ST Men's Style AW11

Clive Owen’s smart mOve ST men’S STyle Autumn / Winter 2011

Black Label

N O 1 NE w BONd StRE E t

RALPHL AUREN.COM

IWC Portuguese.

Engineered for navigators.

The future’s safe.

Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. Ref. 5032 : One thing at IWC always remains the same: the desire to get even better. Their quest for this level of perfection is not pure coincidence. Its roots go back to marine navigation in the 18th century. Because apart from astronomical coordinates, mariners and explorers from Portugal needed the precise time to improve the accuracy of their navigation. Initially, they were content with the invention of the chronograph. But not for long. In the 1930s, two Portuguese businessmen by the names of Rodrigues and Teixeira were looking for another solution.

For them, large pocket watches were impractical. They wanted a wristwatch in a stainless-steel case with the qualities and precision of a deck watch. IWC made it all possible and used the 74-calibre pocket watch movement to make a wristwatch fit for mariners. Thus laying the foundations for a family saga that was to remain unique in the history of watchmaking.

The history of IWC began some time before the development of this masterpiece. For it was in 1868 that an American watchmaker and entrepreneur, Florentine Ariosto Jones from Boston, founded the International Watch Company in northeastern Switzerland. Since then, the firm’s engineers have developed countless watches, such as the Grande Complication, the Ingenieur line, the Portuguese models, the Pilot’s Watch family, the F. A. Jones. Da Vinci and the Aquatimer series. ‘Probus Scafusia’ (good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen) encapsulates this philosophy. The many technical achievements and innovations that have their origins in Schaffhausen have borne impressive testimony to this for over 140 years.

Today, the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar comes with IWC’s largest-ever automatic movement in a 44.2 mm case. Glance through the sapphire-glass back and watch

the Pellaton pawl-winding system generate enough energy for seven days in no time at all, visible on the power reserve display.

An ingenious mechanical masterpiece guarantees the correct, fully automatic interplay of all 109 individual parts.

With extraordinary precision, they control and activate the calendar’s clearly legible displays and indicators: in other words, the seconds, minutes, hours, date, day of the week, month and four-digit year display.

However, there is one figure at least as impressive: 6 315 840 000 to 1. That is the size of the reduction ratio between the seconds hand and the century slide. Effectively, this means that a point on the balance will cover some 1.6 million kilometres in the course of a year, while the century slide, after 25 228 800 000 beats, will move through just IWC-manufactured movement.

26 degrees at the end of a century. Only in this way was it possible for the engineers at IWC to program the user-friendly calendar mechanically until the year 2499. Its eternal moon phase display is so accurate that it will be only one day out of sync with the moon itself after 577 years. The double moon display shows the lunar phase in the northern and southern hemi spheres, while the days remaining until the next full moon are also clearly visible. In short: a watch that has already written the future. IWC. Engineered for men.

Mechanical IWC-manufactured movement | Pellaton automatic winding system | 7-day power reserve with display | Perpetual calendar (figure) | Perpetual moon phase display | Antireflec tive sapphire glass | Sapphire-glass back cover | Water-resistant 3 bar | 18 ct red gold

IWC Schaffhausen, Switzerland. www.iwc.com The world’s finest timepieces are exclusively available from selected watch specialists.

For an illustrated catalogue or list of nationwide concessionaires please contact IWC UK. Tel. 0845 337 1868.

E-mail: info-uk@iwc.com

126-127 New Bond Street, Tel. 0207 2903 500 london.bondst.shop@canali.it

www.canali.it

contents

11

Autumn / Winter 2011

Wool and alpaca blazer with suede elbow patches, £695; shirt, £115; wool tie, £95; and corduroy trousers, £160, all Polo Ralph Lauren

62

14 front row This winter, the dandy is back.

Fear not, he’s no face-painted highwayman, but he does take cues from another pop icon: the Thin White Duke

17 coveted Prada’s new Saffiano leather bags

96

solve the briefcase vs casual satchel debate

18 accessories Scarves that will display your excellent sartorial taste, not an embarrassing allegiance to a football club in crisis

20 one to watch Clive Darby, the man behind London menswear label Rake, on the success of his lightweight, tailored separates

22 artefact How Giorgio Armani revived one of his favourite overcoats from the Eighties and relaunched it this winter

24 technology Leica’s M9-P (for ‘Professional’) update of its digital camera is notable for being less embellished, rather than more flashy

28 fragrance Our man with an atomiser risks his marriage by spending some time with his first love: a botle of Yardley Gold

30 six of the best Mac, trench – whatever you call it, the raincat is essential for the season of mists and mell– oh no, it’s chucking down again

32 grooming For the man who would never countenance the use of ‘lotions and potions’, some properly practical creams and liquids

48 the free agent Sharp dressing with sof

34 the guide Never again be tripped up by an

tailoring: coats that drape and trousers that bag, topped with jaunty, colourful headgear

ill-fiting rented tux. With this choice of formal suits, it’ll be a flashbulb-popping red-carpet arrival every time you pitch up at a do

56 clive owen The Liverpool-supporting lad from Coventry brings such an easy charm to what he does, it’s clear he’ll never talk alone

36 on the radar Spencer Hart’s new Mayfair

60 bentley buoys The 2011 editions of the

adam whitehead; chris brooks

flagship store showcases a new collection

Bentley Continental GT and convertible GTC are designed to bring a smile to the face

39 shoes Don’t be afraid to let the colour of your summer footwear linger into the autumn

62 pastoral idols Woollen knitwear, with an

40 the last of the ice men The fascinating

understated suit element, combine in a rural look of landed gentry mixed with toil in the field

story of Tryggve Gran, the Norwegian Antarctic explorer who worked not for Roald Amundsen, but for Captain Scot

46 watches Retro timepieces: all the style of vintage, but with state-of-the-art workings

72 stockists The ST Men’s Style directory

17

74 hero Scotish director David Mackenzie on how Nicolas Roeg’s films have inspired him

12 contributors

On the cover Photography: Lorenzo Agius.

Fashion editor: David Lamb.

Suit: Giorgio Armani. Watch: Jaeger-LeCoultre Platinum Duometre Chronograph xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AdAm WhiteheAd was born in Kendal and studied photography at both Lancaster and Newcastle Colleges. On moving to London, he began assisting a variety of photographers, among them Mario Testino. In 2001, Adam became Mario’s full-time first assistant and, in 2006, his director of photography.

Now shooting under his own name, Adam has shot campaigns for the likes of Versace and features for Vogue, GQ and Telegraph Magazine. He and his wife divide their time between New York and London.

NiCk sullivAN has spent most of his career in fashion journalism, having

worked at Esquire, Arena, Arena Homme Plus and GQ before hopping the Atlantic to become Esquire’s fashion director and editor of its biannual spin-off, Esquire’s Big Black Book. He has lived in New York for seven years, during which time he has learned to ask for ‘toona’ and ‘wadder’ instead of tuna and water, but otherwise speaks properly. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children, along with 31 pairs of brogues and a Persian cat.

riChArd hAiNes first moved to New York to pursue illustration, but instead found a successful career as a fashion designer, working for the likes of Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis. He has since emerged as one of today’s most sought-afer fashion illustrators, earning commissions from brands that include Barneys, J.Crew, Unionmade and Pennyblack, and creating the popular style blog What I Saw Today. In July 2009, he had his first solo show in New York at the cuting-edge art space and gallery Envoy Enterprises.

roBert JohNstoN has writen for titles as diverse as Australian teenage magazine Dolly and The New York Times, as well as Esquire, Wallpaper*, the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times, covering myriad subjects from Giorgio Armani to acne. He lives in London and is currently associate editor of GQ, for which, among other duties, he fulfils the role of resident Style Shrink. When he is not working, he can normally be found trying – mostly unsuccessfully – to calm down his Staffordshire terrier.

EDITORIAL editor Henry Farrar-Hockley editor-in-chief Joanne Glasbey executive editor Peter Howarth Chief copy editor Chris Madigan senior copy editor Gill Wing Copy editors Sarah Evans, Ming Liu editorial business coordinator Sarah Deeks DESIGN senior art director Ciara Walshe senior designer Dominic Bell designer Hillary Jayne Picture editor Juliette Hedoin Creative director Ian Pendleton FASHION Fashion director Allan Kennedy CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Nick Sullivan (Style) Simon de Burton (Watches) Ahmed Zambarakji (Grooming) COMMERCIAL (UK) executive director Dave King Publishing director Toby Moore 020 7931 3350 director of fashion and luxury Carley Ayres 020 7931 3328 COMMERCIAL (ITALY) K.Media Srl Via Cavalieri Bonaventura, 1/3 20121 Milan, Italy +39 02 29 06 10 94; kmedianet.com SHOW MEDIA 020 3222 0101 Ground Floor, 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP info@showmedia.net www.showmedia.net Printed by Polestar (polestar-group.com) Colour reproduction by fmg (wearefmg.com)

Chris Brooks was born in a small town in Derbyshire, where he spent his

youth messing about with the family camera. Living on the divide between the Peak District and suburban middle England, he acquired a love of interesting locations as well as a strange sense of humour. His still-lifes are the most celebrated facet of his work and his images regularly appear in publications such as The New York Times and the Telegraph, as well as on the Mr Porter website, while his commercial clients include Armani and Eurostar.

ST Men’s Style is designed and produced by SHOW MEDIA LTD for the Telegraph Media Group. All material © Show Media Ltd and Telegraph Media Group. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions.

The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press.

14

front row

MEN AND SUPERMEN Inspired by Bowie, the new-season dandy casts off unobtrusive corduroy and tweed to reveal a colourful peacock ready to flaunt his masculinity and claim supremacy

Words NICK SULLIVAN Illustration RICHARD HAINES

You know where you stand with Steve McQueen.

As male style icons go, he is generally hard to beat for his relentless masculinity and his renowned penchant for clothes that were simple, casual and – because he was wearing them – unimpeachably cool. Yet after a long run as the inspiration for the blogger generation, Steve might finally be hanging up his loafers and ceding his place to another icon from another time, who could not be more starkly different or – if fashion designers are to be believed – more current. For autumn/winter 2011 we’re talking Mr David Bowie.

Little in men’s fashion is ever a total obliteration of what came before. So the avuncular, fogeyish feel of last autumn/winter – all frowsty tweeds and curmudgeonly corduroy – has flourished this season into a full-blown dandy.

The mood is of effete young men, rediscovering and dressing up in their grandfather’s clothes as if found after a long hiatus in a trunk in a dusty attic. There is a renewed sense of the theatrical, of ‘fancy dress’, that is key here. But what makes this direction new is that it worked both on and off the catwalks (where, let’s be honest, the average age of models can’t be much north of 17).

