks became – in addition to an
inadvertent participant in history, about
berated Sean estimation, had yet failed to happen, “but
Hope tries and tries”, the president said.
which she was quite as astonished as anyone
– a kind of Stepford factotum, as absolute-
Spicer for his On more than one occasion, after a day –
one of the countless days – of particularly
ly dedicated to and tolerant of Mr Trump as
anyone who had ever worked for him.
ham-handed bad notices, the president greeted her, affec-
tionately, with “You must be the world’s
Shortly after Lewandowski, with whom
Hicks has been rumoured to have had an
press briefings worst PR person.”
In the early days of the transition, with
on-and-off romantic relationship, was Conway out of the running for the press
fired in June 2016 for clashing with Trump Hicks, sponsored by Ivanka and ever loyal secretary job, Trump became determined
family members, Hicks sat in Trump Tower to her, was in fact thought of as Trump’s real to find a “star”. The conservative radio host
with Trump and his sons, worrying about daughter, while Ivanka was thought of as his Laura Ingraham, who had spoken at the
Lewandowski’s treatment in the press and real wife. More functionally, but as elemen- Republican National Convention in 2016,
wondering aloud how she might help him. tally, Hicks was the president’s chief media was on the list, as was Ann Coulter. Fox
Trump, who otherwise seemed to treat Hicks handler. She worked by the president’s side, Business’ Maria Bartiromo was also under
in a protective and even paternal way, looked wholly separate from the White House’s consideration. (This was television, the
up and said, “Why? You’ve already done 40-person-strong communications office. president-elect said, and it ought to be a
enough for him. You’re the best piece of tail The president’s personal message and image good-looking woman.) When none of those
he’ll ever have,” sending Hicks running from were entrusted to her – or, more accurately, ideas panned out, the job was offered to Fox
the room. she was the president’s agent in retailing that News’ Tucker Carlson, who turned it down.
As new layers began to form around message and image, which he trusted to no But there was a counterview: the press sec-
Photograph Getty Images
Trump, first as nominee and then as presi- one but himself. Together they formed some- retary ought to be the opposite of a star. In
dent-elect, Hicks continued playing the role thing of a freelance operation. fact, the entire press operation ought to be
of his personal PR woman. She would remain Without any particular politics of her own downgraded. If the press was the enemy,
his constant shadow and the person with and, with her New York PR background, why pander to it, why give it more visibility?
the best access to him. “Have you spoken quite looking down on the right-wing press, This was fundamental Bannonism: stop
to Hope?” were among the words most fre- she was the president’s official liaison to the thinking you can somehow get along with
quently uttered in the West Wing. mainstream media. The president had charged your enemies.
D
uring the transition, many
back at the ideas of the Enlightenment. the final proof that they were right all
members of Trump’s team A generation of dictators and the masses along. Trump could make anyone lose
came to agree with Bannon who obeyed them were not exactly faith in what the US stands for. When he
that their approach to White friends of human rights, democracy and openly supports racists or undermines
House press management the rule of law, but that rough battle was the First Amendment, the whole world
ought to be to push it off – and the longer eventually won by the forces of good. Or witnesses the erosion of the US’s
at least most assumed it had been. Now standing and, ultimately, power. This is
the arm’s length the better. For the press,
in the 21st century, Donald Trump, with all not just a geopolitical zero-sum game,
this initiative, or rumours of it, became his mendacity and amorality, represents but a cultural and environmental one
another sign of the incoming administra- a different danger to that of the too. Trump is not so much creating a
tion’s antipress stance and its systematic demagogues of those dark years. That’s power vacuum as a free-for-all.
efforts to cut off the information supply. because, as an American president, he Brexit (welcomed, naturally, by
In truth, the suggestions about moving the is supposed to embody the fight against Trump) is a blow for the values of the
briefing room away from the White House, tyranny, not be its standard bearer. Enlightenment because it divides and
No matter what the US has done weakens democratic, free Europe. Whom
or curtailing the briefing schedule, or limit-
or how many wrong turns it has does that serve? Russia. Who serves
ing broadcast windows or press pool access, made, Planet Earth needs it. Trump is Russia (knowingly or otherwise)? Trump.
were variously discussed by other incom- attempting to turn his country The US has never been a
ing administrations. In her husband’s White away from a tradition that we paragon of national virtue, but
House, Hillary Clinton had been a proponent in Britain often mock or take
for granted. Whether we like
For Trump, given the choice, American
imperfection is preferable to
of limiting press access.
