Table of contents for July 2018 in British GQ (2025)

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British GQ|July 2018EDITOR’S LETTER‘[The Commons] can be tough for working-class kids’One of the many things that politicians wrestle with is authenticity. Not just those who purport to be of humble origins, but every politician, whether they’re high born, bourgeois or working class. Authenticity is what usually gets them though the door, into the room and eventually into power. It’s the glue that binds the random ideologies and nervous tics together, the shine on the shoe, the hand on the shoulder.Before he started looking like a worn-out Bambi caught in the headlights of Fleet Street, forever smiling while his eyes looked scared, we all thought Tony Blair had authenticity. He was a bloody regular guy before bloody regular guys started outstaying their welcome.Alan Clark had authenticity, as does Boris Johnson. Alan Johnson had it,…5 min

British GQ|July 2018How social media (finally) killed ironyThose who can do; those who can’t spoof,” said an old colleague of mine back in the Eighties, but even she couldn’t have imagined just how much of an ironic world we would live in one day, some three decades later, a world diminished by memes, traduced by emojis. Just look at Instagram, a forum where irony and righteousness cohabit; or the microclimates of fashion, where irony has escalated so much that luxury brands now positively encourage the lampooning of their logos; or the art world, where imitation is no longer the sincerest form of flattery, but the most remunerative. Seriously (although not really), how many times can you bastardise a Warhol, use a children’s television theme tune in a hip hop anthem or wear meta double denim?Irony was purposefully…8 min

British GQ|July 2018See the bigger pictureProfessional Plus Screen by Celexon£255 for 180x102cm. uk.celexon.comWhat good is a projector if you’ve nowhere to project to? For those who have busy walls and aren’t a billionaire with a cinema basement, you’ll have to pick up a screen. This pull-up floor option is best for most uses and the stable base will ensure the screen stays as flat as possible. (Word of warning, though: ultrashort-throw projectors don’t play kindly with surfaces other than a flat wall or a fixed screen, as the angle exaggerates any warps.)UHD51 Projector by Optoma£1,499. optoma.co.ukThe UHD51 is a seriously advanced projector. Not only does it present images in Ultra HD, it also handles 3-D films and supports HDR for better colours. Extra cherries on the cake include PureMotion (to eliminate blur) and “vertical lens…3 min

British GQ|July 2018GQ BANF O - MATICInto Father John Misty?Try Matt MalteseThe 21-year-old South Londoner’s debut, recorded in LA, contrasts his witty, waspish take on life and love with lush Cali melodies.Bad Contestant is out on 1 June.Into Tame Impala?Try Melody’s Echo ChamberMelody Prochet’s second album of psychedelic pop is breathlessly sung in English, Swedish and French.Bon Voyage is out on 15 June.Into Lou Reed?Try WarmduscherFat White Family’s Saul Adamczewski is among the men behind the funkiest collection of speed-driven drug tales you’ll hear all year.Whale City is out on 1 June.Into The XX?Try Beach HouseBaltimore-based dream-pop duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally craft blissful, hazy love songs. The perfect soundtrack whenever you need to unwind.7 is out now.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018The first great literary work of the disinformation age is… a graphic novelWhy Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina is a masterpieceYou don’t need us to tell you that graphic novels aren’t just about beings with superpowers. The likes of famed illustrator Chris Ware, after all, have done away with that notion for good. His seminal Building Stories showed the potential of graphic novels to do clever things with both form (multiple multimedia mystery books) and content (telling human tales of residents of a single apartment block). But it’s only in Nick Drnaso’s second work, Sabrina, that the graphic novel can claim to not only rival the literary novel of ideas, but genuinely surpass it.The first great work about our current age of disinformation, paranoia and fake news, Sabrina is part Don DeLillo, part Jim Jarmusch, all fridge-humming domesticity and quiet dread. It follows, in…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Diarise these!+ Book now Eminem’s Revival tour at Twickenham StadiumFollowing his big-buzz headline performances at last year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals, Eminem comes to the UK with his No1 album Revival. 14 - 15 JULY.+ For the nightstandThe President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James PattersonLikely to prove the highest-selling hardback fiction title of the year, the thriller promises “the kind of insider details that only a president can know”. OUT ON 4 JUNE.Nine Livesby Aimen Dean, Paul Cruickshank and Tim ListerDean became one of Al-Qaeda’s most respected bomb-makers, but he was, all along, a spy working for MI6. This is his story. OUT ON 7 JUNE.Crudoby Olivia LaingNonfiction maestra Laing makes her first foray into fiction with this love story about a writer getting married amid the political turmoil…2 min

British GQ|July 2018David LammyWhen you’ve been labelled as “Britain’s Obama” and “the black Blair”, there must be challenging moments looking at life as an opposition backbencher after almost two decades in parliament. It must be even stranger for David Lammy that his constituency neighbour Jeremy Corbyn – a man he first knew as a local councillor, then as the MP for Islington, a fringe figure for most of his career – is now Labour leader. He thinks Corbyn will be prime minister but seems unsure how that will work out for the country. No tribal warrior, he is furious about anti-Semitism in the party and Labour’s stance on Brexit. He’s not happy with the BBC either, or middle-class cocaine snorters whom he says are part-responsible for many young black people’s deaths. As you…19 min

British GQ|July 2018‘MUM!You’ll probably see him at Pitti, pretending to talk on the phoneWelcome to Florence, game reserve for fashion’s daftest creaturesThe collective noun for a group of peacocks is an “ostentation”. There are few things more ostentatious than a peacock, after all. From the plume of iridescent tail feathers and the silly fascinator perched on its head to its camp trill of a call. The word “peacock” doesn’t scream subtlety, either.It’s hardly surprising, then, that the wallies who hang around outside the Pitti Uomo menswear fair in Florence, waiting to get papped season after season, have been dubbed “the peacocks of Pitti”.The thing is, for all their showiness, actual peacocks are birds. All that colourful plumage is about getting laid; it’s about survival. The Pitti plonkers, on the other hand, have…2 min

British GQ|July 2018The business case for… The summer sabbaticalTime was when, at some point after the Serpentine Summer Party in early July and before GQ’s Men Of The Year Awards in the first week of September, it was safe to sign out, pack the nanny and kids into premium economy and disappear. No more. Holidays are now strictly for under-25s and newlyweds. The rest of us understand that we’re always on the clock, even when we’re off the leash. The solution? Take a summer sabbatical. Put on your out of office that you’re researching “noncore revenue streams” (read: a wine tour of Tuscany) and don’t let up on work. There’s no need to go overboard. No one wants to see slurred Instagram stories from the sundeck of a Riva flybridge, but a few insights into world affairs from…1 min

