Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2025 i Esquire

ON THE EDGE OF A BUCOLIC ENGLISH VILLAGE ABOUT AN HOUR’S drive from London is a large house that’s hidden from view by a cluster of old-growth trees. George Clooney lives in this house. Or, rather, it’s one of his residences. In June, I took a train from Paris—where I had been attending Fashion Week—to Clooney’s house for an Esquire cover shoot. At 9:00 a.m., Clooney walked out his back door and strolled to his pool house, where our photographer and stylist had established a base camp. Clooney was dressed in a dark-blue suit and white shirt, no tie, and carried a coffee mug. This was unusual. Most celebrities arrive to their photo shoots in casual gear because they’re about to undress and put on clothes for the camera. Plus,…

HAVE YOU EVER MADE THE MISTAKE OF downing a potent cocktail before dinner—for me it would be a bone-dry martini—and almost finding yourself on the floor before you sit down for appetizers? Experience has taught me there’s a better way. These days, I do my adventurous drinking after supper, and the benefits are many. To begin with, I enjoy my food more when not sloshed. Plus, easing into the flow leaves me time to look forward to ordering the perfect digestif. Historically, the after-dinner drink was meant to help with, you guessed it, digestion. (Just as its predinner cousin, the aperitif, is intended to open you up for consumption.) Inherently snooty sounding given its French origin, the word digestif may conjure images of Dr. Frasier Crane opening a bottle of…

STONE ISLAND, THE ITALIAN label founded in 1982, is well-known for producing some of the most interesting textile innovations in men’s fashion—from garmentdyed nylon trousers to jackets made of metal mesh. But one material has been missing from its lineup for nearly the past decade: denim. For the brand’s many devoted fans, it has felt like an eternity. The wait is over. This fall, Stoney is going all in on indigo, with utility vests, cargo trousers made from ultralight polypropylene, and more. We’re most eager to try the classic Japanese selvedge garments, like the jacket and jeans shown here. They arrive stiff and raw and mold to your body and, in time, adopt a patina that’s entirely unique to you. Think of it as your own textile development.…

I’VE KNOWN NEAPOLITAN TAILOR Mariano Rubinacci for 30 or 40 years. He’s got great taste and one of the best menswear businesses in Italy. But I had never gotten a suit from him. I can’t explain it; I guess I just hadn’t had time. Then, a decade or so ago, I visited him in Naples to get the clothing for a fashion exhibition I was working on. I had a couple days there, so I told him, “We’ve got the time now. I’d like you to make me a suit.” And he said, “Well, I thought you’d never ask.” I was in his shop the next morning. You have to find a tailor who does what you like. And I like soft tailoring. The Neapolitans have a reputation for it,…

AS STYLE HAS EVOLVED IN THE 21ST century, we have evolved too, embracing comfort as a vital pillar of getting dressed. We’re not going back anytime soon. Fortunately for the man who likes to dress up without sacrificing ease, hope lies in the dark glamour of British brand Dunhill. We have creative director Simon Holloway to thank for that. Now in his third season, he’s well into his stride at the 132-year-old luxury label. And he’s a true man of the cloth—at least in one sense. Holloway applies a granular attention to the fabrics in his collections, creating exclusive textiles with the best mills and striking a delicate balance between the hard-to-define “heft” of old-school English fabrics and a more modern feel. From a distance, Holloway’s clothes look classic—gentlemanly, even—with…

I’M WEIRD. I can be more open in some ways with audiences than I can in interpersonal relationships. LOOK, I’VE LIVED AND LEARNED over time. I’ve been a toxic person in my life. I’m not great at relationships. I used to do a joke where I think I’m about 85 percent woke and the other 15 percent I keep to myself. THE PODCAST IS JUST me and my producer, Brendan McDonald. It’s really about me and the arc of my life, and guests enter into that. Listeners have seen me move through almost everything one can in life, other than the birth of a child, because I don’t have that. The death of a partner, cats coming and going, women coming and going, career things coming and going, my own…

STORE INFORMATION For the items featured in Esquire, please consult the website or call the phone number provided. The Blueprint, p. 30: Stone Island jacket and jeans, stoneisland.com. Port Tanger sunglasses, porttanger.com. P. 32: Zegna jacket, zegna.com. Pp. 34-35: Isabel Marant necklace, isabelmarant.com. Brunello Cucinelli bottle opener and nutcracker, brunellocucinelli.com. Abbeyhorn shoehorn, cuff links, and saltcellar, abbeyhorn.co.uk. Morgenthal Frederics sunglasses, morgenthalfrederics.com. Maadili Collective bowl and guitar picks, maadilicollective.com. Laguiole corkscrew, sidmashburn.com. Soko rings, shopsoko.com. P. 38: Polo Ralph Lauren coat, vest, shirt, and jeans, ralphlauren.com. Red Wing Heritage boots, redwingshoes.com. P. 39: Thom Browne jacket, shirt, tie, and trousers, thombrowne.com. Giuliva Heritage coat, giulivaheritage.com. Isaia turtleneck and trousers, isaia.it. Ugg boots, ugg.com. Cutler & Gross sunglasses, cutlerandgross.com. P. 40: Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, jaegerlecoultre.com. P. 42: Dunhill coat, jacket, turtleneck, and…