Until recently – and it’s certainly what kept men’s fashion ticking over through the recession – authenticity was the watchword, driven by bloggermania for Americana and workwear and Steve McQueen. That thirst for the real also drove fashion on towards classic Anglo-Saxon solidity (equally authentic, but this time of the old world). Suddenly we find ourselves transported into a world of dressy make-believe.

And while fashion’s gaze remains firmly averted

If men are ready and confident, for once, not to fit in but to stand out, we’re in for a colourful winter

from the workplace – no one can shift tailored suits right now – the individual and the eccentric have far more currency than the conformist.

The patron saint of this darkly glamorous look is David Bowie in his Thin White Duke persona, circa 1976, his fragile, undernourished frame and aristocratic mien perfectly echoed by the model’s physique on the runway. Bowie is eternally popular with purveyors of menswear because he carries a kind of sexual ambiguity without appearing feminine. At Dries Van Noten, whose collection trounced all-comers for its spot-on-ness, it was all about the Duke. Some of the models even sported slicked copper/blond hair, while a heavily reworked version of ‘Golden Years’ (one of his biggest hits from the Station to Station album) provided the musical backdrop.

At Lanvin, Lucas Ossendrijver gave a distinctly romantic twist to the Bowiesque mood, adding the glamour of evening to eclectic mixes of statement pieces – another fashion moment in a several-season rollercoaster of brilliant collections. Often, he explores so many different ideas – tailored with soft, technical with artisanal – that one is left to marvel how the end result is so utterly clear-cut. But this facility with both pure design and styling is precisely where menswear is going.

There were suggestions of the Twenties and Thirties everywhere in short, fitted doublebreasted jackets and roomier trousers that, at the extremes, as at Dries Van Noten and Lanvin, looked suspiciously like Oxford bags – so named because the elephantine flannels were popularised

by Oxford University students in the inter-war period. There were fedoras everywhere too – widish of brim and rakish of angle. You didn’t see a lot of those while fashion was about common-sense clothes.

Yet it’s tricky to put a hard date to this new direction overall, because so much seems, not unlike the contents of a trunk in an attic, perhaps, to come from different periods. At his eponymous label Miharayasuhiro – surely one of the biggest-thinking brands on the planet – Yasuhiro mixed Wildean aesthetes and prim

public schoolboys in felted, shrunken blazers that were trimmed in careworn tattered black braid, as if moth-eaten.

Elsewhere, at Italian brands such as Etro and Piombo, which are both renowned for a more colourful take on the classic, that dandyish air was reminiscent of HBO’s new hero, Nucky Thompson, of Boardwalk Empire.

As Coppola’s TV tour de force goes into its second season, it is already as renowned for the violence of its central character’s colourful suits as for the darkness of his methods. But, like Thompson, the political boss and racketeer whose fictional rise occurs in parallel with the emergence of the United States as a new superpower in the aftermath of WWI, this is no time for hiding your light under a bushel. He knew that one could be both a man and a peacock.

If men are as ready and as confident in their desire not, for once, to fit in but to stand out, we could be in for a colourful winter.

For all the nostalgic mood, designers were careful not to set the look in aspic. If some of the elements were deeply retro, others reminded us to live in the modern world. Meanwhile, a parallel strain from other brands such as Prada – which featured oversized, boxy jackets and Star Trek-like Lurex knits – but also Raf Simons and Jil Sander, suggests a sharper look, using flat, contemporary colour and looser or boxier shapes in technical fabrics. It is a cleaner, harder alternative to that romantic mood; both show signs of growing for next spring and summer.

Nick Sullivan is fashion director of US Esquire

TOD’S BOUTIQUES: TEL. 020.74932237 - 020.72351321

coveted

17

Words Henry Farrar-Hockley Photography Chris Brooks

case in point Workaday luggage has come a long way since the ubiquitous heyday of the humble – albeit cumbersome – attaché case, with the white-collar worker now as likely to be found accessorising his sharp, two-button suit with a canvas backpack as he is with a battered leather satchel. The guidelines for an office bag are simple: it must be resilient, capable of complementing myriad dress codes – from boardroom summit to dress-down Friday – and easily accommodate the full extent of weekday gear. Prada’s Saffiano bags tick all the boxes: they are not only constructed from a grained calf leather that repels water and scuffs, but come in a range of colours, patterns and shapes to house all manner of cargo, be it documents, packed lunch or a change of clothes for an impromptu overnighter. From top: rectangular leather tote, £970; square leather tote, £1,395; and leather satchel, £460, all Prada; 020 7647 5000, prada.com

18 accessories

Words Michael Joyce

ART DIRECTOR CIArA WALSHE STyLIST POP KAMPOL

Photography Chris Brooks

it’s a wrap While there is a time and a place for making bold sartorial statements, let’s be clear that the former is not this winter and the latter

personality, how down with the kids you think you might be, or your allegiance to a particular sporting team (unless on your way to the

From left: ‘LV Trunks’ scarf, £450, Louis Vuitton. Dogtooth-check wool scarf, £59, Aspinal of London. Multi-hue wool scarf, £240, Missoni. Wool-mix scarf, £315, Salvatore Ferragamo. ‘Pure Maille’ cotton scarf, £330, Hermès.

Polka-dot wool-mix scarf, £140, CH Carolina Herrera

stadium). It’s there to keep you warm. So smarten up, man.

STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 72

is not one’s neck. You see, there have been some dubious developments in the world of scarves of late and it’s time to put paid to these misguided aberrations. Leave the snood and its various permutations to Premier League footballers this season. And shield your eyes from the invariably cheap-looking keffiyeh styles still knocking around the shops. It’s time to welcome the classic, quality scarf back into the modern gent’s wardrobe. How to choose? Simply apply the same criteria that you would to your selection of tie. While a scarf does provide an opportunity to show off a degree of sartorial flair, it should never be seen as a medium for expressing your ‘zany’

20 one to watch

Words David Waters

man of the world With its go-anywhere separates selling globally, Rake’s progress is confirmed

Clive Darby is excited about the newest addition to his game-changing menswear label Rake. ‘We’ve launched this brilliant new brand,’ he said recently at his new showroom near London Bridge. ‘It’s called Rake Lounge and was inspired by dinner suits and evening wear.

Lane Crawford in China bought it, so have Barneys in New York, and Matches have the UK exclusive. It’ll be in stores from November.’ He grins happily, pointing out a rail of lightweight, semi-lined and beautifully cut jackets and pristine white shirts.

It’s the thrill of the chase – seeing some of the world’s top stores take a punt on a new London-based menswear brand (this is only their third season) – that gets Darby excited. ‘It must be my retail background,’ he says. ‘Bringing exceptional menswear to the consumer is what I love.’ His CV includes senior buying and retail directorships at Browns, Richard James and Kilgour – roles that gave him an encyclopaedic knowledge of what men expect, and indeed need, from their wardrobes, especially those who can stretch to spending £2,000 on a jacket.

Versatility is a key concept at Rake, based on Darby’s own clothing philosophy. ‘When I travel, I just

want to take one suit but be able to wear it in four different ways,’ he says, pulling on a bird’s-eye pima coton jacket that feels like fine cashmere. When scrunched up, it falls back into shape without a whisper of a crease. You could step off a long-haul flight and walk straight into a business meeting looking perfectly atired in this.

Rake’s suits are sold as separate jackets and trousers – a unique policy that encourages wardrobe integration. And with such a tightly edited collection of mix-and-match muted grey, navy, stone and French blue, any item from the collection can be worn with anything else, which is manna for the on-the-go professional who doesn’t have time to puzzle over the origami of dressing well.

‘Some of our best customers are hedge-funders,’ says Will Adams, Rake’s creative director. ‘They don’t have to wear suits, but they want comfortable tailoring to pull on and off easily. They’re looking for smart style solutions that aren’t based around the predictability of a suit.’

A recent film for Rake by Rankin used the brand’s house model, Ben Jackson, and was styled by William Gilchrist. It is a moody, urban trawl through London streets, following a raffish, haunted-looking young man wearing beautifully cut clothes. ‘We’ve assembled a team of talented people who are like a family,’ says Darby, as he shows a preview of next season’s collection, which was shot, remarkably, not on a man but a woman – the ice-cool model Jade Parfit.

Such creativity, and the unerring enthusiasm of his stockists and customers, explains why Darby is riding a high right now. ‘Our next ambition is to open our own shop here in London,’ he says. ‘I see it as somewhere our customer would come to hang out and where everything would be for sale – even the furniture he’d sit on.’ He conjures up a picture of a wood-panelled space filled with vaguely louche businessmen sipping espressos, dressed in elegant, easy tailoring. Somehow, you just know it’s going to happen. rakestyle.com David Waters is associate style editor of Men’s Health

photographed at the rabot estate chocolate café and chocolate shop, borough market, london se1

Photography Eva Vermandel

22 artefact

Words Peter Howarth Photography Chris Brooks

the long view This handsome double-breasted coat formed part of the first outfit to appear on Giorgio Armani’s autumn/winter 2011 catwalk in Milan. It was, says the designer, ‘a statement about the importance of coats in the male wardrobe, after several seasons when I focused on blouson jackets, parkas and more sporty items.’ Long and flowing, substantial and, above all, snugly comfortable, it turns out it is actually a vintage piece, and one Mr Armani wore personally in the Eighties.

He dug it out of his wardrobe and was so taken with it that, not only did he send it down the runway as the lead item, but he also put it back into production so you and I can enjoy it afresh. So, if you want a piece this winter that expertly straddles the elegant and the relaxed, look no further – the maestro from Milan has the answer, sampled from a hit from a former era.

Wool coat, £1,800, Giorgio Armani; 020 7491 8080, giorgioarmani.com

TO BE ONE OF A KIND LONDON - 32, BRU TON S TREET W1 BRIONI.COM

24 technology

what’s not to leica?

Some brands innovate, others are content merely to hone; Leica, meanwhile, does both. Since it invigorated the camera industry in 1954 with its 35mm-format M3, the German brand has been synonymous with setting new benchmarks for photographic apparatus.

And yet – as in the case of its new digital rangefinder, the M9-P (the ‘P’ stands for ‘Professional’) – it also knows when to fine-tune existing hardware, rather than reinvent for reinvention’s sake.

Hence the M9-P is almost identical to the M9, the world’s smallest full-format digital-system camera. Shared specifications include that enormous 18MP light sensor, the same magnesium alloy-based rigid build quality, backwards compatibility with any and every M lens, and the near-silent shutter release.

The M9-P’s updates – clearly aimed at those who like to shoot on the hoof – are twofold: first and foremost is an improved display screen coated in anti-reflective sapphire glass that deflects both scratches and sunlight. Second is a more ascetic approach to branding: gone are the ‘mug me, please’ red circle and ‘M’ logos in favour of a subtler ‘Leica’ inscription on the top plate. ‘Unobtrusive, discreet, and resilient,’ says the company.

Gorgeously detailed on both sides of the lens, say we.