It was Donald Trump who was not able to
it or not, the US really does lying is the repressive, undemocratic
relinquish this proximity to the press and the
stand for freedom. a dirty or theocratic regimes around
Trump may not get all he the world. You don’t need to
stage in his own house. He regularly berated wants, but his aims are that bomb – it feel blind love for the US to
Spicer for his ham-handed performances, of the dictator. That’s why bewilders get chills at the thought of
often giving his full attention to them. His
response to Spicer’s briefings was part of
he loves to fawn over “strong
men” around the world, such
and what may follow if the US
abandons its role as the leader
his continuing belief that nobody could work as Rodrigo Duterte and Xi terrifies of the liberal democracies and
Jinping. That’s why, obviously, a levee against tyranny.
the media like he could, that somehow he he wants to appease, and is probably in The Enlightenment sought to replace
had been stuck with a communications team collusion with, Vladimir Putin’s Russia. witchcraft with science, but for Trump’s
that was absent charisma, magnetism and When you consider Trump’s attitude to class of millionaire Republican enablers,
proper media connections. the free press, accountability, American science is witchcraft. And for Trump’s
Trump’s pressure on Spicer – a constant history, ideas of personal dignity and hardcore supporters (the ones for
stream of directorial castigation and instruc- service, and, of course, to the idea of whom he is increasing the tax burden,
truth itself, it’s clear he is anti-American. taking away healthcare, trashing their
tion that reliably rattled the press secretary
He is working against the interests of children’s chances of college and
– helped turn the briefings into a can’t-miss his own nation, its people and all those destroying the environment) lying in
train wreck. Meanwhile, the real press oper- around the world who – whether they the face of contradictory facts is a valid
ation had more or less devolved into a set realise it or not – in some way need expression of their faith in ignorance.
of competing press organisations within the the US to represent the values of the For Trump himself, lying is a dirty bomb:
White House. Enlightenment. These progressive values it bewilders and terrifies. It is profoundly
did not just appear from nowhere (the unsettling to be told lie after brazen
There was Hope Hicks and the president,
US is, after all, founded on freedom and lie, when the liar knows he is lying and
living in what other West Wingers charac- slavery): they had to be nurtured and he knows we know he is lying. There
terised as an alternative universe in which fought for. They are fragile – and more was a time when lies were part of the
the mainstream media would yet discover so now than at any time since 1945. diplomatic circus or used to hide a
the charm and wisdom of Donald Trump. To paraphrase Winston Churchill’s view dirty state secret. Trump’s lies are of a
Where past presidents might have spent por- of political systems, you can never really different degree – they are the harpies
talk about the “best” but rather the of truth, spreading confusion and a
tions of their day talking about the needs,
“least worst”. To become the least worst sense of helplessness.
desires and points of leverage among various is where the Enlightenment has taken What would any rival of the US wish?
members of Congress, the president and some societies around the world at For it to be inward-looking, misgoverned,
Hicks spent a great deal of time talking about different speeds, with different freedoms divided and worst of all – to stand for
a fixed cast of media personalities, trying taking longer to manifest than others. nothing. Donald Trump is your man.
to second-guess the real agendas and »
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 199
» weak spots among cable anchors and pro- C O M M E N T
ducers and Times and Post reporters.
Often the focus of this otherworldly ambi-
tion was directed at Times reporter Maggie Can the FBI bring down
Haberman. Haberman’s front-page beat
at the paper, which might be called the the White House?
“weirdness of Donald Trump” beat, involved
producing vivid tales of eccentricities, ques- As Robert Mueller continues to use mafia-busting methods to
tionable behaviour and shit the president uncover Trump’s ties with Russia, an impulsive response from
says, told in a knowing, deadpan style. the president could bring about constitutional crisis
Beyond acknowledging that Trump was a
By Garrett M Graff
boy from Queens yet in awe of the Times,
nobody in the West Wing could explain
Robert Mueller is perhaps the only surprisingly aggressive – executing a
why he and Hicks would so often turn to
person in the US who could have taken no-knock search warrant on Manafort’s
Haberman for what would so reliably be a on the assignment of investigating house, with FBI agents picking the former
mocking and hurtful portrayal. There was Donald Trump and Russia’s attempts campaign chairman’s lock – and he has
some feeling that Trump was returning to to interfere in the 2016 presidential repeatedly demonstrated his almost
scenes of past success: the Times might be election. In a city filled with politics and omnipotent knowledge of its targets.
against him, but Haberman had worked at partisanship, Mueller stands almost alone He moved to quash a motion to release
as a respected nonpartisan, apolitical Manafort from house arrest, announcing
the New York Post for many years. “She’s
prosecutor. At age 73, after spending that his team knew Manafort had been
very professional,” Conway said, speak- nearly half a century in public service, ghostwriting an op-ed in violation of a
ing in defence of the president and trying the longest-serving FBI director since court order. When he denied doing so,
to justify Haberman’s extraordinary access. J Edgar Hoover now finds himself in the Mueller released the “track changes”
But however intent he remained on getting midst of what history will almost certainly version of the file, showing countless
good ink in the Times, the president saw show is his most consequential chapter. edits made by Manafort.