British GQ|July 2018See the bigger pictureProfessional Plus Screen by Celexon £255 for 180x102cm. uk.celexon.com What good is a projector if you’ve nowhere to project to? For those who have busy walls and aren’t a billionaire with a cinema basement, you’ll have to pick up a screen. This pull-up floor option is best for most uses and the stable base will ensure the screen stays as flat as possible. (Word of warning, though: ultrashort-throw projectors don’t play kindly with surfaces other than a flat wall or a fixed screen, as the angle exaggerates any warps.) UHD51 Projector by Optoma £1,499. optoma.co.uk The UHD51 is a seriously advanced projector. Not only does it present images in Ultra HD, it also handles 3-D films and supports HDR for better colours. Extra cherries on the cake include PureMotion (to…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Isaac CarewWish list Watch “I like how chunky this watch is and that it’s handcrafted. When my book, The Dirty Dishes, is out in 2019 I’ll treat myself.” Royal Oak watch by Audemars Piguet, £37,200. audemarspiguet.com Shirt “I love a party shirt. I’d wear this evening or day, with tracksuit bottoms or black jeans. I always leave the bottom buttons undone and tuck it in on the left side.” By Gucci, £770. gucci.com Wish list Jacket “This gorgeous lambskin leather jacket is a statement, so I’d tone it down with a bright, oversized T-shirt underneath.” By Saint Laurent, £2,995. saintlaurent.com Trousers “Gucci joggers are the most comfortable and luxurious tracksuit bottoms I’ve ever owned. I like to go a size up for a more casual fit.” £670. gucci.com Wish list Jewellery…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Be more Jack. Step one: reclaim your bathrobe“I’m lying on a beach in Ibiza and a man pulls up to the bay in a mahogany Riva boat, anchors it and starts to swim ashore,” says Adrian Holdsworth, bathrobe aficionado and owner of Volpe Sartoriale. “As he’s getting out of the water, a gorgeous woman gets out of a black Range Rover carrying a bathrobe and swathes it around his body before they sit down to lunch. That is your Ploh man.”Singaporean company Ploh supplies bathrobes to Mandarin Oriental hotels worldwide. Made from 100 per cent chenille microfibre, the embrace of a Ploh bathrobe as you emerge out of the shower, bath or sea is legendary among high-flying luxury enthusiasts. They speak about Ploh in the reverent tones usually reserved for a particular brand of cigar. “I get…1 min

British GQ|July 2018e-ternal combustionThere is no such thing as the best car in the world, although I’d be able to afford one of the contenders if I had a pound for every time I’ve been asked which it is. The new Rolls-Royce Phantom sets new standards for mechanical serenity. The latest Porsche 911 GT3 makes a noise at 8,000rpm that has you laughing out loud at the sheer thrill of it all. The McLaren F1 is 25 years old, but the least compromised and most desirable car ever made. You’ll need a minimum of £8 million to get anywhere near one these days.But the BMW i8 gets closest to “bestness” in the modern idiom, closer than ever now that it’s available as a roadster. This is a quietly revolutionary car; it’s silent, in…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Alfa Romeo Stelvio QuadrifoglioAfter years of transparent obfuscation, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne recently confirmed to me that the world’s most famous maker of sports cars was planning an SUV. You can’t blame him: it’s a licence to print money and Marchionne loves making money. But the parent company also owns Alfa Romeo, another sanctified Italian brand, which already has a fast SUV on its books: the Stelvio Quadrifoglio.This is one of the most hilarious cars I’ve ever driven, so rampant it makes you wonder what a Ferrari 4x4 could add. It uses much of the hardware of the Giulia saloon, including the 2.9-litre V6 turbo developed by a man seconded from the “Prancing Horse”, which produces 503bhp and nearly as much torque, enough to see the Stelvio Q thunder to 62mph in 3.8…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Indian AccentIndian food at lunchtime might not be an obvious choice – it’s a cuisine normally associated with madcap feasting and postprandial food comas. But Indian Accent isn’t your local takeaway. Manish Mehrotra’s new restaurant in London’s Mayfair rethinks the region’s cooking entirely, cleverly folding in ideas from other countries and bringing out a new lightness and life (our highlight: the ghee roast lamb with roomali roti pancakes). The dining room is packed with the local hedgie set, drawn as much by the cooking as the hype. The original Indian Accent, back in New Delhi, is the nation’s only native cuisine restaurant to feature on the World’s 50 Best list. And the clincher? The two-course set lunch is an outrageously decent £25 a head. 16 Albemarle Street, London W1. 020 7629…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Carnival of liesIn the last two years – the era of Brexit, Donald Trump and Jeremy Corbyn’s remarkable electoral performance last year – political prophecy has become a dangerous game. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that there won’t be another UK-wide referendum for a very long time. There have, in fact, only been three: in 1975, on membership of what was then the EEC; in 2011, on the alternative vote electoral system; and, two years ago, the Brexit referendum.Whatever deal is cobbled together before our departure from the EU on 29 March 2019 – assuming that a deal is achieved – no senior politician in charge of his or her senses is going to seek a return visit to the wasteland of post-referendum politics to…5 min

British GQ|July 2018Imperial leatherThe late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani had a talent for striking magazine covers, but one in particular stays in the mind. For July 2013, the model Stella Tennant stood contrapposto, fixing the camera with an unwavering eye as a figure in a gimp mask licked her throat and another bearded, sunglassed figure in a jaunty leather cap and sleeveless black leather vest buried his nose behind her ear, seemingly intoxicated by the aroma of that part of her body. It’s very fashion, especially when you realise that the man in the leather vest and cap is the industry’s favourite architect, Peter Marino.With Marino, it is the leather you notice first. Lots and lots of leather in any colour you like so long as it is black and comes with…4 min

British GQ|July 2018Dreaming CaliforniaSomewhere in California it’s always the future. There’s a fair amount of the past lying around too, but here the future always looks like it’s trying to catch up with itself. There are those on the East Coast who say that California is too parochial. But then not only has Silicon Valley been the lodestar of innovation for nigh on 40 years, New York has to be one of the US’s most parochial cities, built on status anxiety, where restaurant reservations deserve a place on your résumé. Los Angeles has become slavishly Insta-friendly, where places are designed (or Californicated) to look attractive online: square, colourful, arch. It reinforces the rarely contradicted notion that the city will forever be a glorified theme park, albeit one that is cherished the world over.1…5 min

British GQ|July 2018Want to be bionic? We have the technology…As the pace of life gets quicker and the world seemingly becomes smaller and more accessible, for the modern highflyer functioning on the top level becomes increasingly difficult. What happens when you live life in the fast lane, but you don’t have the time (or the inclination) to slow down? The answer could be to employ some cutting-edge technological teammates to keep you in the game. Here are a few technicolour tricks of the trade to maintain your mojo when your rivals are fading to grey…Learn the art of heart coherenceHeart coherence is an optimal state between your brain and autonomic nervous system. When all else is crazy around you, it will give you a feeling of alertness and control. This may seem a state some people have only ever…3 min