M9-P, from £5,395, Leica; leica-camera.co.uk

Words Henry Farrar-Hockley Photography Andy Barter

28 fragrance

scents of time

Our tastes evolve over the years, so what happens when we revisit the aftershaves of our youth?

Words Henry Farrar-Hockley Illustration Demetrios Psillos

What was your first afershave? Brut? Drakkar Noir? Old Spice?

Fahrenheit, perhaps? Mine was Yardley Gold. At the tender age of six, I was presented with a botle of the precious stuff by my older brother.

To me, this signified a long-yearned-for token of acceptance, proof that – Chinese burns and arguments over Lego notwithstanding – he was finally acknowledging me as something approaching an equal.

It was more likely that my sibling simply didn’t approve of this particular high street splash-on with its medallion man logo, maroon plastic stopper and the redolent swagger of a hairy-chested, Ford Cortina-driving Seventies dad, so sent it my way like so many other hand-me-downs. But that didn’t mater. I owned my first afershave. And although it initially made my eyes water, I loved

it. Today, Gold still exists (it is now owned and distributed by Parfums Bleu Ltd) but – stripped of its Daley Thompson packaging – its enervating cocktail of rosemary, geranium and leather has somehow lost its lustre.

I acquired my second fragrance at the age of 12. That Christmas, my grandfather gave me a frosted-glass container of Geo F Trumper’s Extract of West Indian Limes, by way of a coming-of-age gif. It remains a classic, citrus-heavy cologne that is as bracing as an ice-cold G&T, although it still requires liberal application to compensate for the fact its formula doesn’t hang around for long on the skin.

Fragrance-buying during my teenage years was almost entirely dependent upon perceived female appeal. Hence, our entire GCSE year-group acquired botles of Hugo Man when we discovered all the girls fancied Werner Schreyer, the supermodel face adorning the accompanying poster campaign. This way, when they closed their eyes, wrapped their arms around us and inhaled the signature blend of green apple, sage and cedarwood, they could dream they were snogging a chiselled German überhunk and not some hormonal, gangly juvenile. It proved a win-win for both parties. Uncapping a canteen of Hugo Man still conjures memories of bra straps seemingly harder to pick than a Banham mortice, but its recipe has aged well – even if it is arguably a litle too sweet for anyone over 30 to wear beyond the summer months.

The next olfactory milestone of my youth was Paco Rabanne’s XS Pour Homme. I was drawn to it because it resembled a Zippo lighter, although, thankfully, it registers more as an amalgam of wild mint, rose, juniper and oak moss than nostril-singeing naphtha.

When I started dating an Oxford girl during my A-levels and learned she wore XS Pour Elle, I naturally presumed she was the one. Naturally, she was not. The flip-top carafe now feels dated, though the woody floral inside has mellowed into a classic aromatic fougère.

To see me through the swansong of adolescence, I was determined to find an afershave that would set me apart from the throng of Lynx-saturated school leavers – albeit in a good way. So I saved up for a botle of Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme, a creation of the feted Firmenich perfumer Jacques Cavallier.

It was a genuine milestone for men’s fragrance, underpinned by exotic ingredients like yuzu (a south-east Asian relative of mandarin fruit), saffron and vetiver. It was also resoundingly fresh and spicy, and altogether more grown-up. Beter still, my university girlfriend claimed it made her weak at the knees. Having switched allegiance to other, newer fragrances in the interim, I’m intrigued as to whether it can still impress afer so long. Thankfully, it smells as bright and innovative as it did 14 years ago. And my wife reports it to be every bit as knee-weakening.

Parfums Bleu Ltd Gold for Men, £7.30, Express Chemist; expresschemist.co.uk.

Geo F Trumper Extract of West Indian Limes, from £36, Geo F Trumper; trumpers.com.

Hugo Boss Hugo Man, from £30, available nationwide; hugo.com. Paco Rabanne XS Pour Homme, £34, available nationwide; 020 7494 6220. Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey pour Homme, from £38.50, at selected House of Fraser stores; 0844 800 3752

30 six of the best

Words Robert Johnston Photography Chris Brooks

it’s raining, men If you had to choose one essential piece of kit for this temperate isle, it would have to be the raincoat. From the eponymous waterproof model patented by Glaswegian Charles Macintosh back in 1823 to the mods’ fishtail parka, this is the outerwear that has defined the British more than any other. But perhaps the greatest coat is the double-breasted trench. Indeed, today it is such a part of British life that its origins are lost in the mists of time and at least two brands, namely Burberry and Aquascutum, claim it for their own, the latter as far back as the 1850s. However, it took World War I to create the coat we recognise today, which has shoulder straps, raglan sleeves (handy if you’re using a rifle) and D-rings on the belt (often wrongly attributed as being designed to hold grenades, they were intended, in fact, for map cases and a sword).

When it comes to buying the perfect raincoat, there are a few rules of thumb. One: remember that in order to ensure you have a piece that will take you through the vagaries of the British climate, buy it slightly larger than you might think, so you can wear it with a chunky roll-neck underneath – or, indeed, a suit. Two: while there is nothing so perfect as a pristine white mac, the pollution in rain will soon make it look grubby, so opt for a darker colour.

And three: make it your own. Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer at Burberry – and therefore a man who knows more than most about how to wear a trench – thinks the best way to wear one is open with the belt tied at the back – though he also praises the bankers who wear it done up and

From far left: Brown waxed-cotton raincoat, price on application, Louis Vuitton; and cotton shirt, £95, Gieves & Hawkes. Blue raincoat, £445, Paul Smith Jeans; and ‘Fedora’ shirt, £79, Thomas Pink.

Tangerine raincoat, £995, Burberry Prorsum; and cotton shirt, £100, PS by Paul Smith. Burgundy waxed-cotton raincoat, £845, E. Tautz; and cotton shirt, £95, Gieves & Hawkes. Purple oiled-cotton raincoat, £1,824, Moncler Gamme Bleu; and denim shirt, £75, Thomas Pink. Navy raincoat, £1,120, Alexander McQueen; and corduroy shirt, £125, Paul Smith Jeans. All jeans, £270 each, Viktor & Rolf at Harvey Nichols. All leather shoes, £340 per pair, Paul Smith STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 72

belted. Whatever way you do it, you can be sure it will be a safe investment.

Robert Johnston is associate editor of GQ

Art director Ciara Walshe Stylist Pop Kampol Grooming Amber-Rose Peake Model Max at Premier

32 grooming

beauty & the beast Even the most unreconstructed retrosexual needs a grooming kit that will go the distance in the field Words Ahmed Zambarakji Photography Andy Barter

There is no greater insight into the male psyche than a man’s inherent belief that harder jobs require bigger hammers. This approach certainly gets results when it comes to grooming: iron-man activities require hard-wearing performance products tested in the field… or the mountains, or jungle.

Kiehl’s Cross-Terrain collection was designed with such men in mind. Adventure-tested on cliff climbs and ocean dives by National Geographic’s team of explorers, the range is more than adequate for 20 minutes on the treadmill. I’m particularly fond of the slip-resistant Dry-Run Foot Cream (£16 for 100ml; kiehls.co.uk), that alleviates cracked heels while fighting foot funk.

To shield skin from even the harshest of UV rays, opt for Dr Sebagh’s Sun-City Protection SPF 30 (£50 for 15ml; johnlewis.com), which the good doctor assures us will do virtually the same job as a product with a higher SPF. ‘The most important thing is the quality of the filters,’ he says. ‘Chemical filters give you two hours of protection and pure mineral ones up to six hours with a good water resistance.’ His broad-spectrum sunscreen is made with mineral filters to protect you from the elements both in and out of the city – just remember to slather yourself in the stuff a good half an hour before heading outdoors to allow it to soak in.

Macho men are unlikely to be familiar with Crème de la Mer, but the fabled brand favoured by ladies who lunch makes an intensely moisturising Lip Balm (£37 for 9g; cremedelamer.co.uk). It is formulated with a protein found in Arctic marine life that is more than strong enough to prevent the chapped smackers that are too ofen the result of speeding your way down a black run.

Such Milk Tray moments ofen involve the odd scrape or gory graze. First aid comes in the shape of Brave Soldier’s Antiseptic Healing Ointment (£9.50 for 170ml; mankind.co.uk), a tea tree and aloe formula that claims 40 per cent faster healing than the old running tap and grubby plaster method. Expect less scarring, reduced inflammation and the ability to power on through in spite of war wounds – or, perhaps more likely, paper cuts.

With muscles under constant stress, action men should prep themselves with a topical potion such as Friction de Foucaud (£16.95 for 250ml; roullierwhite.com) – a 65-year-old body tonic formulated for French military officers in Indochina from an energising mix of camphor, menthol and essential oils that promotes blood circulation and aids muscles before and afer any physical onslaught.

Hours spent on two wheels ofen culminate in an unpleasant case of saddle soreness, but this can be allayed with the cunningly christened Chamois Cream from lauded bike brand Rapha (£15 for 125ml; rapha.cc), thanks to its generous dose of vegetable glycerine and shea buter, which is also a key ingredient in L’Occitane’s Shea Buter Hand Cream (£17.50 for 150ml; uk.loccitane.com).

Shea buter is one of nature’s richest and most easily absorbed emollients, and its high concentration of faty acids makes it ideal for strengthening the skin’s protective barrier and repairing superficial damage. A fair-traded form of shea sourced from Burkino Faso takes centre stage in this formula, which will go some way to tackle the damage caused by manual labour, which can leave hands more calloused than a gravedigger’s.

A more basic but no less important piece of kit is a decent man moisturiser. Whether brought on by hostile winds or the environmental aggressors of city living, skin sensitivity can be an issue for even the toughest of men (more than 50 per cent of us will suffer a flare-up at some point, according to the International Dermal Institute). Elemis’ S.O.S. Survival Cream (£39.90 for 50ml; timetospa.co.uk) helps restore moisture balance, ease inflammation and reduce the redness that comes as a result of hard living, or just a dodgy shave.

At ease, gentlemen.

Ahmed Zambarakji is the founder of men’s grooming blog theexfoliator.com

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tux deluxe Dinner jackets can fox the finest. Follow our guide to the stylish suit Words Mansel Fletcher Illustration Dominic Bell

the guide

ClassiC single-breasted Why? If a man owns one dinner jacket then it should be single-breasted. The perfect one is so plain as to be near invisible, which is why they have no flaps over the pockets nor vents at the back.

The dream A British secret service agent wanders into a buzzing casino in pursuit of a beautiful woman. His suit, which has peak lapels and fits him beautifully, is elegant, masculine and timeless.

A man who goes to both personal and professional black-tie events would do well to own a couple of dinner jackets

The nightmare A young man foolishly

35

VelVet jaCket

feel of a narrow black silk knitted tie.

Why? Velvet jackets are easy to wear

The shoes Highly polished black tassel

and so provide a useful option for almost

loafers, worn with navy socks or, better

any evening invitation.

yet, pillar-box-red socks.