Haberman as “mean and horrible”. And yet, Mueller’s career has been defined by His court filings often reflect the phrase
three unique attributes: his tireless work “These facts do not constitute all of the
on a near-weekly basis, he and Hicks plotted
ethic, his immovable moral compass and facts known to the parties concerning the
when next to have the Times come in. his fearless fight for justice, all of which charged offence,” leaving other Trump
have been on display so far associates to wonder what else
K
ushner had his personal press in his investigation. That’s no might be up Mueller’s sleeve?
operation and Bannon had his. surprise: together, his 17 or so
prosecutors represent perhaps
It’s hard Given the opening acts –
quick charges against two top
The leaking culture had become
so open and overt – most of the
the most talented team the to not see Trump aides – it’s hard to not
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Still, the president seemed eager to appear at Can Trump Really Drain ‘The Swamp’ Or
rose, as much as any other challenge for the the event, if casual about it too – with Hicks, Is He Out Of His Depth? (Michael Wolff,
new president and his team, as a test of his ordinarily encouraging his every impulse, October 2017)
abilities. He wanted to do it. He was certain trying not to. Why Roger Ailes Was Responsible For Donald
Trump’s Rise (Michael Wolff, May 2017)
that the power of his charm was greater than Bannon pressed the symbolic point:
How Donald Trump Fooled The Media
the rancour that he bore this audience – or the president should not be seen curry- (Michael Wolff, February 2017)
that they bore him. ing the favour of his enemies or trying to
For your
consideration
From piercing work by Jack O’Connell for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof to
Bryan Cranston’s night-by-night breakdown in Network, British theatre
walked tall on the world stage last year. Here, ahead of next
month’s Olivier Award nominations, this exclusive portfolio captures
the outstanding performers of the past 12 months
At a time when many industries had to look closely at how they are run and
by whom, the appointment of Kwame Kwei-Armah as artistic director of the
Young Vic – somewhat astonishingly the first and only African-Caribbean to run
a major British theatre – felt particularly auspicious. Kwei-Armah couldn’t be
better qualified for the role, being both an accomplished actor and playwright,
with his plays Elmina’s Kitchen, Fix Up and Statement Of Regret all staged at the
National Theatre. Previously artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage, where
he sought out diverse voices and changed the demographic of his audience,
Kwei-Armah’s grand plans for the Young Vic are eagerly anticipated by all.
Damian Lewis
Martin Gray in The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? at Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
Bryan Cranston
Howard Beale in Network at the Lyttelton Theatre, London
Sienna Miller
Maggie Pollitt in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Apollo Theatre, London
With accusations of “fake news” and Donald Trump’s all too When your co-star (Jack O’Connell) starts the play
public spats, it’s easy to see how Network – portraying the manspreading in the buff, while facing the front row under an
psychological unravelling of a veteran newsman live on air, actual shower, your theatrical fireworks need to be white-hot
written by Paddy Chayefsky in 1976 – chimes so loudly with the to command the crowd’s attention. Before the opening night,
modern-day audience. It helps, of course, that the play is being it’s fair to say some critics were a little sceptical that Sienna
steered by an actor with the coiled, commanding presence Miller had the range for this, one of Tennessee Williams’ most
of Bryan Cranston. From our days and nights obsessing over beloved parts and deftly executed in the past by the likes
Breaking Bad we are used to seeing Cranston walk the line of Lindsay Duncan and Elizabeth Taylor, but, boy, did the
between full-on nervous breakdown and megalomania, but in actress’ superb run in 2017 at the Apollo Theatre vanquish
Network it’s how he keeps one hand on sanity while delivering the doubters. Striding around the boards (mostly on her toes,
his diatribes that secures a truth to his performance. Cranston’s although at times on all fours) wound up and wounded, Miller
profile, not least the fact he could easily pass for an actual projected an emotional intensity that reverberated through the
anchorman himself, only adds to the drama. audience long after the curtain came down. Meow indeed.
