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The Rake 75 Flipbook PDF
The Rake 75
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BOB ODENKIRK Nobody does it better
A NEW ERA OF SARTORIALISM: THE DEBUT CAPSULE COLLECTION FROM LORENZO CIFONELLI, LORO PIANA & THE RAKE RALPH LAUREN “BEARFOOT NEGRONI BEAR” WATCH COLOMBIA’S MERCHANT ROYALS: THE SANTO DOMINGO FAMILY NAT KING COLE SOLBIATI SACCO
ISSUE 75 SGD17.50, HKD99, AUD17.50
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breguet inventor of the tourbillon
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contents 18
FOUNDER’S LETTER
22
EDITOR’S LETTER
24
CONTRIBUTORS
arbiter 34
WHO IS THE RAKE?
In remembering Nat King Cole, we should do justice to his talent, influence and life story.
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RAKE-IN-PROGRESS
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FOLLOW SUIT
Freddy Carter talks to the rake about acting in the pandemic and why fantasy (still) rules. Larry King, who died in January, became the master of the big-name interview during 25 years at CNN.
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HOUND
Honoré de Balzac always had it right: white hair doesn’t have to mean dotage, says this issue’s pooch.
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POCKET GUIDE
Michael Hainey’s sartorial spirit represents the best of European style ‘combed through the American eye’.
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CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
ALAMY
Fifty years after her theatrical debut, Sigourney Weaver remains a torchbearer for an enlightened Hollywood.
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contents 70
atelier 66
INVEST
Investments can be unpredictable, but not so with these four winners.
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UNSTITCHED
Lorenzo Cifonelli has applied his bespoke signature to a collaboration that oozes Riviera style and groundbreaking value.
86
UNSTITCHED
Sacco jackets, crafted in Naples, are effortless, ultra-light blazers that might be the most relevant garment around this spring.
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UNSTITCHED
DAVINIA PELEGRI
Italian weavers Solbiati have produced a new linen with such a world-beating yarn count that your shirting this season will feel and drape like silk.
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C OL L E C T I ON
©Photograph: Laurent Ballesta/Gombessa Project
Fifty Fathoms
RAISE AWARENESS, TRANSMIT OUR PASSION, HELP PROTECT THE OCEAN www.blancpain-ocean-commitment.com
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BEIJING · DUBAI · GENEVA · KUALA LUMPUR · LAS VEGAS · LONDON · MACAU · MADRID MUNICH · NEW YORK · PARIS · SEOUL · SHANGHAI · SHENZHEN · SINGAPORE · TAIPEI · TOKYO · ZURICH
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contents
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articles 94
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER
The era of Saul Goodman is coming to an end, but Bob Odenkirk is just getting started.
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FOREVER YOUNG?
If the wheels of time cannot be slowed (much less stopped), how do we come to terms with the ageing process?
118
BREW GOD
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KURT ISWARIENKO
The story of Colombia’s merchant prince, and the social and financial legacy his descendants have carried.
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contents
128
shop the rake RAKE CREATION
For a new season of menswear in a post-lockdown world, the rake’s team gave itself an urgent challenge: to create a collection that would embody casualisation as well as a renewed hunger for fit and cut. KIM LANG
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contents compendium 148
TEMPORAL
The Negroni Bear goes barefoot to the Maldives dressed in the epitome of tropical black-tie chic.
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DELICACIES
158
DASHING
Paul Feig assists the rake in making our first bespoke cocktail, in honour of the elegant beverage that has transcended global gloom. Now more than ever the car has the ability to make the far away seem within touching distance — especially if the car is a Bentley.
168
RAKE INCARNATE
Warren the Ape, the ne’er-do-well of the MTV show, reminds us that pop culture might be losing its knack for gloriously crass irreverence.
GETTY IMAGES
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It’s a sad sign of the experience we’ve lived through when I find myself writing my second consecutive Founder’s letter in homage to a great man who has passed away. A collective sob was felt throughout the sartorial universe when we learned of Gigi Dalcuore’s death in February this year. We felt the loss keenly because, of course, the world would now be deprived of a great master, a man capable of that rare act of tailoring transubstantiation — of rendering life, dimension and sculptural form from what was once two-dimensional cloth. Dalcuore clothes were infused with anima, with a soul that was imparted by him through his shears as he cut each garment. But the hurt we experienced was far greater because our planet had lost a wonderful human being. Gigi Dalcuore was humility, understatement and modesty personified. In a world rife with egos, this is what made him unique and endowed him with an elegance and grace like no other. When I visited his workshop for the first time, and marvelled at the style, the sharpness of his cut and the litheness of his construction, he would nod and maybe smile slightly, almost as if he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, such was his nature. But you could feel his kindness, his generosity and his sincerity emanating from him. He was the perfect grandmaster, forming the tailoring world’s most dynamic triumvirate alongside his daughter and heir to his
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talents, Cristina, and his gregarious, larger-than-life and charismatic son-in-law, Damiano Annunziato. When I witnessed the outpouring of grief transmitted via Instagram I felt a palpable sense of collective love for Gigi coming from every corner of the Earth. His passing brought to mind the words uttered by Nehru at the death of Gandhi: “Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives... I do not know what to tell you and how to say it.” But the things that Gigi Dalcuore taught us were to be kind to each other, to err on the side of generosity, and to give affection first in order to receive it. His legacy will, of course, be the ongoing success of Sartoria Dalcuore, which has already charted extraordinary growth in recent years. But his legacy is also the entire sartorial community learning to put aside ego and embrace one another with open hearts. As Nehru said, “That light will be seen… the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts.” The light Gigi transmitted was a light of grace born of gentility, goodness and kindness. Farewell, Gigi, we will always remember you, and we will, and must, learn from the example you set. —Wei Koh, Founder & Editorial Director @wei_koh_revolution
MUNSTER
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The maestro Gigi Dalcuore, who died in February, taught us to be kind, generous, and to give affection in order to receive it.
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When Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was broadcast, a week or so before this issue of The Rake went to print, I confess to thinking about one person in particular. It wasn’t a member of the royal family, or a commentator pleased to accept any word-rate to make their opinions known. No, I kept things in-house and thought of our Chief Subeditor, Stephen Wood. Why did I think of him? Well, let’s just say that when the Palace furore was unfolding, all I could imagine was Steve saying to himself, Oh, God, Tom’s going to write about the Queen in his letter, isn’t he? Well, yes. Yes, I am. But only briefly, and fortunately it is a neat gambit — the Queen’s gambit, if you will — with which to discuss this issue. Our theme is ageing, and as a 34-year-old I don’t consider myself particularly well qualified to share my ‘lived experience’ on the subject, so I turn to someone more than 60 years my senior. I am known for my fanatical and unwavering approval of an unelected first family, any criticism of whom I take rather personally. It releases my inner truculence, and I get resentful at how the BBC isn’t on the phone asking me to have a natter with Huw Edwards, in order to set the record straight, before I head round the corner to Bellamy’s for a post-News at Ten fish fingers and entrecôte. Perhaps they see me as part of the ‘never complain, never explain’ crowd. I am sure that’s it. Between the talking points on either side of the Harry and Meghan debate, there is one indisputable fact: that the monarch — who the Duchess of Sussex said had offered to share a blanket with her during a chilly royal engagement in 2018 — is, at the time of writing, 94 years old. Next year the Queen will have been undertaking those kinds of public engagements for 70 years, and though age may have wearied her, her commitment to the cause remains resolute. At the moment of anointment, she believed she had entered into a covenant with God to give a lifetime of service to her people (the fact she refused to allow the anointment to be televised shows you how seriously she took it). She has honoured, and continues to honour, that covenant, sui generis. The point is, age may weary you, but it does not remove the capacity to inspire. Another case in point is Britain’s dearly departed centurion Captain Tom Moore. There are, of course, plenty of people from whom to draw inspiration in Hollywood if you aren’t a fan of Sussex, Inc. One is our cover star for this issue, Bob Odenkirk. Bob spent much of his early career in writers’ rooms, and surfaced to become an
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on-screen talent in sketch comedy before moving into character acting roles, most notably as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. At the bright and sparkly age of 58, he is reinventing himself as an action hero, naturally. His new film, Nobody, seems perfectly timed for an era of the multi-vaccinated, a starting pistol for all of us desperate to break out of the gates. Another sad loss in the Covid era was Larry King, who was conducting high-profile interviews until close to his death, in January, aged 87. Stuart Husband has written a reverent retrospective on King’s considerable life and career. Elsewhere in the issue, Stuart profiles the Colombian Santo Domingo family, whose wealth and status have helped them become part of the Monégasque royal family, British aristocracy, and New York high society. Our Pocket Guide column this month features Michael Hainey, a Deputy Editor of Air Mail, who typifies the kind of American that most Americans wish was their poster boy (as opposed, say, to that former president). The photographer Rose Callahan dropped by the Air Mail offices in New York to capture some of Hainey’s personal effects, which give an insight into a fascinating life. The Rake’s horizons are broadening as we move into our teens this year. We’re debuting The Rake Tailored Beverages, starting with a pre-made Negroni using Artingstall’s gin, which is produced by our great friend Paul Feig. And we are launching the second season of The Rake Tailored Garments — our first capsule collection with Lorenzo Cifonelli and Loro Piana — in perfect time for a revival of summer dressing and travel. The stories and photoshoots for all these features can be found in this issue. I haven’t yet given up on 2021. While I will probably miss lockdown (which suited this misanthrope rather well), the sense that we needn’t fear the outdoors, or the belief that we will soon contemplate shaking each other’s hands, provides excitement too strong to resist. As this issue celebrates the passing of time that we all hope to experience, trudging a road of happy destiny, it is encouraging to know that even at 94 years of age, our capacity to do good — to leave a legacy, to lead by example, and to inspire fealty — is undiminished. But it starts by showing up, and placing a blanket over your neighbour’s knee if they need it. Enjoy the issue! — Tom Chamberlin, Editor @tfchamberlin
KIM LANG
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Contributors A former Editor-in-Chief of The Rake, Scott spent several years as a staffer at U.K. Esquire and GQ Australia, and is now the Editor of the U.K. edition of Robb Report, as well as a regular contributor to The Rake, the FT’s How To Spend It, Hole & Corner, and Director, the Institute of Directors’ magazine. His writing has also appeared in a range of titles including The Observer, Radio Times and Women’s Health, as well as
The British artist Kirk Truman is the founder, and formerly the Editor-in-Chief, of Journal magazine. He specialises in portraiture and fine-art photography, working in both digital and film, and his style is often experimental. From his studio in Bloomsbury, central London, he focuses on geometry, high contrast, fashion, beauty and surrealism. He is also an ambassador for, and a teacher at, Leica Akademie. In this
Stuart’s freelance forays to date have seen his baroque prose grace the pages of all the major British broadsheets, as well as magazines including Monocle. Sir Michael Caine, Paulo Coelho, Dev Patel, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Amy Winehouse, Patricia Cornwell, Woody Allen and Lord Sugar have all been subject to his journalistic scrutiny. Stuart is never one to turn down a challenge, especially when it allows him to dip
KURT ISWARIENKO
NICK SCOTT
KIRK TRUMAN
STUART HUSBAND
working within the static frame. Known for drawing emotionally charged narrative performances from his subjects, and a visually sculpted lighting style, Kurt has photographed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Brad Pitt, and created media campaigns with a number of diverse brands. During the Covid pandemic he adapted his process to produce still and motion projects remotely, logging more than 40 such shoots in 2020. Kurt, who shot Bob Odenkirk for this issue’s cover story, is also launching a podcast about photography, called The Light Motiv, and a photography marketplace app called LENSR.
branded content titles for Hackett, Bentley, Lexus, Toyota and Richard Mille. An ardent believer in oldfashioned journalism, he frequently dreams of a mass public burning of rehashed press releases posing as editorial. His sartorial philosophy is summarised by a self-coined axiom: “Style and fashion are like love and infatuation.” Find Nick’s feature on the secrets to elegant ageing on page 110.
Kurt Iswarienko, a photographer born in the blue-collar creative breeding ground of Akron, Ohio, and raised in Argentina and Mexico, was influenced by the eclectic cultural and geographical contrasts he experienced as he travelled as a young boy. He picked up a camera for the first time while working as a lighting technician on film sets in Hollywood, and his cinematically driven eye found its creative niche
issue, Kirk makes his debut for The Rake by documenting a road trip in a new Bentley Continental GT, creating a photo essay of pure escapism (page 158).
back into old passions and interests, and for this issue of The Rake, looking into the private Santo Domingo family of Colombia (page 118) was certainly a challenge. You can also find Stuart’s profile of the late television host Larry King on page 48.
cover photographer kurt iswarienko styling alison edmond fashion direction grace gilfeather Ivory tuxedo jacket, white evening shirt and black silk bow-tie, Brunello Cucinelli.
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Contributors
DAVINIA PELEGRI & ORIOL ELCACHO
The husband and wife modelling duo of Oriol Elcacho and Davinia Pelegri are both pros, of course; when they work together, it is a bit like Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf becoming doubles partners. Regular readers of The Rake will know Oriol from his appearances in the magazine as well as his work as the face of Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Davinia is a fashion model who has starred in myriad fashion shoots and campaigns for the biggest titles and brands in the world. As veterans of a competitive and intimidating industry, they have put their experience to good use
both by helping to mentor up-and-coming models and creating wonderful content themselves. In an era in which naivety in media is to some what a limping gazelle is to a lion, wise counsel from experienced role models like Davinia and Oriol is increasingly valuable. For this issue of The Rake, we looked everywhere for a photographer and a model who would understand the chic standards required to showcase our collaboration with Lorenzo Cifonelli and Loro Piana. Turns out the answer came as a team, with Davinia shooting Oriol and Lorenzo in Paris (page 70).
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THE RAKE PTE LTD FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Wei Koh
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & HEAD OF BRAND Tom Chamberlin [email protected] ART DIRECTOR Rob French [email protected]
CHIEF SUBEDITOR Stephen Wood
FASHION DIRECTOR Grace Gilfeather [email protected]
ART EDITOR Kim Lang [email protected]
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Freddie Anderson [email protected]
SENIOR STYLIST Veronica Perez [email protected]
VIDEOGRAPHER Marcus Ebanks [email protected]
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Rikesh Chauhan [email protected]
STYLIST Amelia Hudson [email protected]
DIGITAL IMAGING ARTIST Kok Haw Koh
EDITORS-AT-LARGE Nick Scott Christian Barker
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Nick Foulkes Matt Hranek
SARTORIAL CONSIGLIERE Shary Rahman
SARTORIAL GURU Christopher Modoo
RAKE AMBASSADOR Matteo Mango
RAKE HOUNDS IN VALHALLA Brando & Gracie Koh
The Rake is published six times a year by The Rake Pte Ltd. All rights reserved, copyright © 2014 by The Rake Pte Ltd. Unit 29 Pall Mall Deposit, 124-128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL, +44 20 3856 3886. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All prices and credits are accurate at time of going to press but are subject to change. Opinions expressed in The Rake are solely those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher and its editors. Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor via email ([email protected]). While every reasonable care will be undertaken by the Editor, The Rake cannot be held responsible for any unsolicited material. All unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and sufficient return postage. MCI (P) 011/01/2021 PPS 1830/03/2014(025559) ISSN: 1793-7914
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RAKE HOUND Bandit Koh
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THE RAKE PTE LTD CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Alain Gafundi [email protected] VP ADVERTISING & CREATIVE SOLUTIONS Anne Petermann [email protected]
MANAGING DIRECTOR Drew Laidlaw Hoare [email protected] SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER Matteo Barni [email protected]
GROUP FINANCIAL CONTROLLER Gin Poh Lau [email protected]
HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Riccardo Zambon [email protected]
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WAREHOUSE MANAGER Antonio Diaferio [email protected]
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PROCUREMENT MANAGER Lorenzo Viglietti [email protected]
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E-COMMERCE DEVELOPMENT PARTNER Hatimeria
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Yvonne Koh
Internationally Licensed Editions
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THE RAKE MIDDLE EAST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APP Sue Holt [email protected]
THE RAKE JAPAN CO. LTD. JAPAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kentaro Matsuo [email protected]
APP MEDIA GROUP DUBAI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jola Chudy [email protected]
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* Founded in St-Tropez in 1971
Generation Vilebrequin
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Fondé à St-Tropez en 1971* C M Y K
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arbiter
COLE POWERED; RIGHT SAID FRED; THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING; PEAK DOG; POCKET FULL OF DREAMS; THE GATEKEEPER.
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UNFORGETTABLE?
How should we memorialise Nat King Cole? If, like St. Nick and the Advent calendar, it is once a year in December, we are doing Cole’s talent, influence and life story a disservice. by james medd
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hough rock is now filed firmly in the Heritage section Initially, this was alongside his brother in his six-piece alongside jazz and folk, its official history still rules band Eddie Cole’s Swingsters. The two then joined a travelling our thinking about popular music. Everything started revue, Shuffle Along, which was where he met his first wife, with Elvis Presley, the wisdom still goes, and before him there Nadine. When the show ended, he tried his hand playing piano was only dross. Nat King Cole is one of the great victims of in clubs in Los Angeles before returning to Chicago to form this belief, his decades of work reduced to a single function. his King Cole Trio, accompanied by a guitarist and bassist. Like Slade, Mariah Carey, The Pogues and Bing Crosby, he He was by now an exceptional jazz pianist; though later fame is a fixture of our lives in that narrow window between the would eclipse this talent, he was an acknowledged influence middle of November and Boxing Day, when we hear his on both Oscar Peterson and Ray Charles, and great enough impossibly rich voice launch for the 74th year running into for many to mourn his move into crooning. The Christmas Song, reminding us of chestnuts roasting on an Legend tells that this transformation came by chance, when an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at our nose. audience member called for him to sing and he decided to give it He deserves much more. a go, revealing a baritone voice Just as that effortlessly of astonishing smoothness, Cole was a superstar — so seductive voice still charms warmth and expression. The successful that his record its way into our minds each song he chose that night, Sweet year, his influence is more company, Capitol, was known Lorraine, became his first deeply ingrained in the as the House that Nat Built. hit, and, beside occasional culture than we would think. sections in concert, the His style influenced a generation of singers, from Ray Charles piano was relegated to a supporting role. As the 1940s went on, to Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, who in turn influenced many he became the most successful singer in the country, putting more, all the way up to the present. And Cole was more than even Frank Sinatra in the shade with a succession of songs that the sum of his records, a superstar on the scale of those we still combined the finest lovelorn sentimentality and string-heavy revere from later eras — so successful, in fact, that his record romantic arrangements with the conviction and precision of company, Capitol, later home to The Beatles, The Beach Boys his delivery. Beside hits with definitive versions of such future and The Eagles, was known as the House that Nat Built. standards as Nature Boy and Unforgettable, there was Mona Lisa, His story, too, is richer than almost all those rock legends, which spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard chart in 1950, full of ambition and chance, choices both good and bad, backed by an arrangement by the great Nelson Riddle. obstacles overcome and the triumph of talent. From the Cole’s success was not entirely down to his musical talent. start, there was also disguise, his presentation a carefully The smoothness of his delivery was matched in everything calibrated mix of disparate elements. His sophisticated city he did, from the warmth of his smile and the elegance of his style spoke of a childhood spent in Chicago, but Cole was repartee to his taste in dark suits and his immaculately slickedreally a southerner, born in 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama. down hair. At a time when records by black artists were still to While his Baptist-minister father bequeathed him the be found in their own chart as ‘Race Music’, and rarely crossed clear enunciation that was an important part of his appeal, over into the general rankings, he was beloved by audiences of his mother, the organist in her husband’s church, gave him all colours. For all the accusations of compromise, Cole made his first gift, lighting the spark of a career as a pianist. An himself a place in a world of entertainment dominated — as it education in religious music was expanded by evenings spent would continue to be in later, supposedly more enlightened, sitting outside Chicago’s nightclubs to hear the greats of the decades — by white faces. While Cole’s suave respectability era, including Louis Armstrong, and at 15 he dropped out of brought him success across the racial divide, it did not in any high school to pursue a career in music. way diminish his sex appeal. Handsome and charismatic, for 34
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Nat King Cole in Los Angeles, 1964.
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Clockwise from top left: posing for a studio portrait in 1950; on his European tour in 1960; taking a break from a recording session at Capitol Recording Studios, 1964; the Nat King Cole Trio: guitarist Oscar Moore (left), bass player Johnny Miller, and Cole; speaking to Jackie Robinson at Wrigley Field in Chicago, 1954; travelling in style 1965; and speaking to Frank Sinatra at a radio show in 1945.
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Clockwise from top left: with wife Maria Cole at home in 1957; daughter Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole, daughter Carole Cole (standing), and wife Maria Cole at home in 1957; recording at Capitol Recording Studios, 1964; during a special presentation of Grammy-winning songs and performances from the second Grammy awards; with President Kennedy at the Beverly Hilton Hotel; and photographed while performing by William P. Gottlieb in 1947.
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In his element by a piano in 1954.
