The Dunhill creative director’s black book of style

My personal style signifier is a tailored jacket, usually by Anderson & Sheppard, Sartoria Dalcuore or Old Joe. I’m a jacket person. Whether it’s the heat of the summer or the deepest cold of winter, my wardrobe is absolutely stuffed with jackets, from lightweight linens and jerseys to double-faced cashmeres and everything in between. Many of them are navy blue. 

The last thing I bought and loved was a painting by João Gabriel from a gallery in Los Angeles called O-Town House. Gabriel is a Portuguese artist and his work is exquisite. The gallery, in this old-Hollywood-style building, is interesting, too. It felt like a genuine discovery.

The place that means a lot to me is the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California. It doesn’t feel like a commercial hotel – it’s not attached to a chain – and is positioned on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. It’s a very wild and savage kind of nature.

The best book I’ve read in the past year is Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart. I couldn’t help but identify with the experience of the character on some level – with the sense of not quite belonging and wanting to escape. It’s a love story set amid destitution. It’s a beautiful book.

The podcast I’m listening to is Gus Casely-Hayford’s podcast Torn: he takes deep dives into items like fisherman’s sweaters and aviator sunglasses. I’m a fashion geek so it’s manna from heaven. 

My style icon is the Duke of Windsor. He was the quintessential gentleman. The rigour combined with the eccentricity in that wardrobe is just unparalleled. You’ve got everything: from these massively loud evening outfits to good old British tailoring and golfing outfits, which were quite eccentric. His was the ultimate historically English wardrobe.

The item of clothing I’d save from a fire is the suit I wore to last year’s Met Gala. It was made for me by the bespoke team here at Dunhill from a lightweight barathea. It’s double-breasted and was directly inspired by the Duke of Windsor. When you go to the Met Gala, you want to look like a movie star, and the team really delivered on that front. 

I’ve wanted to work in fashion since I was about 14. My father was going on a business trip to New York and took my brother and me. We were each allowed to pick one place to go. My brother chose Times Square; I wanted to go to the brand new Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue in the Rhinelander mansion. Walking into it was like crossing the threshold into another world.

The best bit of advice I ever received? “be yourself to the absolute nth degree

And the fashion moment that changed everything for me was doing an internship at Chloé in Paris. Karl Lagerfeld was artistic director. Someone would pick up the phone and say, “Karl is on the way.” Everyone would disappear, the women would come back with full make-up, and then socialites and journalists would start arriving. Karl would sit in the corner with his desk angled towards the centre of the room, where there would be a fitting taking place. He’d be sketching and having several conversations at once in Italian, French, English, German. I was completely dazzled. 

My signature scent is Vetiver Extraordinaire by Dominique Ropion for Frédéric Malle. It’s the best vetiver fragrance – earthy, but also clean and fresh. It’s got a depth to it because of the quality of the ingredients. £185 for 50ml EDP

The best gift I’ve given recently was a beautiful ceramic cup and teapot set from the Destroyer café in LA. It’s in a cool neighbourhood called Culver City that no one ever goes to. The gift was for friends I was staying with.  

And the best gift I’ve received is a candle from Perfumer H called Ink. It smells neutral and beautiful. There’s a freshness to it, but it’s also intriguing. 

The last music I downloaded was Max Richter’s Sleep. How old am I?

In my fridge you’ll always find Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs or Brut champagne, Tony’s Chocolonely with bits of caramel in it – it’s the ultimate Willy Wonka-style chocolate bar – and then things like Greek yoghurt, tenderstem broccoli, nut milk and blueberries. 

I’ve recently rediscovered the original Brideshead Revisited from 1981. I hadn’t seen it for a long time and really enjoyed it. I found it reassuring, as several of the key looks – a herringbone tweed coat and a great black-tie moment – look like things we’ve already designed for Dunhill.

The best souvenir I’ve brought home is a dull-gold tea caddy from Hankyu, a homeware department store in Osaka. The shop’s craftsman hand-hammered the texture on the outside. It’s probably the souvenir I use the most because I take my tea – Yorkshire Grey made by Lyn Harris at Perfumer H – from it. (I have a collection of teapots. You can never have enough teapots.) Yorkshire Grey, £20 for 50g

The thing I couldn’t do without is my dog, Penny, a two-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo.

An indulgence I would never forgo is a trip to my barber, Parsa Rad on Berwick Street in Soho, every two weeks, like clockwork. 

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a Dunhill prototype suit in grey wool cashmere flannel. Not charcoal grey but the perfect shade of flannel grey, which is lighter. 

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Donald Judd. I find the complexity of his work so interesting. It’s sort of fine art, quasi-architecture, product design – it’s everything. And ultimately, it’s sculpture.

The grooming staples I’m never without are by ZO Skin Health: a cleanser, serum and SPF. It feels like a very serious brand. The products use dermatological-grade ingredients; they aren’t trendy or perfumed. And they work. ZO Skin Health Daily Power Defense serum, $173, Exfoliating Cleanser, $49, and Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF50, $70

My favourite app is Nike Run Club, which is the best training module for running. It’s instructive, highly motivational and inspiring. I also love the Joe & the Juice app. I can order my matcha latte to be ready when I arrive. I just walk in and pick it up. 

In another life, I would have been an explorer. The routine of fashion is quite cyclical. There’s not much opportunity to veer off: we’re in the same or similar places at the same time of year, working on the same kind of thing. The idea of freedom, adventure and just doing whatever you want in your own time is so appealing. 

My best ideas come when I’m looking at fabric, often inside mills like Bower Roebuck in the north of England, Adamley Textiles in Macclesfield or Fox in Somerset. When I’m looking through archival fabrics and talking to technicians, I feel more connected to the raw material. The ideas that spring from those visits are always the best.

The best bit of advice I ever received was “be yourself to the absolute nth degree”. I think it was from my tutor at the fashion school at Kingston University, Ian Griffiths, who’s also creative director of Max Mara. It’s the only place he’s ever worked.