Christian Slater
Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross at the Playhouse Theatre, London
Jumper by Connolly,
£525. connollyengland.
com. Jeans by
Frame, £245. At
matchesfashion.com.
Boots by Kurt Geiger,
£199. kurtgeiger.com
Jack
O’Connell
Brick Pollitt in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
at the Apollo Theatre, London
Andrew
Garfield
Prior Walter in Angels In America
at the Lyttelton Theatre, London
Andrew Scott
Hamlet at the Almeida Theatre and the Harold Pinter Theatre, London
Richard Coyle has some empathy with his character, Larry Lamb, the first editor of the Sun and a man who had to
work with – and no doubt wrestle – its new owner, Rupert Murdoch. Both men’s career trajectories have come as a
surprise. “When I was growing up I didn’t want to be an actor,” Coyle notes. “It wasn’t that I was actively not wanting
to be an actor. I was just from a background where acting wasn’t even on the horizon. I wanted to be an architect.”
The building trade’s loss is the theatre’s gain and this performance has put Coyle back on the theatrical map – a map
he’s been absent from since Polar Bears at the Donmar Warehouse in 2010. For us, it’s a welcome return.
Jacket, £395. T-shirt, £75. Trousers, £215. All by Private White VC. privatewhitevc.com
James
Norton
Zack in Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse
Dominic Cooper
John Wilmot in The Libertine at Theatre Royal Bath and Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
3. A super narcissist who purports to wield the power of the digital crowd,
yet by fusing their own often sheltered personal lives and niche interests
with a vast commercial ambition has lost complete control of their own
identity and, in some cases, their morals
The f irst influencer species evolved from the millennial. They were
discovered around seven years ago on YouTube, where they spent their
days VLOGGING about their pets and how many avocados they ate for
lunch. They then briefly migrated to Twitter and Facebook, where they
were bored and did nothing, before settling in their millions on the glossy
plains of Instagram, where they now post SELFIES wearing athleisure
and drinking turmeric lattes in an attempt to lure their primary source
of sustenance: FOLLOWERS. Between followers, the influencer snacks
on good lighting, symmetry and modishly shabby Shoreditch rooftops.
The influencer’s special treat is a juicy “paid-for-partnership”. But the
influencer is breeding fast. Too fast. Soon, influencers may even be
considered pests, like the grey squirrel. The influencer is everywhere,
identifiable by the tiny balls of light that flash around their puckered
lips as they brandish a selfie stick. They have captured SOCIAL MEDIA
and are holding it hostage. According to marketing company Mediakix,
total advertiser spending on Instagram influencers in 2017 amounted
to almost £750 million, with this figure projected to double by 2019.
The traditional CELEBRITY, which once wielded power like no other,
is now nearing extinction as the influencer sucks its bones.
So, who comprise this new breed? What do they want? How do they live?
And, more importantly, what exactly is their game? Welcome to GQ’s guide
to influencers, where we put this strange creature under the microscope...
220 GQ.CO.UK MARCH 2018
INFLUENCERS
5
The emoji: The hashtag: #Homeiswheretheheartis The emoji: The hashtag: #Fastlife
The geotag: Location not found The filter: Lark The geotag: Emirates Lounge, Dubai The filter: Sierra
Meet the
niche
influencers
The horological
connoisseur
The horological connoisseur is
anxious to let everyone know that
he is superior to the auto blogger.
They may move in the same circles,
use the same private jets, tailors,
jewellers and accountants, but they
couldn’t be more different. The HC
is a professor of his craft; the AB
is a show-off. The AB lazily goes
to one car event a month, whereas
the HC makes sure he attends a
different luxury watch launch every
night, so long as he’s paid a fee.
This means that his weekdays
have been replaced by watch
themes: #MaitresduTempsMonday,
#TourbillonTuesdays and
#TwinTurboThursdays. Only high-
complication watches designed by
boutique ateliers make the cut – and
he’ll check your wrist before your
name to make sure you do too. Just
as well there isn’t a day beginning
The gamer with Q, because the HC wouldn’t
If his thumbs weren’t propped up like struggling shrubs on stakes, touch a quartz watch with an
the gamer would be an MC, because between 16-hour stints of COD, exhaust pipe. No, the only timepiece
during which he must pee in a cup, snort crushed Pro Plus off his Oculus tolerable to him is the pocket
Rift and get Deliveroo to physically nourish him as he plays lest he lose a watch, neatly tucked into the ticket
single viewer, the gamer is rapping. He got the knack for spitting 140 beats pocket of a three-piece suit, which is
a minute while monologuing at great speed, primarily about his childhood, steamed daily by his mother.»
to maintain viewership. He can’t talk about the present, obviously, because
his social life stopped when he got his first console. The emoji:
The hashtag: #Swisslife
The emoji: The hashtag: #Rekt The geotag: Baselworld, Switzerland
The geotag: VidCon, Anaheim Convention Center The filter: Normal The filter: Mayfair
9
TOOL UP!