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female fans he was the ideal combination of gentleman and performing in venues that would not allow him to spend the late-night seducer, and he made the most of this both on and night in the same building. In 1948, the Waldorf Astoria off the stage. He conducted affairs throughout his marriage to refused to host his wedding, and his purchase of a mansion Nadine and to his second wife, Maria, a singer he wed in 1948, in the wealthy Los Angeles suburb of Hancock Park provoked though as in everything he did, he was the model of discretion. a concerted campaign by other property owners, with Cole was also astonishingly astute. Even before he firmly shots fired through his window, hate messages burned into told Record Mirror in 1963 that “I’m a businessman”, he was his lawn, and the poisoning of his dog. Even when he was investing the enormous wealth he earned from his songs in a attacked on stage by white supremacists in Alabama in 1956, range of different sectors. Inspired by the wake-up call of a his reaction was to continue as before. “I can’t understand it,” $150,000 tax demand, he invested in a block of offices in New he told a press conference afterwards. “I have not taken part York, a paper-cup company in Puerto Rico, ran film, television in any protests. Nor have I joined an organisation fighting and record companies, and even the contract for boxer Gene segregation. Why should they attack me?” Johns. This placed him in an Cole had broken down enviable position when, by the Despite his crossover success, racial barriers like few before early 1960s, his style finally him, but for many this was not racism was a feature of fell from favour. Although he enough. A leading member of his career. For decades he continued to find a home in the National Association for the charts dominated by The did his best to ignore it. the Advancement of Colored Beatles and their acolytes, his People called him an ‘Uncle style of swingin’ was not one the new breed of teenagers were Tom’ and accused him of ignoring the duties of his position: looking for. And, though he had been happy to adapt before, “That responsibility, newspapers quote you as saying, you he was not ready to try to follow the new sound, as his song Mr. leave to the other guys.” Some claim that Cole had, in fact, Cole Won’t Rock and Roll said all too clearly. been quietly supporting campaigns including the 1955-56 He had, perhaps, anticipated this with a move into Montgomery bus boycott, but in the new decade he chose another medium that seemed made for him, given his gift for to participate openly, boycotting single-race venues and showmanship. In the previous decade he had built a strong helping to plan 1963’s March on Washington. By then, he line in musical cameos in films into a parallel career as an was even invited to consult with President Kennedy and his actor, starring as W.C. Handy alongside a parade of greats successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, on civil rights. including Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson in St. Louis This, though, was to be his final chapter. In February 1965, Blues and, remarkably, playing himself in The Nat King Cole at 45 years of age, he succumbed to lung cancer. In a world high Musical Story. While these performances charmed even when on change and the future, his death was acknowledged as the the surrounding picture did not, the perfect vehicle for his end of a musical era, but he was already a figure from a different geniality and warmth was surely television, and in 1956 he was age. Since then, like almost all those who came before rock ’n’ duly given his own variety showcase, The Nat King Cole Show, roll, he is ancient history, revived only as a novelty — in adverts on NBC. It ran for 14 months, killed by the unwillingness of and even by his own daughter, Natalie, whose virtual duet of advertisers to back a national show led by a black entertainer. Unforgettable brought him a very unlikely hit in 1991. Perhaps, The choice to end the experiment was his, announced with the in a world in which musical barriers have been permanently line, “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark”. broken down by the streaming revolution, there will be a time Despite his crossover success, racism had been a when we won’t remember him only that way. Despite his name, consistent feature of his career. For decades he did his best and the seasonal reappearance of that aptly named old chestnut, to ignore it, playing to segregated audiences and frequently Nat King Cole is not just for Christmas. 41
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White Merino shawl lapel dinner jacket with silk grosgrain facings with black wool dinner trousers, black silk bow-tie and white silk pocket-square, New & Lingwood; white Oxford cotton shirt, Fralbo at The Rake; black cotton socks, London Sock Company at The Rake; black patent Carnegie shoe, Edward Green.
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‘ACTORS HAVE THIS AMAZING SKILL SET — OF MAKING THINGS HAPPEN IN SPITE OF THE WORST-CASE CIRCUMSTANCES’ Freddy Carter, the star of the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, talks to the rake about acting in the pandemic, fighting flesh-eating monsters, and why fantasy (still) rules… by bridget arsenault photography rachell smith fashion direction amelia hudson
Freddy Carter has more than the required amount of high cheekbones and unfettered charm to propel his career as an actor. While the 28-year-old was growing up surrounded by the farms and coastline of Somerset, and amid short stints in Cyprus and the United States, a life in front of the camera wasn’t always obvious. But his parents loved the theatre, and a particular trip to London to see Mark Rylance play the wild man of the woods in Jerusalem inspired a 16-year-old Carter. He debated applying to university, even just as a safety net, but instead auditioned for the Oxford School of Drama, and got in. Carter spent no time hanging about after graduation, immediately joining the cast of the Sir Trevor Nunn-directed Wars of the Roses at the Rose theatre in Kingston. Carter performed more than 25 parts in the production, a complex trilogy of Shakespearean history plays. The auditions kept coming, and after arriving in Edinburgh to spend a few days soaking up the Fringe, he got a voicemail from his agent. He’d landed the part of “moody horse boy” (his agent’s words) in a new Netflix family drama called Free Rein, and filming started in four days. Next, he won a small part in a mammoth film, 2017’s Wonder Woman. He spent only a few days on the Warner Bros. set in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, but the tumult from hundreds of actors, crew, stunt people and supporting artists on set was even more extraordinary than he had imagined. In 2019, Netflix called again, this time about Shadow and Bone, a new fantasy series with all the elements for stratospheric success. Shadow and Bone will premiere globally on Netflix on April 23. When did the acting bug hit you?
It sounds a little bit clichéd, but I think I was nine or 10, and it was my first school play. My drama teacher, Mrs. Marston, took a chance on me and let me play Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk. I really loved that feeling of a team pulling together to create something — so the rehearsals and being backstage was actually the bit I loved. I used to get terrible stage fright. Your brother Tom Austen is also an actor. Are your parents theatrical or was it a bit of a shock when you both chose the same profession?
It probably was a bit of a shock, but one they embraced wholeheartedly, which is lovely. My grandparents do that sort of village pantomime, but that’s about it. My mum loves the theatre and always took us when we were younger. My dad is theatrical in his own way. He’s an amazing storyteller. And I always think that Tom and I get our storytelling techniques and ability from him. Is it just you and Tom?
There’s a brother in the middle as well. He’s not an actor. No, he is an alternative… what would you even call it? He works with alternative protein sources. It’s very modern, eco and green. Totally different to what we do.
So does that mean you sample a lot of bugs?
I actually haven’t yet. I keep putting it off. I’m waiting for him to bring home a sort of alternative turkey at Christmas one year. But dreading it slightly: beetle turkey. Your brother goes by Tom Austen and you go by Freddy Carter. Did you do that on purpose, to differentiate your careers?
When you leave drama school you can elect to join Equity, the actors’ union. And if somebody else has your name, then you have to change it. There already was a Tom Carter. So he chose Austen, on the advice of someone that it sounded good. And it’s high up the alphabet. There is no big family rift or anything. We just decided that the people who need to know we’re brothers or want to know we’re brothers can easily find it out. We don’t have to advertise it. You star as Kaz Brekker in the new Netflix adaptation of the fantasy-adventure series Shadow and Bone. More than three million copies of the Leigh Bardugo novels have been sold; what was your relationship with the books before being cast?
I was aware of the books. I’d heard of them, and I had seen them in bookstores, but wasn’t entirely sure what they entailed. When the audition came through, I Googled it and found this incredible fan Wiki page. I went down a rabbit hole of fandom from there.
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And did you read all the books before your audition?
I bought the books immediately, but I didn’t read them until it was a done thing. My audition was actually quite strange. I sent my tape and then two days later I was flying home from my holiday in Scotland to meet the showrunner. Two or three days after that I was back meeting the casting director. I think I might have even gone back in again at the end of that week. So I had loads of meetings really quickly, and it was a whirlwind. Then nothing. I didn’t hear anything. And all that time I was trying not to read the books so I didn’t get too excited. Was it always Kaz you wanted to play?
I knew that the project had been around for a little while and people had been talking about it. I had heard all the character names. When I saw the breakdown for Kaz — dark, brooding, revenge thirsty, sort of violent, but slightly heart-of-gold kind of guy — I just thought, Yeah, I could do that! What is it like acting in something with lots of complex special effects?
It’s tough! When you are fighting this sort of flesh-eating monster but actually it’s just a green football on the end of a stick, it is a really exciting challenge.
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There’s a fascination with fantasy — from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones — that shows no sign of waning. Do you have a sense of what makes these projects so popular?
Fantasy, more so than any other genre, treads that fine line between escapism and examination. You can watch Shadow and Bone just to forget about the world and its troubles if you want. But you can also watch it and think, This is a comment on immigration or discrimination. That feels to me very special, and it’s why people get so invested. You can go back many times and see different things. Was there a sense of wanting to break out of the teen heartthrob role you played in Free Rein and do something grittier?
The idea of getting stuck in anything is not appealing to me as an actor. I want to tackle different genres and try various types of characters. Right after Free Rein I did a T.V. show called 15 Days, and then a show called Pennyworth, which were both big departures. They were more adult and darker. And that definitely felt like a conscious decision. I could feel myself working harder for those auditions! It wasn’t that long ago that you were graduating from drama school. I really feel for university students at the moment: I can’t imagine it’s easy to learn the mechanics of acting over Zoom.
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Opposite page left: Cinnamon cotton shirt, Private White V.C.; navy cashmere crew-neck, Ralph Lauren Purple Label; grey wool Duke pleated trouser, Kit Blake at The Rake; dark brown suede Shannon boot, Crockett & Jones.
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Opposite page right: Green moleskin four-pocket jacket, New & Lingwood; black wool cashmere blend roll-neck, Anderson & Sheppard; charcoal grey flannel Hollywood-top trousers, Edward Sexton at The Rake; belt, property of The Rake. This page: Navy blue suede shacket, Ralph Lauren Purple Label; white cotton T-shirt, Hamilton and Hare; blue and white wool silk houndstooth scarf, Anderson & Sheppard; charcoal grey flannel Hollywood-top trousers, Edward Sexton at The Rake.
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I think as hard as it all is, it couldn’t have happened to a better bunch of people. Actors have this amazing skill set of digging in and just getting on with it and making things happen in spite of the worst-case circumstances. It’s not ideal, but I have hope because I spend a lot of time with these people, and they’re incredible. You wrote and directed your first short film, No. 89, in 2019. What’s the story behind the film?
It came about after a conversation with a friend about breakups, and how crap they are for everyone involved. I just got thinking about what would be a wry way of looking at that. If the world was slightly topsy-turvy, what could you get away with? So it’s about a woman called Rachel who’s been broken up with quite brutally by her boyfriend, and she seeks revenge on him and the world in quite an interesting way. You have 240,000 followers on Instagram. What’s your take on social media?
It’s a funny one! My relationship with it changes depending on how much I feel like I have to use it. It’s definitely a responsibility because social media is such a brilliant place for activism. Having a large following is similar to fame. If you view it as a byproduct, that’s O.K. It gets skewed when having
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more followers becomes the goal. Or when casting directors say things like, ‘I wish you had a few more followers’. That’s when it becomes a poisoned chalice. How would you describe your sense of style, and has it changed these past few years?
I’ve always been drawn to architectural pieces and simple, clean lines. I like that very clean tailoring, the almost classic British look. Living in London, I feel like fashion has always been and will always be so important. I love that the cut of your coat says so much about you. I’ve been living in London for five years and you really do notice that you go to different parts of the city and you see the cuts of coats changing and the accessories changing. And that well-dressed English gent thing is still very much a part of it. You strike me as a classic British actor. Have you done the L.A. thing? Do you feel the pull of Hollywood?
My family are in London. I love being in London, so the big pull is actually just to stay here. I think people can make the mistake of going too early, not waiting for them to be desperate to see you. I’ve been to Los Angeles a few times for work stuff, and it’s great. But I am very much English at heart; I would miss home if I left for too long.
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This page: grey wool raglan showerproof coat, Edward Sexton; camo-green cotton shirt, Tintoria Mattei at The Rake; fawn and forest-green houndstooth wool tie, Richard Anderson; camera, Freddy’s own.
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ASSISTED BY: VERONICA PEREZ PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: CAMERON SMITH GROOMING: LUCY HALPERIN @ THE WALL GROUP
Opposite page: Green hopsack suit, Richard Anderson; ivory poplin cotton shirt, Favourbrook; orange silk mini paisley Madder tie, Budd Shirtmakers; dark Oak antique calf Lambourne boot, Edward Green.
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SUSPENDERED IN TIME
Larry King, who died in January, became the sharp-angled, arch-shouldered master of the big-name interview during 25 years at CNN. His style was unorthodox but winning (most of the time). ‘I’m really curious,’ King once said. ‘I listen to answers and leave my ego at the door.’ by stuart husband
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here are generally two breeds of interviewer. The first kind brightest braces before meeting King for dinner. Paul Newman are assiduous about getting prepped for their subject. Sir said that, whenever he landed abroad, the first thing he did was David Frost was the exemplar here; when I turned up turn on CNN and look for King. Stephen Colbert told King he lost to interview him some years ago, he spent the first few minutes his virginity to an audio backdrop of King’s throaty bray. making ostentatious reference to a slew of recent stories I’d done, King told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel in 1996 that which was both impressive and not a little disarming. the secret of his success was his sincerity: “I’m really curious. The second group takes a — how to put this? — more cavalier I care what people think. I listen to answers and I leave my approach. Larry King was indisputably their champion. Over ego at the door. I don’t use the word ‘I’, which is irrelevant in 25 years and his many thousands of interviews fronting Larry an interview. It has no place other than showing off.” And, in King Live, CNN’s highest-rated, longest-running programme truth, his less-than-adversarial, raspy-uncle-at-your-barthat reached millions across mitzvah mode of questioning America and some 130 When he was once asked “Who often yielded water-cooler countries around the world, the moments. To Richard Nixon: is Larry King?”, his retort Brooklyn-born King displayed “When you drive by the was: “All the things Lawrence Watergate building, do you what The New York Times called “the folksy personality of a Harvey Zeiger never was.” feel weird?” To a late-term Bensonhurst schmoozer”, Ronald Reagan: “Is it, for you, making a kind of virtue of his breezy unpreparedness. “If I frustrating not to remember something?” And to Mahmoud meet someone I don’t know, and I don’t know the topic, that’s Ahmadinejad, the historically selective former president of heaven,” he once said. “You’ve got to learn.” Iran: “Why do you keep saying ‘if’ the Holocaust happened?” Occasionally, the learning curve would prove a little When King was once asked, by The Washington Post, “Who is precipitous. He thought the Dalai Lama was a Muslim. His coup Larry King?”, his retort was sharp: “All the things that Lawrence at getting the surviving pair of Beatles together was somewhat Harvey Zeiger never was.” undermined when he addressed Ringo as ‘George’ (prompting Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1933 — his mother, some severe side-eye from Paul McCartney). He enraged Jerry Jennie, was a garment worker of Lithuanian extraction, while Seinfeld by erroneously claiming that the epoch-making Seinfeld his father, Aaron, from what is now Ukraine, ran a diner before had been cancelled by its network. But King, already a radio working in a defence factory — he encapsulates two imperishable talk-show veteran, became the sharp-angled, arch-shouldered, strains of American life: the art of reinvention and the can-do pointy-elbowed, saucer-spectacled, gravelly baritoned, spirit. After his father died of a heart attack when King was nine, statement-suspendered face of CNN at a time when the network precipitating a lifelong horror of/preoccupation with death (for was becoming the United States’ signature media export. He years he insisted he wanted his corpse cryogenically frozen, called his soft-shoe style “infotainment”, while The New York pending future resurrection), the family survived on welfare Times’ Maureen Dowd archly referred to it as “the resort area of benefits, and his education effectively ceased. No matter; American journalism”. But over the decades, his hot seat played his earliest memory was of listening to the radio when he was host to every U.S. president since Gerald Ford, plus Eleanor around five, and knowing he wanted to be on it. Roosevelt and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and At 23 he took a train to Miami, hoping to find a job in its Malcolm X, Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. He interviewed fast-growing media industry. He swept floors at a tiny station Mike Tyson while Tyson was in prison for rape, and the day after called WAHR until a DJ suddenly quit and the manager decided O.J. Simpson was acquitted, Simpson rang into his old pal King’s to take a chance on him. Minutes before his on-air debut, the show for a live chat. As far back as 1999, Donald Trump revealed same manager decided that Zeiger sounded “too ethnic”, and to King that he was exploring the possibility of running for he plucked the name ‘King’ from an ad in the Miami Herald for president. Mikhail Gorbachev made sure he donned a pair of the King’s Wholesale Liquors.
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Clockwise from top left: Larry King compares a real and toy Uzi in a segment on gun control; with Naomi Campbell at the National Italian American Foundation gala, 1997; with his seventh wife, Shawn, and Paris Hilton in 2004; driving in LA with Shawn; at their wedding reception in 1997; with his sixth wife, Julia Alexander, in Beverly Hills; and with his fifth wife, Sharon Lepore.
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A PROUD CUSTODIAN OF THE SPIRIT OF SCOTL AND Justerini & Brooks. Two centuries of rare and fine whiskies.
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The interviews, clockwise from top left: Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1999; Rudy Giuliani in 1986; Marlon Brando in 1994; Whoopi Goldberg in 1993; a puppet Donald Trump in 2020; saying hello to Jack Nicholson at the Tyson vs Spinks fight in 1988; with Goldie Hawn at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in 1997; with Yasser Arafat in 1993; and presenting in 1987.
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WWW.THEBUNKER.LA
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From here, one could conjure a smooth onwards-and- a near-fatal stroke. Why the Henry VIII complex, The Guardian upwards timeline for King: the morning show he MC’d live once asked King. “I don’t know,” he replied. “What I liked at 20 from Pumpernik’s, a Miami Beach restaurant, interviewing was not what I liked at 30. I’m amazed at people who are married patrons including Lenny Bruce and Bobby Darin over pickled 60 years. And my work always came first.” lox and griddle cakes; a mentorship from Jackie Gleason; radio That was the thing with Larry King in his yak-master pomp at commentaries for the Miami Dolphins; a nationally syndicated CNN: you may have looked at him for some time before the word all-night show on a commercial network; newspaper columns for ‘gravitas’ sprang to mind, but he had chutzpah to spare. “His style, the Miami Herald and USA Today; and, finally, the invitation from endurance and presence became a form of American confidence,” Ted Turner in 1985 to join his fledgling Cable News Network. wrote The New York Times in 2015, and this was somehow But that would reckon without his many picaresque reversals. accentuated not only by his ability to chew the fat with everyone An inveterate spender on cars and clothes, and a heroic loser from world leaders to death-row inmates (and his more than 20 on the horses — “It’s much more fun when you’re riding on the as-himself cameos in everything from Ghostbusters to 30 Rock), but rent,” he once opined — he declared bankruptcy in 1960 and also his all-business uniform of Turnbull & Asser contrast collars again in 1978, with $352,000 and suspenders, arrived at in debts. A chain smoker after a previous ill-conceived “What I liked at 20 was not from the age of 17 — “I didn’t with sweater vests. what I liked at 30. I’m amazed dalliance have many demands, but a lit (GQ once attempted a kind at people married 60 years. cigarette waiting in the studio of Tao of King’s braces, at the start of every commercial And my work came first.” concluding that he opted for break was one of them,” he said a red pair when wishing to — he suffered a heart attack two years into the CNN job that project aplomb, blue when attempting to be more forceful, and necessitated quintuple bypass surgery, and grappled with prostate something more outre — white with polka dots, say — when facing cancer, lung cancer, and type 2 diabetes for good measure. down the avant-garde likes of Lady Gaga.) Then there were the marriages. His first, in 1952, to Freda King was 77 when his CNN run ended; he claimed he saw it Miller, was quickly annulled. In 1961 he married Annette Kaye; coming. Social media was driving an increasing bunker-isation of they divorced within months, but she was already pregnant American discourse, and amid the bear-baiting of left and right, with a son, Larry, whom King would not meet until Kaye died King’s avuncular chinwagging seemed increasingly anachronistic more than three decades later. The same year, he married Alene — a point underlined when he was replaced by a turned-up-to-11 Akins, a Playboy bunny, and adopted her son, Andy. That ended Piers Morgan (when Morgan predictably flamed out three years two years later, and King almost immediately married his fourth later, King said in an interview with Howard Stern that it was akin wife, Mickey Sutphin, with whom he had a daughter, Kelly. After to when “your mother-in-law goes over the cliff in your new car”). divorcing Sutphin in 1967 he remarried Akins, with whom he had King pressed on — “Retire? To what?” he would ask — another daughter, Chaia. After their second divorce, in 1972, with a show called Larry King Now, as well as hitting the afterhe waited four whole years before marrying Sharon Lepore, a dinner-speech and stand-up comedy circuits, and becoming a teacher, whom he divorced in 1983. Six years later he married cult tweeter for his haiku-like musings (“I rarely use lip balm”; Julie Alexander, a businesswoman to whom he proposed on their “Kiev is a hell of a town”). His death from Covid complications first date. They divorced in 1992, and five years later he embarked in January wasn’t exactly a bombshell — he was 87, and had on his eighth and final union, with Shawn Southwick, a singer and more bypass than heart — but it still felt like an embodiment of actress 26 years his junior, with whom he had two sons, Chance the life force had been extinguished. Luckily, King was, for once, (to reflect his and Southwick’s happenstance meeting, outside well-prepared. The great death obsessive had long rehearsed his Tiffany in Beverley Hills) and Cannon (not, alas, a reference to own obituary, turning that trademark folksy schmooze back on King’s continuing sexagenarian potency but a nod to the street he himself: “Oldest man who ever lived passed away today. He was was conceived on, L.A.’s North Canon Drive). King proposed to shot in the head by an angry husband as he was sleeping with the Southwick in hospital while awaiting yet another heart operation; former Playmate of the Year. He was 136 years old. It took three he filed for the divorce in 2019, only three months after suffering days to wipe the smile off his face.”
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FOLLOW SUIT
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THE PALE KING
This issue’s guest pooch, a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, would like you to know that Honoré de Balzac always had it right: white hair doesn’t have to mean dotage.