British GQ|July 2018The GQ Pep Talk with… Samuel L JacksonIn his words: “The best advice given to me was that I had to be ten times smarter, braver and more polite to be equal. So I was.”In other words: Don’t give in to prejudice and never let anything deter you from your ambitions. If you have a goal, work towards it positively and push yourself to get there.In his words: “I’m a professional. I show up at work on time. I know my lines. I hit my mark. I treat the other actors and crew members with respect. That’s a role model. It has nothing to do with the characters that I play.”In other words: If you really want to be cool, don’t try to act cool. If you are kind, well mannered and prepared to work, and you…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Is the emoji mightier than the sword?Well, no. There is nothing attractive about a man (or woman) who can’t spell. Face it, let alone spell “millennium” correctly, given ink and pen rather than electricity and a phone, most can’t even spell their own graphics interchange format (duh). It’s time to spend some more time learning about the ancient art of… handwriting. That’s right. Long before you signed off an email to your boss using “strong arm”, “unicorn”, “heart” and “smiley face” – just me? – if you wanted to make a good impression you wrote a note. In ink. Here at House Rules we’re pushing for a revolution and the German-engineered Kaweco pens are our chosen weapon. Measuring only 10.5cm when closed, once the lid of the Classic Sport model is mounted on the barrel, it…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Smells like team spiritIt’s a known fact in fragrance circles that the French have a thing for deep, heavy scents with intense floral notes. It’s a contrast to the southern Mediterranean, where fresher strains of neroli and bergamot are popular. In the Middle East and India, localised woody scents such as patchouli, agar and sandalwood dominate, while in Japan it’s all about light, white flower-focused scents that don’t invade other people’s nostrils (terribly rude). It’s in the United States, however, where things get really interesting. Americans are famous for preferring fragrances that smell like washing detergent or, to affect an Americanism, “candy”. This predilection for sanitation and sweetness was spearheaded by the release of CK One in 1994 and the global dominance of American culture during that decade meant that fresh and occasionally…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Be more Jack. Step one: reclaim your bathrobe“I’m lying on a beach in Ibiza and a man pulls up to the bay in a mahogany Riva boat, anchors it and starts to swim ashore,” says Adrian Holdsworth, bathrobe aficionado and owner of Volpe Sartoriale. “As he’s getting out of the water, a gorgeous woman gets out of a black Range Rover carrying a bathrobe and swathes it around his body before they sit down to lunch. That is your Ploh man.” Singaporean company Ploh supplies bathrobes to Mandarin Oriental hotels worldwide. Made from 100 per cent chenille microfibre, the embrace of a Ploh bathrobe as you emerge out of the shower, bath or sea is legendary among high-flying luxury enthusiasts. They speak about Ploh in the reverent tones usually reserved for a particular brand of cigar. “I…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Aska by Fredrik BerseliusIn art history, the theory of the gesamtkunstwerk, the total medium, straddles all manner of aesthetics – painting, dress, architecture, sculpture – to create something harmonious. For as long as it has existed in art history, it has been anathema to the culinary world. At least, until Fredrik Berselius.In life as in wardrobe as in his kitchen, Berselius is a totality. A description of his suits (erudite lines, charcoal palette, a pinch of romanticism) is as apt for the recipes served in his Michelin-starred New York restaurant and recently collected in Aska (Phaidon, £40), which is, of course, all erudite lines, charcoal palette and a pinch of romanticism.Fusing a Manhattanite sensibility with Berselius’ Nordic roots, from mackerel and locust to birch with black trumpet, Aska is art in motion, bettering…1 min

British GQ|July 2018One-stop shop: Three quick bites at Mare Street MarketOpen Kitchen117 Mare Street, London E8.marestreetmarket.comThe setup: Taking over a former council building, Mare Street Market is a new consortium of shops and food outlets, founded by Gizzi Erskine and Barworks’ Marc Francis-Baum. Open Kitchen is its beating heart, with huge sharing tables, a central bar and a 100-seater terrace with its very own smokehouse.Eat this: London Fields’ The Bread Station makes the dough for the rye biga pizzas. Top yours with burrata, olive oil, basil and tomato (£6.50).Drink this: The three-page beer menu includes the peppery Hook Island Red ale (£5.50) by Five Points Brewing Company, based just a mile down the road.Flying Horse Coffee117 Mare Street, London E8.marestreetmarket.comThe setup: Coffee is a serious business here (you can tell by the shiny Roastmax machine). Jack Bradshaw has been plucked…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Dandelyan at Mondrian LondonCreated by Ryan Chetiyawardana (otherwise known as Mr Lyan, aka the biggest cheese in cutting-edge British bartending), this award-winning watering hole might just have the best reputation of any bar in the city. Since opening its doors in Southwark’s Mondrian London hotel in 2014, Dandelyan has wowed critics and guests with an innovative approach to botany.Now, the team’s “nose-to-tail” approach to flora is entering its next phase, with the second volume in the Dandelyan story: The Modern Life Of Plants. Split into four sections – mint, grape, hops and classics – this new menu explores the science and art at play in the human adaptation of plant and animal life. It’s both as daring and as delicious as expected. The BC3 Negroni (Bombay Sapphire, Dandelyan pollen vermouth, Ceylon Arrack, Campari,…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Moor Hall, LancashireWhen is a hotel not a hotel? When it is a restaurant with rooms, obviously. It is a small but important distinction for chef-patron Mark Birchall because, despite the stunning countryside setting, multimillion-pound renovation of a 16th-century manor house and an impeccable refurbishment by interior designer Martin Nealon, Moor Hall is first and foremost about the food.Having honed his skills as the executive chef at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume for the best part of nine years, Birchall is a modern master of taste, texture, presentation and flavour. So much so that before Moor Hall’s first birthday he had already been gifted four AA rosettes and a Michelin star for his five- (£70) and eight-course (£105) tasting menus. Highlights include an outrageous amuse-bouche of homemade black pudding in a crispy shell; a…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Paul Ainsworth At No6, PadstowIt’s impossible to talk about Padstow without mentioning Rick Stein. Oh, lovely, kiss-me-quick Rick… Cheeky, charming, passionate and piscatorial, the kindly old fella has his fishy fingers in so many pies, pasties, bistros, bars, cafés and cookery schools in the Cornish village that seemingly everything you eat tastes ever so slightly Stein-flavoured. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing – The Seafood Restaurant is still a must-visit – but there really is more to Padstow than an entrepreneurial life-aquatic septuagenarian.Specifically, there is Paul Ainsworth. While he isn’t exactly the new kid on the block (Ainsworth has been here for 12 years), since his arrival in “Padstein” he has quietly and confidently become Cornwall’s catch of the day. Having served his apprenticeship under the tutelage of British gastro titans Gary Rhodes,…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Hannah John-KamenWhen it comes to acting, there may be “no such thing as small parts”, but there is such a thing as small films. Not that Hannah John-Kamen has ever concerned herself with those trifles. The 28-year-old Brit has a filmography that consists entirely of blockbusters. The latest is Ant-Man And The Wasp, in which she plays Ghost opposite Paul Rudd. The first Ant-Man was warmly received by critics, but can we handle another Marvel film so soon after Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther? “I don’t think you can ever have too much Marvel,” she says. “It’s not the Marvel Country or the Marvel World – it’s the Marvel Universe.”After a TV apprenticeship in Game Of Thrones and Black Mirror, John-Kamen scored credits in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Tomb…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Isaac CarewWish listWatch“I like how chunky this watch is and that it’s handcrafted. When my book, The Dirty Dishes, is out in 2019 I’ll treat myself.”Royal Oak watch by Audemars Piguet, £37,200. audemarspiguet.comShirt“I love a party shirt. I’d wear this evening or day, with tracksuit bottoms or black jeans. I always leave the bottom buttons undone and tuck it in on the left side.”By Gucci, £770. gucci.comWish listJacket“This gorgeous lambskin leather jacket is a statement, so I’d tone it down with a bright, oversized T-shirt underneath.”By Saint Laurent, £2,995. saintlaurent.comTrousers“Gucci joggers are the most comfortable and luxurious tracksuit bottoms I’ve ever owned. I like to go a size up for a more casual fit.”£670. gucci.comWish listJewellery“Chunky bracelets are cool, but never with a festival band and never more than two at…2 min