IN THE INCREASING CHAOS OF AIR TRAVEL, IT PAYS TO STAND out from the sea of pajama pants and hoodies. Not because of any traditionalist grumblings about propriety, mind you, but as a reminder that jet-setting across the country or the globe is still more of a privilege than a chore. Dressing up a little is one way to embrace that attitude. Another way is to find inspiration from the generations of stylish men who understood the power of a well-designed bag: upgrade your luggage to a functional holdall that’s luxurious enough to carry all your in-flight needs with panache. While we’re invoking French, you should know that you don’t need to be fluent to love a bag from Paris-based Berluti. But in the case of the new Périple carryall,…

YOUR INVESTMENT IN QUALITY CASHMERE DOESN’T END THE MOMENT YOU tap your credit card and leave the store. In fact, it has only just begun. Saskia Dijkstra is a walking encyclopedia on our favorite noble fiber and how to care for it. She’s also a first-rate myth buster when it comes to cashmere BS. She should know—before founding her brand Extreme Cashmere in 2016, she spent 25 years at the sharp end of the global cashmere industry, connecting brands with the best cashmere fibers from Inner Mongolia and manufacturers in Hong Kong. In cashmere, as with all of life’s luxuries, the starting point is top-notch raw ingredients and, critically, knowing how to treat them when you get them home. Did you know, for instance, that you shouldn’t dry-clean your cashmere…

AS I WRITE THIS, I AM SORE AND HOARSE AND exhausted and broke, and the most content I have been in ages. This is because, like so many men my age in the year 2025, I have just seen an Oasis reunion show. And like all men who have been there, I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell you about it. You know this if you have a middle-aged guy in your life, but the Oasis show was life-affrming, a chance to bounce and bellow with a stadium full of fellow fans, proof in these contentious times that even profound differences can be overcome. If Liam and Noel could patch it up, anything might be possible. It brought big choruses, bucket hats, and hope. It made us feel young…

THE SARTORIALLY OBSESSED CAN GET HOT UNDER THE COLLAR when they see a jacket without a discernible lapel. In trad minds, shades of try-hard or even a hint of Bond villain hang around tailored pieces that diverge significantly from blessedly normal notches or peaks. But like the tie before it, the jacket’s role has undergone a transformation. As little as ten years ago, you’d be considered underdressed in many offces without a blazer, even if it spent most of the day on the back of your chair. Then someone paired a dress shirt with a fleece. We’d like to have a word with that guy out back. For those who’ve resisted this regrettable choice and continue to wear a jacket, there’s a very good chance it’s a workwear-inspired chore jacket,…

IF YOU THINK FASHION FADS ARE A PRODUCT OF THE SOCIAL-MEDIA age, you haven’t considered the camel coat. A century ago, it went from completely unknown to the hottest piece of outerwear in America. And it was all thanks to a few visiting athletes. According to Esquire’s Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men’s Fashions (1973), camel-hair coats were first adopted in 1926 in the U. S. after British polo players on tour on Long Island were spotted wearing them on the sidelines. A later Esquire story from 1986 revealed that these British sportsmen called them “waiting coats” because they kept the players warm while changing ponies between periods (known as “chukkas” in polo). Knee-length, double-breasted, half belted at the back, and finished with cuffs on the sleeves and two letter-box pockets…

It’s sunrise on Lake Como, and George Clooney’s house is quiet. An old man leans on a stone jetty nearby, his fishing pole perched on the wall and angled out over the lake, the line disappearing down into the water, a perfect triangle. The window shades in the house are drawn. The Clooneys just arrived yesterday. The house is right there, visible from the water and from the old man’s fishing spot: a large, elegant rectangle built in the eighteenth century with lovely tall windows, in the center of a small town, on the winding, narrow road that runs along the shore. On the small beach along the jetty, in the shadow of the house, two high school girls pick their way through damp seaweed, and they yelp when they…