HOUND
by pearl as told to nick scott
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contributed so much. We were introduced to Australia as early as 1843, to save herds on a farm in Hamilton, Victoria. Among the branches, boughs and twigs of that intricate Hogarth rendering, one would find relatives including breeds from Switzerland (the St. Bernard), Italy (the Maremma Sheepdog), Hungary (the Kuvasz), Turkey (the Akbash), Poland (the Polski Owczarek Podhalanski), and Canada (the Newfoundland). None of these distant relatives, though, pack quite the same wonderfully blanched pelt, one that preserves a semblance of youth in older specimens better than any facelift, mythical fountain or soulselling pact with Hades ever could for my human counterparts. *It’s peculiarly ironic, then, that past historical figures to have chosen a Pyrenean Mountain Dog as a companion (Queen Victoria being one of them) include Maximilien Robespierre.
SHUTTERSTOCK
he chain of peaks after which my kin and I are named is gradually losing its crisp-white appearance due to climate change depleting its glaciers. Conversely, my coarse, element-cheating coat — which, with its fine woolly undercoat, should serve as inspiration to the likes of Zegna and Loro Piana when creating their world-beating techno-fabrics — will remain forever white, even when the pigment cells in my follicles are long expired. “White hair often covers the head,” wrote French author and my compatriot Honoré de Balzac, “but the heart that holds it is ever young” — he should have replaced the word ‘but’ with an ‘and’, though. For white hair does not denote maturity, in those who have it for life, but rather cheats the ephemerality of youth. As with our fur, age shall not weary our metabolic rates, given our pleasantly languorous approach to life. It is thanks to our hypnotically Zen-like demeanours (from a human perspective, that is: having for centuries guarded the flocks of sheep that grazed on the Pyrenees, we scare the bejesus out of wolves and bears, even without our admittedly kinky spiked iron collars) that we have always enjoyed noble patronage* to the north of the craggy elevations that barricade France from Spain while linking the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay. Decreed the ‘Royal Dog of France’ by the court of Louis XIV, we would more likely be found guarding the lavish châteaux of pre-Revolution France as its peasant-occupied pastural zones, and bas-relief sculptures found around the medieval citadel of Carcassonne suggest we were probably favoured by the aristocracy several centuries before the Dauphin bestowed his honour in 1675. More recently, during the first world war, we were used to carry messages and contraband goods across borders, but these are mere nuggets from a goldmine of history boasted by a breed (called simply ‘Great Pyrenees’ in North America or le Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées in my native land) that is thought to have been bred into existence in pre-Bronze Age Central Asia or Siberia, and whose genealogical map, were it possible to set down accurately and comprehensively, would resemble a to-scale recreation of the Amazon rainforest, etched by William Hogarth. This first dispersion from our Asian origins was followed by another mass transit in 1662, when we were ferried to Newfoundland by Basque fishermen who chose us as companions (and, no doubt, guardians) of the new settlement life to which they were heading. In 1931, several more of us were taken to Massachusetts from Europe just before the continent was closed by the second world war, our breed having been decimated during the one before it to which we
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THE MODERN VOICE OF CLASSIC ELEGANCE
Read, shop, subscribe.
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POCKET GUIDE
The tan corduroy suit from Massimo Alba will feature in the new Bond film, No Time to Die (or No Time to Release, it seems). The green pullover from Drake’s contrasts beautifully, and the Charvet shirt shows that he knows exactly what he’s doing but isn’t the type to flaunt it.
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AIR MALE
Michael Hainey, a Deputy Editor of the digital weekly Air Mail, sees his sartorial spirit as the best of British, French and Italian style ‘combed through the American eye’. by tom chamberlin photography rose callahan
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1. “I am a sentimentalist,” Michael says, kicking things off on a romance-meetstheft note. This ashtray was taken from Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano while he was staying there to commemorate his proposal to his wife, Brooke.
5. This Cartier Tank with a tan alligator strap is the first watch he has ever owned. “I love the story behind the Tank, it has a real resonance,” he says. “I like things with stories. I just think it is the most elegant watch ever made.”
2. If there were a coat of arms for magazine editors, this would be the motto. It is a lapel pin from his Boy Scout days, but the motto remains relevant, for an early bit of advice he learned from Graydon Carter, ‘Success in journalism is about anticipation.’ And then there’s Graydon’s primary motto: ‘Don’t fuck it up.’
6. The Chukka boots from Alden work for Michael because they suit his semiformal dress code. He believes that buying cheap shoes is one of life’s false economies, quite right too. “It is part of that old maxim, ‘It starts with the shoes’ — if you feel good with how you are moving through the world literally, it will make every outfit better.”
3. A Christmas gift from Graydon on arrival at Air Mail, given to all the staff. Michael is not a smoker but always likes to have something in his hand while at his desk, so that is where it remains. “Kids have the fidget spinners, and this is the analogue version of that,” he says. “You can sit there, turn it round in your fingers, and ruminate.” 4. This wallet, by Hermès, represents another nod to Michael’s professional habits. He says: “It represents how I like to be, ‘strip it down’, whether in writing or design or life. You see these guys walking around with wallets as thick as a Reuben sandwich and you think, What is in there?”
7. This railroad spike, which sits on Michael’s desk as a paperweight, was taken from the railroad yard where his grandfather worked. Because of journo lingo like ‘pegs’ and ‘spiking’, “the metaphor works in a few ways”, he says.
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he rubric for Pocket Guide was written with guys like Michael Hainey in mind. Before becoming a Deputy Editor of Air Mail, he was the Deputy Editor of GQ, the Executive Editorial Director of Esquire, and the author of a must-read memoir, After Visiting Friends, that unearthed the truth behind his father’s mysterious and premature death. It was Graydon Carter, Air Mail’s Editor, who gave Michael his big break, at Spy magazine in 1989. Michael’s style typifies the ‘uniform’ — an ensemble of single-breasted suit, shirt and sweater, but he adds, “I like to think of my style as the best of British, French and Italian combed through the American eye”. When we had our chat over Zoom, he was wearing essentially the same outfit but in a different permutation of jacket, jumper, etc. He is a man supremely comfortable with his presentation and sartorial erudition. During conversation he keeps the pulse relaxed with his smoky saxophone voice, which serves him well on the weekly Air Mail podcast Morning Meeting with the Style Editor, Ashley Baker. While Michael is not much of a peacock, we nevertheless wanted to dig a little deeper into one of the printed word’s greatest minds to see if the elegance is skin deep… We imagine not… 59
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8. When Oscar Wilde said that we should take trivial things in life seriously, unassuming objects like this pencil fit into that category, and for good reason. “The poet Robert Graves had an old Roman coin on his desk when he wrote I, Claudius. He believed touching objects from that period helped him conjure moments you needed to see. This was a pencil my father used in his role as a newspaper editor in Chicago and I used it while writing my book.” 9. Perhaps the cheapest item but the one with the highest value: a newspaper cutting with an advert for a ‘Gal Friday’ to work at the Chicago Tribune, which Michael’s grandmother ripped from the paper and gave to his mother. She applied for the job, got it, and it was where she met Michael’s father. “As a storyteller I am fascinated by that,” he says. “I keep it as a reminder of how in life these little moments come along and nudge people on these paths that have profound implications.”
10. “A letter opener I keep on my desk, carved out of balsa wood. My father made it for his older brother, and my uncle gave it to me after my father died. I am a believer in talismans, that when you touch something that was touched by someone else, it can take you back and give you a touch of energy.” 11. He married Brooke at La Grenouille, and pilfered a matchbox on the day as a memento. Perhaps less light-fingered than the ashtray, but no less romantic and sentimental. The wedding ring was his grandmother’s, to whom he was very close. He had it resized so it would fit.
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ALAMY
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MYTHBUSTER
Fifty years after her theatrical debut (as a drama student at Yale), Sigourney Weaver remains a torchbearer for an enlightened Hollywood. by david smiedt
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n the biz, it is known as ‘ugging up’. It may not ring a bell, but you’ll know it when you see it. We are referring to that point in an actress’s career when she is justifiably tired of being judged as much for her ethereal looks as her talent. And so, in the services of character, she strips away all vestiges of glamour. Nicole Kidman did it in 2002’s The Hours, as Virginia Woolf, with a prosthetic nose that was as riveting as her Oscar-winning performance. Two years later, Charlize — do we really have to note her last name? — followed suit as the serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Monster). There was also Anne Hathaway’s dramatic weight loss and cropped ’do in 2012’s Les Misérables. Again, a gold statuette were among the accolades. But you have to go back to 1992 to reveal the original no-fucks-given bad-ass heroine. The movie was Alien 3, the actor Sigourney Weaver. Unlike the majority of women celebrated in this column, Susan Alexandra Weaver is still very much with us. What’s more, we defy you to name another living actress who has been such an integral part of so many successful franchises. We’re talking Avatar, Ghostbusters and Alien. And that’s not counting the movies and T.V. series — see Galaxy Quest and Futurama — in which she poked sly fun at the very genre in which she’d scored some of her greatest hits. Her determination and sense of individualism were at play early. At the age of 12 she decided to change her name to Sigourney, after Sigourney Howard in The Great Gatsby. Don’t know about you, but when we were 12, we were focused on trying to keep the bathroom door closed with one foot as dad pounded on it yelling, “How long are you going to be in there?” Weaver’s road to stardom did not involve being plucked from the catwalk and into high-visibility roles. For a start, she qualified to study English lit at Stanford, then applied to the Yale School of Drama. She got in but was viewed as a gangly interloper by professors who routinely shuffled her into roles as hookers, crones or hookery crones. “I’ve lost a lot of roles because of my height,” she has said. “I’m six feet, three inches in heels. Producers are short, and I was never their sexual fantasy. As for actors, if I enter a room and an actor stands up then immediately gets self-conscious and sits back down, I hear myself saying, ‘This job isn’t for me’. I once offered to paint my shoes on my bare feet to get one part because it made me appear shorter.” Her talent, however, began to shine through in abrasive yet humane stage performances in the early 1970s. No matter how you feel about him now, Woody Allen had an eye for talent back in the day, and Weaver was set to take on the role of Pam in his 1977 comedy, Annie Hall. Instead of piking out on previous stage commitments — clearly Weaver’s word matters to her —
she turned him down, though she did score a six-second bitpart in which her presence was undeniable. Two years later, when Ridley Scott’s film Alien demanded a gutsy new type of heroine not afraid to mix it up with a pissedoff extraterrestrial but who could also conjure pure terror, Weaver would have the first of her many moments. In 1989, for example, she scored two Oscar nominations: one as best actress in a leading role as Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist and the other as best supporting actress opposite Melanie Griffith as a shoulder-padded villain in Working Girl. It was in 1984, however, that she first imposed her volcanic presence on male psyches, in the role of Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters. Specifically, the scene in which the possessed nymphette endeavours to seduce Bill Murray. In that off-the-shoulder dress, artfully windblown, and with teased hair, she breathlessly asks, “Are you the Keymaster?” Against Murray’s deadpan magnificence, she reclines on a bed and asks, “Do you want this body?” To which he replies, “Is this a trick question?” Point is, she was way beyond eye candy here — more a dégustation for mind, soul and spirit. To further batter the food analogy into submission, this was a mere taster of what was to come in terms of her searing range. When you need the dimension for nuanced tomes such as The Ice Storm and A Map of the World through to 2020’s My Salinger Year, Weaver is on speed dial for producers who feel the film public is beginning to exhibit Streep fatigue. Ironically, this is the reverse of the dynamic they shared when they were classmates at Yale. It’s worth remembering, however, that she is approaching her 45th year in front of the camera, and for all the new wokeness she is no doubt qualified to make the following statement: “In Hollywood, if you are a man and speak your mind openly, you’re considered a man in full. But if you are a woman and do the same, you’re nothing but an annoying bitch.” Yet as the credits have rolled and the years have ticked by, she has also noted, “There isn’t that thing that used to drive me crazy whenever I read the part: those scenes where the woman stops being effective and has a little breakdown to show you she’s still a female entity. Now they just get on with it.” Getting on with it seems to be just what Weaver is doing right now. Avatars two through five are in various stages of production, a new Ghostbusters item is in post-production, and the feature Call Jane is set to take an unflinching look at the historical politics of abortion in the United States. Like we said, Weaver is not one to step back from a fight, whether against aliens or the archaic institution of leading-lady beauty. And either way, we know who our money is on. 63
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DAVINIA PELEGRI
INVESTMENT HANKER; THE BEAUTIFUL NAME; BLANK CANVAS; LINEN ON A PRAYER.
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Investments can be unpredictable, but not so with these four winners, which we have handpicked to provide you with sound and secure appreciation — aesthetically, spiritually and financially. by nick scott
‘Summertime Move’ from Loro Piana’s Volare collection Techno-textiles, techtextiles, technical fabrics — call them what you want, but fabrics based on scientific ingenuity are very much a thing (in the sense of that word that’s now a thing). They’ve actually been around for decades (in the form of Neoprene and Gore-Tex, for starters), but with the luxury players wading into the mix, they’re becoming exponentially more inventive, more innovative and more luxurious. Now they range from the eco-minded (see garments made from discarded wetsuits and recovered ocean plastic) to the ingeniously zany (see Techsuede — a Japanese fabric knitted from microfibres and then shrunk so as to be dense, waterproof but breathable — and raincoats by Norwegian Rain, which effectively have membrane-thin irrigation systems built into them). But there’s a separate and more sober realm of technical fabrics in which textiles are found that visually resemble the ones we’ve all been fond of for years but that have unprecedented performance credentials built in. (Z Zegna’s Techmerino Wash & Go, which allows owners of suits made from high-performance Merino wool fabric to put them in the wash without any compromise to comfort, performance, drape or fit, is a prime example.) Like Zegna, Loro Piana are masters of this second category,
and their latest foray into the genre, Volare — a collection of natural wool, cashmere, silk and linen fibres interlaced with technical ones to deliver exceptional breathability, stretch, comfort and tactility — will only enhance the Piedmont-based brand’s already glittering reputation in this field. The collection comprises three different cloths, including ‘Mooving’, ‘Twister’, and the one you see before you, ‘Summertime Move’, which merges the hygroscopic quality and softness of wool with the sheen of silk and the freshness and durability of linen. Expect it to look impeccable straight out of the suitcase, too. So seriously does Pier Luigi Loro Piana take fabric, the label, which joined LVMH at the end of 2013, invested around $1.6m in natural reserves in Peru and Argentina to protect vicuña from extinction and support sustainable wool production. Other pioneering fabric achievements on its C.V. include the Gift of Kings wool (which, at 12 microns, is finer than cashmere and as light as vicuña) and summer jackets made from rare, ultra-fine fibres woven from lotus flowers. The Volare collection is the latest chapter, then, in an impressive narrative. For us, it is an investment in the comfortable approach to sharp dressing that’s asserting its place in the zeitgeist.
www.loropiana.com
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Audley House marquetry box and humidor by Purdey In April 1941, Audley House in Mayfair, the home since 1883 of Purdey & Sons, was seriously damaged in a Blitz raid. It had suspended its production of sporting guns to fulfil war contracts, and its Long Room was being used by General Dwight Eisenhower’s staff to plan battles, so it was a fortuitous hit by the Luftwaffe. What testimony it is to the diligent attention Purdey’s craftspeople pay to finer subtleties that the damage done during the attack, 80 years ago, is accurately depicted in this 37cm x 29.5cm x 16cm humidor: a recreation of a building, once dubbed a “palace amongst gun manufactories” by Land and Water magazine, that remains home to a British brand focusing on country sports and the lifestyle surrounding them. The skill in question on display here is called architectural marquetry (essentially parquetry but employing non-linear pieces), with burr walnut, European walnut, sycamore, madrone, pear, ash, snakewood and mother of pearl among the materials laid atop solid American black walnut in a unit made up of more than 500 pieces. Open it up — to an angle of 95 degrees, as dictated by its precisely engineered hinges — and owners will be reminded (visually and olfactorily) that their
Cohibas, Partagás and Montecristos are encased in a lining of Spanish cedar wood, a timber actually native to Central and South America whose fragrance complements that of tobacco, and which is resin-free and insect resistant. As with a decent wine fridge, there’s far more than decorative majesty to a humidor, of course, as validated by a tasty titbit of baseball trivia. In 2002, to counter the effects of Denver’s low humidity (the city’s altitude is 5,280 feet above sea level), the Colorado Rockies began storing their balls in a walk-in humidor between games. Their match stats, notably the number of home runs, immediately began to align with those of the rest of the league. If that’s the effect of humidity levels on cork and rubber, imagine its impact on dried and fermented tobacco leaves. Here, the humidifier and gauge have been made by the Kansas-based cigar paraphernalia maker Xikar, ensuring that your collection is kept in optimum conditions (around the 70 per cent mark). For serious smokers, cigars are an investment, and so an object — in this instance, surely, objet — that ensures their longevity is an imperative. Significant emotional returns here are in safe, optimal-conditions storage.
www.purdey.com
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Bang & Olufsen Beosound Level portable speaker It packs everything we’ve come to expect of a speaker from a Danish brand that has bolstered its claim to the epithet ‘visionary’ with every product release since its debut, the Eliminator radio, in 1925. Its 105 watts of sound, delivered via two four-inch woofers, one two-inch full-range driver and two 0.8-inch tweeters, combines sit-bolt-upright clarity, warmth and tonality. Its jaw-dropping design, reminiscent as always of haute Scandinavian furniture, is in this instance characterised by a slim, pearl-blasted aluminium frame with built-in recessed handle, integrated controls, and your choice of either natural oak or knitted fabric speaker cover. On the technical wizardry front, its IP54 dust and splash water-resistant rating means you can put it in your beach bag whatever the forecast, while next-generation ‘active room compensation’ means that it tweaks its own acoustic tuning from 180 degrees to 360 degrees depending on where it’s placed, to maintain the listening experience. It’s also compatible with Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. But the real game-changing aspect of a wireless home speaker from the brand that effectively introduced sound-as-furniture to the world (along with ‘quick-touch’ radios, tangential turntable tone arms and, arguably, the iPod’s user interface) is its employment
of modular technology — a vastly more exciting proposition than that term sounds, which takes Bang & Olufsen’s longstanding reputation for durable products onto an even higher plane. Modular technology essentially means that service partners and even owners can easily remove and replace essential components as and when they need updating — not just prosaic stuff, like batteries, but signal processing and wireless connectivity tech, too. Along with Bang & Olufsen’s long-term replaceable software module, which will fire all of the brand’s future speakers, it makes that unintentional input into the iPod, the holy grail of the cult of throwaway-ism, seem rather ironic… In fact, modular tech raises some serious philosophical questions, both ancient and modern. In Life of Theseus, the Roman writer Plutarch — bear with us here — describes how the Athenians maintained their king’s ship by replacing the planks every time one rotted, meaning that, eventually, none of the original existed. Was it still Theseus’s ship? At what point did its identity change? Of course, in the modern era — one blighted by mass consumption and environmental degradation — Beosound Level raises an entirely different philosophical question: namely, “Rejuvenation, longevity and a strike against the planet-trashing banality of built-in obsolescence — where do we sign?”
www.bang-olufsen.com
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New & Lingwood pink large-check tweed double-breasted deconstructed jacket One is a legendary Jermyn Street boutique that opened in 1865 the fly-me-to-the-moon-and-back-wide peak lapels admirably to clothe the scholars of Eton College and is today a one-stop complement the boldness of the pattern (Edward Sexton is a shop for those who like British gentlemanly apparel to come prime figure among the style innovators who have shown what a with a flourish. The other is a non-worsted fabric often found sublime combination vast lapels and bold patterns can be). in earthy, bucolic hues and invented in 18th century Scotland The phrase ‘deconstructed’ can mean different things to help local farmers and later aristocratic Victorian huntsmen to different people: here, the internal structuring is limited endure the country’s bleak winters*. to a butterfly lining, or one that sits only around the upper The two histories may be disparate, but they’re not wanting back and around the armhole — meaning that this piece fits for compatibility, as evidenced by this deconstructed, double- into New & Lingwood’s long history, abundantly evident in breasted jacket cut from brown and pink large-check tweed illustrations dating back to 1933 and found in the brand’s from the establishment whose two boutiques frame the Jermyn archives, of dressing well-heeled gents for Henley, a day at Street entrance to Piccadilly Arcade. the races, or other smart summer occasions. A trip to New & Lingwood has always been the perfect antidote Being equally suited to early evening saunters through the when a man feels that the current go-to section of his wardrobe Hamptons, Capri or Monte Carlo, this is an investment in a much is looking a little monochrome (a normally conservative dresser brighter and hopefully imminent future, when we will once more discovering the brand’s corduroys and loafers, in particular, calls purchase jackets sans shoulder pads while harbouring notions of to mind the invention of Technicolor). This is a piece that will slipping our passports into their inside pockets. inject some much-needed chromaticity into the lives of those of *The word ‘tweed’ is a derivation of ‘twill’, and one folksy nugget of folklore has it that the etymological leap came thanks to a merchant us who have endured northern hemisphere lockdowns. The button spacing is derived from a certain well-known misreading an order, thinking it related to a business named after thoroughfare a five-minute walk the other side of Piccadilly, while the River Tweed. www.newandlingwood.com
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
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Lorenzo: Three-piece beige wool suit; light blue classic shirt; brown silk tie with blue and white rectangles; khaki floral pocket-square. Oriol: White peak-lapel sports jacket; white cotton sport trousers; brown pinstriped classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; beige knitted diamonds tie; turquoise pocket-square.