The dream The Duke of Windsor sitting

The reality Navy blue mixed wool jacket

at a table with a glass of champagne and

(£1,655) and trousers (£495) by Lanvin

a twinkle in his eye. The clothes the Duke

(020 7434 3384, lanvin.com). ‘The Byard’

wore are distinguished from contemporary

slim-fit suit by Paul Smith London (£859;

fashions by how comfortable he looks in

0800 023 4006, paulsmith.co.uk).

them, and the fact that they were made from sensuous fabrics.

a jazzy number

The nightmare A Hollywood ‘sleb’, well

Why? You believe you are special, and

denies the financial and sartorial logic of

shawl Collar

past his prime and the victim of second-

you want a suit that will make a big

owning his own dinner jacket. A hire shop

Why? Any man who attends black-tie

rate plastic surgery is pushing his way

impression. Being relatively unconcerned

has rented him a suit one size too large,

events in both a personal and a

into a trashy club, having dressed down

with the subtleties of suit design, you are

leaving the jacket loose around the waist,

professional capacity would do well to

his black velvet jacket with a pair of

drawn to eye-catching fabric.

and the trousers puddling on his shoes.

own a couple of dinner jackets: a basic

heavily distressed boot-cut jeans and

The dream That you have time to go

The shirt Crisp white cotton, with a piqué-

single-breasted one for business events,

pointed leather ankle boots.

home after work and change into a hip

bib front; double cuffs with silver cufflinks.

and something smoother for attending

The shirt Stick with a simple white evening

suit – a style statement that announces

The tie A simple black bow tie: perfectly

private parties. A shawl collar is an

shirt to throw attention on to the jacket.

you as a man less concerned with stuffy

tied for dinner; casually undone later.

interesting alternative.

The tie For the same reason, a simple

things such as good form and dress

The shoes Elegant Oxfords, made in

The dream Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr

black bow tie is appropriate.

codes than with making an impression.

Northampton and freshly polished.

and Frank Sinatra during the 1960 filming

The shoes The bold choice is to wear

It will not go unnoticed that this suit has

The reality Black SB2 wool and mohair

of the original Ocean’s Eleven at the

a pair of English slippers in the same

no place in a professional environment

evening suit by Dunhill (£1,395; 0845 458

Sands Hotel, Las Vegas. The mood

colour of velvet as your jacket. Proper

(hence the trip home to change), and thus

0779, dunhill.com). Black peak lapel

is louche, the lapels are slim, and the

slippers are made with leather soles, so

represents a considerable extravagance.

dinner suit by Austin Reed (£375; 01845

music unforgettable.

can be worn outside or to dance in.

The nightmare A short comedian is

573135, austinreed.co.uk).

The nightmare A nightclub in the

The reality Navy liquid velvet ‘Wetherby’

presenting at a show-business awards

Seventies, with a brown Rolls-Royce

cocktail jacket (£2,280) and trousers

ceremony. Keen to show off his wacky

ClassiC double-breasted

Silver Shadow parked outside. On the

(£650) by Tom Ford, available at Harrods

side he has rejected the elegant attire his

Why? The double-breasted suit, while

dance floor a sweaty man is wearing

(020 7730 1234, tomford.com). Black

stylist suggested, in favour of a striking

‘big in fashion’ for some seasons, has

a shawl-collar dinner jacket with flared

velvet tailored jacket by John Lewis Men

number from an ‘ambitious’ tailor who

made few inroads into the wider

trousers, over a baby-blue polyester dress

(£150; 0845 604 9049, johnlewis.com).

wrongly thinks that a ‘lively’ fabric hides

consciousness. However, men with dandy

shirt unbuttoned almost to the navel.

tendencies know that, when it fits well,

The shirt Resist the temptation of

lounge suit

The shirt To avoid pushing this look too

a double-breasted suit often looks

a ruffle-front shirt in favour of a more

Why? If black-tie events infrequently

far go for something sober, like pale-blue

better than a single-breasted number.

restrained white cotton pleated front.

appear on your calendar, but you regularly

cotton poplin.

The dream The glamour of Thirties

The tie Indulge your inner lounge singer

enjoy smart dinners, then a chic lounge

The tie Look for something that is slim,

society, as exemplified by Fred Astaire.

with a dark blue or burgundy velvet tie.

suit would be more useful than a black

understated and made of silk, such as

Gentlemen of leisure, who have spent an

The shoes As this is for private parties,

dinner jacket. Having a chic suit that’s only

a plain navy woven tie.

hour getting dressed, as they savour the

try black slip-ons, but make sure they

worn for pleasure will put a man in the right

The shoes Slender whole-cut Oxfords

last hurrah of an era of elegance.

are properly constructed with leather

frame of mind for an evening’s carousing.

with a chiselled toe.

The nightmare A tubby middle manager

soles and have no visible branding.

The dream Dinner at an exclusive

The reality Double-breasted evening

on Park Lane, heading to the Grosvenor

The reality One-button shawl-collar

restaurant in London’s Mayfair, where

jacket by Canali (price on request; 020

House for the industry awards. His boxy,

suit by Kenzo (price on request; 020

a couple of sophisticated hedge fund

7290 3500, canali.it). Dotted wool suit by

double-breasted jacket is unbuttoned and

7491 8469, kenzo.com). Black wool

guys are entertaining two pretty girls

Richard James (£785; mrporter.com).

flaps around his belly like a flag.

shawl-collar dinner jacket by Ede

with tall tales of their trip to the last

The shirt An ivory-coloured, spun silk

& Ravenscroft (£550; 020 7405 3906,

Monaco Grand Prix. Their dark brown

Mansel Fletcher is the features editor

shirt with a turndown collar is a fine

edeandravenscroft.co.uk).

suede loafers ensure that the overall

of Mr Porter

the problems with the way the suit fits.

backdrop for a discreet set of vintage

effect remains subtle.

shirt studs and cufflinks.

The nightmare Drinks at an expensive,

The tie Black ottoman silk to match the

but tacky, establishment in Essex.

facing on the jacket’s lapels.

A young football agent in pointed loafers

The shoes While patent pumps are

is emptily boasting to a badly made-up

‘correct’, their daintiness is off-putting.

girl in a tight dress. The man has bought

Better, a whole-cut Oxford polished to

a fashionably cut suit, but is buttoned in

a mirror finish and laced with a silk ribbon.

so tightly he has no room to eat the olive

The reality Black wool hachure jacquard

at the bottom of his martini.

double-breasted jacket (£1,565) and

The shirt White cotton poplin, which

trousers (£645) by Yves Saint Laurent

keeps the look crisp and clean and

(020 7493 1800, ysl.com). Black double-

alludes to the formality of evening dress.

breasted suit by Gieves & Hawkes (£1,295; 020 7432 6403, gievesandhawkes.com).

Top row, from left: Lanvin; Canali. Middle row: Dunhill. Bottom row: Kenzo; Yves Saint Laurent

The tie It would be extremely hard to improve upon the youthful and relaxed

36 on the radar

Spencer Hart’s Palm Springs collection at the label’s new flagship store in Mayfair

Words Josh Sims

cut for cool When he could not find tailoring to suit his jazz-era tastes, Nick Hart launched his own label, Spencer Hart.

Now he returns to casual wear

‘I’d always wanted to wear really good tailoring, but that meant going to a traditional tailor and, for someone like me, accepting a massive compromise,’ says Nick Hart, as he makes his way to oversee the final stages of building work on his new style emporium on Mayfair’s Brook Street, the first of several planned. ‘Let’s just say what I got was always much more gentleman than atitude, more costume drama than rock ’n’ roll. And by wanting rock ’n’ roll I don’t mean some flashy, shiny suit – I actually mean more jazz: Charlie Parker in a white shirt and narrow, notch-lapelled, one-buton suit in grey bird’s-eye. I just couldn’t think why any man wouldn’t want to wear a look as crisp as that.’

Small wonder, then, that, unable to find a modern incarnation of Parker’s style for himself, Hart – a man who liters his conversation with references to the wardrobes of Duke Ellington, Andy Warhol and Cab Calloway - just had to create it for himself. The result, coming up to its 10th birthday, was Spencer Hart, the bespoke tailoring brand that kept the quality but introduced Savile Row to a minimalistic, monochromatic, pared-down aesthetic that was a long way off old dufferdom.

‘I mean, I like Cary Grant and some of the Duke of Windsor’s sock and waistcoat combinations as much as the next man,’ adds Hart. ‘But I don’t think that, as a source for style, it’s particularly contemporary.’

Spencer Hart ended up being more cuting-edge than even its creator had expected. Afer 20 years as a fashion-industry mover and shaker – he counts directing menswear at Kenzo, driving the expansion of Timothy Everest, co-creating the pioneering Griffin Laundry label and relaunching Chester Barrie among his previous posts - he quickly found himself outfiting rock ’n’ roll royalty, alongside exacting creative types. ‘In fact, that’s all we

seemed to atract - never civilians,’ Hart concedes. ‘Spencer Hart was run a bit like a couture house. There’s a purity in that – but not much money.’

That, too, he is now seting out to correct, by applying the clean-lined, fuss-free ethos of his suiting to a complete menswear range, Spencer Hart Palm Springs. It encompasses outerwear (from £325), sleepwear, denim chinos (£125) and polo shirts (from £75), as well as shoes, underwear and even a fragrance. This last is less surprising than it might seem, given Hart’s insistence on micro-engineering the atmosphere of his Savile Row premises right down to the sounds from the speakers and the scent in the air.

‘We’re aiming to offer the same breadth with the new range as we do with the tailoring,’ says Hart. ‘So we don’t just have one type of chinos, but multiple cuts, fits and styles, and the same for polo shirts – even if they are all in black. The idea is to create a collection men really want to wear every day - blokey men, not skinny fashion men - and build it into the ultimate homage to cool.’

That, naturally, is ‘cool’ in the effortless, smoky, grown-up, everything-shot-in-black-and-white Blue Note sense so admired by Hart. The store itself, designed by Shed, which has worked with the likes of Vertu and Barbour, aims to reflect the same laid-back manner. Its open-plan space is all steel and glass furniture, white tones and rough fibreglass blocks that echo the extensive use of concrete in Fifies modernist architecture – much as the clothing updates Fifies style without reverting to reproduction.

‘It’s very much not about that Bond Street flagship feel,’ explains Shed’s co-founder Nick Stringer - a man who, as ex-construction director for Prada, knows a thing or two about keeping it streamlined. ‘It’s a place to hang out in - like Sinatra and his buddies around the piano.’

Afer, that is, they have descended into the vault - literally, since the Brook Street premises are housed in a converted bank - to partake of some Black Seersucker. That is the name given to the elite department in which, taking its cue from the bespoke tailoring, anything the client fancies can be custom-made to order.