British GQ|July 2018EDITOR’S LETTER‘[The Commons] can be tough for working-class kids’ One of the many things that politicians wrestle with is authenticity. Not just those who purport to be of humble origins, but every politician, whether they’re high born, bourgeois or working class. Authenticity is what usually gets them though the door, into the room and eventually into power. It’s the glue that binds the random ideologies and nervous tics together, the shine on the shoe, the hand on the shoulder. Before he started looking like a worn-out Bambi caught in the headlights of Fleet Street, forever smiling while his eyes looked scared, we all thought Tony Blair had authenticity. He was a bloody regular guy before bloody regular guys started outstaying their welcome. Alan Clark had authenticity, as does Boris Johnson. Alan…5 min

British GQ|July 2018CONTRIBUTORSDoug INGLISH Show us a man who says he isn’t obsessed with Jeff Goldblum and we’ll show you a liar. To celebrate our cover star’s return to the franchise that introduced him to millennials, in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Doug Inglish photographed Goldblum in the Hollywood Hills while the star played the famous theme song on the piano. “I fell in love,” says Inglish. “He was the most charming man.” Lou STOPPARD This year on GQ.co.uk, Contributing Fashion Editor Lou Stoppard has written about everything from Mark Zuckerberg to restaurant etiquette via male misdemeanours. “It’s not been a great few months for men,” says Stoppard, whose column continues this month on the website. “A high point was writing about those whose masculinity is so weak they’ll only buy moisturiser that’s…2 min

British GQ|July 2018this month on GQ.CO.UKDrink…in style, as each Thursday we unveil the latest addition to our little black book of London bars.Read…sharp insights from Contributing Editor Matt Kelly, on everything from Brexit to MP David Lammy (above), in the New European editor’s columns.Watch…exclusive interviews from our regular columnists, including when Alastair Campbell sat down with Ed Miliband (above), on our YouTube channel.Ask…our Style Shrink, Teo van den Broeke, your pressing fashion and grooming questions using the hashtag #GQStyleShrink.Update…your wardrobe with our weekly pick of the ten best menswear items, published every Tuesday.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Business cards are for dummies, you dummy*That’s bone. And the lettering is something called Silian Grail.” Every businessman – actually, hold the business – every man knows that scene from American Psycho. Set in the Wall Street boom of Eighties Manhattan, the lives of Patrick Bateman and his circle of dick-swinging money locusts, as painted so exquisitely by author Bret Easton Ellis, is one of those tales that stays with the reader long after finishing the last line. In particular, that excruciating business card scene, remembered most commonly from the film adaptation, illustrates an innate fear all successful men have: that however costly, shiny and tasteful one’s status symbols, there will always be a serial killer in an expensive suit who is more pedantic than you about aesthetic refinement.Everyone already knows who you are. And if…2 min

British GQ|July 20181,001 With Nick Foulkes manssentials(Because who doesn’t need, well, everything?)This month: Thames TV ring by Stephen Webster and Blondey McCoyArriving at Heathrow, passengers making the long march from aircraft door to immigration often find themselves cheered on by blown-up photographs of “typical” Londoners: a beefeater, a member of the constabulary, a town crier and – I would like to say but am not entirely sure if my memory is tricking me – pearly kings and queens. It is the sort of thing that has one furling one’s umbrella, adjusting one’s bowler hat and humming the opening bars of “Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner”.The walls of Heathrow are a glorious kaleidoscope of stereotypes. There is, however, a serious lacuna in this line-up: there is no picture of jeweller Stephen Webster. It is a monumental…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Wrist assuredIn the 55 years since Chopard was taken over by the Scheufele family, its patriarchs, Karl and his heir Karl-Friedrich, have sought to create a vertically integrated business – not least in the production of its high-end LUC collection (named for company founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard). Alongside greater independence, this has given the house full control over its supply chain, a fact confirmed by the announcement at this year’s Baselworld fair that, henceforth, the gold used in its watches and jewellery will be Fairmined in accordance with the Council For Responsible Jewellery’s “Chain Of Custody” initiative and under the auspices of its own “Journey To Sustainable Luxury”. To mark the occasion, LUC has unveiled the latest iteration of its four-barrelled, 216-hour power reserve Quattro, available for the first time in ethically…1 min

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British GQ|July 2018Why are ALL summer clothes SO HORRIBLY NAFF?White jeans. Bingo!For the British, white jeans were thought to be the answer to all our summer dressing conundrums. Admit it, even if you’re not going on holiday this year – presumably you’re an actor and consider yourself on holiday all year round – the idea of twinning, say, an Agnès B soft, supple “blue andy” shirt in poplin with an icewhite pair of Frame narrow jeans, no belt, no shoes, no nuffin’, makes you feel as summery as the Cardi B show at Coachella. Yet also: white jeans? Is that all you’ve got?Here at GQ, we know what the real problem is: all summer clothes on guys are naff as hell. Of course they are. As you sit shuffling papers at work and scroll through your IG feed, scanning…3 min

British GQ|July 2018How to wear a suit and not look like a banker*The embodiment of the undone double-breasted look is Richard Gere wearing total Giorgio Armani in American Gigolo (1980). The ground-breakingly modern yet luxurious code still resonates today. In fact, the prevailing mood could scarcely be more suitable for early Eighties Armani. A move away from overwrought and restrictive garb fused with an appetite for contemporary tailoring. Witness this season’s Armani double-breasted viscose-mix greige or washed navy suits for prime examples of such effortless verve.Undone double-breasted is a doppio-cool look. I’ve been running the undone stance for seasons now, as prescribed tailoring style felt just too straight-laced and stifling without a break of convention or contamination in the mix. To unbutton and relax in a double-breasted number is so much cooler than the uptight, stiff job-interview-in-the-city look that’s rife even on…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Style ShrinkIs it ever acceptable to wear pool slides to work in summer? I think they look fab and they’re just so comfortable. I’ll probably wear them either way, but I was interested to hear your opinion.Simo, Milton KeynesDear Simo,The pool slide is to shoes, Simo, what the mullet is to haircuts. If you’re going to attempt the look, preparation is key, context is everything and if you pick the wrong style you’ll end up looking like a fiftysomething Mitteleuropean bodybuilder.With this in mind, you need to take extra care when planning your office look. Though I would usually advise almost anyone against wearing any kind of toe-revealing footwear in a working environment (myself included), you sound determined to give it a try, so here are three rules you must follow…3 min