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24/3/21 9:38 AM
Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
LORENZO CIFONELLI x LORO PIANA x THE RAKE DEBUT CAPSULE COLLECTION
A Cifonelli jacket for under €1,000? You’re not seeing things: with this new collaboration, the legendary Lorenzo Cifonelli has applied his bespoke signature to a spring-summer collection that oozes Riviera style and groundbreaking value. all garments available to order on TheRake.com by wei koh photography davinia pelegri special thanks to the Prince de Galles Hotel, Paris
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hy has Lorenzo Cifonelli, the creator of some of the of classic elegance, let’s work together on a project to bring all the most mythical and coveted tailoring in the world, values and style we love to young people. I’ll create the style and whose family invented the famous Cifonelli shoulder — craft. You explain our vision. We immediately looked at how we which Karl Lagerfeld said he could recognise at a hundred metres could radically reduce our cost structure without affecting quality. — decided to partner with The Rake to bring a new accessibility The first thing we agreed was that we would make a smaller profit to his signature style? Why is it that Cifonelli has harnessed all on this project by minimising all our margins. I know you, Wei, of his technical acumen — the secret of a Cifonelli coat is that have been talking for some time about ethical capitalism, meaning it is leaner and more fitted than any other jacket yet remains businesses in which everyone wins, especially the customer.” extraordinarily light and offers unrestricted range of movement Cifonelli knew the project would not be possible without — with the intention of creating garments of extraordinary value? a great cloth mill to support it. When thinking about whom to Why has he teamed up with the revered luxury cloth mill Loro Piana, approach, he decided to start at the top. “For me, Loro Piana and, for the first time in his were the dream, of course,” he label’s history, decided to offer says. “And what a statement “This style is something you a Cifonelli-designed jacket it would make to have this grow older with, which is at under €1,000 (eight times project use the best quality not the same for streetwear cheaper than a bespoke jacket but also the most expensive and one third of the price of his or ‘fast fashion’.” cloth in the world.” Loro Piano own ready-to-wear brand)? immediately understood his Lorenzo says: “I recognised today that tailoring is in a idea. Cifonelli says: “I explained that we are in a kind of war for fight for its survival. In order to survive, in order to ensure the the hearts and minds of the next generation, and that I knew that if future of our craft and our culture, we must engage the new we were able to provide them with the first taste of true elegance, generation of customers.” they would become devoted to this style for the rest of their lives, Cifonelli believes that because of the cost structure of because it is something you grow older with — which is not the traditional bespoke and ready-to-wear, the notion of a millennial same for streetwear or ‘fast fashion’. I explained that Gen Z cares or Gen Z-er acquiring a tailored garment is as far-fetched as their about ethics, and that to show them that garments can last for ever owning an apartment in central London or Paris. “When you’re in is something I know they will love. your twenties and something costs so much that you feel you can “To my amazement Loro Piana said, ‘Lorenzo, we love this never afford it, of course you say to yourself, This is not for me,” project, we believe in you, we believe in The Rake — we are Cifonelli says. “But at the same time, when I analysed my following going to supply our cloth at an incredible value so that you can on social media and read the direct messages that had been sent to hit your price target’.” me, I realised one thing: many of the messages were sent by young Cifonelli adds: “Yes, it is true there has never been a Cifonelli people in their twenties. And they always said the same thing: ‘I jacket that has cost under €1,000 — it is the lowest price we’ve can only dream of owning a Cifonelli suit one day.’ I thought to ever offered a garment at. But I also knew that it could not be a myself, It is great they are so engaged by Cifonelli but it is bad that compromised version of our signature style and quality. To me, they feel it is so out of reach and something they can only dream of. our project would only be meaningful if a young person put it on So I made it my mission to make their dream a reality today.” and thought, Wow, this jacket is so much lighter than I thought it At the same time, the notion that value propositions get less would be — the shape is amazing but I feel so comfortable. appealing as you age — or that older people respond less to them “In order to achieve this, my cousin Massimo, who I consider — is a nonsense, especially in a time of financial insecurity and to be a technical genius, and I had to travel to the factory in Italy conscientious purchasing. So by no means is this a collection amid the pandemic and slowly explain the entire construction limited to the young. In fact, the elan with which someone such technique we use in a bespoke Cifonelli jacket. The difference as Lorenzo wears the clothing is plain to see. is that a bespoke jacket is something fully handmade — it is Cifonelli has been so affected by the issue, it has kept him up at haute couture. A normal ready-to-wear jacket is still primarily night during the pandemic. He says: “Finally, I called you, Wei, and handmade, just to an existing block. This project is a mix I explained my idea. I said that as your magazine is the champion between hand- and machine-made but strictly following all of 71
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
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This page: Navy sports jacket; navy blue horizontal pinstripes classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; cobalt blue linen jogging trousers; blue and orange floral pocket-square; rose-gold Chopard L.U.C XPS featuring a silver dial from The L.U.C collection, Chopard. Opposite page: Light blue sport jacket; light blue sport trousers; white sport shirt with one-piece collar; light blue knitted cotton waistcoat; turquoise and white club silk tie; blue and purple floral pocket-square; beige suede loafers. Navy double-breasted ‘6x1’ jacket; navy classic trousers; light blue pinstripes classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; white silk tie with blue polka dots; light blue paisley pocket-square; blue denim loafers.
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
White peak lapel sport jacket; white cotton sport trousers; brown pinstriped classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; beige knitted diamond tie; turquoise pocket-square; beige suede loafers.
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our construction principles. To me, there is zero compromise unrestricted mobility. The single-breasted coats include a great in the make and the fit of these clothes.” hopsack blazer and a transcendent white wool-linen-silk peakDevotees of tailoring will find the scene amusing: if you can lapel masterpiece that is perfect for Capri or Saint-Tropez. imagine Michael Jordan in his prime turning up to a semi-pro The inspiration for the collection comes from precisely basketball team to play with them for a season — this was the these locales along the Amalfi Coast and French Riviera, which equivalent of the legendary Cifonelli cousins running around the Cifonelli has frequented in summer and has been dreaming Italian garment factory. After many months of work, the tailoring of returning to. “I wanted to create the perfect collection of techniques were up to Cifonelli’s exceedingly high standards. clothing that can mix and match and be worn to create the Lorenzo laughs and says: “It was not easy. At some point I perfect tropical chic style for when I can travel again,” he says. thought the tailors and garment makers at our factory might “Each look is based on my own personal taste. While everyone want to kill us.” But in the end the people working on this project associates me with tailored formality, I love to mix sportswear also derived great satisfaction in my looks. I also love safari from it. Cifonelli reveals: jackets and safari shirts, “I wanted a collection that “The head of the production is why I created these could mix and match to create which came up to Massimo and me for the collection. Every item when we finally approved the perfect tropical chic style — from the knitwear to the the prototype and said, for when I can travel again.” tailored denim shorts with a ‘Gentlemen, thank you — we special pocket for a mobile have learned so much and we understand now why you are two phone — is based on clothing I own and have made for myself. of the most famous tailors in the world’.” “The washed denim and suede loafers that complete this vision When asked if he sees this project cannibalising his of summer elan are based on my own shoes. I’ve even designed bespoke or ready-to-wear businesses, Cifonelli said: “Quite every scarf and pocket-square in the collection. The colours I’ve the opposite. I see this as the first taste of our tailoring, and as used are white, for its purity; blue, for the sky and sea; beige, for the someone matures they can go into our ready-to-wear and finally sand and earth; and the occasional injection of red, for emotion. It become a bespoke customer. But this project allows us to give is a colour palette that expresses hope, warmth and love.” younger clients and any value-conscious client the opportunity I started to fully comprehend the transformative power of to experience Cifonelli and what it means right now.” tailoring the day I first set eyes on a Cifonelli suit. It was as I’ve For this introductory collection, Cifonelli decided to go one recounted before — in a lift at the Plaza Athénée, when in stepped step further and offer total looks. This meant that he had to reach the best-dressed man I had ever witnessed, resplendent in doveout to his favourite shirtmakers, tie makers, shoemakers and grey Cifonelli. I couldn’t help but remark, “That is the most stylish suppliers for knitwear and casual items, and convince them to suit I’ve ever seen”. I paused for a moment before adding, “I meet the project’s pricing strategy. He says: “I am really grateful apologise, as there is a belief that men should not be noticed for their for the fact that when I explained what I wanted to do, they replied, clothes”. The man laughed and said, “That is a belief perpetuated ‘We love this, this is revolutionary and we want to be a part of it’.” by men with mediocre tailors. Young man, go to Cifonelli.” Among the star pieces in the collection are Cifonelli’s iconic That opened my pathway to meeting the man I consider to navy 6x1 double-breasted suit, which I’ve described in the past be one of the most brilliant tailors and designers ever to walk the as being so alluringly sexy that in some ways it is tailoring’s male- Earth, Lorenzo Cifonelli. Now, 15 years after our first meeting, fertility symbol. He is also offering the legendary Cifonelli three- I find myself in the company of a visionary who wants to inject piece suit, an iconic garment he invented and that has inspired new ethics and a new level of accessibility into tailored clothing, many others. It features Lorenzo’s famous double-breasted and who has convinced me, Loro Piana and many more to join waistcoat — one of the most recognisable sartorial signatures him in supporting this incredible value-conscious initiative around. “These suits all feature our famous Cifonelli shoulder, in order to reach the next generation. In the words of the which angles so that there is more cloth over the shoulder blade Mandalorian, “This is the way”. So it is with incredible pleasure and creates a slimmer chest,” he says. The sleevehead evinces that I announce our maiden collection of Lorenzo Cifonelli x the famous Cifonelli ‘cigarette’, a hand-formed dome that aids Loro Piana x The Rake. 75
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
This page: White peak lapel sport jacket; white cotton sport trousers; brown pinstripe classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; beige knitted diamond tie; turquoise pocket-square. Opposite page: Pink single-breasted sport Teba jacket; white cotton sport trousers; raspberry pinstripe classic shirt; pink silk tie with white floppy disks; beige and pink floral pocket-square; rose-gold Chopard L.U.C XPS featuring a silver dial from The L.U.C collection, Chopard.
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
This page: Cobalt blue linen jogging trousers; white western sport shirt; 41mm Alpine Eagle in Lucent Steel, Chopard. Opposite page: Blue denim safari sport shirt; blue and red Indian scarf.
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24/3/21 9:44 AM
Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
UNSTITCHED
This page: Navy sport shirt with Indian collar; beige cotton sport trousers. Opposite page: Navy double-breasted ‘6x1’ jacket; navy classic trousers; light blue pinstripe classic shirt with white collar and cuffs; white silk tie with blue polka dots; light blue paisley pocket-square.
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This page: Beige safari sport Teba jacket; beige cotton sport trousers; blue denim safari sport shirt; blue and red Indian scarf; rose-gold Chopard L.U.C XPS featuring a silver dial from The L.U.C collection, Chopard. Opposite page: Light blue sport jacket and trousers; white sport shirt with one-piece collar; light blue knitted cotton waistcoat; turquoise and white club silk tie; blue and purple floral pocket-square; Historiques American 1921, Vacheron Constantin.
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24/3/21 9:45 AM
Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
This page: White knitted cotton cardigan; white cotton polo; navy denim short; 41mm Alpine Eagle in Lucent Steel, Chopard. Opposite page: White sport shirt with one-piece collar; light blue sport trousers; turquoise paisley scarf.
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: VALENTINE LACOUR GROOMING: MICHELLE RAINER
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Alexander Hascher, the founder of Sacco.
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
NON-STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
Sacco jackets are crafted in Naples, designed to combat tropical heat, and available now in Europe via the rake. In fact, these effortless, ultra-light blazers might be the most relevant garment around this spring. by wei koh
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lexander Hascher’s mission has taken him on an epic sports coat. In reality, it has taken the concept of lightness to transcontinental journey and resulted in the creation of the farthest extreme imaginable, resulting in the only coat that one of the most innovative garments in men’s classic style: is genuinely comfortable in the 35-degree heat and 60 per cent the lightest jacket the world has ever known. “My family is German humidity that is the daily reality in Singapore.” but I grew up in Singapore,” the founder of Sacco tells The Rake. Yet the appeal of the Sacco jacket goes beyond its capacity “From an early age I loved tailoring, and in particular jackets. I to combat the heat: it also appeals to the frequent traveller adored the style of men like Porfirio Rubirosa and Gianni Agnelli, who needs a jacket that can be folded into a document bag yet who looked so immaculate in their Caraceni jackets, even at the will magically spring back to impeccable form with a simple height of summer in the south of France. As a teenager I would shake. And it appeals to those of us still enamoured of tailoring go out in the evening with a blazer or sports coat, which was not but who, as a result of the casualisation of the past year, compatible with the tropical seek to wear our garments milieu of my home city. But for with a softer, more relaxed “I thought there must be a me a jacket is about manners Christian way to make a lighter jacket, nonchalance. — respecting myself but also Barker, The Rake’s founding which breathed and dispensed Editor, who is also based in respecting others. “I always had certain with the superfluous lining.” Singapore, says: “The Sacco items in my jacket pockets… a jacket is to my mind one of sterling silver cigarette case and my grandfather’s Dupont lighter, the most relevant tailored garments on the market, because to offer a beautiful woman a restorative smoke.” Hascher laughs I’m able to keep it on even when outdoors in Singapore. and adds: “At the end of the night I would be soaked through, but “At the same time the entire world has shifted towards superI was so determined to remain elegant that I always kept my jacket soft, ultra-light garments because of the comfort, adaptability on. I started thinking to myself there must be a way to make a lighter and style they provide, and in this regard, Sacco, being by a large jacket. Something that breathed, dispensed with all the superfluous margin the lightest jacket I’ve ever worn, is perfectly positioned lining, and just kept the outer shell of the coat. The idea of the Sacco for today’s audience. The softness of the jackets makes them jacket was inspired by my desire to reconcile classic style with the supremely adaptable, and they look great dressed up and even need for comfort in the warmest, most extreme climate.” better dressed down with a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.” To say a Sacco jacket is light is a profound understatement. Hascher adds: “That’s the magic of wearing a jacket in the Through the magic of Hascher’s experimentation, the jacket looks summer. You’ve just elevated your style game that much further. crafted with superb shape and substance. But lift it with your finger You can be in jeans, a T-shirt and espadrilles, but throw on one of and you almost think it is weightless. “The hardest thing to achieve our jackets, even with the sleeves rolled up, and you look perfect was something that looked stylish and had the perfect fit yet at the for the most elegant restaurant or bar. I have a client who keeps same time felt like wearing nothing more than a shirt,” he says. a Sacco jacket in the glovebox of his vintage convertible Porsche. Of course, Hascher was not the first to pursue lightness He explained that when he’s driving along the Amalfi coast, he in construction. After all, there have been numerous sartorial never knows where he might want to stop for a Negroni or a meal, disciplines, most famously Neapolitan tailoring, that have and with my jacket he knows he’s always prepared. Also, because focused on removing lining, padding, horsehair and canvas of the construction and the choice of high-twist material, you can to create jackets “as light as the winds over Vesuvius”. Says actually fold it to the size of an A4 document or roll it up and it will Hascher: “I tried many of the most iconic tailors from Naples, spring back to life looking perfect and without a single crease.” and I agree, the jackets are light. They are perfect for the climate The pathway to creating Sacco jackets has not been without of that beautiful city. But they are still not anywhere near light its challenges. Hascher explains: “Finding a factory that would be enough for the tropics. A Sacco jacket is another thing altogether. able to make what I wanted in terms of quality and construction While worn it has the aesthetic codes of a handsomely styled was a journey. I wanted it to be made in Italy, but after going to 87
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
The jackets, all 100 per cent made in Italy, are constructed from Vitale Barberis Canonico hopsack. Details include corozo buttons.
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
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‘Zero Gravity’ jacket with azure blue piping, unlined and unstructured.
visit innumerable workshops I kept being redirected to Naples. is that not all cloths are suited to my construction. I have even People kept saying, ‘Speak to the Neapolitans. They are the only left the sleeves of the jacket intentionally unlined so you get ones with the know-how to make something so light.’ I must have an incredible lightness even in the arms. You can turn up the toured every jacket maker in the region when I finally arrived at sleeves of the jacket without showing unsightly lining.” the last one. Amazingly, I noticed sitting on a rack ready to be As with other brands The Rake has chosen to feature this shipped an array of jackets labelled ‘Rubinacci for The Rake’. season, Sacco is well priced. Hascher says: “I wanted Sacco I knew I had lucked into someplace special. It wasn’t easy to to be a tremendous value proposition. My jackets at €395 are convince them, but I am a essentially the same as shirts very persistent person, and from other brands, because I “There is a nice uplifting after several months we finally wanted people to not hesitate effect when you put on achieved a construction I to buy one and experience the a vividly coloured jacket. thought was perfect.” Sacco magic. I think as soon Hascher takes one of his It puts you in a great mood.” as you wear it and realise how jackets, turns it inside out, stylish you can look while and gestures to it. “The Sacco jacket is all about controlling the remaining so incredibly comfortable, even in the hottest cloth, which is shaped with pressure and heat,” he says. “That weather, there’s no turning back. is because there is not a single piece of canvas, padding or “I’ve made the jacket in 12 different colours of the Barberis wadding anywhere. But there is one other secret to the jacket. high-twist hopsack cloth because I want men to have fun This is the choice of cloth. I use exclusively Vitale Barberis buying them and trying different colours. Maybe they wouldn’t Canonico hopsack, which is a high-twist four-ply wool. This is normally buy a pink, red, burgundy or aqua-blue jacket, but an expensive cloth, but the idea of a totally deconstructed jacket at my price they can afford to have some fun. There is a nice wouldn’t work without it. This cloth takes shape incredibly well, uplifting effect when you put on a vividly coloured jacket. It puts it has a natural elasticity, and it drapes beautifully. At the same you in a great mood. It was also very important to me that Sacco time it is highly breathable, so it is the best of both worlds. jackets be within reach of a younger audience that is passionate “We are at the moment experimenting with flannel for a about style but has a budget. Finally, after the year we all had, I autumn/winter jacket that feels like a cardigan, but the point think everyone has become sensitive to value.” 89
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
CL:The Rake Pte Ltd JS210068_21-001 200# AC3
A FINE LINEAGE
Italian weavers Solbiati have produced a new linen with such a world-beating yarn count that your shirting this season will feel and drape like silk. by aleks cvetkovic
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he seasoned dressers reading this will doubtless know that The best raw material is European, cultivated in northern the best linen cloth is weaved in one of two places: Ireland France, Belgium and the Netherlands, where weather or northern Italy. Irish linen is often densely woven, chalky conditions give flax the best chance of producing extra-fine in the hand and surprisingly heavy for a warm-weather material, quality fibre, which of course makes for the most luxuriant though very satisfying to wear in the spring. Italian linen, on the suiting and shirting fabrics. other hand, is softer, lighter and smoother to the touch. And Now, Solbiati have channelled the best of European linen’s prince among all makers of Italian linen is Solbiati. killer properties into a new, world-beating cloth. Named Dating to 1874, Solbiati were founded in the town of Busto ‘Prodige’, this is the first linen of its kind, woven from yarn Arsizio by Michele Solbiati, with an extraordinary count who established the mill as of 110,000Nm. In layman’s Linen is a miracle fibre, an expert weaver of velvets, terms, this means that one even compared with wool. moleskins and fustians. The kilogram of spooled yarn It’s breathable, absorbent firm passed jointly through unwinds to a total length of the hands of his three sons, on and antibacterial. circa 110km (roughly the to a third-generation owner, distance of a return trip and then a fourth: Vittorio Solbiati, who had the tricky task of through the Channel Tunnel), which is then woven by Solbiati guiding Solbiati through an economic low in the 1960s, a time into the finest linen shirting fabric ever produced. For context, when many Italian cotton mills were going bust. the linen textile industry classes an ‘extremely fine yarn’ as The wily Vittorio knew something had to give. He pivoted anything with a yarn count of more than 54,000Nm. to weaving luxury linen for fashion brands, promoting the A yarn count of 110,000Nm, therefore, is unheard of, as benefits of natural fibres over the faddish rayons and synthetics is using a linen yarn of this quality across both a fabric’s weft that were then flooding the market. It was a gamble that paid and warp. Once woven into Prodige, only circa 150 metres of off: today, the house specialises in luxury linen and cotton, and cloth will be available annually thanks to the rarity of raw fibre is known for everything from making the best seersucker to available to weave linen at such a high yarn count. tropical worsteds in wool, silk and linen. Such is its fineness, Prodige weighs a mere 120 grams per linear Vittorio certainly knew his stuff. Linen is something of metre (that’s around 4.5 ounces in old money), which is perfect for a miracle fibre — even, dare I say, compared with wool. It’s shirts that feel and drape like silk but breathe like nothing else in breathable, absorbent, hypoallergenic and antibacterial. It has warm temperatures. Despite its featherweight composition, the the highest tensile strength of any natural fibre (in fact, it ranks cloth is highly compact and durable, and is even finished with a immediately after high-carbon steel in terms of strength), and its special aloe vera treatment, which ensures it is butter-soft to wear high cellulose content makes it resistant to shrinking, too. Linen next to the skin. It’s a remarkable achievement in weaving terms also ranks highly in the sustainability stakes, thanks to the flax and reconfirms Solbiati’s reputation as a one-of-a-kind weaver. plant’s natural hardiness, from which linen fibre is harvested. The cloth will be available before the summer, but you’ll have Flax grows happily in water-poor soils and so requires little by to get in quickly to lay your hands on it. We can think of few things way of irrigation or fertilisers. It’s also resistant to parasites and more indulgent to enjoy this season, so prime your tailor for a doesn’t need protecting with any nasty pesticides. treat and prepare to swathe yourself in a shirt like no other.
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KURT ISWARIENKO
BOB’S YOUR UNCLE; AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM; COLOMBIA’S FINEST.