JUST BEFORE THE DIRECTOR JON M. CHU PREMIERED WICKED IN theaters last fall, he had a surprise encounter while walking on the Universal Studios lot in Hollywood. Even on an average day at Universal, you’re likely to pass by the Bates Motel, the stand-in for a certain time-traveling DeLorean, and a tram overflowing with tourists. It’s a semi-surreal environment where one learns to expect the unexpected. But Chu was nevertheless stunned when he ran into Steven Spielberg—and the fabled director said he wanted to screen Wicked with him. “I want you to be sitting right next to me and I want to see it in Dolby Atmos,” Chu remembers him saying. The man who directed Jaws and Jurassic Park isn’t exactly someone you say no to. So Chu dutifully arranged…

SANTOS DE CARTIER The Santos is considered the first men’s wristwatch. It’s a genuine piece of horological history, and many versions of it have paid homage to that heritage by rendering it in classic materials like steel and gold. But Cartier isn’t stuck in the past. Case in point: this new riff on the Santos, done up in extra-light, toughas-nails titanium. It’s one and a half times as hard as steel, 45 percent lighter, and cool as hell too. ROLEX PERPETUAL 1908 Though it takes its cues from the classics, the Perpetual 1908 is younger than you might expect. Rolex introduced it in 2023, bringing a new look to Rolex’s dress-watch offering. This newest iteration is, in our book, the most exciting to date. That’s because the 1908 is now…

Tools of the Trade How to Handwash Cashmere 1. PRETREAT ANY STAINS. Apply a small dab of cashmere-safe detergent or stain remover to spots of food, dirt, or sweat and work it into the stain with your fingertips. Avoid scrubbing, which can damage the delicate fibers. 2. FILL A BASIN OR SINK WITH COOL WATER. As the water is running, mix in the recommended amount of detergent, then gently immerse the cashmere item. 3. GENTLY AGITATE WITH YOUR HANDS. Keeping your fingers loose, move the cashmere back and forth, up and down, until the soapy water has penetrated the fibers. For the best results, let the cashmere soak for up to 30 minutes. 4. DRAIN AND RINSE THOROUGHLY. Empty the basin and refill it with cool water. Gently agitate it with clean hands to…

STARTING IN THE LATE 1960S, FRED PRESSMAN—MY DAD AND THE SON of Barney Pressman, who in 1923 opened the store that bore his name—presided over the transformation of Barneys into a higher-end, gentler kind of store. In 1970, he opened the International House, offering Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent from Paris, Bruno Piattelli and Brioni from Rome, and, soon after, the greatest of them all, Giorgio Armani, from Milan. When Fred maneuvered to steer him into Barneys, he was a start-up—not quite a nobody but a long way from the top. At that time, he barely had a label to speak of; after putting in time behind the scenes of fashion, the 41-year-old designer founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A. out of a two-room offce in 1975. Barneys would invest heavily…

IT WAS OCTOBER 2007— I peak pigskin season for all who celebrate—but Ryan Clark, then a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was crying in the bathroom of a hospital room. Daggers in his side, 104-degree fever. Clark carries the trait for sickle cell anemia, something he’d always known, but he had just played in Denver and the altitude lit his condition ablaze. How bad was it? Clark wasn’t just ready to die; in that bathroom, he’d made peace with it. If it’s time, I’m comfortable with that, Clark thought. In walked the surgeon … and he looked exactly like Tom Brady, the nemesis of all defensive backs. Of course he did. It figures, Clark said to himself, that if I die, the dude treating me would look like this man. Turns…

…TO SURF IN THE SKY Sean MacCormac, 50, skydiver ▶ WHEN THE HELICOPTER DOOR SWUNG OPEN, wind slapped me awake. Standing on my board on the skid, looking out over the Bay Bridge, I felt electrified. Twenty-two thousand previous jumps led to this moment. None of this was wasted on me. Skydiving was supernaturally intuitive for me. At eighteen, I saw a photo of French skydiver Patrick de Gayardon “skysurfing”—the art of strapping a modified snowboard to your feet and using it to fly around. Unlike regular snowboards, these are extremely rigid and light, more like airplane wings. You can use the board as either a propeller or a wing, shooting across the sky at 200 miles per hour. I tried myself, and within hours I was doing tricks that…

Moncler Agen Vest Tweed may be the quintessential cold-weather fabric, but it’s not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of performance outerwear. If you ask us, that’s a pity—and the folks at Moncler clearly agree. The Agen vest packs warm, fluffy down into a houndstooth shell that’ll bring a huge punch of color and texture to any winter wardrobe. Loro Piana Umbrella A cashmere umbrella? It might sound crazy, but Loro Piana made it happen. Of course, this isn’t any old cashmere—it’s the Italian luxury brand’s famous Storm System cashmere, a three-layer innovation with a membrane that renders it entirely waterproof. And if you want to get really fancy when the world gets wet, you can pair it with wellies from the brand’s collab with French…