Sunday, 31 July 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Reebok Zig Tech & Wallpaper* Host Private View
David Gandy attends a private view of works by five leading artists who have created pieces inspired by Reebok's Zig Tech technology hosted by Reebok and style magazine Wallpaper* at The Great Room on July 28, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Male Supermodel David Gandy on His Books, His Nose, and Zoolander
The ubiquitous British model David Gandy is also a blogger (for Vogue.co.uk), a style expert (look for the David Gandy Style Guide for Men in the iTunes app store), and now the subject of a book. With the release of David Gandy, a compilation of his work for Dolce & Gabbana, he opens up about the industry, how he stays in shape, and yes, those Zoolander comments.
Congratulations on the book (See below for an extensive preview). How'd the project come about?
I've worked with Dolce & Gabbana since my first year of modeling 10 years ago—that's how long we go back. And by now we've done so many projects together: the Light Blue campaigns, the commercials. It's just kind of swelled. I was obviously honored to have a book named after me.
Their work with you really changed the way we think about male beauty. With Light Blue, it wasn't that Hedi Slimane skinny-boy look anymore.
There are definitely trends. Sometimes skinny guys are in, and so you have the androgynous guys and the Dior guys. And then the male form comes back in, and at the end of the day, that sells.
Even your own look has changed from when you started a decade ago.
Oh God, there's an absolute divide from where I started. I came into the fashion industry straight out of university at 21, but I looked 15. It was just embarrassing. And why wasn't I working much? Well, I look back at it now and I understand why. I looked like a bunny in headlights on film, I was so fresh-faced and young. But the thing with male models is that they usually get better with age.
So you feel like you've grown into your looks?
Thankfully, yes. Or grown into my nose, should I say. [Laughs]
Is that something you're not totally comfortable with?
I think everybody has hang-ups about their bodies. I have quite a big nose, a prominent nose. Some people love it, some people hate it. I have scars in my eyebrows. I have a scar in my eye from sport. Some people will say, "Oh, it makes you look aged. Your scar tells a story. We'll keep it, we love that." For others, it's just not going to work.
What do you do to maintain your looks? Any special diet?
I love my food, but I do have to be careful. Everything in moderation. Drink, fatty foods, trans fats, everything. A lot of the American guys have such a strict diet of fish and vegetables, and there are things they just will not touch, like a latte. If they're having a coffee, they will not touch milk. And of course, they won't have any sort of chocolates, sweets, or bread. That, to me, isn't living. I'm careful, but I'm not pedantic about it.
How about before a big shoot?
If I have a big underwear shot, like when I had the Light Blue campaign shoot, maybe a month and a half before that I'm extremely careful. I come off the drink, and I come off a lot of carbohydrates and salts. I won't eat carbohydrates after 5 p.m. when I have something coming up.
What's your biggest indulgence?
I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, and I can give up alcohol very, very easily. But I'm a bit of a caffeine addict. I get out of bed and I'm not quite right until I've had a coffee. I have a machine at home, but there's a Colombian coffee shop down the road from my London home as well. I think I've paid their mortgage over the last few years.
What's your exercise routine like?
If I'm at home, I train four or five times a week: a lot of cardio and a lot of weights. I also really believe in changing it up and shocking your body, because your muscles and metabolism adjust to these exercises. I actually ran a marathon recently, and I had to lose weight because I'm 203 pounds, and that's a lot of weight to pound down on the concrete streets of Old London for 26.3 miles. So I went down to 190. I came off heavy weights and did a lot of lighter weights with more repetitions to lose the bulk.
You've spoken out against the stigma associated with male modeling. Do you think the profession's image has improved any?
It's slowly changing. It seems everyone wants to be a model. Guys are coming in now at 16, 17, and are proud to say, "Yeah, I'm a male model." We never used to say we were male models when we first started. None of the top guys said it.
So the world of male models isn't really all Blue Steel and gasoline fights?
The only access people have had to male modeling is really Zoolander—which is an amazing film and I hope No. 2 gets made. But it's an exaggerated version of what happens. That really is the major question I get asked about male modeling: "Is it like Zoolander?" Well, Zoolander is a comedy. It's not a documentary.
What is the craziest thing that's happened to you in your job?
Well, it's kind of embarrassing that I was on a 50-foot poster in Times Square in a very small pair of pants. That's not a normal thing. But you get kind of immune to it because you've got to be very comfortable with your own body.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Mollie King of The Saturdays and model-boyfriend David Gandy
Mollie King of The Saturdays and model-boyfriend David Gandy leave The Cuckoo Club in Mayfair after attending a party celebrating the 1st anniversary of Velour Magazine
Monday, 18 July 2011
Friday, 15 July 2011
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Sunday, 10 July 2011
The day is more beautiful if it starts like this ...
la giornata è più bella se inizia in questo modo...