British GQ|July 2018THE RUMOUR MILLDefence secretary Gavin Williamson stepped in to save two heroic army dogs who were set to be put down after they were judged unsafe for new homes. For some reason the publicity shots given to the newspapers didn’t show the moment one of the Belgian shepherds went for a civil servant organising the photoshoot. The Tory strategy to go green is helping the party modernise its image, though some ministers are less than happy. So terrified are they of being photographed holding a plastic water bottle or disposable coffee cup they have complained to party hands that they’ve been suffering from dehydration during working hours. When he isn’t appearing on RT, Labour MP Chris Williamson spends much of his time denying allegations of anti-Semitism against Corbynistas. Unimpressed Tory MP Andrew…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Ducati Scrambler 1100Launched in 2015, Ducati’s Scrambler brand has now sold more than 45,000 of its lifestyle-oriented bikes. And it’s not hard to see why, with its easy-going nature and retro looks, but there was always a feeling that a little more power and sophistication wouldn’t go amiss. To address that, Ducati has wheeled out its new Scrambler 1100. With a bigger engine, advanced electronics (including traction control and rider modes), plus an even more “premium” feel, it’s the Scrambler we’ve all been waiting for. GQ rode the 1100 Special around Lisbon recently and we loved it, right down to its brown stitched leather seat, spoked wheels and grey colour scheme. Around the city it has manners and street cred by the bucket load and punches well above its weight out on…1 min

British GQ|July 2018MEN OF THE YEAR 2018The GQ Men Of The Year Awards – in part the best party in London, in part a much-deserved celebration of the best and the brightest and in part the best platform to go on stage and call the prime minister a “paigon”.That, after all, was one of the unexpected takeaways last year from a night full of them and the kind of thing that happens when you have a room that mixes grime stars (a certain Stormzy) with politicians (Sadiq Khan winning, Jeremy Corbyn presenting), bad boys of ballet (Sergei Polunin), Netflix child stars (the cast of Stranger Things), footballing legends (an England icon in Sir Geoff Hurst, a world icon in Pelé) and roof-raising comics (Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon). Throw in the odd Hollywood Oscar-winner (the indomitable…2 min

British GQ|July 2018this month on GQ.CO.UKDrink …in style, as each Thursday we unveil the latest addition to our little black book of London bars. Read …sharp insights from Contributing Editor Matt Kelly, on everything from Brexit to MP David Lammy (above), in the New European editor’s columns. Watch …exclusive interviews from our regular columnists, including when Alastair Campbell sat down with Ed Miliband (above), on our YouTube channel. Ask …our Style Shrink, Teo van den Broeke, your pressing fashion and grooming questions using the hashtag #GQStyleShrink. Update …your wardrobe with our weekly pick of the ten best menswear items, published every Tuesday.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018The great rom conNorman Mailer craved romance.That sweet, ineffable feeling that fuses anticipation and passion, the unmatched thrill of finding someone new, the great unmet lover who might be waiting just around the next corner, not simply another girl, but the other half of your soul. Which was all a bit awkward as later that same day Mailer was due to get married for the sixth time (the second that week, but that is another story).It was November 1980, the day dawning cold and bright in Brooklyn Heights. Mailer, the hard man of American letters, was 57, overweight, with five ex-wives, seven children, money troubles galore and about to marry a 31-year-old woman called Norris Church, the mother of his youngest son.The old man was having second thoughts. Marriage? Again? Starting down that…9 min

British GQ|July 20181,001 With Nick Foulkes manssentials(Because who doesn’t need, well, everything?) This month: Thames TV ring by Stephen Webster and Blondey McCoy Arriving at Heathrow, passengers making the long march from aircraft door to immigration often find themselves cheered on by blown-up photographs of “typical” Londoners: a beefeater, a member of the constabulary, a town crier and – I would like to say but am not entirely sure if my memory is tricking me – pearly kings and queens. It is the sort of thing that has one furling one’s umbrella, adjusting one’s bowler hat and humming the opening bars of “Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner”. The walls of Heathrow are a glorious kaleidoscope of stereotypes. There is, however, a serious lacuna in this line-up: there is no picture of jeweller Stephen Webster. It…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Sleaze is dead. Real men dig matchy matchy formalityBack in the day, I’d wear matching shirt-and-shorts combos all over the globe. Often an Aquascutum club check shirt and low-slung club check shorts with either Gucci snaffle loafers or superlight Asics runners. I felt so comfortable and casual in this look yet it was quite impactful on the visuals. I worked other shorts/shirt combos, known as a “Havana suit”, and in my head these dynamic little combos could carry me from the liveliest shebeens to the gangplanks of the flashiest yachts and assist my operations at both. There is no doubt I had delusions of style grandeur, but such is the power of fashion fantasy. This summer, however, I am enjoying a second Havanasuit wind/third midlife crisis courtesy of brands that have produced a coterie of marvellous matching Cabana…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Three ways to wear… An almost too-lurid ‘sun’s shining’ suitBaby blue is the warmest colour If you want a suit that ticks the summer colour box but doesn’t make you feel like a human traffic light, the skill is to go tone on tone. Harry Styles (right) – admittedly a man who could wear an actual traffic light and still look better than most men on their wedding day – shows how it’s done with a lightblue suit-and-shirt combo. Ditch any sort of tie – you’re not going to a funeral in such a colour – and combine with either a long pendant (gold only, please; silver necklaces are for amateurs) and a ring or two. You’ll look like an easy lay, perhaps, but sometimes a bit of sleaze goes a long way in the style stakes. Orange is…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Why are ALL summer clothes SO HORRIBLY NAFF?White jeans. Bingo! For the British, white jeans were thought to be the answer to all our summer dressing conundrums. Admit it, even if you’re not going on holiday this year – presumably you’re an actor and consider yourself on holiday all year round – the idea of twinning, say, an Agnès B soft, supple “blue andy” shirt in poplin with an icewhite pair of Frame narrow jeans, no belt, no shoes, no nuffin’, makes you feel as summery as the Cardi B show at Coachella. Yet also: white jeans? Is that all you’ve got? Here at GQ, we know what the real problem is: all summer clothes on guys are naff as hell. Of course they are. As you sit shuffling papers at work and scroll through your IG…3 min