So you actually want to be an
10 HOW TO BUY FRIENDS
AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
(Or how to spend your way to a loyal-ish following)
For newborn influencers, growing influencers can join a themed pod (essentially
influencer? You’re going to
your follower count organically can a group chat or the #squad you never had),
need some serious kit
be like watching paint dry. It can in which they work together by liking and
Pen-F camera take months or even years. So why commenting on each other’s posts on a daily
by Olympus do it by the book? After all, buying basis. In theory, a pod brings influencers
£999. olympus.co.uk friends isn’t just limited to social
with common interests together for the
Appeal: Every media... It got Donald Trump to the
influencer’s third hand. greater good. In practice, a pod is full of
White House.
Tech spec: Built in Wi-Fi, built-in viewfinder random ’grammers with no mutual interests,
and touch screen. For photo over video. Bot bundles all trying to get a leg up. Because of the
A7R II DSLR by Sony For £9.99 at Greedier Social Media way Instagram’s algorithm works, active
£2,399. sony.co.uk (greediersocialmedia.co.uk) you can instantly pods generating high engagement between
Appeal: For filming your Saturday night jump up by 1,000 Instagram followers. For users means Instagram favours the pods and
GRWM (get ready with me) video before £139 you can get an extra 50,000. But hold features them in the “explore” tab. Some pods
tweeting, “Goodnight, world” at 10pm. up, you need to start low. Add 1,000 a month cost money to join (between £5 and £15) to
Tech spec: 4K video capture, full-frame
sensor and optical image stabilisation. and match it with bought engagement (likes keep podders active, plus pod moderators
and comments) to get that “natural”-looking enforce strict rules: no generic comments and
MacBook Pro glow. Sorry, growth. You can buy 1,000 all comments must be more than five words
by Apple
£1,249. apple.com
likes for £4.50 and 250 comments for £26 at long and free from emojis. Another risk is
Appeal: The lightest laptop
buysocialmediamarketing.com, but remember, shadowbanning, when Instagram deems
with a shell so shiny you they’re all fake and follow the same formula: your hashtags incompliant and makes you
can see your quiff in it. “Wow!” “Nice one!” “Great page!” Plus, a bot undiscoverable to nonfollowers, which means
Tech spec: Ten-hour
is indiscriminate – it can’t tell the difference reaching new audiences is virtually impossible
battery life, lightweight and Retina display.
between a gravestone and a plate of smashed and really lets the pod down.
Final Cut Pro X 10.3 by Apple avo, so “Great shot!” could appear on both.
£299.99. apple.com The sycophant strategy
Appeal: Because #NoFilter is the sweetest The glow up This method of growing your ’gram should
myth of the entire 21st century.
Tech spec: The best editing software for
Alternatively, Social Upgrade (socialupgrade. only be used when things get desperate. As
your MacBook, with a Magnetic Timeline 2 co) promises to spring clean your profile in you’ve prematurely quit your day job to
that automatically colour codes by role. without blowing hot air up your ego. “Don’t become famous on social media. It’s basically
waste your money on fake followers. Our spamming other influencers’ feeds with
Snapseed app
itunes.apple.com growth service uses Instagram marketing obsequious compliments, tailended by
Appeal: For editing your techniques to get you real, targeted results,” “Follow back”, “#LFL” (like for like) or
brunch shot over brunch. it says, charging £29 for 65 per cent growth “#F4F” (follow for follow). It also entails
It’s not like your dining pal and £74 for 100 per cent growth. following new people every day (stick to the
is here for the conversation.
Tech spec: Eleven unique
30 mark or else you’ll get shadowbanned for
filters to rival Instagram’s The pod a “suspicious activity surge”) in the hope that
and a perspective tool that automatically An Instagram comment pod is an insular they’ll return the favour. If they don’t (check
corrects skewed lines.
pocket of corruption, like Vladimir Putin’s, the InstaFollow app for the analytics), then
InstaSize app but it works a treat for growth. A number of unfollow them. Follow. Unfollow. Repeat.
itunes.apple.com
Appeal: The iPhone cropping tool that
keeps your lies out of shot.