‘Menswear has moved on since Spencer Hart was launched. And, by a huge coincidence, very much in our direction,’ he adds. ‘But this is a chance to push our brand on – even, possibly, to create the next great British menswear name, the last being Paul Smith. There’s the collection for purists who want a total world of cool, and downstairs for extreme purists afer completely unnecessary decadence. Well, for the extreme purists with a lot of money, at least.’ spencerhart.com Josh Sims writes for Esquire, Wallpaper* and The Rake

shoes 39

Words Charles Napier Illustration Dominic Bell

full spectrum Why limit the hue of your shoes? Now autumn’s here, colour seems a bright idea

It will come as litle surprise that this season’s infatuation with colour has spilled over into footwear, as a legion of brogues, loafers and boots eschew the traditionally low-key autumn/winter hues for a more Pantone-friendly palete. Nowhere is this currently more apparent than in the Harrods Men’s Shoe Salon, the largest male footwear department in Europe, which stocks more than 70 brands.

‘Hugo Boss has introduced a real injection of colour with its electric-blue leather formal shoes,’ explains Jason Broderick, the store’s head of menswear, ‘and there’s a new line by Bespoken that has contrasting bright soles and dark uppers, such as its navy-with-orange chukka boots.

‘Within our made-to-measure offering,’ he adds, ‘Stemar leads the way with a rainbow of colours, including red, green, yellow, purple and blue styles that are available in crocodile or ostrich skin. Kurt Geiger, meanwhile, has a range of desert boots and suede lace-ups in shades from green to burgundy.’

However, just as with garb from the ankle up, embracing traffic-light tones requires a litle restraint if you are to avoid the misguided colour combinations of the urban trustafarian. So what are the rules about integrating vibrant footwear into your sartorial repertoire and how does one avoid straying into Willy Wonka territory?

‘Keep the rest of your look simple,’ advises Broderick. ‘Pair colourful brogues with turned-up chinos and no socks. And, remember, styles in suede, such as the blue Noah lace-ups by Kurt Geiger London, are the easiest for finding clothes they work with, as the texture sofens the look.’ Elvis would doubtless approve. harrods.com/mens-shoe-salon Clockwise from top left: Rubber ‘Raidie’ Chelsea boot, £145, BOSS Black; leather ‘Evanno’ Derby shoe, £235, HUGO; suede ‘Crosby’ desert boot, £125, KG Kurt Geiger; suede ‘Sullivan’ shoe, £110, KG Kurt Geiger; bespoke crocodile-skin ‘Cocco More’ driving shoe, from £1,500, Stemar at Harrods; handmade leather loafer, £345, O’Keeffe

THE LAST OF THE ICE MEN Norwegian adventurer Tryggve Gran was a hero of the old school. Having learnt to fly under BlĂŠriot, he was the first pilot to cross the North Sea and he almost shot down an infamous German in the Great War. But before all that, he was at the very centre of the race to the South Pole

words robert ryan

41

In the cloudless skies over northern France on 9 September 1917, Canadian flyer Teddy Grant armed the synchronised Vickers machine guns of his Sopwith Camel and dived down on a black-and-white Albatross DV of Jasta 27, a fighter squadron with a fearsome reputation for downing Allied planes. He opened fire, the rounds puncturing the fuselage and, more significantly, the DV’s lower wing, its infamous weak spot.

The German quickly dived away and headed for safety. Weaving above him, Grant hesitated over the ‘kill’ and then let the moment pass. He banked his Sopwith and rejoined the dogfight going on around him.

Post-war, the two pilots would meet, compare flight logs and piece together the above events. The Albatross pilot had been a cocky young ace called Hermann Göring. His merciful opponent was not, in fact, Canadian pilot, ‘Teddy Grant’, as he had claimed – his name was Tryggve Gran and he was Norwegian. He had enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps because of a promise he had made to a British hero, Captain Lawrence Oates, famed for ‘just going outside’.

Like Oates, Gran had been part of Captain Robert Falcon Scot’s ill-starred expedition to the South Pole. But, thanks to his shared nationality with Roald Amundsen, the man who beat Scot to the prize, the Norwegian lad was marginalised by his leader and, subsequently, history.

Born into a well-to-do shipping family in Bergen in 1889, the young Jens Tryggve Gran grew up with tales of homegrown ice explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen and Amundsen. By the time he was 20, the precocious young man had commissioned the building of a ship for polar exploration, but an encounter in October 1909 with Ernest Shackleton, who was on a Norwegian lecture tour, and conversations with Nansen and Amundsen

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43

bettman/corbis; chris rainier/corbis; corbis; getty images, scott polar research institute

At 21, Gran was the youngest of Scot’s company for the Antarctic expedition

(who had just announced a new assault on the North Pole) made Gran realise that he needed experience if he was to gain the confidence of both sponsors and crew.

When Scot consulted Nansen in 1910 about his forthcoming expedition to the South Pole, the venerable explorer suggested he take young Gran up to Fefor, where Scot was testing his innovative if unreliable motor sledges on frozen lakes. When an axle broke, Gran skied over rough terrain for 10 miles to fetch a replacement. Scot was impressed at his speed and immediately offered Gran a place on his Antarctic journey as a ski instructor.

On 1 June 1910, the 21-year-old Gran lef London on the converted sealer Terra Nova. He was the youngest

Previous page: A memorial to Scott and his team. This page, clockwise from top: Tryggve Gran at the Ross Island base, Antarctica, 1912; aboard the Terra Nova, two years earlier; Captain Lawrence Oates; Gran demonstrating his skiing prowess; the Terra Nova in pack ice

of Scot’s company of sailors, scientists and adventurers.

The voyage, Gran wrote, was ‘characterised by splendid comradeship’. This was to be sorely tested in Melbourne.

While Scot was very public about his plans, back in Norway, a furtive Roald Amundsen was retraining his sights. The North Pole had fallen to the American Robert Peary: the South Pole was now the only remaining great polar prize. So, with his experienced team of men and the finest Greenland dogs, Amundsen set sail in Nansen’s old ship, the Fram, on 3 June, 1910, intent on Antarctica, but sharing the secret with a select few (Nansen only received the news by leter once Fram was under way).

The Fram’s crew was told of the subterfuge in Madeira and given the option of returning home. None did.

Amundsen then had his brother Leon send a cable from Norway to Scot. He received it at Melbourne on October 12, 1910. It was cryptic, to say the least: ‘Beg leave to inform you Fram proceeding Antarctic – Amundsen.’

What did that mean? Was it to be a short visit before he turned north again? Or was it a declaration of a race to the Pole, something Scot, with his scientific programme and lack of dogs (for transport he had opted for a confusing mix of motor sledges, Siberian huskies, Manchurian ponies and ‘man-hauling’), was ill-prepared for? He quizzed Gran, hoping the Norwegian would have an insight into his countryman’s mind, but he was as baffled as Scot. Then Scot cabled Nansen, asking about Amundsen’s plans, but he proved to be even more gnomic. His simple reply: ‘Unknown’.

Gran was distraught and conflicted: ‘If I had known I would be against my fellow countrymen, I would have refused Captain Scot’s offer.’

Amundsen’s sleight-of-hand cast a shadow over the Terra Nova expedition, especially when it transpired that the Norwegian had established a base 60 miles closer to the Pole than Scot. His irritation at the way his worthy but unwelcome opponent had behaved seemed to colour Scot’s atitude to his own Norwegian.

The times alloted for skiing instruction became sporadic and the team’s atitude to it desultory. Scot began to refer to Gran in his diaries as ‘lazy’ and ‘vain’.

One of the team, Griffith Taylor, wrote that Scot ‘rather disliked Norwegian maters’.

Perhaps Gran, with his effortless gliding over snow and ice, was a constant reminder to everyone of what they were up against. Captain Oates (aka ‘Titus’ or ‘Soldier’), the ex-cavalryman in charge of the expedition’s lacklustre ponies, wrote to his mother that: ‘I can’t stand this Norwegian chap.’

The early part of 1911 was spent on depoting runs, laying food and supplies in dumps along the route for the polar atempt proper, which could only come afer the long, dark Antarctic winter that would confine them to their hut. On one such trip, according to Oates’ biographer Michael White, Gran asked Oates why he didn’t like him. Oates replied that it wasn’t personal: he disliked all foreigners, as they were out to destroy England. Birdy Bowers, another of those doomed to die with Scot, intervened: ‘I wager you… that Gran will be with us if England is forced into war.’ Oates asked if that was true.

‘Of course,’ was Gran’s reply, according to his diaries: ‘and the next instant he grasped my hand,’ he recalled. ‘From this moment… Oates and I became the

44

best of friends.’ During the winter months, confined in the hut at Cape Evans, relationships between Gran and Scot also improved. And, although excluded from the party that would head south, from which the five-man polar assault team would be selected, Gran still had a significant part to play in the story.

Scot lef Cape Evans on 1 November 1911. When he reached his old hut (from the Discovery expedition of 1900), some 15 miles away, the leader realised he had forgoten the Union Jack he planned to plant at the Pole.

Using the telephone line laid between the two huts, he instructed Gran, the fastest skier, to bring it across.

And so, a Norwegian saved the day.

‘Scot smiled when I handed him the flag,’ Gran wrote. ‘‘‘The irony of fate, my dear Gran,”’ he said. This was followed by a handshake – the last ever, as it turned out…’

Gran had his doubts about Scot making the Pole before Amundsen; he even correctly dreamt the date that the Norwegians would make 90°S. But he always expected Scot to return. By April 18, 1912, though, he was writing: ‘How on earth could the polar party hope to succeed in such [blizzard] conditions, sick and worn out as they must be afer a journey of 2,600km?’ At that point, Scot and the others had been dead for just short of three weeks.

But before they could go looking for their lost companions, the survivors had to sit out the lonely dark and cold of another Antarctic winter. It wasn’t until the end of October, 1912, that the 11-man search party, which included Gran, set out. Two weeks later ‘…barely 20km from One Ton Depot, we found the bodies of Scot, Wilson and Bowers… The cold had turned their skin yellow and glassy and there were masses of marks of frostbite.’

The journals they found with the corpses told the tragedy that soon became so well known: how Scot and his four companions had arrived at the Pole on January 17 to find that Amundsen had been there on December 15; the crushing disappointment, delirium and death of Teddy Evans; the brave walk out into the storm of Captain Oates, suffering terribly from frostbite; the long, slow decline of the last three, blizzard-bound yet so close to safety, and Scot’s heartbreaking final leters.

The group collapsed the tent and made a 12-foot high snow cairn to entomb the bodies. At the pinnacle, Gran fashioned a cross from his own skis. He took Scot’s as replacements, noting: ‘At any rate, they will complete the trail… We shall now push on south in search of Oates.’