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NOBODY DOES IT BETTER The era of Saul Goodman is coming to an end, but Bob Odenkirk — the man who brought Albuquerque’s funniest, dodgiest lawyer to life — is just getting started, writes tom chamberlin. photography kurt iswarienko styling alison edmond fashion direction grace gilfeather
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kept Bob Odenkirk waiting for our interview. That isn’t to turf at Southern Illinois University). He graduated in 1984 say I was late — more that he was early, disarmingly so. My and sought work and experience at various clubs in Chicago. father raised his sons to believe that being on time is late It was when he met Robert Smigel, at the Players Workshop, and five minutes early is on time, so I logged on accordingly. a school of improvisation, that the boy would become a man, There was Bob, a fellow punctual traveller, ready to jump into professionally speaking, for it would get Odenkirk onto the questions about his career in film, television, writers’ rooms, and writing staff of Saturday Night Live when he was 25. stand-up. As fathers, we couldn’t resist discussing our children An American institution and a killer entry on anyone’s C.V., and the joys of parenting. While we were always going to touch Saturday Night Live represents the zenith of sketch comedy, on his current project, Nobody, he seemed excited to mention a a genre that would define Odenkirk’s career for the next 20 side hustle, the publication of a series of children’s poems, in years. “Saturday Night Live was brutal,” he says. “It was really the spirit of Revolting Rhymes, that he wrote when his children hard on me. I was young and there is a lot of rejection, and it were young, with illustrations is this machine that never by his daughter. “Han, I think stops — you’re hit by another “Saturday Night Live was we’re going to have to go over,” brutal, it was really hard on hole to fill, constantly.” The he said, generously, to the in a writers’ room is me. I was young and there is tsuris publicist on the call. often parodied by writers, a lot of rejection — it is this We did nevertheless tack and was perhaps most back to conventional interview machine that never stops.” graphically dramatised in waters, and I was eager to — Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, not because of the time limit but because in terms of rounded an Aaron Sorkin West Winging of SNL but set in Los Angeles. showbiz accomplishments, few are able to hold a torch to The speed and efficiency with which sketches are cut — and Odenkirk. In the time it took me to research his career, I needed the elation a writer feels on getting a joke on air — gives you a lie down once I managed to wrap my head around the web he a sense of the emotional journey involved in a real-life show has spun between genres and skill sets. We are about to see like that, and is confirmed here by Bob. He had four years at the release of his first lead role in a feature film — Nobody — in SNL, which included some on-air moments, though it was which literally no punches are pulled, and I reckon it will prove largely spent behind the scenes, writing for comedians such to be the answer to a question that a lot of us didn’t know we as Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and David Spade. He has since were asking (more on this later). admitted to an immaturity that held back his relationships with Bob grew up in Illinois, in a Chicagoan suburb called colleagues (as opposed to his ability to deliver good writing), Naperville — John Hughes’s America — and for which Odenkirk even telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that he “was a dick” didn’t think he was a poster boy. “I felt like I didn’t belong there,” to Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator and executive producer. he says. “I never felt like a Chicagoan till the last 15 years, when The post-SNL period wasn’t a fall from dizzying heights; in I realised, Oh, I definitely am.” By that, he was referring to the fact, he maintained his holding pattern, toying with notoriety but ‘chip on the shoulder’ that many second-city natives carry, used not quite coming in to land (if fame and fortune is regarded as “to critique the world around you, that you use as a motivator to the destination). He found himself scooped up for sketch and comment on life. I think it is really good for generating comedy.” talk shows, writing for Conan O’Brien and acting in The Larry Comedy was where Bob cast his early career shadow, on Sanders Show and The Ben Stiller Show. The latter came off the stage as a stand-up comedian and as a writer. The gene was back of a friendship with the show’s eponym at SNL, where they clearly in the family — his brother, Bill, wrote episodes of shared an office. It would end up winning an Emmy thanks to a The Simpsons until 2019. Bob cut his teeth on his college radio sketch written and starred in by Bob, called ‘Manson Lassie’. It stations (Marquette, in neighbouring Wisconsin, and on home was during his time at The Ben Stiller Show that he would start his 96
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Section opener: Ivory tuxedo jacket, black evening trousers, white evening shirt and black silk bow-tie, Brunello Cucinelli; knotted cufflinks, David Yurman. Contents and feature opener: Check robe and cream-striped pyjama pants, Gucci; camel furry slippers, Jimmy Choo; tiger stone signet ring, David Yurman; reading glasses, Jacques Marie Mage. Watch and wedding ring, property of Bob Odenkirk. This and previous page: Navy and white striped top and seersucker pale blue/white striped white pants, Brunello Cucinelli; sunglasses, Jacques Marie Mage. Watch and wedding ring, property of Bob Odenkirk.
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Printed scarf, brown polo, graphic brown print jacket and cream trousers, Ralph Lauren Purple Label; tiger stone signet ring, David Yurman; dark brown loafers, George Cleverley. Watch and wedding ring, property of Bob Odenkirk.
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Clockwise from top left: Odenkirk on stage at SNL with the executive producer Lorne Michaels; with David Cross at an awards show in 1997; waiting to begin filming with Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad; our first sight of him as the protagonist in Nobody; and in a scene from Better Call Saul.
working relationship with David Cross. He and Cross formed a be a lawyer’. If you look like the things you are lampooning, it is duo, creating Mr. Show with Bob and David. It was a sketch series less funny right off the bat. There is something about the journey that pulled from comedy that had inspired Odenkirk when he into acting that feels right to me as you get older.” was growing up — sketches would transition into each other as if Speaking of lawyers, Bob would enjoy international connected, in the same manner of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the recognition when he took on the role of Saul Goodman, a stripBritish comedy show that he cites as his greatest influence. Mr. mall attorney to the Albuquerque dissolute, in one of the mustShow with Bob and David also played on edgier anti-establishment, watch box sets, Breaking Bad, in 2009. It is a role that, despite alternative comedy, paving the show’s drawing to a close the way for programmes such Political incorrectness aside, in 2014, he is still playing as The Mighty Boosh. today, as we await the final Saul Goodman brought a HBO broadcast four season of Breaking Bad’s only sense of levity to a show that spin-off, Better Call Saul. Saul seasons of the show, with Netflix reviving it under the became increasingly Stygian. Goodman, as we discover in name w/Bob and David. While Breaking Bad, is a pseudonym the original show would have kept Odenkirk busy, he began to find — say ‘it’s all good, man’ at speed — and Jimmy McGill is the gainful employment as an actor in major sitcoms like Everybody character’s real name; he uses Goodman to sound Jewish. In Loves Raymond, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development and his first meeting with Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, Goodman Seinfeld. The inference was that his creative palate was shifting tells him, “The Jew thing I just do for the homeboys, they all and maturing — still in comedy, but with a desire for character. want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to speak” — which He says: “Sketch comedy, in particular, is about ideas, and gives you a snapshot as to the type of character he is. young people love ideas, they are just so excited about fresh Political incorrectness aside, the character brought a sense concepts. Then older people, and I mean around the age of 28 and of levity to a show that became increasingly Stygian. Supposedly, above, you just stop being fascinated by ideas and you dig deep into after that first scene, a crew member piped up and asked for a job characters and maybe even plots that resonate with you. You have in the spin-off. At the time Odenkirk saw it as a joke, and never less brain space for fresh ideas, which sketch comedy is. I think anticipated becoming more than a supporting act. “Not at all, no, John Cleese said something about older people doing sketch, and no — I mean no, no,” he says. “And even when we went to Better that ‘no one wants to see you dress like a lawyer because you could Call Saul, of course, if you have any experience in Hollywood, you 101
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think, I’ll be lucky to get through a season of this without getting meaningful way. I am sure it is going to be a mess. I will be O.K., cancelled.” In a behind-the-scenes interview, Aaron Paul, who but it will probably be a lot harder on me than I want it to be.” played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, reflected on the cast’s The epoch of Saul Goodman and Breaking Bad is concluding, inter-scene behaviour: Paul joked that he and Cranston, who but the same cannot be said for Odenkirk, who appears to be would goof around with each other, were “just lucky to have a job”, going from strength to strength, in more ways than one. At the and that it was Odenkirk who was the professional on set. Bob’s Super Bowl in February this year, which was watched by just response is perhaps more modest than truthful, but he explains shy of 100m people around the world, the trailer for Nobody was that, “I have to bring more focus and energy because, yes, I have broadcast. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, this Cornetto trilogy done it for years and I feel like I do have a grasp better than I used meets Taken meets John Wick action film is timed to perfection. A to, but I don’t think I can do it unless I buckle down. Around very svelte Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, an unknown numberAaron, Brian, Anna [Gunn] and Dean [Norris], I felt not like an cruncher in an unknown city (they shot it in Winnipeg but Bob interloper but that I was a guest sees it as Milwaukee, St. Louis, there and needed to acclimate Cleveland, or “any city that has “I have come to like to their world. Maybe a little gotten beaten up by the last the character, and I less comfortable because I 30 years”). It has a ‘forgotten certainly didn’t like him was trying to do justice to the America’ feel; it is always as Saul Goodman — amazing thing they’d created overcast, always routine, never and that I was so lucky to be I thought he was a shit.” remarkable. For the character invited to be a part of.” it is bliss, for he is able to leave The shooting of Better Call Saul’s final season was delayed behind a life of doing wetwork for “the three-letter agencies”, as because of Covid, but is due to restart soon. The producers of the his character puts it, and raise a family in a drizzly cul-de-sac. show have confirmed it will bring Goodman’s journey to a close, so Having not given away anything that isn’t in the trailer, I will I wondered what the wind-down period might look like. “I used stop there, except to say that the film will make you feel genuine, to hear Bryan Cranston and James Gandolfini in interviews, and unadulterated glee. It is a tension-release for the masses. It could they’d talk about the characters and how heavy they were, and be demarcated as an allegory for middle-aged ennui, but in all I’d think, Come on, you’re just acting, but I totally relate now,” honesty it’s the siren call for anyone who has felt cooped up and Odenkirk says. “You’re playing that guy for months out of your year has been longing to feel the thrill of entertainment in cinemas every day, you’re feeling their feelings and you’re thinking about and the hermetic habits of the past 12 months. One can find a their story and what they want, experiencing their disappointment contemporary thematic relevance in most things, but I suspect this and their yearning, you’re immersing yourself in it for months, and wants to take people away from the political and social upheavals it definitely — it will be a decompression moment. of the twenties thus far. Escapism is something that should be “The thing that springs up in my heart is some weird and done in moderation, and as this film is only 90 minutes long, probably misguided hope that the character lands in some place I’d say it is as productive an escape as a pint with one’s friends that I would consider good or healthy. Of course, that is probably (notwithstanding the brutal tempo mainlined from the get-go). insane, because we are talking about a T.V. drama here. But that Odenkirk had to go through a two-year transformation to get degree to which I have come to like the character, and I certainly into shape for the role, a role in which he does all his own fight scenes, didn’t like him as Saul Goodman — I thought he was a shit. My which, believe me, are fierce. It is a movie less in the tradition of first comment to Peter [Gould, Better Call Saul’s co-creator] and slicker Jackie Chan productions or similar ‘grey-pound’ franchises Vince [Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad] when they suggested such as Taken, and more in the scrappiness of Ong-Bak and Oldboy. a series of his own was that they would have to make him A reminder, dear reader, that Odenkirk is 58 years old, which should likeable. I wish I could end with the character having grown in a make all of us feel inspired, or at least respectfully inadequate. 103
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“I think people feel very scrutinised in this world, a feeling of us having to watch ourselves. We are all aware of social media, and if you say the wrong thing you get ganged up on, and maybe rightfully so sometimes, but if there was a place to go and just not worry about the scrutiny of everyone around you — this character gets to do that in this movie, and it’s a release for people.”
Blue and grey striped terrycloth robe, Cleverly Laundry at Mr Porter; printed polo top and matching swim shorts, Orlebar Brown at Mr Porter; timepiece, David Yurman. Vintage sunglasses and wedding ring, property of Bob Odenkirk.
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Should this be a surprise role to those who see him as a pandemic and also from a world that is trying to become a better comic actor? “In all the interviews I have done, I really try to place, and we are always trying to be better people, but there are disassemble and reject any degree of audaciousness to the not many places except for in books and movies where we can choice,” he says. “I explicitly told Derek Kolstad, who wrote the just put the pedal to the metal and let that come out of us. movie, that I am not looking for a self-aware comic version of an “The only hope is that that is what Nobody does, and it action hero.” Audacious it may not be, but nevertheless comedy doesn’t engender violence but release it. I also think people feel has provided protection for his character approaches in the past. very scrutinised in this world, a feeling of us having to watch He says: “I feel secure in comedy, as you aren’t owning your ourselves. We are all aware of social media, and if you say the feelings, you’re mocking them. So you don’t have to say ‘Here’s wrong thing you get ganged up on, and maybe rightfully so my heart’ to the audience, or, in the case of Nobody, ‘Here is my sometimes, but if there was a place to go and just not worry rage’.” Nevertheless, he confesses it’s not a genre he is historically about the scrutiny of everyone around you — this character gets grounded in: “I don’t know that to do that in this movie, and many action movies. I know the it’s a release for people.” “I feel secure in comedy, Bourne movies and early Jackie The film is set for as you aren’t owning your Chan films, but I really wanted widespread release, though feelings. You don’t have to do a couple of things in this the current climate is making to say ‘Here’s my heart’ movie: I wanted to do my own it difficult for films to be boxfighting, not get hurt, not get to the audience.” office hits. So perhaps it is any safety blanket of irony or not wise, looking forwards, to humour, and push the violence to a place that was a lot more than determine the film’s success by its takings. Whatever happens, you’d expect, to a place that maybe was uncomfortable, both to it is fair to say that if Odenkirk’s performance is not audacious, challenge the audience and, to some respect, myself.” I’d love to see what is. “I am willing to risk because I have The resulting action hero feels fresh and relevant. Allowing bounced back from risk a fair number of times,” he says. “So I for brutality as well as heroic braggadocio, was this a new hero or know that whether the industry wants me or not tomorrow, I will something we have seen before? A bit of both, it seems: “If I may be there knocking on its door, and if I knock long enough and be so bold, I probably drew from Clint Eastwood, but I really hard enough, they open that door every once in a while.” aimed to make him as human as I could make him, so he looked Whatever comes after Nobody, Bob Odenkirk, at 58, has hurt when he got hurt and needy in his eyes and [with] glee, too, as made himself unpredictable and, with his Bogart features, a he is getting off on [the violence].” The characterisation manages leading man of the new era of Hollywood, a post-Weinstein, to fly in the face of what is referred to as toxic masculinity — it’s post-Trump consensus in which positive older male influences not a protein-shake-swilling extravaganza. Though one person are needed to fix the mistrust. My guess is that Odenkirk who looks a lot like Donald Trump Jr., and just as obnoxious, is is ready to play his part, and looks ahead with a refreshing actually introduced mixing a protein shake. optimism, more than many have allowed themselves to have. While not a direct commentary on current affairs, there is a “I am feeling that a better world is nearby,” he says. “It is a connection to it, a well-timed scratch to a long-endured itch. little further away than we want it to be, and maybe feels out of Odenkirk says: “You know how your car has a speedometer that reach, but isn’t. All these things that have become such intense goes up to 200, and you would never go there, there is no place international challenges, the pandemic, misinformation, I do you could do it, you wouldn’t feel safe doing it, but you can’t believe we will get past these things and we will make our way help but look at your speedometer and think, Really? I wonder to a better place, and I believe it will be soon. It is important what that’s like… Only in movies can you go that fast. I think we to be realistic to plan for challenges but it is unrealistic to not have a lot of frustration in us from the last year because of the plan for things to get better.” 106
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Ivory tuxedo jacket, black evening trousers, white evening shirt and black silk bow-tie, Brunello Cucinelli; knotted cufflinks, David Yurman.
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“I am feeling that a better world is nearby. It is a little further away than we want it to be, and maybe feels out of reach, but isn’t.”
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Mark Vanderloo, shot for The Rake in 2019.
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FOREVER YOUNG? If the wheels of time cannot be slowed (much less stopped), how do we come to terms with the ageing process? the rake consulted medical professionals and the shrewdest members of our social circle to build our best cheat code. But here’s a clue: it pays to grow old mindfully as well as gracefully, writes nick scott.
“No one loathed the idea of getting old more than Dorian, so he wanted to experience everything, constantly reflecting on questions of morality and sin. His biggest wish was that his portrait would age instead of himself.”
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he stories humans tell each other reflect our fears as profoundly as our hopes, so it is no surprise that Oscar Wilde’s 1890 Gothic work — his only novel — is but one literary treatise among countless whose core theme is the tormenting brevity of being young. Myths akin to the ‘Fountain of Youth’ idea have sprung up, independently, in different cultures the world over since the birth of storytelling. From Gilgamesh’s fruitless quest for immortality to Peter Pan and Benjamin Button via Faust’s used-car-lot-esque deal with Mephistopheles, fiction tells us that resistance to the onset of age is omnipresent in human history. Ageing clearly remains an existential albatross around our necks. The global anti-ageing market was estimated to be worth about $58.5bn last year — and at least those serums, ointments and unguents make underwear-loosening romantic gifts, unlike the macabre clinical instruments relating to the storage of the deceased in sub-zero temperatures in the hope of reanimation in years, decades or centuries to come (an industry that is estimated to be worth $17.1bn by 2025). So how, here in 2021, are rational, au courant people embracing the inevitable? Is resistance futile? Shouldn’t one instead clasp time’s arrow with both hands and enjoy the ride, rather than taking it in the underbelly? 111
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Clockwise from top left: David Gandy at London Fashion Week in 2019; Lee Mullins trains at a Workshop gym; Workshop at the Bulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge; and Gandy walks to his Jaguar XK120.
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While David Gandy, at the age of 41, can scarcely be called ever not eat something someone puts in front of me; I enjoy life middle-aged in these times of elongated longevity (life expectancy and enjoy a drink. People always have that stereotypical view, has tripled in the past 250 years), the model and entrepreneur is ‘You’re a model, you don’t eat’ — well, I’m 14-and-a-half stone, sanguine about the effects of ageing. “I suppose I do notice that and if I don’t eat I basically shrink. I have to consume between more and more people have moved on from saying, ‘Wow, what 3,000 and 4,000 calories a day just to maintain the size I am.” a great picture’ to comments on social media along the lines of, In essence, Gandy’s advice to 40-plus convertees to health ‘You’re still handsome’, or, ‘You age really well’,” he tells The Rake, and fitness is to relish the process of getting into shape: “I always laughing. “I’ve never really taken to worrying — and this sounds say to people, ‘You should enjoy training; if you’re not, adapt it’. weird as a model — about my appearance, though. What you see It’s hard to convince yourself to go to the gym if you’re not enjoying is what you get. And I think I’ve done pretty much everything I can it and not seeing results.” It’s certainly worked for him: “I’m in in terms of training and eating well and not smoking to preserve better shape now than I was in 2006, when I shot the Dolce & skin and hair and everything else. The only thing that hasn’t been Gabbana campaign, probably because I understand more about ideal is, I’m a terrible sleeper and I’ve been travelling the world fitness and nutrition and so on. I certainly don’t feel 41!” working and have basically Gandy’s Dutch modelling been jet-lagged for 20 years. peer Mark Vanderloo, who Increasing activity after 40 Sleep is one of the most has more than a decade on his is better for well-being and essential elements for wellEnglish counterpart, believes longevity than being a gym being, but there’s not much I that numerical evaluation can do about that one.” bunny during your youth. of your age runs contrary to Many readers of The Rake, ageing with vigour. “I think especially those over 40, will face the same conundrum with that it’s important to not stick a number to your age too much — time zones and fuselage conditions for the foreseeable, once whether you are 30-40 or 50,” he says. “If you live a good and normality returns, but the good news is research has found healthy lifestyle — meaning not overeating and pursuing boxing, that, even among those inactive in early adulthood, increasing yoga or whatever is the one for you — and give yourself proper activity after 40 is better for well-being and longevity than downtime, too, you’ll feel you can go on for ever.” being a gym bunny during your youth before letting indolence This feel-good factor, Vanderloo says, is crucial: “I believe reign at the first sign of a mid-thirties Homer Simpson paunch. you have to find a rewarding core feature in your life — whether Those motivated by such research can take heed of, and solace that’s work, a hobby or something else that makes you happy. That from, Gandy’s extensive experience of staying trim. is the secret of staying young, energised and wanting to live on. “When it comes to training, at 25, even 30, you very much You need to challenge yourself and not become a Netflix potato.” think you’re invincible,” he says. “I’ve been training five days a Wise and harmonious insights, then, from two male models week at the gym longer than I’ve been modelling. And in the end new to quadragenarianism and quinquagenarianism respectively, you realise that you have to adapt it to your [changing] body. but what about someone in the early stages of their seventh Whereas before if I had a shoot coming up I could pretty much decade? The U.S. fashion consultant Nick Wooster has invested do three weeks of intensive training and more cardio and almost tens of thousands of dollars in home fitness paraphernalia, and transform my body into fitness shape, now that takes a lot longer. yet his advice to those who have not involved themselves in wellAnd you’ve got to make sure you warm up and warm down and being quite so deeply appears to have more in common with stretch and look at stuff like Pilates and yoga at this age, while at Rocky Balboa’s rocks-and-tree-chopping approach than Ivan 25 you don’t worry about any of that whatsoever.” Drago’s Soviet-bankrolled iron-pumping regime. “The key is, What of the crushing dietary compromise that makes so many you have to keep moving,” says 60-year-old Wooster. “If that of us balk at the phrase ‘healthy lifestyle’? “Watching what I eat means walking, do that; if that means incorporating something a has never taken over my life,” says Gandy, who rose to prominence little more aggressive, then do that, because your body definitely with ads for Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue fragrance. “I won’t responds and it needs to keep getting challenged and stimulated.” 113
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Like Gandy and Vanderloo, Wooster has decades of experience of by regularly using saunas, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and this stuff (“I’ve been working on my fitness on and off for 33 years, getting regular body work in the form of deep-tissue massages I guess, religiously”), and has learned to adapt his regime. “I’ve or treatments like fascial stretch therapy. I think the biggest learned that the window of opportunity keeps shrinking the older we testament from these clients is that this investment enables get, so I’ve been on a pretty diligent path for the last five years and I them to perform as many workouts a week as a 25-year-old.” recognise that I don’t have the luxury as I did in my thirties or forties to take it or leave it. The training I’ve done in the past five years is ‘Bench-press an elephant’ probably the most rigorous I’ve done in my whole life.” With four practitioners of fitness and well-being all singing On the dietary front, Wooster is an adherent to the from the same hymn sheet, what do the medical professionals supplement approach at mealtimes — “vitamins, fish oil, say? Dr. Iqbal Malik, a medical director of OneWelbeck bergamot, niacin, probiotics, fibre” — but also follows the Heart Health in Marylebone, warns against going straight common-sense adage that you are what you eat. “I think it’s from indolence to the kind of regimes our interviewees so very obvious that what you put in is what you’re going to get far have been practising for years. “It’s never a bad time to out,” he says. “I find that when I eat cleanly — protein, lots start getting fitter, but if you try to bench-press an elephant of vegetables, minimal carbs from the outset, you’re going and sugar — I always feel to break your arms,” he says. “I’m not hugely into better, and consequently look “You’ve got to work it up meditation, but I believe in better. Nutritionists always gradually. You’re not going things like gratitude lists use the word ‘conscious’ to go from couch potato to about what we put in our and taking time to reflect.” Olympic squash player. Make mouths, and that’s the first sure you can walk, then jog, step towards better health. You don’t have to do everything 100 then run, then you might be able to do the more intense sports. per cent — flipping the percentages will yield great benefits.” Otherwise, being shown up by the local club squash champion Wooster is also a great believer in the correlation between is not a good look. Build up gradually, and rather than doing mental and physical health. He says: “I’m not hugely into enormous amounts of activity once a week, do activities two meditation, but I do believe in things like gratitude lists and taking or three times a week to keep the engine tuned, then try some a moment to pause and reflect, even in the midst of crises, to find extreme, eyeball-busting levels of exercise when you’ve been a grain of something to be grateful for. Those acts help to clear the exercising regularly for a year.” channel and make things easier rather than fighting [problems]. Dr. Natasha Beach, of OneWelbeck’s Orthopaedics, says that There are plenty of things to be upset by and have anxiety about, strength training at least once a week will help prevent the rubberbut there are always opportunities to take a moment, to breathe.” band-snap her colleague Malik refers to, adding that those of us Key to Wooster’s philosophy is this: embrace time — including of a certain vintage (those, let’s say, who can remember when the its effects — with stoicism. “The thing about age that’s just so crazy word ‘gym’ meant the stuffy-smelling room with wall-bars at the is that it comes on you like a freight train,” he says. “I used to always back of the school) should bear in mind key myths on the subject be the young one. All of a sudden I turned around and became the of late-onset fitness instincts. She says: “‘I’m too old to take up a older one. It’s like, When did that happen? It’s like trying to stop a new sport’ is untrue, as are ‘I have arthritis so I shouldn’t run’ and wave, so you have to go about it realising there are some things you ‘Doing sport will make me more likely to get arthritis’. We actually can control and work on, and let go the ones you can’t.” prescribe exercise for patients to help reduce pain and stiffness, From the fitness professional’s side, we turn to Lee Mullins, increase muscle strength, and improve joint mobility.” the founder of Workshop, which you can find in Bulgari hotels Like Malik, Beach recommends taking it slowly (“big jumps all over the world. Mullins approaches fitness differently from in the amount of activity you’re doing is a common reason for the ‘do you even lift, bro?’ banalities of your local gym. He says: developing an injury”), splashing out for the right gear (“running “Clients of ours in their forties to fifties are now more than shoes with a gait analysis, a racket with the right grip”), and, ever investing in their recovery from workouts, whether that’s above all, physiological self-awareness. “Listen to your body,” 115
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Clockwise from top left: Mario Pederzolli, the Managing Director of Lanserhof at the Arts Club; various treatments, including a cryo chamber and an Icaros machine at Lanserhof; Jill Kennington; and Kennington in her modelling days, 1967.