Tech spec: Photo collage creation, as well
as white balance and layering options. HOW TO SPOT A BOT BUYER IN FIVE EASY STEPS
Battery bank OTheir follower count cuts a neat six figures but you could blow tumbleweeds
by Powakit across the comment section.
£29. At iphonepro.co.uk OAll their pictures look like a) head shots, b) they’re from a catalogue or c) show only the
Appeal: No one wants to see backs of their heads.
an influencer go 2007 Britney OThere is only ever one person in each picture.
when their lifeline fails.
OTheir Instagram Stories are as dusty as Theresa May.
Tech spec: Four USB slots and
20,000mAH of battery power. OThe account’s tagline includes any of the following: “wandering girl”, “born to be
blessed”, “live for the moment” and “live, laugh, love”.
Portable worldwide adaptor
£19.95. At amazon.co.uk And if you’re still not sure…
Consult Social Blade, which has accurate data on every user across Twitter, YouTube and
Appeal: Often, hotels refuse to lend an
Instagram, along with graphs to track growth. It also grades from A to F for popularity. All
influencer an adaptor so they’ll stop
blinding other guests with their flash.
the brands swear by it. Are you writing notes? You’re probably an F. »
Tech spec: A compact universal plug
adaptor for nonearthed appliances.
11
The geotag
Saturdays and Including your A group of people
5pm on Sundays. location boosts
your post’s
who so greatly value
visibility and is
favoured in the
How to... their Instagram input
that they must define
Instagram explore
tab for that
location.
TALK themselves with
INFLUENCER a hashtag.
The tried, tested and
reposted lexicon of Instagram’s Flat lay
true blue-tick brigade, Every influencer’s favourite
Shadowban Instagram shot: the bird’s eye
dissected for your scrolling
What happens when you use vague, view, often taken by standing
pleasure
on a chair. The wider view
incorrect and conflicting hashtags at once. means their charming woven
Did you hashtag #TravelTuesday when place mat stays in shot with
you’re actually at your desk? Instagram will their quinoa pancake.
shadowban (hide) you appearing in the
feed for that hashtag. Similarly, if you think
more hashtags means more visibility for Affiliate link
your post, you’re wrong. You’ll end up After gazing at a Boomerang
shadowbanned for every hashtag. Stick (a one-second video that
to a maximum of four. plays backwards and
forwards) of an influencer
clicking the heels of their
Throwback
Words to new leather loafers together,
An influencer’s way of
posting an old holiday live by they’d like you to visit the
picture in mid-December ...and their designer’s page (“link in my
because their body looked
great, without provoking meanings bio!”) and buy them, please,
sarky put-downs. so they can get a healthy
cut of the revenue.
Spon
Short for sponsored Rule of thirds
post and a naughty If you want your Instagram feed to look neat, apply this rule
to every photo. Divide a photo into nine squares using two
influencer’s way of horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Anything of importance
should be placed along the lines or at their intersections,
obscuring an advert. which creates a pleasing aesthetic of balance.
13
12 CASH, MONEY, 15
CARS AND
‘GET MY (VAPE) CIGARS? THE GQ
DAMN GRAFTOMETER
An (improbable) timeline
AGENT ON Eventually it all comes down to the wedge, the
cheque, the bitcoin. But what rate should you put on to formidable social
THE PHONE!’ your press pack? Stephanie Abrams Cartin, co-CEO
and co-founder of Socialfly, which pairs brands with its
media success
database of influencers for campaigns, talks numbers 1. Your Instagram profile goes live.
To get serious, you’ll need You feel uncomfortable.
an agent on speed dial.
Lucy Lendrem, head of
talent at super-influencer
25,000+
followers and a two per cent engagement rate
2. You sign up to Condé Nast Italia’s
six-month Social Academy to learn
how to be a professional influencer.
management team Gleam (Disclaimer: this is a paid-for post.)
Futures – whose roster Between £300 and £350 for an Instagram post and £350
3. You start vlogging about the highs
to show up for an event.
includes GQ’s very own and lows of your daily commute.
Jim Chapman – explains 4. You buy your first high-quality
how to get on her books
Stand out
“We get approached about 20
100,000+
followers and a two per cent engagement rate
camera for slick production.