However, there was no sign of his friend ‘Soldier’, other than his sleeping bag and a few belongings within it. Another cross was placed in the ice, marked with the words: ‘Hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, Captain LEG Oates of the Inniskilling Dragoons.’ As Gran put it: ‘The adventure was over.’

On the voyage home, Gran heard of Louis Blériot’s flying school in Calais, run by the aerial conqueror of the Channel. Gran enrolled, passed out with flying colours and bought his own plane from Blériot. In late July 1914, days before war broke out, he became the first man to cross the North Sea. A memorial at Cruden Bay, his departure point, north of Aberdeen, records the feat.

With war declared, Gran honoured his promise to Oates and, unable to join the RFC as a neutral Norwegian, created Canadian Teddy Grant, who would go on to claim

When Scot realised he had forgoten the Union Jack to be planted at the Pole, it was the Norwegian who skied across the ice with it Clockwise, from below: Scott’s team at the Pole, with the tent of Roald Amundsen; a cairn dedicated to Scott at the Col du Lauteret, France, where

he had tested his motor sledges; Scott and his party after one of the exploratory expeditions in 1912; the expedition leader writing his diary at Camp Evans, in 1911

17 German kills. Alas, Herman Göring was not one of them, and his subsequent (if fleeting) friendship with the Lufwaffe supremo and his endorsement of a set of memorial stamps to his North Sea crossing produced by the Quisling government led to accusations of collaboration.

He was even briefly imprisoned afer the war.

As Norway put the dark days of occupation behind it, Gran was increasingly recognised as an important surviving link to the golden age of Antarctic exploration.

In 1974, the writer Roland Huntford, Amundsen’s champion and a critic of Scot, visited the 86-year-old adventurer. ‘To this day,’ wrote Huntford, ‘he has preserved a tremendous loyalty to Scot, resenting any slur on his reputation.’

However, Gran also said, ‘Scot only had to do about 350 yards more a day from the Pole to the last camp and he would have been safe.’ In other words, had the men learned to ski properly under Gran’s tuition, they might not have beaten Amundsen to the Pole, but they would almost certainly have lived. It was as close to a criticism of his former leader that Gran ever came, right up until his death in 1980 – the last witness of Scot’s final resting place to go. He was just shy of both his 91st birthday and the 70th anniversary of that day out on a frozen lake, when a famous English sea captain asked a naive, brash and brave Norwegian to come with him to the very ends of the earth.

Robert Ryan is the author of Death on the Ice (Headline, £6.99), a novel about Scot and Oates

46

old times’ sake The lure of a vintage watch is indisputable but, with all the advances in watchmaking, is a modern retro-look model ultimately the better buy?

Words SIMON DE BURTON PhotograPhy CHRIS BROOKS

There was a distinct feeling of déjà vu at this year’s major watch shows, Baselworld and the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva. From IWC reviving its Portofino of the Fifies to Zenith introducing the Stratos, based on the old Rainbow flybacks of 40 years ago, there were few brands that hadn’t delved into their archives to reproduce a ‘classic’.

So, is there now any point in buying a genuine vintage wristwatch if so many designs of old are once more being made available? The answer, of course, is yes – and no. The obvious problem with vintage watches is they’re old, meaning they’re invariably time-worn in appearance and not always working correctly. They can also be expensive to service, poorly waterproofed and unreliable, plus spare parts can be hard to come by.

Then there’s the fact that men’s watches made prior to the Eighties were rarely larger than 35mm in diameter, meaning they can look absurdly small now we have grown used to cases measuring 40mm plus. And – no mater what we might like to believe – the majority of watches were simply not so well made in the ‘good old days’ as they are now.

Think about it: 40 or 50 years ago, there was no computerised machinery to ensure components were produced to almost immeasurably small tolerances, and no powerful design programmes with which to work out the best way to screw together a watch. Materials such as carbon fibre, titanium, ceramic and silicon were barely on the horologist’s radar, synthetic ruby bearings had not been invented and oils and lubricants were of far lower quality.

True, there is no substitute for the highly collectable and ofen extremely valuable historic rarities made by the likes of Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Cartier.

But if you’re simply in the market to buy a retro-look watch

The majority of watches were simply not so well made in the ‘good old days’ as they are now

Second time around Opposite, clockwise from top left: the Speedmaster Moonwatch Co-Axial, £5,300, Omega. Monza Automatic Chronograph Calibre 36 Re-edition, £4,800, TAG Heuer.

WW1, £2,700, Bell & Ross. Historiques Aronde 1954, £20,350, Vacheron Constantin.

Grand Seiko, £5,000, Seiko

for wearing rather than investment, take advantage of all that 21st-century design and technology has to offer.

Perhaps the ultimate example of a watch that provides the best of old and new is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, which, this year, celebrates its 80th anniversary.

According to legend, the design of this classic was inspired in India, when a British Army officer dismounted from his polo pony in a distressed state afer his wristwatch had been smashed during an especially tough chukka. Striding into the clubhouse, he related his misfortune to an entrepreneurial watch distributor called César de Trey, who took the tale of horological woe all the way back to the small mountain town of Le Sentier in Switzerland, where Jacques-David LeCoultre ran a watchmaking business established by his grandfather in the 1830s.

Rather than commenting that perhaps polo players ought to ride without watches, LeCoultre and business partner Edmond Jaeger rose to the challenge and developed a rectangular watch case that could be swivelled 180 degrees in order to protect its glass and dial. The ‘Reverso,’ as it was aptly named, remains Jaeger-LeCoultre’s top seller today.

The brand has marked this year’s anniversary with the introduction of a new model called the Grand Reverso Ultra Thin ‘Tribute to 1931’, which offers the spare styling of the original watch in a larger, but delectably thin case that is more in line with 21st-century trends. The steel version with black dial perhaps looks most authentic, although the limited edition of 500 in pink gold is equally covetable.

Opposite are five other ‘new vintage’ watches to take you back to the future in style.

Simon de Burton writes about watches for the Daily Telegraph and Vanity Fair

the free agent

Over the decades, whenever the going gets tough, designers turn to discc to bring back the glamour and good times Photography Giampaolo Sgura Fashion editor Daniela Agnelli c a st o ff co nf o rmit y a nd pl ay fa st a nd lo ose in ri ch co lo urs, so f t fa b ri c s a nd cu ts t h at d r a pe r at her t h a n d efine Ph oto g r a Ph y b e au G re a ly Fa shi o n ed ito r a ll a n Kennedy

Purple rain Opposite: Wool jacket, price on request, Dolce & Gabbana.

Silk- cashmere turtleneck, £545, Brioni. Hat, price on request, Salvatore Ferragamo Lean time This page: Cream wool coat, £850, John Rocha. Silk-cashmere turtleneck (just seen), as before, in grey. Grey wool trousers, £240, Canali. Black shoes, £152, Dieppa Restrepo at Theory

Thethe Thin Man On bench linen/silk Opposite: Wool polo shirt, £880, jacket, £1,300, and Brioni. Trousers trousers, £300, both with belt, Jumper, £550, Z Zegna.

Yves Saint Laurent. £419, Salvatore Shoes, £325,Shoes, Ferragamo.

O’Keeffe £245, O’Keeffe.

Handkerchief, £35, White Heat Ralph Lauren.

This page: Socks, £30,white Canali silk shirt, £199, Paul Smith.

Heart felt White trousers, This page: Off-white £180, D&G. Shoes, jacket, £1,189, as before. Ferragamo.

Ankle Salvatore band,jumper, model’s own Grey £590, Dior Homme.

Black trousers, £790, Yohji Yamamoto.

Grey felt hat, £174, Worth & Worth

In The the Quiet bagsMan Opposite: Suit, whiteprice on request, Dries Van linen tuxedo, Noten £1,500,at Z Selfridges.

Zegna.

Turtleneck, Cream shirt,£69, Cos. £150,Shoes, Unis £190, The Generic Man at Dover She DoneStreet Him Wrong Market.

Silk scarf, silk shirt This page: £149, £359,John PaulVarvatos.

Smith.

Belt, £170, Brioni cotton/viscose

grosgrain trousers, Smooth operator £495, Giorgio This page:belt Cream Arrmani; with merino-wool horse-bit buckle, turtleneck, £185, Gucci£117, Timo Weiland. Off-white trousers, £629, Salvatore Ferragamo

Cat in the hat This page: Grey wool coat, £649, and grey belt, £129, both Emporio Armani.

Silk- cashmere turtleneck, £545, Brioni. Grey trousers, £240, and black socks, £35, both Canali. Grey shoes, £300, Z Zegna.

Black felt hat, £121, Victor Osborne Blue velvet Opposite: Velvet blazer (part of a suit), £1,030, Canali.

Shirt, £465, Prada.

Trousers, £128, Carlos Campos. Boots, £545, DSquared2 at Harvey Nichols.

Hat, £174, Worth & Worth. Handkerchief, £35, Ralph Lauren

Stylist’s assistant Krystina Tucci Hair Kenshin Asano at Atelier Grooming Christine Cherbonnier for Dior at Atelier Model Andre at Fusion NY Casting Larissa Gunn STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 72

56

keeping it reel As a working-class Coventry lad with an ambition to act, he might have been crushed by the advice to ‘get realistic’. But it seems he took his teacher at his word, because, whether cast in the role of a cop or a robber, a king or a conman, Clive Owen is unfailingly credible Words PETER HOWARTH PhotograPhy LORENZO AGIUS

‘Liverpool or Everton?’ Virtually the first words Clive Owen speaks on the morning of the cover shoot for ST Men’s Style are addressed to Ian, the magazine’s creative director – a man whose accent clearly places him as a son of Merseyside.

Luckily for all of us, his answer is the one Owen wants to hear: Liverpool.

Within moments, the two of them are dissecting the previous weekend’s match – the first of the team’s new campaign. The talk is all of how Suarez missed a penalty and whether Andy Carroll will come good this season. The rest of the crew might as well not be there.

It’s always been about Anfield for Owen: ‘It’s a big part of my life. Because I travel so much, it’s hard to get to the matches as much as I’d like, but I always watch them, wherever I’m filming.’

He can’t remember why it’s the Red Men, although, at 46, he is of an age that he can reminisce about the glamorous glory days – ‘Emlyn Hughes, Steve Heighway, Keegan, Toshack,’ he recites, like

some sort of litany. ‘I found a picture of me the other day – I was in my back garden, this litle skinny kid in a full Liverpool strip…’ He smiles.

Owen grew up in Coventry, in what he is accustomed to describe as ‘a very, very workingclass family.’ He was raised, the fourth of five brothers, by his mum and stepfather, who was a railway ticket clerk. He doesn’t much like to speak of that time, but tells how he didn’t meet his real father – a country-and-western singer who had split from his mother when Owen was three – until he was 17. They remain estranged.

It was not your typical luvvie upbringing – the kind of start you might associate with a footballer, perhaps, but not with an actor.

