British GQ March 2022

Photographs by Jack Bridgland. Styled by Mobolaji Dawodu. Hair by Teddy Charles at The Wall Group. Makeup by Holly Silius using Dior Beauty. Manicure by Lori Banks. Tailoring by Yelena Travkina. Production design by Brittany Porter at Lalaland Artists. Produced by Michael Klein and Julia Epstein-Norris at Circadian Pictures. Special tattoo effects by Alyssa Fall. Grills by Alligator Jesus.…

Greenwood is a freelance writer based in London. For this March issue, he profiled Jonathan Bailey, the Oxford-raised actor who this month takes the lead in the new series of Bridgerton. “It’s a well-worn cliché to comment on the normalness of people in the public eye, but Bailey was strikingly regular,” he says. “We spent a morning together in Hyde Park. My green puddle boots drew more attention than he did.” Office Grails ZAK MAOUI Style Editor “2022 is going to be all about monster loafers and blacked-out shades. I might also get into baseball. Maybe.” SATOSHI NIIBORI Head of Editorial Content, GQ Japan “These trousers by workwear company Toraichi are the same model worn at Japanese construction sites.”…

I GREW UP in the peak of transactional prestige media. This is what the transactional age looked like: I pay you this, you photograph that. You give us two days, we’ll put you on the cover…but it needs to look like this, and you need to be wearing that. As it always does, culture caught up. People could smell BS. Talent found new power and independence outside of traditional structures and traditional gatekeepers. We are, of course, now in the collaborative age. It’s a ride. The collaborative age looks like this: You get me. I get you. I trust you. You trust me. You bring it. And I will too. Take a look at our cover story this issue: a wild metamorphosis of Robert Pattinson. The dank and beautiful transformation of Rob – who…

IN THIS MADCAP era of wild, freewheeling, expressive style, the only downside is it can be hard to find the Perfect Thing – the Platonic ideal of a piece that becomes the building block of a great wardrobe. For instance, you can find sneakers with wings on them, or with a drop of actual blood inside, or DJ Khaled–designed versions of the ones MJ used to wear. But if you just want a cool pair of all-black low-tops to wear as daily drivers? Yeesh, that’s a tough one. Good luck. Which is why, in an issue where we are celebrating the best stores in the world, I am taking the opportunity to thank Fashion Jesus for Double RL. Obviously, when I say Fashion Jesus, I’m talking about Ralph Lauren himself –…

HEAVENLY BOMBER Few designers have a knack for making couture-level craftsmanship feel as chilled-out as Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli. Jacket, £5,790, shorts, £2,850, and shorts (worn underneath), £825, by Valentino. Shirt, stylist’s own. Tank top, pack of three, price upon request, by Calvin Klein Underwear. Sneakers, £40, by Vans. Socks, his own. Necklace, £3,398, by Mikimoto. Ring, vintage. ERDEM, PRADA, S.S. DALEY, DIOR MEN, JUNYA WATANABE, NANUSHKA: PROP STYLIST, SOLANGE SINGER AT MARK EDWARD INC. BURBERRY, SUGAHARA, LOEWE, LANVIN, NICK FOUQUET, RICK OWENS, DOLCE & GABBANA, BOTTEGA VENETA, HERMÈS, TOM DIXON: PROP STYLIST, SHARON RYAN AT HALLEY RESOURCES. ROBERT NAVA: PHOTO BY ARGENIS APOLINARIO, COURTESY OF VITO SCHNABEL GALLERY. FASHIONING MASCULINITIES: COURTESY OF V&A. COPELAND/ELBEK: COURTESY OF BRAND. BOTANICAL BOILER SUIT Erdem’s first menswear collection, anchored by toile de Jouy-printed tailoring, is an answered prayer for fans of the…

EVERY GENERATION has its Bright Eyes, and for Gen Z, one of the leading contenders is 23-year-old singer Conan Gray, whose knack for writing sad music has turned him into one of the most popular young stars in the world. His parents split up when he was three, although they stayed in proximity to one another to raise their children. The Grays moved all over the place –including two years in Japan shortly after he was born – before settling in Georgetown, Texas, a quiet suburb known for its booming community of retirees. “All the thrift stores were awesome,” Gray tells me over coffee in Manhattan. “I just love dressing like an old man who’s on a walk with his wife of 70 years.” As a teenager surrounded by elders, Gray…