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she says. “If you think you have an injury, ease off for a few days our youth are heightened — our first love, our first car, our first and see how it feels. If it persists, get it checked out.” job… This is known as the ‘reminiscence bump’. What about As Managing Director of Lanserhof at the Arts Club, and with creating our second reminiscence bump? Leaving the job we more than 25 years’ experience in leadership roles at prestigious don’t like, travelling more, breaking free of relationships that no private members’ clubs, Mario Pederzolli knows a thing or two longer work. Remember, it’s never too late for change.” about the options available to new wellness warriors. And while insisting that acceptance of ageing should be the foundation of ‘Age cannot wither her’ one’s approach — “The ageing process is like the tide and taxes,” Pederzolli won’t be getting any argument from the eldest he says — modern know-how means that the habit of seeking of those The Rake consulted for this treatise: 78-year-old expert consultations only when our health lets us down should model and photographer Jill Kennington, who appeared in be consigned to history. “The pandemic has certainly focused all Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film, Blow-Up. She is someone our minds on taking responsibility for our well-being — we’ve who, in her own words, “was still charging around at 48 and seen a significant shift towards proactive health screenings and still charging around at 70”, although poor health last year has preventative health,” he says. “Preventative medicine is becoming (temporarily, we’re sure) slowed her down for now. increasingly personalised — Kennington — who, in her accurate diagnostics are key in capacity as a photographer, Life-enriching experiences creating effective and targeted once collaborated on a book have given Kennington the bespoke programmes.” with the actress Harriet kind of youthful vitality that Walter inspired by a line from Personalised, bloodtest-based vitamin and cannot be found in a bottle. Shakespeare’s Antony and mineral supplementation, Cleopatra, “Age cannot wither biomechanical analysis, rehabilitation, injury prevention and sport her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” — is a great believer and exercise science should all be in the mix, he says, adding that, that life experience, and the empathy and existential appreciation conversely, these should be supplemented with simple day-to-day that come with it, are the nearest thing that exists to an elixir of measures that anyone can introduce to their lives in a heartbeat. youth. “I’m not somebody who wants to change nature’s course,” “Posture is a common complaint as we age — osteoporosis- she tells The Rake. “Look at other animals and how endearing they related stooping or leaning forwards is often due to weakening become as they become old — we’re the same.” muscles and a fear of instability,” he says. “To combat this, try to Life-enriching experiences, Kennington says — in her case avoid sitting down too much — it truly is the new smoking! Also, the likes of photoshoots in locations (including the North Pole) how we eat is just as important as what we eat. Each bite should only a fraction of humanity will ever visit — have given her the be savoured and chewed for at least 30 seconds. You should also kind of youthful vitality that could never be found in a bottle. leave at least four hours between meals to aid digestion, and avoid Then there’s the stuff closer to home: “I never really had a fitness drinking anything while you are eating. It’s also a great idea to regime, but I’ve always been a complete nature lover, and that incorporate fasting into your weekly routine to encourage cell takes me out on two big walks a day with my dogs, if I’m not on renewal and help your gut microbiome to thrive, and ensure you’re a job,” she says. “If anything is going wrong in life, a walk and incorporating as many anti-inflammatory foods — berries, green some time sat on a log looking at the moss and hearing birdsong tea, extra virgin olive oil — into your diet as possible.” just levels you out. That’s always been my health regime. If you Unsurprisingly, Pederzolli’s is another voice in the chorus that go out in the morning and there’s dew on the ground, and you advocates good mental health as a prop for solid physical health: put your hands in it, put the dew on your face, breathe in, look “Stress can be a lifestyle choice. Our awareness of ourselves in at the trees — it’s gorgeous. It’s meditation and mindfulness, our current life situation is the first step to building resilience — years before those things were so popular in the west.” knowing who we are and, in particular, not comparing ourselves Given the clear synergy between health and happiness, the to others. Embracing and accepting the ageing process will also exchanging of one’s soul for youth — so common a theme in promote inner happiness. As we enter middle age, memories of literature — is clearly a self-defeating approach. 117
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Alejandro Santo Domingo, the current de facto head of the family, at his wedding to Charlotte Wellesley, the daughter of the Duke of Wellington, in 2016.
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BREW GOD When he died 10 years ago, Julio Mario Santo Domingo was worth more than $8bn. He was Colombia’s dashing merchant prince, writes stuart husband, the head of a family whose financial and social eminence has flowed on a river of amber nectar…
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The family’s businesses in Colombia range from brewing to aviation.
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n the final weeks of 2011, obituarists abruptly found Vanderbilts. And it continues today, with Santo Domingo’s themselves caught up in a pre-Christmas rush: two son Alejandro heading up a dynasty that now boasts a net billionaires had died within two days of each other. worth of $11bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires There was no shortage of archive material on the first: Index, and mustering the high-society chops to match, Steve Jobs, the roll-necked, dad-jeaned Apple guru who from the requisite Vanity Fair profiles (‘Fortune’s Children’, had led his company to world domination and whose worth, where Alejandro was featured alongside various Agnelli and according to Forbes, was $8.3bn. The second subject couldn’t Arnault scions) to marital alliances with European royalty and have provided a starker contrast: Julio Mario Santo Domingo nobility, ensuring blanket coverage in the pages of ¡Hola! and was fiercely private where Jobs was public, and exquisitely Tatler alike. According to Alejandro, “We’re just building on tailored where Jobs was doggedly casual. He was an urbane the solid foundation my father gave us”. industrialist who spoke six languages and wrote poetry and In fact, it was Alejandro’s grandfather, Don Mario Santo short stories on the side. Domingo, who started Yet the prime source of his fermenting the family Santo Domingo was fiercely fortune, making him the first fortune. He hailed from private and exquisitely Colombian to break into the Barranquilla, a vibrant port tailored, an urbane ranks of the ultra-high-net city known as Colombia’s worthies, was beer. So much industrialist and poet. ‘Golden Gate’ for its avidity so, in fact, that Forbes ranked in embracing every imported him $100m ahead of Jobs at the time of his death. innovation, from telephones to football; the city also hosts That’s not the full story, of course. Santo Domingo’s Colombia’s largest and most famous Carnival, included on ownership of Colombia’s national beer company, Bavaria, Unesco’s list of the richest Intangible Cultural Heritage enabled him to diversify over the decades into car assembly, events. Not that Don Mario had time for such fripperies: he petrochemicals, steel, banking, insurance and telecoms. was apparently an austere businessman of the old school, He owned Avianca, Colombia’s flag-carrier and the world’s first into the office to study the ledgers of Santo Domingo & second-oldest airline, and Caracol Radio, one of the country’s Co., the export-import concern he founded in 1911, and the main networks. In 1997 he bailed out El Espectador, the country’s last to leave. His wife, Beatriz Pumarejo, also seems to have second newspaper, when it was facing financial ruin. At their embraced the world of free enterprise, setting up a street peak, sales from his Santo Domingo group were equivalent to stall at the end of their garden in Barranquilla’s leafy El Prado 5.2 per cent of the country’s GDP and comprised 6.8 per cent district to sell mangoes from her fruit trees. of its manufacturing output. “There are few countries in the It was something a little less nutritious, however, that world in which an individual came to have so many tentacles,” buoyed Santo Domingo & Co.’s success through the 1920s: wrote Semana, a Colombian news magazine, at the time of their possession of the lucrative Wrigley’s chewing gum his death. Santo Domingo, the merchant prince of his native concession, another craze that spread like wildfire through republic, put it more simply: “I grew with Colombia.” Barranquilla and beyond. Don Mario’s canny stewardship That growth eventually went supranational, from Santo reached its apogee before the Great Depression, when he sold Domingo’s fealty to Savile Row — lunch guests recalled his his business concerns, banked the cash, and, in 1933, bought displeasure if anyone had the temerity to show up without a tie Barranquilla’s beer company, Cervecería Águila, after its — to his homes in Paris, Barú (a Colombian island), Bogotá, owners went bankrupt. and an apartment at the famous 740 Park Avenue in New Julio Mario, born in 1924, was cut from a different cloth York, the erstwhile haunt of Rockefellers, Guggenheims and to his father. Educated in Bogotá and Europe, and later at the 121
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Princess Soraya of Iran watches dancing from the centre table at New York’s Palladium Ballroom. Julio Mario Santo Domingo is at her right-hand side.
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University of Virginia, he cultivated the image of an urbane tentacular spread through Colombian society and the daily playboy, dating a string of countesses and responding with an lives of its citizens, from the water they drank, through the enigmatic grin if they remarked on his resemblance to Tyrone news stories they read, to the cars they drove and the beer Power. In 1948 he returned to Colombia to devote himself to that, well, helped to take the edge off things. That all this was business, though his literary bent also landed him on the fringes seemingly achieved without the taint of drugs money, and the of the Barranquilla Group, a cadre of young cultural lions who fact that Santo Domingo continued to invest in Colombia met to discuss art, literature and politics, or simply to mamar through the guerrilla, paramilitary and narcotic skirmishes gallo (literally, ‘suck the cock’; figuratively, ‘kid around’) of the 1980s and 1990s, was nothing short of miraculous, at a bar-restaurant called La Cueva. Their most illustrious as was his ability to float serenely above the country’s knotty members were the painter Alejandro Obregón and the future politics, a short stint as its first ambassador to China in the Nobel laureate and author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, late 1970s notwithstanding. According to journalists at Gabriel García Márquez, El Espectador, he was a kind of who came from the nearby anti-Murdoch, never seeking Julio Mario liked to play town of Aracataca. “We to interfere in or trying up the silky-sybaritic were marked and disliked to influence the paper’s reputation he began to in certain quarters because editorial policy. “He saw it as of our independence, our acquire in certain circles. a beacon of democracy and irresistible vocations, and a free thinking,” said a member creative determination that elbowed its way forwards,” wrote of its editorial board, Héctor Abad Faciolince. García Márquez, who remained a lifelong friend of Santo In 1997, Santo Domingo amalgamated his industrial, Domingo, in his autobiography, Living to Tell the Tale. Santo services and media operations under the name of Valores Domingo, resolutely private, though known for his quick wit Bavaria, with an estimated $1.7bn in assets. With Colombia’s — he kept a well-thumbed stack of Private Eye magazines in his internecine wars finally beginning to subside, he was able Park Avenue apartment — was uncharacteristically effusive to court those foreign investors who were starting to take an about the La Cueva days, calling them “crazy years, perhaps interest in the country; in 2005 he sold the Bavaria brewing the craziest and most unforgettable of my life”. He liked to group to SABMiller for a reputed $7.8bn, plus 15 per cent of play up the silky-sybaritic reputation he began to acquire the shares in the expanded South African company and two in certain circles, doing nothing to rein in the circulation of seats on the board. The previous year he had sold Avianca to an anecdote that had him coming face to face with a hissing Brazil’s Synergy Group. Now in his seventies, and living largely python while on a trip to the Amazon. Santo Domingo hissed in New York — though he could occasionally be glimpsed in right back, the story went, and the snake promptly expired. his ringside seat at Bogotá’s Santamaría Bullring — Santo The Colombian brewing industry performed a similar Domingo turned to legacy projects, setting up a foundation, rollover in the face of Santo Domingo’s implacability throughout named after Don Mario, to provide credit lines for small the 1960s, as he used Águila to buy shares in, and eventually businesses and low-cost housing projects in Colombia, and take control of, the much larger Bavaria, transforming his establishing a scholarship programme for disadvantaged holding into a controlling 75 per cent stake, often through students run by the private Universidad de los Andes in equity issues to which he was the sole subscriber. Bavaria Bogotá, to which he donated 24 billion pesos (about $13m) became Colombia’s beer monopoly and a multinational, with in 2007. One of the final acts of this lifelong arts enthusiast operations in Ecuador, Peru and Panama; it was then used as was to endow the largest public library in South America, as a holding company to enable Santo Domingo to expand his part of a world-class arts complex in the Colombian capital 123
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Clockwise from top left: Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr.; his son Julio Mario Santo Domingo III with Rebecca da Costa at a gala in New York in 2013; and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr.’s daughter, Tatiana, with her husband, Andrea Casiraghi (right), alongside Prince Albert II of Monaco and Caroline, Princess of Hanover in Monaco in 2014.
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that is named after him: the Centro Cultural Julio Mario various charities, including fellow Colombian Shakira’s Santo Domingo also includes two theatres. América Latina en Acción Solidaria, a foundation aimed at Santo Domingo was married twice. His first brief, reducing poverty across the region, and Aid for AIDS, which tempestuous union, to the socialite Edyala Braga Brandão do campaigns for access to medication, education and training Monte, the daughter of the Brazilian ambassador to Paris, for H.I.V. sufferers in developing countries. “It’s important produced a son, Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr. His second for businesses to be active in and supportive of their marriage, to the Colombian socialite Beatriz Davila Rocha, communities,” he says of his extracurricular commitments. produced two further sons, Alejandro and Andres. While it In 2016 he married Lady Charlotte Wellesley, the daughter might have been expected that the eldest son would take the of the 9th Duke of Wellington and a descendant of Queen reins of the company, Julio Mario Jr. pursued a more arcane Victoria, in what Tatler was happy to describe as “the route, amassing an extensive collection of material relating undisputed wedding of the year”, with attendees including to hallucinogens and altered the Duchess of Cornwall, states, from first editions The Santo Domingos’ journey Eva Herzigová and James of Baudelaire, Rimbaud the quavery crooner is spiced with as much magical Blunt, and Verlaine to a cache of of You’re Beautiful, himself antique Chinese opium realism as anything you’ll find married to the bride’s paraphernalia, including in the work of García Márquez. cousin. Arguably, however, jade and rhinoceros horn the Santo Domingo name pipes, scrapers, and pill boxes. He oversaw the publication had been propelled into the high-society stratosphere three of a biography of the legendary Atlantic Records founder years earlier, when Alejandro’s cousin Tatiana married Ahmet Ertegun, who happened to be his godfather; Andrea Casiraghi, the nephew of Monaco’s Prince Albert he spent some time on the Rolling Stones’s legendary 1976 and grandson of Grace Kelly. Tatiana, whose ethical fashion world tour, which would have amply furnished him with any company Muzungu Sisters doesn’t preclude her from being Class A drug knowledge he might otherwise have been lacking; a front-row mainstay for the likes of Chanel, Dior and and when he was in the hospital with the cancer that would kill Valentino, inherited a sixth of her grandfather’s wealth, him in 2009, aged 51, he received visits from Lenny Kravitz giving her a personal net worth of $2bn, and making her one and flowers from Yoko Ono. of the richest citizens of Monaco — no mean feat in a cityWhile Julio Mario Jr. was preoccupied with inner space, state of more than 12,000 millionaires. Alejandro had occupied a desk at Bavaria from the early From the fruterías of Barranquilla to the outflanking of 2000s, and helped oversee the SABMiller merger. “For the Steve Jobs in the space of a couple of generations? The Santo first year and a half, my father was very much on top of me,” Domingos’ journey is spiced with as much magical realism he told Vanity Fair in 2009, “and then he kind of just let me as anything you’ll find in the novels of García Márquez, do everything on my own.” Today, the Santo Domingos have with a river of amber nectar transporting Don Mario and his holdings in banking, private equity and real estate, but they descendants to financial immortality and social prominence. haven’t abandoned their old cash cow: they hold a five per What was the key to the family success, The New York Times cent stake in Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, once asked Julio Mario Santo Domingo as he was about to valued at around $6bn, plus stock in Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. finalise the deal with SABMiller? His typically gnomic reply Alejandro, whose dark, good looks — a mashing, if was, “We always marry for beauty, not for money”. To which you will, of J.F.K. Jr and Joaquin Phoenix — surely herald the only appropriate response would be to crack open a bottle an Instagram cult in the making, also sits on the boards of of Aguila, raise it to one’s lips, and proffer a hearty salud! 125
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shop the rake SARTORIAL HIGHS AND LOWS.
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SHOP THE RAKE
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THE RAKE TAILORED GARMENTS SPRING/SUMMER 2021 COLLECTION
For a new season of menswear in a post-lockdown world, the rake’s team gave itself an urgent challenge: to create a collection that would embody casualisation as well as a renewed hunger for fit and cut. ‘I want our clients,’ writes Wei Koh, ‘to feel comforted and liberated at the same time.’ The result — typified by a pioneering ready-to-wear jacket — is our proudest achievement yet. by wei koh photography kim lang
fashion direction veronica perez
special thanks to Corinthia London
O’Shea: Ivory Irish linen doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; white and red Egyptian cotton striped shirt, Fralbo at The Rake; lemonade pink medallion print silk tie, Drake’s at The Rake; pink Pellestrina silk pocketsquare, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake; white straw hat with pink trim, Anderson & Sheppard.