Yet the young Owen had joined a local youth theatre and afer indifferent exam results – frankly, he flunked them – explained to one teacher that he wanted to go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). The response was less than encouraging: ‘Clive, you’re a working-class kid from Coventry – let’s get realistic.’

What the teacher hadn’t bargained on is that Owen is a something of a romantic. His ofen bestubbled, world-weary screen persona may not lead you to that conclusion, but, back in the real

world, there is plenty of evidence. He met his wife of 16 years, Sarah-Jane, when they were cast as the leads in Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic in 1988, for example – an encounter he describes as love at first sight. He is known to protect the privacy of his family fiercely, and to turn down roles when he thinks he has spent too much time away from his two daughters. He also took a dilapidated old cinema in Essex under his wing five years ago, and raises money for its upkeep.

And when we discuss his beloved football team and how the game has changed since his childhood, there is a misty-eyed tone there, too: ‘In those days, they’d finish a match and go and have five pints in the players’ lounge,’ he reminisces, not entirely disapprovingly.

So, does he consider himself a romantic?

He laughs and says, ‘I do – but you’d beter ask Sarah-Jane.’ And yet how else can you explain that, afer two jobless years out of school, he went right ahead and applied to RADA? The fact that he got in says something about his talent – that he has enjoyed the slow burn of a successful career says something else. Here is an actor who is hard to pin down. He has no obvious niche; neither the automatic choice for leading man, nor for character

‘I don’t consider acting work – it’s a privilege to earn my living this way, doing something I love so much’

roles – but capable of delivering both. As likely to turn up as a hero or a villain, a king or a valet, a cop or a bank robber.

Afer an early brush with TV fame in the 1990-91 series Chancer as a post-Eighties, lovable, roguish conman, Owen spent a long spell doing theatre and TV as well as a few forgetable films, before his break came in Croupier – directed by Mike Hodges of Get Carter fame. He played an aspiring writer who gets caught up in a planned heist at the casino in which he has taken a job. It was smallbudget, but garnered good reviews and brought Owen to the atention of Hollywood. Since then, we’ve seen him in Closer as a doctor (for which he won both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), in Sin City as a film-noir anti-hero, in Children of Men as a former political activist, in Inside Man as

Previous page and above: Suit, £2,000; shirt, £250; tie, £105; and pocket square, £60, all Giorgio Armani.

Duometre Chronograph in platinum (previous page) and rose gold (above), Jaeger-LeCoultre STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 72

Fashion editor David Lamb Photographer’s assistants Guy Isherwood, Jordan Grant, Nathan Pask Digital assistant Chris Ellis Grooming Dorka Nieradzik Shot on location at The River Suite and The Northall at the Corinthia Hotel London, Whitehall Place, SW1.

020 7930 8181; corinthia.com

a super-smart bank robber and in The International as a fearless Interpol agent. And now he’s back as an ex-SAS soldier in Killer Elite, adapted from the novel by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, alongside Robert De Niro. Next year, he will star as Ernest Hemingway in an HBO biopic of the author opposite Nicole Kidman as Papa’s wife, the war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Like I said, heroes and villains.

The moral ambiguity of his casting stems to some extent from the ambiguity of his performances.

The thing about Owen is that he manages to combine intensity with an effortlessness that is disarmingly natural and relaxed. When, as The Professor, an assassin in The Bourne Identity, he has been shot and is dying in the long grass of a French field, he looks up at his executioner, Mat Damon, and asks him, chuckling ruefully, ‘D’you get the headaches? I get such bad headaches.’

It’s surprisingly intimate and throwaway, like a man talking to a friend in the pub, and uterly memorable for that reason.

‘I’m a patron of this litle cinema in Harwich,’ he tells me, as we walk back from photographing him in a black-railinged street in Whitehall, ‘and I saw this great film there the other day – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, with Errol Flynn and Bete Davis.’ Owen, a movie buff, loves old films and collects old movie posters.

‘Bete Davis was great. It was amazing casting because Flynn was so loose and louche, and she was so intense.’ He makes a rigid gesture with his hands to indicate her purposeful performance.

I can’t help thinking that maybe Owen’s trick as an actor is that he manages to be both Flynn-loose and Davis-focused at the same time.

I am reminded that I read how Mike Nichols, who directed Owen in Closer, described him as the antithesis of an Actors Studio method actor – a man who turns it on for the camera, but doesn’t try to be the part outside the take. As we stroll to the next shoot location, he recalls the frequently told anecdote about Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman on the set of Marathon Man. ‘When he heard Hoffman

all star; capital pictures; eyevine

59

was going without sleep,’ he says, ‘Olivier quipped, “Try acting, dear boy!”’

So, is acting a job to him? ‘I don’t consider it work – it’s a privilege to earn my living this way, doing something I love so much,’ he replies.

And yet, as Nichols pointed out, Owen really does seem to save his performance for the camera.

In person, he is not remotely starry – rather, he seems down-to-earth, friendly and uninterested in being the centre of atention. Certainly success has brought with it certain privileges, but even these are worn lightly. He has a penchant for nice clothes and accessories, and yet he chooses things that are subtle and sophisticated in the extreme.

For example, he’s a self-confessed Armani man and also has a sof spot for Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, which he’s been wearing for years, on his right hand, even though he is right-handed: ‘I always have; it just feels right,’ he adds, glancing at his Duometre Platinum Chronograph.

You sense a strange loyalty here – loyalty to a low-key aesthetic and a desire to avoid the trappings and ostentation that can go with his profession, especially since Hollywood has come calling. ‘Being recognised is obviously a part of my life,’ he says, ‘but it doesn’t stop me doing anything I want to do.’ As we wander the London streets for the shoot and pass through the plush lobby of the Corinthia to set up in its café, Owen atracts glances, but no hysteria. He projects selfconfidence, but not look-at-me self-consciousness.

‘I have a handful of friends that I have known since my student days,’ he says of his social life. Loyalty again. But he has picked up some celebrity mates along the way, surely? I remind him of two previous meetings we’ve had. One was in New York, when he was filming Inside Man with Spike Lee. The three of us went to an England vs Colombia football match at the Giants Stadium in New Jersey – Lee wearing an Arsenal away shirt because, oddly, he is a long-standing Gooner.

Owen seemed totally happy in the crowd – just another guy taking in a game with a mate. Even if that mate is a famous film director.

Then, more recently, I bumped into him at a gig being held at the Emporio Armani store, where he was accompanied by ballet superstar Carlos Acosta. ‘Hi, this is Carlos,’ he’d said, as though he were introducing some guy he plays cards with.

‘I went to Cuba – I was preparing for this Hemingway film – and he was on the plane,’ says Owen of how he met the dancer. ‘He comes bowling up and says, “Are you Clive Owen?” and I say, “Are you Carlos Acosta?” We ended up hanging out together for the whole week. I’ve seen him perform a lot since then.’ You get the impression that even his famous friends are selected because they are not high maintenance: ‘He’s not like that at all,’ Owen says of Carlos, drawing himself up into a pose that is the very picture of principal ballet dancer arrogance.

I wonder whether this actor’s regularguyness stems from the fact that he had a brush

Below, from top: Clive Owen as bank robber Dalton Russell in Inside Man (2006); as philandering doctor Larry – seen here with Natalie Portman – in Closer (2004), for which

he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar; and, with Clare-Hope Ashitey, as Oxford don Theo Faron in the dystopian thriller Children of Men (2006)

‘It’s more important that an audience understands and relates to what a character is going through than that they like him’

with fame early on in his career? He has said that it gave him the chance to assess what it meant and that he found the experience great preparation for when things took off some 10 years later.

No doubt the relative quiet of the decade between, in terms of high-profile work, has also made him appreciate success all the more.

When I ask him if he considers himself lucky, he replies, ‘Definitely. I’ve been extremely lucky. Although I work hard, there are so many hugely talented people who have not had the breaks I have. I appreciate my good fortune every day.’ It’s fairly unusual to find an actor who has had two bites at the fame cherry. Maybe second time around it’s all the more sweet. No wonder he is so friendly and cooperative – he knows what it is like when people don’t want to take your picture and interview you.

Then again, maybe he is just a nice guy?

Throughout the day we spend together, this possibility gains momentum. First of all, there are the smiles. Owen has a look on screen that has become something of a trademark: the thousandyard stare – haunted, tortured and faintly puzzled.

So it comes as something of a surprise to find him joking and laughing. The smile is broad – not thin-lipped and knowing, but wide-mouthed and joyful. Gradually I am forming the opinion that the stubble and the brooding are simply what Olivier would have recognised as ‘acting, dear boy’.

They are a function of the job – just like learning to ride a horse for the role of King Arthur is a function of the job (especially as Owen had fibbed and said he knew how before he landed the part).

By the afernoon, I’ve reached the conclusion that, where Owen is concerned, the term movie star is all about the ‘movie’ and litle about the ‘star’.

‘When I play a character, I’m not interested in being “liked”,’ he says. ‘For me, it’s definitely more important that an audience understands and relates to what a character is going through.’ He wants to be believed, not admired.

As Owen tries on a tuxedo for a final photograph, this statement starts to make a whole lot of sense. He looks good in a tux – 007 good.

And lots of people think that way: in 2005, an opinion poll for Sky News had him as the public’s first choice to take over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond. For his part, Owen says he was never approached about the role – he has even sent it up as agent 006 in The Pink Panther remake.

But there is perhaps a logical reason why he didn’t get the licence to kill, however well he wears a penguin suit. However ruggedly handsome he is. However much he can turn his hand to horse riding, as in King Arthur, and spectacular 21st-century action sequences, as in Killer Elite.

Bond is and always will be pure fantasy. Simply unbelievable. And, whatever part Clive Owen plays, he invests it with a credibility, a sense of effortless realism that makes you believe.

Peter Howarth is executive editor of ST Men’s Style

bentley buoys The Continental GT and convertible GTC have not only been a huge success for the Crewe marque, they’ve also given a new generation of drivers reason to smile words Will Hersey photography lUKe KirWAN sEt dEsIgN lyNdsAy MilNe-MCleOd

Set building: Andy Knight

61

It is a slightly odd feeling filling up your Bentley Continental GTC in a crowded petrol station. So serene is life inside this supercar that opening the door to the outside world can come as a nasty jolt.

It is a rude reminder that, even in a car with handstitched leather seats designed to massage your butocks, you still need to queue for pump number four. That it doesn’t prompt too many funny looks these days perhaps says something about the reach Bentley’s entry-level supercar has had since the GT coupé’s launch in 2003 (followed by the sof-top GTC in 2005). It has sold as many in its short lifespan – over 40,000 worldwide – as the Crewe carmaker managed in the previous 91 years.

Confident, brazen even, and perfectly pitched for the times, it is fair to say the GTs have helped alter the perception of the marque as a stuffy limousinemaker for oil sheiks and earls in mustard cords who imagine themselves as Twenties Bentley Boys.