British GQ|July 2018How to wear a suit and not look like a banker*The embodiment of the undone double-breasted look is Richard Gere wearing total Giorgio Armani in American Gigolo (1980). The ground-breakingly modern yet luxurious code still resonates today. In fact, the prevailing mood could scarcely be more suitable for early Eighties Armani. A move away from overwrought and restrictive garb fused with an appetite for contemporary tailoring. Witness this season’s Armani double-breasted viscose-mix greige or washed navy suits for prime examples of such effortless verve. Undone double-breasted is a doppio-cool look. I’ve been running the undone stance for seasons now, as prescribed tailoring style felt just too straight-laced and stifling without a break of convention or contamination in the mix. To unbutton and relax in a double-breasted number is so much cooler than the uptight, stiff job-interview-in-the-city look that’s rife even…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Style ShrinkIs it ever acceptable to wear pool slides to work in summer? I think they look fab and they’re just so comfortable. I’ll probably wear them either way, but I was interested to hear your opinion. Simo, Milton Keynes Dear Simo, The pool slide is to shoes, Simo, what the mullet is to haircuts. If you’re going to attempt the look, preparation is key, context is everything and if you pick the wrong style you’ll end up looking like a fiftysomething Mitteleuropean bodybuilder. With this in mind, you need to take extra care when planning your office look. Though I would usually advise almost anyone against wearing any kind of toe-revealing footwear in a working environment (myself included), you sound determined to give it a try, so here are three…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Kadie’s Cocktail Bar & ClubYou know a club is worth its £1,000 VIP tables when, within days of its official opening last December, Idris Elba chooses to host his Christmas party there. No wonder Kadie’s didn’t bother with a promo run – this tiny luxe basement venue has had London’s finest socialites line up for a spot on its invite-only guest list since pictures of Big Driis in the DJ booth surfaced…Where’s the evil bouncer with his clipboard?Kadie’s would never abide confrontation on the street. Their host discreetly manages the chancers downstairs…Why is everyone wearing Saint Laurent?Because of the dress code, which, while flagrantly abusing the semicolon, reads: “From Saint Laurent cowboys and rock’n’rollers to sartorial sophisticates and Gucci glamourati; you are welcome if you dress with personality, purpose and originality.” Better take off…1 min

British GQ|July 2018We loveSummer sandals by BOSS Contemporary summer sandals aren’t always the easiest (or sexiest) addition to a man’s wardrobe. However, this season BOSS has provided the answer to this conundrum. Cut from soft Italian calfskin, with sporty webbing accents, these shoes are sure to take you from the beach to the bar without breaking sweat. Team with your holiday essentials in the day and your sports luxe tailoring in the evening. They’ll be your go- to before you know it.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018e-ternal combustionThere is no such thing as the best car in the world, although I’d be able to afford one of the contenders if I had a pound for every time I’ve been asked which it is. The new Rolls-Royce Phantom sets new standards for mechanical serenity. The latest Porsche 911 GT3 makes a noise at 8,000rpm that has you laughing out loud at the sheer thrill of it all. The McLaren F1 is 25 years old, but the least compromised and most desirable car ever made. You’ll need a minimum of £8 million to get anywhere near one these days. But the BMW i8 gets closest to “bestness” in the modern idiom, closer than ever now that it’s available as a roadster. This is a quietly revolutionary car; it’s silent,…3 min

British GQ|July 2018Ducati Scrambler 1100Launched in 2015, Ducati’s Scrambler brand has now sold more than 45,000 of its lifestyle-oriented bikes. And it’s not hard to see why, with its easy-going nature and retro looks, but there was always a feeling that a little more power and sophistication wouldn’t go amiss. To address that, Ducati has wheeled out its new Scrambler 1100. With a bigger engine, advanced electronics (including traction control and rider modes), plus an even more “premium”feel, it’s the Scrambler we’ve all been waiting for. GQ rode the 1100 Special around Lisbon recently and we loved it, right down to its brown stitched leather seat, spoked wheels and grey colour scheme. Around the city it has manners and street cred by the bucket load and punches well aboveits weight out on the open…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Alfa Romeo Stelvio QuadrifoglioAfter years of transparent obfuscation, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne recently confirmed to me that the world’s most famous maker of sports cars was planning an SUV. You can’t blame him: it’s a licence to print money and Marchionne loves making money. But the parent company also owns Alfa Romeo, another sanctified Italian brand, which already has a fast SUV on its books: the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. This is one of the most hilarious cars I’ve ever driven, so rampant it makes you wonder what a Ferrari 4x4 could add. It uses much of the hardware of the Giulia saloon, including the 2.9-litre V6 turbo developed by a man seconded from the “Prancing Horse”, which produces 503bhp and nearly as much torque, enough to see the Stelvio Q thunder to 62mph in…1 min

British GQ|July 2018CONTRIBUTORSDoug INGLISHShow us a man who says he isn’t obsessed with Jeff Goldblum and we’ll show you a liar. To celebrate our cover star’s return to the franchise that introduced him to millennials, in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Doug Inglish photographed Goldblum in the Hollywood Hills while the star played the famous theme song on the piano. “I fell in love,” says Inglish. “He was the most charming man.”Lou STOPPARDThis year on GQ.co.uk, Contributing Fashion Editor Lou Stoppard has written about everything from Mark Zuckerberg to restaurant etiquette via male misdemeanours. “It’s not been a great few months for men,” says Stoppard, whose column continues this month on the website. “A high point was writing about those whose masculinity is so weak they’ll only buy moisturiser that’s branded for men.”Charlie…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Build a Woah! Becord Library#17 The Bright MississippiBeing just under the radar often pays dividends. It can certainly extend the career. I was first made aware of Allen Toussaint in 1977, soon after Glen Campbell had covered his song “Southern Nights” (Toussaint called himself the “Southern Knight”), which led to a circuitous and frequently interrupted journey of discovery that took me from “Fortune Teller” by The Rolling Stones (he wrote it) to “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle (he produced it) via The Band’s Rock Of Ages (he arranged it). Constant running between the control booth and the studio, and never comprehensively defining a career in either, was responsible for Toussaint’s cult status, but it also helped him become one of the most respected musicians of his time.The record he became best-known for this century is…2 min

British GQ|July 2018The ultimate all-American road tripSpare a thought for the video game artists. Not so long ago they could daub a few squares on a sheet of graph paper and conjure into being a Super Mario or Sonic The Hedgehog. An entire universe could be realised inside of a month or two. No more. The Crew, from 2014, revealed the horrifying scale of the task in the modern era. This open-world racing game offered its players the entire run of the United States, from the weed-sweet air of San Francisco, through the anonymous span of Kansas and Missouri and out into the extravagant skyline of New York, with its meteorological tantrums. Sure, the game used trickery to scale the country down in order to fit on an Xbox, but for anyone who attempted the full…2 min

British GQ|July 2018THE BOYS OF SUMMERAction ManFor the action man, a holiday isn’t a holiday unless he’s doing 20,000 steps a day. Preferably at elevation. Whether it’s mountain biking in Majorca, hill running in the Himalayas or hiking in the Dolomites, downtime for action man is all about being as up as possible. His swimming shorts are designed for swimming, his sunnies are wraparound and his luggage is back-based.Mr BookishSummer may not be this chap’s natural season, but he makes a good go of it nonetheless. Days on holiday are spent reading (two books a day if he’s left undisturbed) and applying ultra-high SPF sun cream (he’s got very sensitive skin), while evenings are whiled away playing games of mahjong and drinking cups of steaming oolong. Favoured destinations include the Hebrides and, if he’s feeling…3 min