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O
ver the past year, like everyone reading this, I’ve done — the shape of the peak, the angle of the gorge, the position a lot of imagining. I have imagined the places I’ll visit and shape of the chest pocket, the shoulder construction, the and the friends I’ll hug and share laughter and meals placement of pockets, the length of the pleats, the shape of the with. When I think about these things happening perhaps even chest, the line created by the side seam — has to be considered. in late summer, I feel an ineffable happiness, a sense of palpable Not only do each of these have to be optimised, they also have joy and a rush of renewed hope. When I close my eyes, I imagine to all work harmoniously with each other. Just one element that the future and can almost feel I am there. When conceptualising is out of place and the harmony is destroyed.” the spring/summer 2021 range for The Rake Tailored Garments, So began a slavish process, as The Rake’s team scrutinised I imagined the clothes I would want to wear this summer as I and obsessed over each detail. For our single-breasted jacket reconnected with the world. I wanted them to be pure, elemental, we wanted something fitted to the body with a beautiful shape, authentic and essential. I wanted them to reflect the casualisation regardless of whether you wore it closed or open. It meant we have experienced but, at the same time, signal a reignited the shape of the front quarters of the coat had to come to a excitement over perfect cut dramatic cynosure, then flare and fit. I wanted our tailoring away by just the right amount. “We loved the story of Fred to be perfect for a walk on the Tom Chamberlin, The Rake’s Astaire dancing in front of beach with the pants rolled to Editor, says: “The shape the mirror at Anderson & your calves and your feet in the of the front quarters was sand. I wanted our tailoring to Sheppard to check his suits.” critical. Too much open and make you always feel at ease the jacket would be gauche; but elegant, understated but empowered. I wanted you to always too little and it would feel constipated. We were dressing feel like the coolest guy in the room. neither gigolos or tax accountants but rakes.” Learning from our incredible collaboration with Lorenzo Next, we had to focus on a slim shape, but one that would still Cifonelli x Loro Piana (see page 70), this time our team didn’t conform to even a fuller chest. Alain Gafundi, The Rake’s Chief start with design. Instead we focused on how the clothes would Executive, says: “As someone who has a full chest, one of the things make you feel. Cifonelli explained: “You want to imagine the I hate is when you have a slim-cut jacket and, as you move, the chest emotions your client has when he slips on the Rake jacket for gapes away from shirt. This was a vulgarity we could not accept.” the first time.” I replied, “I want him to feel comforted and Drew Laidlaw Hoare, The Rake’s Managing Director, adds: liberated at the same time”. Cifonelli: “Then you need to go “For me, the fit at the back-neck was critical. There is nothing back to your factory and work on the construction over and over worse than a jacket where the back-neck stands away from the until they achieve this.” As such, we started from scratch with collar, and as a slimmer guy sometimes this happens. So we the objective of making a structure for our jackets that conveyed worked incessantly to get it so the back-collar never moved, the same feeling as for a shirt. We steadily removed layers of even when you were in motion. We loved the story of Fred Astaire lining and padding until we were left with the bare minimum. dancing in front of the mirror at Anderson & Sheppard to check During this process we realised that even if we wanted the back-neck of his suits. While I didn’t go so far as to dance, absolute comfort and unrestricted movement, we also wanted we definitely put our prototypes through their paces.” Riccardo style and amazing fit. Over the phone I explained to Lorenzo: “I Zambon, The Rake’s Head of Business Development, says: “The want the feeling of a jacket that feels like a casual shirt, but when feedback from the factory was that you guys are crazy. You say you look in the mirror there has to be an immediate reaction, you want the lightest construction. You want the jacket to be like where you say, ‘Goddamn, I look sexy’.” Cifonelli laughed and a shirt. But at the same time you want it to fit so perfectly. But said, “Now you need to work on the fit and design. While this instead of getting upset they enjoyed the process. They said, ‘No sounds simple, it really is not. Don’t forget that if your objective client has ever asked us for so much, but we will go with you on is for men to look primal, virile or, as you say, sexy, every detail this journey because we are learning, too’.”
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Section opener: Tobacco Irish linen single-breasted jacket and off-white wool gabardine double-pleated trouser, The Rake Tailored Garments; green linen shirt, RTG x Angelo Inglese; cream and green cotton silk pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard; tan leather belt, Elliot Rhodes. This page: O’Shea: Ivory Irish linen doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; cream and red viscose Volcano Hawaiian shirt, Cordone 1956 at The Rake; belt, property of The Rake.
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Opposite page: Harry: white cotton single-breasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; blue and white striped cotton shirt, Guglielminotti at The Rake; navy blue silk tie, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake; cherry silk octagonal print pocket-square; Edward Sexton; ruby red cotton socks, London Sock Company; black single sole calf leather Cavendish shoe, Crockett & Jones; belt, property of The Rake. This page: O’Shea: tan wool gabardine doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow linen shirt, Anderson & Sheppard; black and gold diamonds silk tie, Mess of Blues at The Rake; blackberry and yellow silk Primitivo pocket-square, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake; bronze cotton socks, London Sock Company; dark brown burnished single sole calf Leather Cavendish shoe, Crockett & Jones.
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This page: O’Shea: navy cotton single-breasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow and white cotton and linen big Zevi striped shirt, Cordone 1956 at The Rake; sky blue silk linen striped Ibiza tie, Calabrese 1924 at The Rake; blue cotton polka dot pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard; frames, property of The Rake. Opposite page, left: Navy cotton single-breasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow and brown viscose Hilo Hawaiian shirt, Cordone 1956 at The Rake; black suede Sagan classic shoe, Baudoin & Lange; gold necklace, model’s own; gold ring and belt, property of The Rake. Opposite page, right: Navy cotton single-breasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; blue and multistripe organic cotton Zigger short sleeve cardigan, Far Afield; black leather belt, Elliot Rhodes.
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Once the body of the coat was finalised, we started on the shoulder. It should be known that the famous Neapolitan shirtsleeve shoulder — where a larger sleevehead is fitted into a small armhole, creating a pleating or shirring effect — is one of those processes that can be achieved only by hand, as the material has to be fed slowly and painstakingly into the armhole. We wanted our jackets to have exactly this kind of shoulder, with a maximum amount of shirring, to provide the greatest freedom of movement. And, yes, because it looks cool. “One good thing about 2020 was that everyone had time to work on this project, and even our factory was perfectly willing to make what seemed like an endless series of prototypes,” Gafundi says. “Even though we were happy with the launch of The Rake Tailored Garments, we launched in 2020. For 2021 we started with a tabula rasa. From a construction and fit perspective, this is an all new, totally different and much improved jacket.” When we received the final prototypes, we did as Lorenzo Cifonelli instructed, which was to wear them buttoned and unbuttoned and to move around in them. The idea of liberation had certainly been achieved. The jackets felt incredibly light, almost weightless. Most of us didn’t even take them off when performing mundane tasks around the house. Then we looked at ourselves in the mirror and each of us was impressed by the sleek, fitted, balanced cut of the jackets. From a style perspective, we wanted our single-breasted jacket to be timeless. This meant medium-sized lapels and a barchetta or rowboat-shaped breast pocket, but at a slant, so
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as to create a more virile effect. Chamberlin explains: “When it came to the placement of the notch, we eschewed the current trend for sky-high gorges and placed it where we felt a classic gorge should sit. We wanted this to be a jacket you would wear for time immemorial, and as such it should not condescend to the ephemera of trend.” Laidlaw Hoare says: “I’ve worked in retail for many years, for brands including the Australian tailor P Johnson, and I see trends within classic menswear all the time. So I loved the fact we kept it classic: a great three-roll, two-button stance and the perfect-width lapel combined with that great Neapolitan shoulder. I love that because the jackets are so soft they look great dressed down with a polo, a T-shirt or a printed Hawaiian shirt, which is exactly the way we believe people will dress in the postCovid summer. I also love that we brought beautiful shape to these clothes, which is a contrast to the looser fit garments we did last year, as a response to the lockdowns.” Zambon adds: “After finishing our single-breasted jacket we applied the same exercise to our double-breasted coat. Once the construction was perfect we started to discuss the style of the jacket. Some members of The Rake felt the 6x1 jacket we did last year was something not everyone liked. Others preferred a classic 6x2 double-breasted. But then someone raised the idea of creating what we call in Italian doppiopetto trasformabile — the transformable double-breasted jacket that can be buttoned either to the middle button or the bottom button.” Gafundi explains: “In sartorial history this is the most famous and mythical double-breasted jacket. It was invented by Domenico Caraceni, the famous Roman 135
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Opposite page: O’Shea: ivory Irish linen doppiopetto trasformabile jacket and tobacco Irish linen double-pleated trousers, The Rake Tailored Garments; palm tree print cotton shirt, Tintoria Mattei at The Rake; orange and white pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard. This page: Harry: tobacco Irish linen singlebreasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow and brown viscose Hilo Hawaiian shirt, Cordone 1956 at The Rake; blue and white cotton pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard; tan leather belt, Elliot Rhodes; piano-black natural cellulose Ronnie sunglasses, Curry & Paxton at The Rake.
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Harry: off-white wool gabardine doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; lilac linen shirt; Anderson & Sheppard; black, red and blue Miami dots vintage silk tie and black, red and turquoise Miami dots silk square, Mess of Blues at The Rake. O’Shea: tan wool gabardine doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow linen shirt, Anderson & Sheppard; black and gold diamonds silk tie, Mess of Blues at The Rake; blackberry and yellow silk Primitivo pocketsquare, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake.
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tailor, and is today made only for bespoke garments by the likes of Not content to create new jackets, The Rake Tailored A. Caraceni in Milan and Rubinacci in Naples.” Garments also offers an all-new trouser as well. Instead of the Rikesh Chauhan, The Rake’s social media manager, says: “The fuller leg trouser of last year, we have created a slimmer model young person who popularised this style is Luca Rubinacci — to go with our new jacket silhouette. But at the same time we everyone has seen him wearing an ivory linen double-breasted dramatically enhanced the comfort of these trousers. Gafundi jacket in the style. You can always tell a transformable double- says: “As a cyclist I love the look of a slimmer-leg trouser, but I breasted jacket when it’s worn as a 6x1 because there is an hate it when the area at the thigh is too tight. So when we created additional button hole in the lapel where it can be fastened to the this new trouser we decided to radically deepen the pleats. This middle.” Laidlaw Hoare adds: “The reason this jacket has never effectively adds cloth to the front of the trouser, which gives been offered in ready-to-wear is that it is incredibly difficult to you more room while keeping the silhouette nice and slim.” make. Your lapel has to be able to roll to the middle button position Laidlaw Hoare adds: “These really deep forward pleats remind but also the bottom position. This means the canvas for the lapel me a little bit of the Armani trousers from the eighties, like has to be flexible, and that is those worn by Richard Gere where the challenge lies. But in American Gigolo. Because we “Our transformable doublethe beauty of the jacket is that to keep this collection breasted is the first of its kind wanted you can wear it buttoned to the more casual we decided to in ready-to-wear, and speaks go with belt loops instead of middle during business hours, and in the evening you can of the ambition we have.” side adjusters.” Chamberlin change to the lower button and says: “The result is what we it becomes a louche lounge suit, perfect for dinner. Accordingly, consider to be the perfect trouser. We’ve seen a renewed interest there is not one but two jigger buttons inside the coat.” in wide-legged pants, but the reality is that unless you have the Chamberlin: “Our transformable double-breasted is the first physique of a greyhound, they look vaguely ridiculous. These of its kind in ready-to-wear, and really speaks of the ambition we slim-leg trousers with the deeper pleats are great. The pleats have to take the most important bespoke elements and introduce never gape open in an unsightly way. They enable the centre them to our vision of ready-to-wear. We could only do this crease of the trouser to fall uninterrupted to the hem of the pants through years of experience in tailoring. To make this jacket we in a beautiful way, and they allow for a greater range of motion.” had to unstitch one of Wei Koh’s personal jackets, to see how the The prices of the new collection of The Rake Tailored canvas for the lapel was attached.” Gafundi: “In the end our new Garments remain accessible. “At £600 for a jacket and transformable DB is one of our proudest achievements. From £200 for a pair of trousers — made in Italy and using some a style perspective we wanted the jacket fitted like our single- of the world’s best fabrics — we feel that The Rake Tailored breasted coat. Lapels that are just a touch on the wider side for Garments is the very best value around,” Gafundi says. “This that extra character but without being extreme. The gorge and range of clothing sits under the price of our collaboration with peak of the lapels are in the classic position — neither too high or Lorenzo Cifonelli and Loro Piana. One reason for this is that low. The proportions and fit of the coat are perfect, and like the we agree with Lorenzo that we must create a bridge for the single-breasted you almost forget you have it on until you look next generation to come into the world of classic elegance and in the mirror.” Laidlaw Hoare: “Our DB jacket is all about being tailored style. So this is the sort of gateway drug into our world, sexy in the way we felt men would want to feel when we come out but with clothing that has zero compromise. At the same time of lockdown. This is expressed by the shape of the lapels, by the I cannot think of a single person who will come out of 2020 slant of the pocket, and of course the ability to instantly change its without being that much more value conscious. We are aware character using the different buttoning points. Most importantly, that everyone was affected by the events of the last year and both this and our single-breasted jacket are engineered to fit and we want to offer this collection as a sign of our commitment to enhance a wide variety of body types.” value and ethical business.” 139
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This page: O’Shea: ivory Irish linen doublepleated trousers, The Rake Tailored Garments; brown and yellow organic cotton Cole Trio short sleeve polo, Far Afield; belt, property of The Rake. Opposite page, left: O’Shea: ivory Irish linen doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; white and red Egyptian cotton striped shirt, Fralbo at The Rake; lemonade pink medallion print silk tie, Drake’s at The Rake. Opposite page, right: Harry: tobacco Irish linen singlebreasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; oatmeal linen shirt, RTG x Angelo Inglese; light grey silk knitted tie, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake; blue, brown and green cotton pocketsquare, Anderson & Sheppard.
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Opposite page: Harry: tobacco Irish linen single-breasted jacket and off-white wool gabardine double-pleated trouser, The Rake Tailored Garments; green linen shirt, RTG x Angelo Inglese; cream and green cotton silk pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard; tan leather belt, Elliot Rhodes; Masters green cotton socks, London Sock Company; dark brown burnished single sole calf leather Cavendish shoe, Crockett & Jones. Opposite page: Harry: tobacco Irish linen single-breasted suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; oatmeal linen shirt, RTG x Angelo Inglese; light grey silk knitted tie, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake; blue, brown and green cotton pocket-square, Anderson & Sheppard; Masters green cotton socks, London Sock Company; dark oak antique calf leather Piccadilly shoe, Edward Green; black Hughes sunglasses, Curry & Paxton at The Rake.
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This page: O’Shea: tan wool gabardine doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; yellow linen shirt, Anderson & Sheppard; black and gold diamonds silk tie, Mess of Blues at The Rake; blackberry and yellow silk Primitivo pocket-square, Serà Fine Silk at The Rake. Opposite page: Harry: off-white wool gabardine doppiopetto trasformabile suit, The Rake Tailored Garments; blue and white viscose tropical print shirt, Tintoria Mattei at The Rake; lavender cotton socks, London Sock Company; black calf leather Sagan grand penny, Baudoin & Lange; white Panama hat with black trim, Anderson & Sheppard.
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PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: DERRICK KAKEMBO STYLIST: AMELIA HUDSON GROOMING: LUKA WATABE USING CHANEL MODELS: HARRY GOZZETT AND O’SHEA ROBERTSON @ SELECT MODEL MANAGEMENT
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compendium BARE NECESSITIES; WHAT’LL IT BE?; HELL BENTLEY; MONKEY DO.
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RALPH LAUREN FOR THE RAKE ‘BEARFOOT NEGRONI BEAR’ WATCH
The Negroni Bear goes barefoot to the Maldives dressed in the epitome of tropical black-tie chic.
I
described him in my last story with these words: “His countenance is known the world over. His visage has become an obsession for men and women alike. There are legions devoted to his ineffable style, his ability to move effortlessly between sublime sports chic, pitch-perfect preppy-dom, and transcendent black tie. He says little, but his warm, fathomless brown eyes speak volumes of his extraordinary depth. And while he may be small in stature, he exudes a heroism and strength of character that is singular and inspirational. And the mere rumour of his appearance on a skateboard literally broke the internet, with millions of fans vying for the chance to meet him.” I speak, of course, of the Ralph Lauren Polo Bear. But what his fans may not know is that this diminutive bear is also an international jet setter sans pareil. Throughout the year he can normally be found wintering in Telluride, on his magnificent ranch, and summering in Montauk, where he resides in a home once owned by John Lennon, or at his residence in Round Hill near Montego Bay, once the abode of Babe and Bill Paley. Those of us following his seemingly innumerable miraculous appearances at the world’s most fabled destinations are awed by the relentless pace of his ursine globetrotting. One minute he’s at the Taormina film festival slurping up a plate of spaghetti ricci di mare in the company of Hollywood’s most luminous demoiselles, immaculate in his shantung dinner jacket. The next he’s in Shanghai or Capri or Mustique and always among the finest company, always resplendently turned out with sartorial elan. But, as for everyone else, 2020 was a year of quiet reflection for the Polo Bear. With scant opportunity to indulge his peripatetic passion for transcontinental exploration, he’s had time to ponder. So we asked him where he would like to travel once the world returns to normality, and he replied immediately: “The Maldives.” The Maldives is, of course, where The Rake has set up its first brick-and-mortar shop, ensconced on an eco-system of four sister islands that host three hotels (the Ritz-Carlton, Capella and Patina); 280 villas; a world-class diving centre; and extraordinary fine-dining restaurants and beach clubs. It is situated 40 minutes from the mainland and is the largest development in the region. When we were given the incredible opportunity to create a second Polo Bear watch with Ralph Lauren, we decided to
design a timepiece that reminds us of the beauty of travel, of all the fabulous destinations and amazing friends that will be waiting for us during the second half of this year. What collectively we have been through has been seismic. It is something that will forever define the era we live in, and it is my sincere hope that everyone emerges from the Covid pandemic immensely grateful to be alive and to have great family and friends. Throughout this dark time there have been certain symbols of unity against the crippling thoughts and negative emotions that have welled up as a result of the spiritual isolation and existential malaise we’ve endured. The acclaimed film director and rake extraordinaire Paul Feig says: “Through social media we’ve tried to keep each other uplifted and hopeful. This was the reason I embarked on my Quarantine Cocktail Time, to bring good cheer to everyone stuck in lockdown. So the idea of the Polo Bear being a symbol of happiness and friendship really resonated with me.” For us at The Rake throughout this extraordinary period in human history, the world was more than ever in need of symbols that represent kindness, warmth and a childlike sense of joy, and to us there was none more perfect than the Polo Bear. Which motivated our creation of the first Rake Bear timepiece last year, featuring our ursine hero radiant in iconic black tie. Being a rakish bear, he came equipped with our signature beverage, the Negroni, which, as you read about in issue 72, has become a symbol for camaraderie, elegance and a certain irrepressible attitude to life. So when it came to selecting a design for our travelling Negroni Bear, we imagined him in the Maldives. We asked, What stylistic masterstroke of bella figura would the Polo Bear accomplish? Well, such is the scope of his sartorial canon, we decided to go back to the Polo Bear and ask him what he thought his signature style in the Maldives should be. His beatific countenance grew sage and his brown eyes bright as he replied: “I should like to wear my white double-breasted, peak-lapel dinner jacket with my blue braided evening trousers.” He paused and added: “But I should like to feel the sand beneath my feet — or, more accurately, my paws.” We immediately envisioned this ultimate act of tropical black tie. After all, it is a style that Ralph Lauren himself is often seen perpetuating at his Round Hill home in Jamaica — in his white dinner jacket or
GETTY IMAGES
by wei koh
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This page: Ralph Lauren for The Rake ‘Bearfoot Negroni Bear’. Opposite: J.F.K. and his then fiancée, Jacqueline Bouvier, at his house in Hyannis Port.
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RICHARD CORMAN COURTESY OF RALPH LAUREN
TEMPORAL
The inspiration: Ralph Lauren and Ricky Lauren at their Round Hill home in Jamaica.
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Images from the Fari Islands resort in the Maldives. Below: a sketch of the Bearfoot Negroni Bear ‘day’ that will be available on a limited edition set of swimwear and polos.
cream suit but with his feet bare. The Rake’s Editor, Tom Chamberlin, says: “The idea of being barefoot is something innately American in its casual self-confidence and irrepressible style. It was something invented in America and then copied in Europe.” What are the roots of barefoot American style? In 1953 a Life magazine reporter and photographer were dispatched to Hyannis Port to interview a charismatic young senator named John Fitzgerald Kennedy as he romanced his fiancée, Jacqueline Bouvier, at his family home in Cape Cod. The images captured were remarkable in that it was the first time a couple from America’s political and social aristocracy were captured so naturally at play. The photos were infectious in their charm, and the palpable love for one another resonated from the pages. Importantly, the couple was shown unposed and natural in a game of touchfootball, laughing, lounging in the sun, and encapsulating all of the extraordinary, glorious optimism America represented at the time. Most remarkably, they were almost never wearing shoes, photographed barefoot, as you would imagine people living and playing by the beach would be. The name of this essay — ‘Senator Kennedy Goes a-Courting’ — became one of the seminal moments in the history of American style. It was revolutionary in that no member of Europe’s aristocracy would deign to be seen without shoes. But in its pareddown, rumpled, untucked, Brooks Brothersshirt, tousled-hair, barefoot style, it epitomised American cool and seemed so much more relevant and real than the contrived portraiture that had been the norm until then. “This is what makes the idea of the Polo Bear resplendent in tropical black tie but barefoot even more epic, because it is the perfect expression of everything that makes America cool,” Chamberlin says. Ralph Lauren and Polo have always been the ultimate expression of nonchalant American elegance. Part of the brand’s success is the understanding and elevation of casual cool. Lauren and his family are often seen barefoot and at play at his home in Montauk. Inspired by life by the beach in 2018, Lauren even went so far as to send all the models in a show down the runway beautifully dressed in his signature style and barefoot. “When it
was time to imagine life this summer in the Maldives, or at any beach or seaside retreat that we are all longing to go to, you can almost feel the sand beneath your feet and the warmth of the sun on your skin,” Chamberlin says. “We thought the Polo Bear was very smart to propose an image of himself that connected us to this.” When I proposed the idea to Ralph Lauren, it brought a chuckle in response. He replied, “So you want a barefoot bear for your next watch?” My response was, “Mr. Lauren, somehow I can’t think of anything cooler. This is your style: an effortless American mixture of dressed up and laid back. This is exactly how I imagine the Polo Bear to be dressed in the Maldives for a romantic dinner.” Lauren liked the idea of the image symbolising a celebration of the renewal of travel, and gave his kind assent. With that, the design for our Bearfoot Negroni Bear got underway. Chamberlin says: “One of the most challenging details was to select the colour of the Polo Bear’s pants, as they would also inspire the hue of the strap. After some amount of back and forth, the Polo Bear sent us his bespoke formal trousers and dinner jacket, which helped to define the colour scheme of the timepiece.” His ivory jacket was the motivation behind the choice of colour of the dial, and his blue pants also allowed us to create a matching blue strap. The Bearfoot Negroni Bear, like his forebear, is holding our signature libation, the Negroni, a symbol of resistance against despair, with its distinct hue burning brightly against the darkness. The dial of the watch features hands as well as the 5 o’clock index in distinct Negroni orange. Why the number five? Because it is always 5 o’clock somewhere. Like his brother who came before him last year, we hope The Rake’s Bearfoot Negroni Bear achieves his one defining mission in life: to put a huge smile on the face of each and every one of his owners this year as we celebrate all the warmth, beauty and promise 2021 has to offer and begin again to explore this amazing planet that is our home. The Ralph Lauren ‘Bearfoot Negroni Bear’ watch is limited to 200 pieces, RRP £1680.00. 151
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The Rake x Artingstall’s Negroni No.1.