Friday, 8 July 2011
Tatler's Pyjama Party
David Gandy attends Tatler's Pyjama Party at Claridges Hotel. on July 7, 2011 in London, England.
(Photo by Ferdaus Shamim/Getty Images Europe)
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Gandy drives: Jaguar XKR-S
A few years ago, I wrote an article about Jaguar. In it, I said what a sleeping giant I thought the company was - and that even worse than waking a sleeping giant is waking a big, very angry cat. Well, the beast has now awoken, thanks mostly to a huge cash injection by Tata and free reign at last to do what it does best - and that is to take on the best and beat them. The XF has won more awards than both Tiger Woods and Ryan Giggs have (allegedly) had women, the XJ is regarded by most motoring journalists as the best luxury saloon available today and in 2012 comes the beautiful and innovative CX-75 supercar. Expect 0-60mph in less than three seconds, free annual road tax and super-low emissions. However, what I want to talk about here is the Jaguar XK.
The second-generation XK is the oldest of the Jaguar models, having been introduced in 2006. But after many improvements over the last five years and a major revamp in 2011, the XK is to me the best GT sportscar on the road today. What right do I have to hold such an opinion? Well, because the XK has been my choice of everyday car (in various forms) for the last three years. And for a person who gets bored of most things very quickly, and suffers from severe, recurring car envy, it's high praise indeed that the XK has managed to keep me entertained and contented for this long.
With its newfound belief and of course investment, Jaguar has gone out and built the ultimate statement of intent in the shape of the new XKR-S. This is not merely the fastest Jaguar ever built, but also the most agile, responsive and driver-focused Jaguar to date. The exterior has styling unique to the XKR-S (although the whole XK range has now gotten rid of the awkwardly designed front lights) which not only helps to reduce lift and maximise stability, but also gives it such a presence - particularly in dark grey with smoked alloys - that you half expect James Bond to get out of one door and Batman the other. If the XKR is Bruce Banner then the XKR-S would be the Hulk.
Inside, winged performance seating hints at its intention. All the cheap plastics buttons have been replaced with soft touch rubber; in fact, everything now feels very high quality. A vegetarian would certainly not be a big fan of the rest of the interior, given that every surface is either leather or suede. But this is a Jaguar after all, old boy!
The Audi R8 V10 has 518bhp. The Porsche 997 Turbo S has 523bhp. The top Aston Martin DBS has 510bhp. The XKR-S has 542bhp. Yes, 542bhp, which means 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and top speed of 186mph. To get all this power, and keep the driver on the road, the spring rates have been increased, the front suspension revised and all the driver adaptive dynamic aids have been reviewed. This car is astonishing to drive. I'm used to driving the XKR and know the limits of the front turn-in and how liberal I can be with the throttle. The XKR-S rips up those rules. The turn-in is more precise: it feels taut, stable and so confidence-inspiring, I don't think I missed an apex all day even though frankly I'm an awful track driver. I didn't want to get out of this car, ever. Yes, the ride is stiffer, but it's still one of the most beautiful damped sports cars on the road and once you hear the almost ridiculous exhaust note, you won't mind loosening a few fillings or losing a few previously friendly neighbours.
Some motoring reviews are saying that the XKR-S does not warrant the extra £20K over and above the XKR. I beg to differ. In many ways I think Jaguar could have taken the XKR-S even more extreme. Get rid of the back seats (which are pretty useless anyway), lose the luxuries such as heated/electric seats, satnav, even the heated steering wheel (God forbid we get cold pinkies) and make it much rawer, lighter, fanatical in fact. Leave the XKR as the gentlemen's fast GT. In many ways, the XKR-S is trying to be too many things. However this car goes, stops and steers in a manner which is exploitable and thrilling to most. On top of that it's aggressively beautiful, contains every luxury one could ever want and is still tens of thousands of pounds cheaper than its most direct rival. I could die happy knowing that this was my sole transport for the rest of my life.
Source: gq-magazine.co.uk
Monday, 4 July 2011
Cartier Style & Luxury Lunch At Goodwood Festival of Speed
Jade Parfait and David Gandy attend Cartier Style & Luxury Lunch At Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 03, 2011 in Chichester, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Friday, 1 July 2011
David Gandy in Milan
David Gandy arriva a Milano e la città impazzisce. Per il modello reso un icona da Dolce & Gabbana, che hanno puntato su di lui sia per la frangranza maschile, sia per la moda, un successo senza precedenti.