5. You start posting #OOTD shots
posing on council estates.
times a day and we have a very Between £1,000 and £2,000 for an Instagram post and 6. You reach 10,000 followers and call
small roster so we don’t take talent £1,500 to show up for an event. yourself a mini-micro-influencer.
on often. I’ll still check out every
person. If I’m interested, I’ll meet 7. You get approached by Protein
500,000+
them right away. If I’m not sure, I’ll World for potential sponsorship.
monitor them for six months.” 8. With 30,000 followers you are a
fully fledged micro-influencer and can
Nurture steady growth followers and a two per cent engagement rate now make an honest living.
“A lot of it has nothing to do with
numbers, but growth. I’ll check
Between £4,000 and £10,000 for an Instagram post and 9. You are approved to join
Social Blade to monitor their growth £7,000 to show up for an event. Socialfly’s database of influencers.
chart over the past six months. If 10. You install a cat flap on your front
it’s slow, it means they’re coming
door for parcel delivery from brands.
to the table with brand and agency
relationships already, which makes 11. You quit your day job and move
LAI: LAW ABIDING
it easier. If it’s a sudden peak, we’ll
need to check growth continues.” 14 INFLUENCER
out of your mum’s house.
12. Your other half quits their job to
become your photographer.
Find the gap
“We’re really strong on fashion 13. You attend three to four different
Social media is the Wild West, for now. Here are
and beauty and have broadened brand events every evening.
out into fitness, entertainment and
the three golden rules to keep legit according
to chief executive of the Advertising Standards 14. You stop seeing family and friends
food. There’s still room for music,
and your other half hates you. Their
sport and the generations above Authority Guy Parker
and below millennials.” photos of you reflect this hate.
1. Get your facts straight will lead to you joining the 15. You have a nervous breakdown.
Engage “If promoting health products, it online blacklist of noncomplying
must be an authorised claim.” advertisers on the ASA website.” 16. You break up with and fire your
“You don’t need to look a certain
(Joining the ranks of Groupon, partner and hire an assistant.
way, be confident or funny. You just 2. And the hashtag right
need to be engaging in some way.” “Adverts must be identifiable Skinny Coffee Club and Natural 17. You get an influencer ranking
and therefore must be labelled Healing Solutions.) on Social Blade.
Gleam Futures timeline of with #Ad or Ad. #Sp or #Spon Your ad may be pulled
18. You are scouted by agent Lucy
talent success [sponsored] are unacceptable.” “The ASA can ask search engines
Lendrem at Gleam Futures.
3. But don’t be sneaky to suspend an ad pending
OAgent Lendrem emails new talent
“The word ‘ad’ must be one of investigation if the body thinks 19. You hire a second assistant.
to indicate interest.
the first words in the comment it is a danger to society by
OShe then invites prospective 20. Your bloggermail gets delivered
section. It cannot be lost under showing unsafe practice.”
talent for lunch outside the office. to Gleam instead of your home.
the ‘view more’ tab.” Or you could end up serving
OLendrem then conducts a 21. You become “this week’s
actual prison time
background check. If it’s clean, influencer to follow” on LinkedIn.
And if you still want to “Serious and repeated
she’ll invite the talent to the
Gleam offices for a meeting.
play dirty? violation of the codes will 22. The word “spon” stops
lead to the ASA referring you autocorrecting to “soon” on
OAfter the second meeting, You’ll face investigation to the Trading Standards,
Lendrem will introduce the “After a maximum 35-day your iPhone.
who can take action under
talent to Gleam founder Dominic investigation, the ASA will ask consumer law. Sanctions 23. You stop going to evening events.
Smales: the deciding moment. you to edit your social post include fines and imprisonment. 24. You are put on the roster
O If Smales is on board, a contract is with the correct label and will All intermediaries are responsible
need assurance that you have for prestigious blogging show
drawn up. [for the offending post], from
understood the code. No formal HelloWorld. Here, you find love with
OEach talent is kept on a three- the talent agency and the public
apology is needed.” another influencer.
month trial period and called in relations agency to the brand
for a biannual assessment and You might get blacklisted and the influencer – but mostly 25. You publish your memoirs or
five-year-plan re-evaluation. “Repeated violation of the codes the brand.” a vegan-themed baking book. G
MARCH 2018 GQ.CO.UK 227
The collections
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Mariano Vivanco STYLING BY Luke Day CREATIVE DIRECTION BY Paul Solomons
SS18
Exquisite tailoring meets easy cool
in this season’s apparel nonpareil.
The cuts, tones and textures
reboot every staple – the attitude
you’ll have to bring yourself...