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THE RAKE TAILORED BEVERAGES NEGRONI NO.1 x ARTINGSTALL’S GIN
‘When I drink a Negroni I hear Chet Baker playing in Paris,’ says Paul Feig. So who better (Feig, not Baker) to assist the rake in making our first bespoke cocktail in honour of the elegant beverage that has transcended global gloom… by wei koh
I
n old-school Ivy League speak, Paul Feig is a ‘renaissance man’ — in other words, a polymath devoted to art, style and humanitarianism, and an individual who excels in each discipline. He has established a reputation as a groundbreaking director, with triumphs such as Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters under his belt. He is also one of the world’s style icons, as the single Hollywood luminary championing classic sartorialism. But it is perhaps in his roles as the founder of the award-winning gin brand Artingstall’s and as the host of Quarantine Cocktail Time on Instagram that he has become most familiar to us over this past, remarkable year. To be specific, Quarantine Cocktail Time, in which Feig danced, narrated, entertained, teased his wife, Laurie, and instructed us on mixing boozy creations, applied a gladdening and healing salve to our fractured, bleeding souls. And during this past 12 months he marvelled at how one drink in particular, the Negroni — invented in 1919 at Florence’s Caffè Casoni, for the Count of Negroni — suddenly became far more than a cocktail. “I love how the Negroni became a symbol of comradery and good cheer on social media during the crazy year we just experienced,” Feig says. “It was almost by making, drinking and posting your Negroni that you were part of a resistance against the encroaching darkness of negative emotions stirred up by isolation that we were all grappling with in 2020. So when The Rake approached me to create my ultimate pre-made Negroni, to celebrate our survival of the most seismic year we have ever experienced and to celebrate all the wonderful moments that await us in the near future, I seized the opportunity.” If Eskimos have a thousand words for ‘snow’, Feig has just as many recipes for the Negroni, the drink that has become the most conspicuously quaffed beverage on Instagram. After all, this is the man who, during the early days of the pandemic, decided to single-handedly lift the world’s spirits (pun intended) with Quarantine Cocktail Time. Why the Negroni? Why has the Negroni become the drink of choice and a membership badge for the global community of edifying gentrifiers? Feig explains his theory: “The Negroni has moved beyond being a beverage and has become a community symbol for those of us inspired by the past. It’s the drink for people who love the glamour of old Hollywood embodied by Bogie and Bacall. It’s the tipple for those of us enchanted by the incredible poolside imagery of Slim Aarons. It’s the calling card for the classic elegance and perennial style championed by The Rake. When I drink a Negroni I hear Chet Baker playing in Paris. I think of sitting with Laurie and our dog, Buster, on the terrace of Venice’s Gritti Palace, overseen by the
head barman, Cristiano Luciano, or ensconced in my favourite corner at Dukes bar, helmed by my dear friend Alessandro Palazzi. I imagine myself dressed in a midnight-blue evening suit by Anderson & Sheppard. The Negroni for whatever reason has become the calling card for civility and civilisation.” Matt Hranek, the author of a new book on the Negroni, and one of the drink’s greatest champions, says: “The Negroni is a symbol of style, of manners, and of friendship. Something you share with people you love, but as an expression of oldschool gentility. It has also become the preferred drink for anyone who embraces sartorial culture.” The rise of Negroni culture The connection between the Negroni and sartorial culture was born during the menswear trade show of Pitti Uomo in Florence. There, the world’s style demigods would descend to ply their trades by day; by night, resplendent in more of their exuberant style, they would reach for Florence’s most famous cocktail, the Negroni. Angel Ramos, the founder of the menswear brand 18th Amendment, says: “That was the ritual: we would work our asses off during the day at full hustle, and nighttime was all about friendship, brotherhood and Negronis.” Soon, photos and videos of these style icons drinking a seemingly endless supply of these distinct gem-coloured beverages — often gathered en masse outside the famous Caffè Gilli on Piazza della Repubblica — began to explode across the pages of Instagram. The images came thick and fast: of the Italian heavyweights Alessandro Squarzi, Fabio Attanasio and Luca Rubinacci; the style originators Ethan Newton, Mark Cho and the Guardì brothers of Barbanera; the photographers Robert Spangle, Karl-Edwin Guerre, Jamie Ferguson and Milad Abedi; and of course tailoring’s rock stars, such as Lorenzo Cifonelli, Damiano Annunziato and Salvatore Ambrosi. It seemed that no one could be photographed in Florence during Pitti Uomo without a Negroni in hand. Then came Hranek’s famous WM Brown magazine Negroni party at Harry’s Bar, where, on the first night, those gathered consumed a veritable River Arno of Negronis, leaving a €20,000 bar bill in their wake. Says Hranek: “I almost had a heart attack: to say we underestimated the number of Negronis our community could drink was a vast understatement.” Ramos adds: “The Negroni, because of its connection to Florence, became our thing at Pitti Uomo. When we went home we learned how to make them, and it became our thing at home, too — probably because it reminded us of our community and the friends we missed. It was almost by drinking a Negroni we could be together again. This is definitely what happened on social media in 2020.” The other reason for the Negroni’s rapid global conquest is 153
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Left to right: Mo Coppoletta, the artist and the designer of our label, and Carlos Rosillo, the C.E.O. of Bell & Ross.
to do with its flavour profile. Feig says: “It’s simple: it’s just a delicious drink. It’s neither too bitter or too sweet. It has a kick but not one that is overpowering.” Palazzi, the head barman at Dukes, agrees. “A Negroni is perfect as an aperitif but it is also perfectly acceptable as an after-dinner drink, and if you are the type of person that prefers cocktails to wine, it is even great with a meal,” he says. “It is not a seasonal drink. Of course, you associate it with summer, but it is also a drink for the three other seasons. If you are a cigar smoker, as many of the Negroni’s fans are, the taste of the Negroni is not overwhelmed by cigar smoking, making it the perfect après-ski or beach holiday drink.” With this shift in cultural relevance came the creation of Negroni-themed goods. The first of these was Hranek’s and Douglas Cordeaux’s Fox Brothers Negroni tweed, which has become the ultimate club symbol for the most hardcore Negroni devotees. Next came The Rake’s Ralph Lauren ‘Negroni Bear’ and Bell & Ross’s ‘#NegroniTime’ Bellytanker Chronograph timepieces. Feig, who is in possession of a bespoke Anderson & Sheppard Negroni tweed jacket and a Ralph Lauren Negroni Bear watch, says: “When I’m wearing my jacket or my watch, it’s as if I’m displaying my club badge, and I love it when I run into other lovers of Negroni culture and we share this kindred spirit.” But why a pre-made Negroni? “It was around this time I realised that making a Negroni means you always have to have its three elements — gin, vermouth and bitters — in stock at all times,” Feig says. “But during quarantine I realised how frustrating it could be to run out of one of these! It was a serious crisis. So I began remaking my Negronis, which also became
an opportunity for experimentation with the recipe. When The Rake explained they wanted to create the world’s best pre-made Negroni, I immediately saw how fun it would be.” Not all Negronis are created equal It was not until we started discussing our collaborative Negroni with Feig that I realised I had been sitting at the children’s table when it came to Negroni making. Thus far I had not ventured further than using, in equal thirds, Campari, Antica formula vermouth, and a variety of gins. But speaking to Feig was like attending a PhD-level class in cocktail mixing. Which should come as no surprise given that Feig has crafted his own critically acclaimed, award-winning gin, Artingstall’s. He proceeded to unveil myriad alternate bitters, a dazzling array of vermouths, and, of course, we had the great privilege of using Artingstall’s as our dedicated gin of choice. Then he introduced us to his partner in Artingstall’s, Ravinder Minhas. Minhas is one of the most impressive entrepreneurs in the alcohol business. Together with his sister Manjit, a star of the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den, they own the 10th largest craftbeer brewery in the United States, and the Minhas Brewery and Distillery Group has an annual revenue in excess of $210m. I would describe Minhas as an individual whose apparently laid-back disposition is belied by a fierce brilliance evinced by the empire he and his sister have built from a college business. He is also a kind of Willy Wonka of booze, meaning he has a dedicated team that is able to engineer pretty much any kind of alcohol to taste. Which was a huge relief to me, because, during the conceptualisation stage, Feig had experimented with several bitters and vermouths
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F.E. CASTLEBERRY
ROBERT SPANGLE
DELICACIES
Clockwise from top: Negronis-a-plenty at The Rake’s Pitti Uomo event in 2018; standard hot-dog attire (and takeaway Negroni in hand) for Angel Ramos of 18th Amendment; and the great Paul Feig holding a bottle of his Artingstall’s gin.
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KIM LANG
DELICACIES
Gary Barlow at Dukes Bar.
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ROSE CALLAHAN
Left to right: Matt Hranek, of WM Brown magazine, wearing the Negroni tweed by Fox Brothers and (inset) the cover of his new book, The Negroni - A Love Affair With A Classic Cocktail; the style director of Departures, Alessandra Codinha at the Ear Inn in Tribeca, New York.
that prompted the question, Those are so obscure, where are we I remember the final tasting vividly. The moment that Feig going to buy them in quantity? I will admit, the idea of us sending zeroed in on that perfect ethereal cynosure between bitters, staff to purchase bottles of rare vintage vermouth and almost vermouth and gin, the millisecond that he locked in the flavour unknown bitters makers had me slightly perplexed. profile for time immemorial, was exactly the moment his trainer Finally, when Feig arrived at what he felt was not just a great in Los Angeles arrived for his workout. The typically southernNegroni, not just a superb Negroni, but a truly exceptional Californian, quinoa-fuelled ectomorph literally did a doubleNegroni, he sent a test sample to me. In my favourite lowball take at Feig on the Zoom tasting call with members of The Rake glass, I poured it over ice. I marvelled at the gem-like ruby Negroni No.1 team scattered around the globe. The trainer took colour, which was decidedly one look at the numerous now more red than your average The taste was more nuanced, empty pre-made Negroni Negroni, and took a sip. The arrayed before Feig with a dynamic tension. It was bottles following experience blew and sighed, “I take it our my mind. It tasted, of course, like listening to Pinball Wizard workout session is cancelled”. recognisably like a Negroni, in stereo for the first time. Feig replied with typical, but it was far more nuanced, unflappable wit: “Not at all! I with a dynamic tension between bitters and fruit lengthened by have never been readier, sir.” Later he would admit: “One of my the underlying gin. It was like listening to Pinball Wizard in stereo drunkest moments was when I completed the final tasting to lock for the first time when your entire experience has otherwise been the Artingstall’s gin flavour profile. This was a close second.” monophonic. I was humbled by the feeling. I had until this point O.K., it is not for us to sing the health benefits of our considered myself something of a consummate Negroni drinker. new Negroni (or, as we’ve stated on the bottle, our “standard But I suddenly realised I had seen only the tip of the experiential operational libation”) like snake-oil salesmen at a sideshow iceberg. Minhas had been sent the same thrilling concoction. After carnival. But the fact is, Feig did work out after the tasting, and by all tasting it on a Zoom call together with Paul and me, he smiled and accounts crushed his cardio, demonstrating that Negroni drinking said, “This is it”. Then he nodded and said, “O.K., we will begin — or, specifically, drinking The Rake and Artingstall’s Negroni reverse-engineering this immediately”. This left me baffled. How No.1 — can be very healthy for you indeed. To cocktail drinkers is that possible, I thought. But what Minhas’s team accomplished the world over, I take great pleasure in introducing our first ever was not only an accurate version of Feig’s Negroni, they actually pre-made cocktail, the result of one year’s work and, in particular, came up with 10 alternative, even better tasting, versions on the the brilliance of two men, Paul Feig and Ravinder Minhas, whom I same formula, which we were sent for a final tasting. consider the gods of the cocktail known as the Negroni. 157
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GRAND TOURER
We can view our car as a utilitarian device if we wish, though now more than ever its ability to make the far away seem within touching distance is hard to resist. Add a Bentley Continental GT, and it’s a fait accompli.
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in association with
photography kirk truman
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Beige linen mix doublebreasted jacket, cream cashmere crew-neck knit and white cotton-linen trousers, all Caruso; brown suede loafers, Crockett & Jones.
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Bordeaux cashmere exploded-check cardigan and navy wool trouser, both Johnstons of Elgin; charcoal wool jumper and grey checked cotton shirt, both Turnbull & Asser; black leather boots, Grenson.
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Grey wool micro-check patter single-breasted suit and dark brown knitted tie, both Caruso; white and navy striped cotton shirt, Edward Sexton; brown suede loafers, Crockett & Jones.
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DIRECTORY ADRIANO MENEGHETTI – www.adrianomeneghetti.com ALBERT THURSTON – www.albertthurston.com ALFRED RIFUGIO – www.alfredrifugio.it ALICE MADE THIS – www.alicemadethis.com AMOUR LUX – www.armorlux.com ANDERSON & SHEPPARD – www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk ANDREA POMPILIO – www.andreapompilio.it ASPREY – www.asprey.com AUDEMARS PIGUET – www.audemarspiguet.com AUDI – www.audi.co.uk BALLY – www.bally.com BAMFORD – www.bamfordwatchdepartment.com BARBANERA – www.barbanerastyle.com BASELWORLD – www.baselworld.com BATES – www.bates-hats.com BEGG & CO. – www.beggandcompany.com BELL & ROSS – www.bellross.com BELSTAFF – www.belstaff.co.uk BERLUTI – www.berluti.com BERRY BROS. & RUDD – www.bbr.com BLACKHORSE LANE ATELIERS – www.blackhorselane.com BLANCPAIN – www.blancpain.com BORSALINO – www.borsalino.com BREGUET – www.breguet.com BRIONI – www.brioni.com BROOKS BROTHERS – www.brooksbrothers.com BRUNELLO CUCINELLI – www.brunellocucinelli.com BULGARI HOTEL – www.bulgarihotels.com BUDD SHIRTMAKERS – www.buddshirts.co.uk BULGARI – www.bulgari.com CALABRESE 1924 – www.calabrese1924.com CAMOSHITA UNITED ARROWS – www.united-arrows.jp CANALI – www.canali.com CARMINA SHOEMAKER – www.carminashoemaker.com CARUSO – www.carusomenswear.com CERRUTI – www.cerruti.com CHELSEA BARRACKS – www.chelseabarracks.com CHESTER BARRIE – www.chesterbarrie.co.uk CHITTLEBOROUGH & MORGAN – www.chittleboroughandmorgan.co.uk CHOPARD – www.chopard.com CIFONELLI – www.cifonelli.com CLARIDGE’S – www.claridges.co.uk CONNOLLY – www.connollyengland.com CORNELIANI – www.corneliani.com CORTHAY – www.corthay.com CORUM – www.corum.ch C. QP – www.c-qp.com CRAZY PIG DESIGNS – www.crazypigdesigns.com CROCKETT & JONES – www.crockettandjones.com CROMBIE – www.crombie.co.uk CROMFORD LEATHER CO. – www.cromfordleather.co.uk CUTLER AND GROSS – www.cutlerandgross.com DALCOURE – www.sartoriadalcuore.com DAVIDOFF OF LONDON – www.davidoff.com DEAKIN & FRANCIS – www.deakinandfrancis.co.uk DE PETRILLO – www.depetrillo.it DIOR – www.dior.com DOLCE & GABBANA – www.dolcegabbana.com DRAKE’S OF LONDON – www.drakes-london.com DUNHILL – www.dunhill.com EDWARD GREEN – www.edwardgreen.com EDWARD SEXTON – www.edwardsexton.co.uk ELLIOT RHODES – www.elliotrhodes.com EMMA WILLIS – www.emmawillis.com EMMETT LONDON – www.emmettlondon.com ENLIST – www.enliststyle.com ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA – www.zegna.com ETTINGER – www.ettinger.co.uk FALKE – www.falke.com FAR AFIELD – www.farafield.uk FAVOURBROOK – www.favourbrook.com FENWICK – www.fenwick.co.uk GAZIANO & GIRLING – www.gazianogirling.com G.J. CLEVERLEY – www.gjcleverley.com GIEVES & HAWKES – www.gievesandhawkes.com G. INGLESE – www.store.g-inglese.com GIORGIO ARMANI – www.armani.com GLOBE-TROTTER – www.globetrotter1897.com GLOVERALL – www.gloverall.com GRENFELL – www.grenfell.com GRENSON – www.grenson.com H. MOSER & CIE – www.h-moser.com HACKETT – www.hackett.com HALF MOON BAY ANTIGUA – www.halfmoonbayantigua.com HAMILTON AND HARE – www.hamiltonandhare.com HARRODS – www.harrods.com HARRY WINSTON – www.harrywinston.com HENRY POOLE & CO. – www.henrypoole.com HERMÈS – www.hermes.com HOLLAND & HOLLAND – www.hollandandholland.com HUBLOT – www.hublot.com H. HUNTSMAN – www.h-huntsman.com IWC – www.iwc.com JAEGER-LECOULTRE – www.jaeger-lecoultre.com JAN LESLIE – www.janleslie.com
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Title: The RAKE Issue 75 SIZE: 205mm X 275mm
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PRIMATE SUSPECT
Warren the Ape, the eponymous ne’er-do-well of the cult MTV show from 2010, offers a stark reminder that pop culture might be losing its knack for gloriously crass irreverence.
RAKE INCARNATE
U
riah Heep in David Copperfield, Ruprecht in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Groundskeeper Willie in The Simpsons, Klinger in M*A*S*H… The pool of secondary comedy characters who are strong enough to top the bill is a deep one. And in some cases — Breaking Bad’s Saul Goodman, Only Fools and Horses’ Boycie, and, of course, Frasier Crane — they even get their own spin-off vehicle. It would have been no little travesty if Warren ‘the Ape’ DeMontague* — a character first introduced on the quasi-Muppets spoof Greg the Bunny, which aired on Fox from 2002 before pinballing around the cable channels for a while — had never got his own show, albeit one that, ultimately, ran for only a single summer in 2010. For the uninitiated: Warren is a simian-slash-thespian has-been, a former star of the struggling kids’ T.V. show ‘Sweetknuckle Junction’ (the metafictional conceit that carries the narrative of Greg the Bunny). Years after that show was canned, Warren is now washed up and desperate to breathe new life into his D-list acting career while trying in vain to keep his debauched past from nudging into his present with the help of his addiction specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky. Pinsky’s undertaking is a Sisyphean one, given that vice is not so much Warren’s cross to bear as his calling — as many who come into his orbit will tell you. These include the bungling director and producer Gil Bender (Eugene Levy, enjoying some of his funniest screen moments since the ‘two left feet’ skit in Best in Show); former co-stars, with whom Warren endures bitter relationships (including Jimmy Bender, played by Seth Green, and Sarah Silverman, playing herself); his beleaguered driver Cecil Greenblatt (played by Josh Sussman); and his fellow A.A. groupers. Oh, and pity, too, those in Warren’s periphery the viewer never gets to meet: the parents of the school kids he takes on an unauthorised, drugs-and-strippers-style field trip; his fellow inmates at the low security prison he’s sent to for anger issues; and anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon one of his skin flicks online.
Humans and chimps famously share up to 98.8 per cent of their DNA — the 1.2 per cent deficit doesn’t exactly help Warren deal with his career nosedive and prolonged years on the skids. Beneath the brash exterior, this button-eyed bastion of bastardry has a tinge of vulnerability. Indeed, his permanent wearing of a cloth football helmet comes across as a metaphor for ineffective selfprotection. As with his regular defensive proclamations about his weight, it’s indicative of his inner fragility that Warren considers himself and other puppets “fabricated American” (a thinly veiled satirical swipe at politically correct vocabulary from the writers). One of the creators, Dan Milano — who grew up literally with Muppets on the end of every appendage, but never had formal puppetry training — is a master of comic delivery when voicing this frankly horrible hominoid (in a partial English accent, curiously). But even on paper, the quotes — ranging from the sublime (“People, I am not fat, I’m voluptuously muscular”) to the bizarre (“I’m not signing the divorce papers until I get the porcelain thimble connection, I don’t care whose great-grandmother smuggled them out of Poland, or how”) — speak for themselves, with Warren’s almost autistic lack of shame for his past sins a major driver behind the comedy. (On why he’d be a good fit for MTV: “[It’s] trying to connect with the new generation now — I tried that once, which is why I’m not allowed within 50 yards of a high school!”) So is this kind of humour a bit puerile for 2021? Maybe. But doesn’t X-rated late-night T.V. that could pass as a children’s show with the mute button on — adult anthropomorphism that would send your nan into apoplexy — act as a psychological salve for world-weary audiences? Becoming a more tactful, considerate and progressive society, say I, needn’t come at the expense of the kind of late-night televisual silliness that furrows laugh lines and frown lines in equal measure. *Not to be confused with The Rake’s own reprobate-at-large pensman.
SHUTTERSTOCK
by nick scott
168
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