Inevitably there were those who criticised the move ‘downmarket’ but this is more than just an interesting business case study. The car itself is simply brilliant. And it is much easier to sell cars when they are good: a car that is refined but has atitude, is luxurious but can be driven to the supermarket, which brings a smile to your face as soon as you see its curved rear wheel arches or juting grille and then does litle to wipe it off.

Given this success, it is no surprise that the new 2011 versions of the GT and GTC are what head designer Raul Pires described as an ‘evolution of the revolution’. Still, this is no minor facelif. On both models, every panel is new. The entire front section is now made from one piece of precisely creased aluminium, allowing sharper lines, while that unmistakable front grille now sits lower and steeper for a more regal presence on the driveway. Bentley’s engineers have been busy too, adding a new, faster six-speed auto gearbox and an even more powerful six-litre twin-turbo W12, producing 567bhp. But there is litle sense of this technical evolution as you climb inside. In come slimline scalloped front seats, a new dashboard shaped to mirror the wings on the Bentley badge, a few more inches of legroom for those in the rear seats, and in the GTC, an electronic neck warmer for chilly roof-down drives.

So how noticeable are these changes on the road? Expect a subtly stronger pull from that W12, a smoother ride helped by the air suspension’s greater bump absorption and handling that is slightly more precise and nimble. But this finessing of a winning blueprint only tells half the story. The bigger picture is that Bentley has a Grand Tourer worthy of the name. But you’ll still have to stop for petrol.

Bentley Continental GT, from £135,760; Continental GTC, from £149,350; bentleymotors.com Will Hersey is associate editor of Esquire

As days shorten and mists envelop, a man’s thoughts turn to rustic pursuits. Sturdy suiting, luxe cashmere and wool are the perfect ingredients for keeping warm and staying ahead of the field PhotograPhy AdAm WhiteheAd FaShIoN EDItor dAvid lAmb

pastoral

Wool power Wool jacket, £549, and wool waistcoat, £269, both Emporio Armani. Long-sleeved fine-knit polo top, £185, and woollen hat, £115, both E. Tautz at Matches

Well red This page: Suit jacket, from £725, and tab-collar shirt, from £210, both Adam Kimmel at Browns.

Wool-mix scarf, £115, Paul Smith Green credentials Opposite: Quilted jacket, £345, Polo Ralph Lauren. Shetland-wool sweater, £99.95, Barbour. Trousers, from £230, Adam Kimmel x Carhartt at Dover Street Market. Boots, from £315, Adam Kimmel at Browns

Hair apparent This page: Wool and alpaca blazer with suede elbow patches, £695; shirt, £115; wool tie, £95; and corduroy trousers, £160, all Polo Ralph Lauren Warm front Opposite: Wool jacket, £555; wool cardigan, £475; chambray shirt, £169; and wool trousers, £380, all Paul Smith

Left field Jacket, £1,020; angora sweater, £420; rubbercotton sport shirt, £270; velvet-corduroy trousers, £420; and cashmere tie, £130, all Gucci

Cap reform Cashmere overcoat, £2,600, Ermenegildo Zegna. Hooded jumper, £850, Z Zegna. Moleskin trousers, £45, and cap, £12, both Next

Countryphile Waxed ‘Bedale’ jacket, £189, Barbour.

Cashmere jumper, £1,036, Brunello Cucinelli STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 72 Grooming Maarit Niemela at D+V Set design Alexandra Leavey Set assistant Thomas Mitchell Photographer’s assistants Fraser Tyrie, Pedro Koechlin Stylist’s assistant Tony Cook Production 10-4 Models Jerome Rebeiro and David Hopkins at Models 1, Johnny Harrington at D1 Model Management

10th anniversary

Luxury Shopping and dining in the City Agent ProvocAteur, ArtisAn Fine Art, BAchet, Boodles, BulgAri, church’s, crockett & Jones, de Beers, gucci, herMÈs, Jo MAlone, kiehl’s, koJis, lAird & co hAtters, l’occitAne, loro PiAnA, lulu guinness, MillePerle, Molton Brown, MontBlAnc, oMegA, PAul A. Young Fine chocolAtes, PAul sMith, PenhAligon’s, PrettY BAllerinAs, roYAl exchAnge Jewellers, seArle & co, sMoker’s PArAdise, sMYthson, tAteossiAn, theo Fennell, tiFFAnY & co, vileBrequin, wAtches oF switzerlAnd grAnd cAFé & BAr, iMPeriAl citY, MezzAnine lounge, sAuterelle, nAPket, PAvArotti’s

roYAl exchAnge, BAnk, citY oF london ww w .th er oY Al ex c h Ange .c oM

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72 stockists

30 The Generic Man at Dover Street Market 020 7518 0680; doverstreetmarket.com Timo Weiland timoweiland.com Thomas Pink 020 7498 3882; thomaspink.com Tod’s 020 7493 2237; tods.com Tom Ford at Harrods 020 7235 5000; tomford.com V Vacherin Constantin 020 7312 6830; vacherin-constantin.com Victor Osborne victorosborne.com Viktor & Rolf at Harvey Nichols 020 7235 5000; harveynichols.com W Worth & Worth hatshop.com Y Yohji Yamamoto 020 7491 4129; yohjiyamamoto.co.jp Yves Saint Laurent 020 7439 1800; ysl.com Z Z Zegna 020 7518 2700; zegna.com Zenith 01204 424051; zenith-watches.com

CHRIS BROOKS

A Adam Kimmel at Browns 020 7514 0000; brownsfashion.com Adam Kimmel x Carhartt at Dover Street Market 020 7518 0680; doverstreetmarket.com Alexander McQueen 020 7355 0088; alexandermcqueen.com Aspinal of London 0845 052 6900; aspinaloflondon.com B Barbour 0800 009988; barbour.com Bottega Veneta 020 7838 9394; bottegaveneta.com Brioni 020 7491 7700; brioni.com Brunello Cucinelli brunellocucinelli.com Burberry Prorsum 020 7968 0582; burberry.com C CH Carolina Herrera carolinaherrera.com Calvin Klein Collection 0845 604 1888; calvinklein.com Canali 020 7499 5605; canali.it Carlos Campos 00 1 212 244 2377; carloscampos.com Cartier 020 3147 4850; cartier.co.uk Cos 020 7478 0400; cosstores.com D D&G 020 7495 9250; dandgstore.com Dieppa Restrepo at Theory 020 7221 1626; theory.com Dior Homme 020 7172 0172; diorhomme.com Dolce & Gabbana 020 7659 9000; dolcegabbana.com Dover Street Market 020 7518 0680; doverstreetmarket.com Dries Van Noten at Selfridges; 0800 123400; selfridges.com Dunhill 020 8080 0324; dunhill.com E Emporio Armani 020 7491 8080; emporioarmani.com Ermenegildo Zegna 020 7518 2700; zegna.com

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74 hero

Clockwise from right: Nicolas roeg (right) with cinematographer tony richmond; they worked together on The Man Who Fell To Earth, with David Bowie; and Don’t Look Now, with Julie Christie and Donald sutherland

both able to tune into their pop-star status and transcend it in Nic’s hands. it’s obvious that Nic has been misunderstood and at least some of this is because he has taken on controversial themes. But, to me, he is the one of the last real freewheeling revolutionaries in cinema. We now live in a time where film is straighter and more interested in convention and spectacle. But for a brief and glittering period, Nic roeg took the medium and really shook its arse. i admired him so much i even tried

Film-maker David Mackenzie says it is time to honour fellow director Nicolas Roeg, whose work has fired his imagination

I am not sure I really believe in heroes.

suggesting that a knighthood would be the

Adam. the producer was Jeremy thomas,

Isn’t it something you are supposed to

answer, but it makes my blood boil that he

who also produced three roeg films. When

grow out of? Our whole concept of heroes

isn’t given a higher status in our society.

i was struggling to make it, i suggested

has arguably been diminished anyway –

i remember seeing Don’t Look Now

it should be given to Nic to do. in lots of

not least by the last three decades of

(1973) in the lecture hall at school, which

obvious ways i am glad it wasn’t, but

event cinema and the phoney heroes-by-

was occasionally turned into a cinema.

i would have loved to see what he would

numbers that populate most of these

it terrified the bejesus out of me and filled

have done with the material.

films. i am much more interested in films

my nightmares for some time. i’ve since

about anti-heroes, if nothing else because

seen it dozens of times and it still evokes

after a screening in inverness of his tV

they seem more real, more human.

a very primal kind of fear – as well as lots

adaptation of Heart of Darkness. i bounded

of other things. i also saw The Man Who

up to him afterwards and blurted out lots

such as Douglas Bader, the World War ii

Fell To Earth in that school cinema and

of fawning rubbish before he was able to

pilot, and i was drawn to the countless

it totally took me to the next dimension.

escape. many, many years later, i made a

war stories about those who acted with

these films (along with Polanski’s

film called Hallam Foe. One of the executive

extreme courage and self-sacrifice in

The Tenant and Peter Watkins’ banned

producers was Nic’s son luc, who had

the face of extreme adversity. there are

nuclear-bomb film The War Game –

starred in Walkabout (1971) as a child. Nic

people all around the world doing that

also seen in that school hall) seared

got to see Hallam Foe and then, via luc,

right now without a spotlight being shone

themselves onto my consciousness

sent a really beautiful, glowing letter

on them. they are the real heroes.

and still drive me today.

about how much he enjoyed the film. He

as a child my heroes were people

But if i were forced to pick a hero

i don’t think roeg’s films lose

i met Nic when i was in my twenties,

even said it restored his faith in British

of cinema, among all the greats, it would

resonance over the years. i recently watched

cinema! the letter came out of the blue

be Nicolas roeg. He is arguably the most

Bad Timing (1980) again. it’s still a

and it was an awesome wonder for me.

talented living British film-maker. He

fractured narrative of genius and, although

revolutionised cinema on a global scale

the cold-war period it represents is now in

more Nic roeg film. He’s 83 now, but

in many ways and is a shining light of

the past tense, it still feels very present

i know he’s been trying. if British culture

kaleidoscopic, psychedelic film brilliance.

in terms of its techniques and energy.

really cares about its artistic heroes, he

at least four of his films are among

as well as being right on the money

the finest ever made. But he is barely

in terms of pop culture, Nic is also one

recognised now and is struggling to get

of the few directors able to get standout

work made. He should be sir Nicolas,

turns from pop stars – mick Jagger in

alongside the late knighted directors

Performance (1970) and David Bowie in

Hitchcock, lean and Powell. i’m not

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) were

it would be really nice to see one

should be given a chunk of money and allowed to make what he likes.

David Mackenzie’s latest film, You Instead, is out now. His next, Perfect Sense, is out 7 October

allstar; rex features; getty images. iNterVieW By amy raPHael

don’t overlook now

to make a kind of roeg film with Young