British GQ|July 2018THE RUMOUR MILLDefence secretary Gavin Williamson stepped in to save two heroic army dogs who were set to be put down after they were judged unsafe for new homes. For some reason the publicity shots given to the newspapers didn’t show the moment one of the Belgian shepherds went for a civil servant organising the photoshoot.The Tory strategy to go green is helping the party modernise its image, though some ministers are less than happy. So terrified are they of being photographed holding a plastic water bottle or disposable coffee cup they have complained to party hands that they’ve been suffering from dehydration during working hours.When he isn’t appearing on RT, Labour MP Chris Williamson spends much of his time denying allegations of anti-Semitism against Corbynistas. Unimpressed Tory MP Andrew Percy has…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Hannah John-KamenWhen it comes to acting, there may be “no such thing as small parts”, but there is such a thing as small films. Not that Hannah John-Kamen has ever concerned herself with those trifles. The 28-year-old Brit has a filmography that consists entirely of blockbusters. The latest is Ant-Man And The Wasp, in which she plays Ghost opposite Paul Rudd. The first Ant-Man was warmly received by critics, but can we handle another Marvel film so soon after Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther? “I don’t think you can ever have too much Marvel,” she says. “It’s not the Marvel Country or the Marvel World – it’s the Marvel Universe.” After a TV apprenticeship in Game Of Thrones and Black Mirror, John-Kamen scored credits in Star Wars: The Force Awakens,…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Build a Woah! Becord Library#17 The Bright Mississippi Being just under the radar often pays dividends. It can certainly extend the career. I was first made aware of Allen Toussaint in 1977, soon after Glen Campbell had covered his song “Southern Nights” (Toussaint called himself the “Southern Knight”), which led to a circuitous and frequently interrupted journey of discovery that took me from “Fortune Teller” by The Rolling Stones (he wrote it) to “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle (he produced it) via The Band’s Rock Of Ages (he arranged it). Constant running between the control booth and the studio, and never comprehensively defining a career in either, was responsible for Toussaint’s cult status, but it also helped him become one of the most respected musicians of his time. The record he became best-known for this…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Sleaze is dead. Real men dig matchy matchy formalityBack in the day, I’d wear matching shirt-and-shorts combos all over the globe. Often an Aquascutum club check shirt and low-slung club check shorts with either Gucci snaffle loafers or superlight Asics runners. I felt so comfortable and casual in this look yet it was quite impactful on the visuals. I worked other shorts/shirt combos, known as a “Havana suit”, and in my head these dynamic little combos could carry me from the liveliest shebeens to the gangplanks of the flashiest yachts and assist my operations at both. There is no doubt I had delusions of style grandeur, but such is the power of fashion fantasy.This summer, however, I am enjoying a second Havanasuit wind/third midlife crisis courtesy of brands that have produced a coterie of marvellous matching Cabana sets…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Three ways to wear… An almost too-lurid ‘sun’s shining’ suitBaby blue is the warmest colourIf you want a suit that ticks the summer colour box but doesn’t make you feel like a human traffic light, the skill is to go tone on tone. Harry Styles (right) – admittedly a man who could wear an actual traffic light and still look better than most men on their wedding day – shows how it’s done with a lightblue suit-and-shirt combo. Ditch any sort of tie – you’re not going to a funeral in such a colour – and combine with either a long pendant (gold only, please; silver necklaces are for amateurs) and a ring or two. You’ll look like an easy lay, perhaps, but sometimes a bit of sleaze goes a long way in the style stakes.Orange is the new…2 min

British GQ|July 2018GQ BANF O - MATICInto Father John Misty? Try Matt Maltese The 21-year-old South Londoner’s debut, recorded in LA, contrasts his witty, waspish take on life and love with lush Cali melodies. Bad Contestant is out on 1 June. Into Tame Impala? Try Melody’s Echo Chamber Melody Prochet’s second album of psychedelic pop is breathlessly sung in English, Swedish and French. Bon Voyage is out on 15 June. Into Lou Reed? Try Warmduscher Fat White Family’s Saul Adamczewski is among the men behind the funkiest collection of speed-driven drug tales you’ll hear all year. Whale City is out on 1 June. Into The XX? Try Beach House Baltimore-based dream-pop duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally craft blissful, hazy love songs. The perfect soundtrack whenever you need to unwind. 7 is out now.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018THE BOYS OF SUMMERAction Man For the action man, a holiday isn’t a holiday unless he’s doing 20,000 steps a day. Preferably at elevation. Whether it’s mountain biking in Majorca, hill running in the Himalayas or hiking in the Dolomites, downtime for action man is all about being as up as possible. His swimming shorts are designed for swimming, his sunnies are wraparound and his luggage is back-based. Mr Bookish Summer may not be this chap’s natural season, but he makes a good go of it nonetheless. Days on holiday are spent reading (two books a day if he’s left undisturbed) and applying ultra-high SPF sun cream (he’s got very sensitive skin), while evenings are whiled away playing games of mahjong and drinking cups of steaming oolong. Favoured destinations include the Hebrides and,…3 min

British GQ|July 2018The first great literary work of the disinformation age is… a graphic novelWhy Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina is a masterpiece You don’t need us to tell you that graphic novels aren’t just about beings with superpowers. The likes of famed illustrator Chris Ware, after all, have done away with that notion for good. His seminal Building Stories showed the potential of graphic novels to do clever things with both form (multiple multimedia mystery books) and content (telling human tales of residents of a single apartment block). But it’s only in Nick Drnaso’s second work, Sabrina, that the graphic novel can claim to not only rival the literary novel of ideas, but genuinely surpass it. The first great work about our current age of disinformation, paranoia and fake news, Sabrina is part Don DeLillo, part Jim Jarmusch, all fridge-humming domesticity and quiet dread. It…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Diarise these!+ Book now Eminem’s Revival tour at Twickenham Stadium Following his big-buzz headline performances at last year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals, Eminem comes to the UK with his No1 album Revival. 14 - 15 JULY. + For the nightstand The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson Likely to prove the highest-selling hardback fiction title of the year, the thriller promises “the kind of insider details that only a president can know”. OUT ON 4 JUNE. Nine Lives by Aimen Dean, Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister Dean became one of Al-Qaeda’s most respected bomb-makers, but he was, all along, a spy working for MI6. This is his story. OUT ON 7 JUNE. Crudo by Olivia Laing Nonfiction maestra Laing makes her first foray into fiction with this love…2 min

British GQ|July 2018A modest proposal for fixing the internetThe internet is broken. Don’t take it from me – take it from its founding father. In March, 28 years after he switched on the first web server, Tim Berners-Lee posted an open letter on webfoundation.org: “The web that many connected to years ago is not what new users will find today,” he lamented. “What was once a rich selection of blogs and websites has been compressed under the powerful weight of a few dominant platforms, [making] it possible to weaponise the web at scale.” The Cambridge Analytica scandal has thrown that danger into relief. Its consequences are manifold: citizens living in filter bubbles; nefarious states interfering in elections; fake news gaining teeth; social divisions becoming entrenched. Online communication was once seen as a means of emancipation – today it…4 min