From left:
GIORGIO ARMANI
Ewout wears:
Blazer, from £800. Shirt, £450.
Trousers, £500.
Robertas wears:
Coat, from £1,500. Trousers, £540.
Shoes, £470. armani.com
MICHAEL KORS
James wears: Coat, £750.
Jumper, £530. Shirt, £150.
Shorts, £110. michaelkors.co.uk
From left:
PHILIPP PLEIN
James wears: Jacket,
£2,140. Shirt, £355. T-shirt,
£340. Trousers, £622.
Shoes, £958.
Augusta wears: Jacket,
£2,006. Shirt, £401. Jeans,
£669. philipp-plein.com
CANALI
Adrian wears: Coat, £1,550.
Suit, £1,560. Shirt, £220.
Shoes, £370. canali.com
LOUIS
VUITTON
Bram wears: Jacket, £2,100.
Shirt, £1,330. Trousers,
£560. Necklace, £550. Belt,
£400. uk.louisvuitton.com
PAUL SMITH
Jonathan wears: Shirt,
£215. Trousers, £305. Shoes,
£160. paulsmith.com
CORNELIANI
Ewout wears: Jacket, £725.
Shirt, £138. Trousers, £210.
Scarf, £125. corneliani.com
CRAIG GREEN
Augusta wears: Top,
£470. Trousers, £350.
craig-green.com
GUCCI
Augusta wears: Jacket,
£2,420. Trousers, £615.
Sang wears: Jacket, £1,310.
Shirt, £355. Trousers, £435.
Boots, £1,620. gucci.com
BERLUTI
Ewout wears: Jacket, from
£1,400. Jumper, from £600.
Trousers, from £860. Shoes,
from £1,200.
Bram (second from right)
wears: Jumper, from £600.
Vest, from £450. Trousers,
from £550. Shoes, from
£1,200. berluti.com
SALVATORE
FERRAGAMO
Robertas wears: Jumper,
£400. Shirt, £165. Shorts,
£460. Shoes, from £595.
James (far right)
wears: Jacket, £4,855.
Jumper, £600. Trousers,
£395. Shoes, from £595.
ferragamo.com
HERMÈS
James wears: T-shirt, £760.
Trousers, £330. Shoes, £610.
Jonathan wears: Jumper,
£1,170. Trousers, £540.
Shoes, £700. Belt, £630.
uk.hermes.com
BOTTEGA
VENETA
Bram wears: Jacket, £2,250.
Shirt, £675. Trousers,
£2,610. Belt, £535.
bottegaveneta.com
FASHION
DIOR HOMME
Adrian wears: Jacket, £1,600. Shirt, £410.
Trousers, £500. Trainers, £800.
Augusta wears: Jacket, £1,250. Trousers, £590.
Trainers, £800. Scarf, £320. Bracelet, £230.
Jonathan wears: Jacket, £1,250. Shirt, £410.
Trousers, £500. Trainers, £800. Bracelet, £260.
Sang wears: Jacket, £1,700. Shirt, £860.
Trousers, £520. Trainers, £800. Scarf, £230.
Necklace, £320. dior.com
From left:
BOSS
Ewout wears: Coat, £850.
Jumper, £219. Trousers,
£189. Shoes, £319.
Belt, £105.
Adrian wears: Jumper, £170.
Trousers, £189. Shoes, £319.
Scarf, £85. Belt, £105.
Augusta wears: Jacket,
£470. T-shirt, £69. Trousers,
£189. hugoboss.com
BILLIONAIRE
James wears: Jacket,
£3,350. Shirt, £575.
Trousers, £535. Shoes,
£775. Belt, £310.
Robertas wears: Jacket,
£52,500. Jumper, £600.
Trousers, £445. Belt, £1,670.
billionairecouture.com
DSQUARED2
Augusta wears: Polo
shirt, £1,465. Shirt, £250.
Trousers, £430. Shoes,
£890. Collar, £170. Scarf,
£107. dsquared2.com
CALVIN KLEIN
205W39NYC
Bram wears: Blazer,
£1,190. T-shirt, £165.
Trousers, £470. Shoes,
£1,150. calvinklein.co.uk
PRADA
Adrian wears: Jacket, £1,120. Shirt,
£435. Trousers, £485. Shoes, £560.
Socks, £130. Belt, £420.
Sang wears: Jacket, £1,120. Shirt,
£520. Trousers, £395. Shoes, £495.
Socks, £130. Belt, £475. prada.com
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TAG HEUER CARRERA CALIBRE HEUER 01
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