British GQ|July 2018Grime scene investigatorStormzy’s closing performance at this year’s Brit Awards was a sensation on many levels, from the way his gigantic charisma rendered the rest of the night’s acts irrelevant to the fearless precision with which he called out Theresa May and the Daily Mail. But what I find most striking about Stormzy’s elevation to British pop’s top table is the fact that grime’s new superstar had only just turned ten when Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da Corner launched the genre into the wider world.Grime’s life cycle defies precedent. In commercial terms, most genres either rise or fall within a few years, like disco, or become a permanent feature of the landscape, like hip hop. Grime has done neither of these things. Inner City Pressure: The Story Of Grime (William Collins, £9.99)…5 min

British GQ|July 2018‘MUM!You’ll probably see him at Pitti, pretending to talk on the phone Welcome to Florence, game reserve for fashion’s daftest creatures The collective noun for a group of peacocks is an “ostentation”. There are few things more ostentatious than a peacock, after all. From the plume of iridescent tail feathers and the silly fascinator perched on its head to its camp trill of a call. The word “peacock” doesn’t scream subtlety, either. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the wallies who hang around outside the Pitti Uomo menswear fair in Florence, waiting to get papped season after season, have been dubbed “the peacocks of Pitti”. The thing is, for all their showiness, actual peacocks are birds. All that colourful plumage is about getting laid; it’s about survival. The Pitti plonkers, on…2 min

British GQ|July 2018+ Listen up: Five of the best audiobooks to boost your mood…Brideshead Revisitedby Evelyn WaughOf Jeremy Irons’ recordings, Brideshead Revisited is hard to beat. Let his velvet voice enfold you in the neuroses of the Flyte family and feel your own worries fade away.Neverthelessby Alec BaldwinThere are no second acts in American life? Hold that thought. The feel-good post-50 turnaround Nevertheless is read by Trump tormentor Alec Baldwin himself.Running In The Familyby Michael OndaatjeRead by Ondaatje, who sounds like a sleepy literary lion, Running In The Family is a funny masterclass in getting to know yourself.The Theory Of Everythingby Stephen HawkingSadly, there isn’t a recording of Stephen Hawking reading The Theory Of Everything, but Michael York still gives a mind-blowing performance.Restlessby William BoydOne of the slickest and sexiest literary thrillers of our time, Restless is blissfully whispered into your ear by…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Tyre flipsWrestling a tractor tyre off the floor and generating enough power to flip its 100 to 300kg weight will set you on the right track to new levels of total body strength. But before you go and square up to a monster truck tyre, it’s essential to refine your flipping technique using lighter versions first. You must also learn how to safely generate enough momentum at the start of the movement to get “under the tyre”, switch hand position and push it over with the heel of the hand without causing injury.Focus on flipping and lifting in one smooth action, working quickly with good technique. And remember: always warm up thoroughly before attempting to flip a heavy tyre.Directions1. Get set on a deep squat, with hips low and pushed back,…2 min

British GQ|July 2018Get better at everything right nowZapsFrontal lobeTranscranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) is not yet mainstream, but neither is it the stuff of science fiction. Used to help Parkinson’s sufferers and stroke victims, it’s increasingly being applied to healthy individuals to improve reaction times and decision making by strengthening synaptic connections. Efficacy and safety issues in this largely unregulated field persist and its early adoption by hard-core gamers is not necessarily a recommendation.10-23The amount of watts generated by the brain when you are awakeLearningCerebellumStay curious: good life advice, but with particular brain benefits. Learning a second language, computer code or a musical instrument – taking you and your brain out of your comfort zone – boosts neuroplasticity, helps create neurons and establishes new connections. The younger you do this, the easier it is and the more…2 min

British GQ|July 2018+ Jumping-off points…‘We’re wearing very little clothing up there! It’s important to make sure all of our body hair is groomed’Rio Olympian Chris Mears talks about his life outside the sport and his passion for musicOn top of all your training, what was it that drove you to take up DJing?“I love to create. Music first and foremost: any genre and anything I’m inspired by at that moment. I find it tends to be loosely based on what I’m listening to at the time. I’m working towards a future in the music industry after I have retired from diving, and I hope that the industry embraces me the same way the sport world has. I also enjoy making art – it’s a great outlet.”What music are you listening to right now?“I’m loving…1 min

British GQ|July 2018High and mightyChris Mears knows a thing or two about getting your body into perfect condition. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the 25-year-old competed in the men’s synchronised 3m springboard event with Jack Laugher and they won Britain’s first ever Olympic gold medal in diving. This year, the pair won gold yet again at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast. According to Mears, preperation is everything when it comes to big competitions – and shaving his body is a big part of his mental and physical build up routine. “It is as simple as ‘look good, feel good’,” he says. “I mean, we’re wearing very little clothing up there! It’s important to make sure all of our body hair is groomed.”The NIVEA MEN Body Shaving Stick is designed for…1 min

British GQ|July 2018Freya RhubarbFor the rhubarb and blossom cordialIngredients1kg of rhubarb, roughly chopped1 punnet of edible flowers200g of clear honey1.5 litres of waterMethodPut the ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil, simmer for a couple minutes then leave to infuse overnight.For the cocktailIngredients50ml of Freya20ml of lemon juice15ml of rhubarb and blossom cordialTop with Real KombuchaMethodFirst you want to make a ribbon of rhubarb using a peeler. The skin is naturally wet so will wrap easily around the inside of the glass to give the drink an extra flourish. Add ice cubes to the glass to secure the ribbon in place.To mix, pour the Freya, lemon juice and rhubarb and blossom cordial over the ice and top up with the Real Kombucha.With a long spoon or paper straw give everything a mix.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018We loveLuxury activewear by Plein Sport If the pinnacle of high-performance clothing is what you’re after, then look no further than Plein Sport. The brainchild of fashion titan Philipp Plein, Plein Sport is (quite simply) the sportier model. Our pick? Invest in the full look and bag yourself this monochrome tracksuit. Wear together for the ultimate head-turning gym gear, or use as separates in your off-duty wardrobe.…1 min

British GQ|July 2018+ Where we’ve been eating this month…La Dame De PicThree Michelin-starred Anne Sophie-Pic is practically royalty in France. Now her haute cuisine has come to the UK.Standout dish: Berlingots of pasta, stuffed with gently smoked Brillat-Savarin cheese.10 Trinity Square, London EC3. 020 3297 3799.ladamedepiclondon.co.ukTheo RandallA touch of class with great service, Randall’s gift for all things Italian keeps giving, particularly in the form of the primi pasta dishes.Standout dish: Taglierini con gamberetti e carciofi.InterContinental Hotel, 1 Hamilton Place, London W1.020 7318 8747. theorandall.comOrreryLondon’s traditional French fine-dining spot has got spruced up for summer, courtesy of interior designer David D’Almada.Standout dish: Soulard duck, braised Savoy cabbage, parsnip, cherry and Banyuls.55 Marylebone High Street, London W1. 020 7616 8000.orrery-restaurant.co.uk…1 min

Table of contents for July 2018 in British GQ (2025)

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