Вэлкам ту зе клаб Дэвид Ганди! (18+)

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Essex boy David Gandy is the world's only male supermodel, bursting on to the scene in a pair of tight white pants as the star of Dolce & Gabbana's steamy fragrance adverts six years ago.
Today he is the poster boy for men's fashion, diversifying his brand from cover star and catwalk king to launching his own apps, starring in a short film, working as part of the BFC Men's Collection: London Committee and representing the UK internationally as part of the Olympic Closing Ceremony's fashion tribute.

This week (Nov 19, 2012) he was invited back to Oxford University for the second time to debate the importance of men's fashion with acclaimed editor of Esquire magazine Alex Bilmes and here he writes exclusively for FEMAIL about the experience.

'This week, together with Alex Bilmes, Editor of Esquire Magazine, I was privileged to be invited back to Oxford University to address the Union about "The importance of men's fashion."
'The University President kindly gave us a private tour of the beautiful building, rich in history and, as we were to find out, also in the caliber of previous speakers, whose images graced the walls.
'The Queen. The Dalai Lama. Mother Theresa ... I looked at Alex, part humbled, part terrified. We shared a silent 'no pressure' glance, smiled and adjusted our ties as I took another gulp of my Guinness wondering why I'd brought it with me from the bar when no one else seemed to ...


'I’m very fortunate in my job. Strange yet wonderful opportunities and situations like this come along from time to time – like being part of the Olympics Closing Ceremony, shooting with Mario Testino for the D&G Light Blue ad, having my image on the side of Virgin America flights, on billboards in Times Square and on London buses (its quite embarrassing when one stops next to you at a traffic light. And even more so if you’re sat on it!). I never really get used to it.

'Fashion is a subject I’ve become increasingly passionate about since working in the industry (I had little knowledge or interest in it at University). As I looked around the full room of students who had come especially to hear us speak, I wondered what, if any, influence our discussion might have on their careers.

'Whilst menswear is still far behind women’s wear in many ways, we are experiencing a boom in the industry and a resurgence in men’s fashion. The stigma that there once was around a heterosexual man having pride in their appearance is going - it’s OK to care about your appearance. Being a man, is back in fashion.

'We now have our own dedicated men’s fashion week in London (London Collections: Men), talent from film, TV and music are modeling for fashion brands, Esquire are launching their own biannual style supplement next year and the explosion of mobile/social media and online plays to men’s shopping habits - speed and ease.

'Without a sticky Union carpet in sight, we entered the beautiful Union debate room, itself very stylish and full of well dressed students. Suddenly I became very aware of my tongue (was it always this size??).

'Our hour long discussion covered many areas of men’s fashion from it’s impact on the economy, Britain’s strong heritage in style, history, how men shop and changes in men’s media, right through to why it’s important to take an interest in your appearance.

'It was great fun – the questions from the floor were smart and funny. No, I don’t feel objectified by women, but I do feel the pressure of high expectation! No, I don’t think I’m the best looking man in the world – not even the best looking man in the room

'Our hour had almost ended. I wondered if our talk was quite as intellectual as those shared by previous speakers. The last question, ‘What’s the most important part of a man's wardrobe’ was a nice easy one to finish on. 'Men’s shoes are hugely important' I answered, and went on to explain why.

'With that, I checked mine, straightened my jacket and walked into the room of students to have a drink with them in person - to find many of them looking at their shoes too. So, perhaps some of what we had shared had resonated after all?

'Who knows, maybe some of these students will be our creative designers, fashion journalists or model faces of tomorrow? The future of men’s fashion presents great opportunity and growth. I hope we inspired some people to look at it seriously as a potential career for them.'

THE BRITALIAN JOB
by Tom Stubbs

David Gandy drops me off at the No. 19 bus stop in Fulham, West London. I fumble through the door of hi Mercedes SLS Gullwing, making no small performance of stumbling onto the pavement. "White Pants Man" ( as he's known in sections of the British public) immediately gets clocked by a couple of teenage girls and their mother. He smiles graciously as all three giggling females articulate mischievous -- and not a little salacious -- declarations of appreciation. They're referring to Gandy's seminal work, Light Blue, the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance campaign the rocketed an ordinary Essex boy to globally - recognised, white-trunks wearing Adonis. The Mario Testino image that inspired a thousand torso fantasies/inferiority for men around the world also propelled a shift in perceptions of ideal male body shape, replacing the fashionable skinny-boy look with the bulkier paradigm still prevalent today. These days, David is used to recognition. It goes with territory of ‘global male supermodel’ – a moniker you’d struggle to apply to another guy since Nick Kamen took his jeans off in the launderette in that mid – ‘80s Levi’s ad. That’s big – but big Dave can take it.

Post The Rake interview, the increasingly metropolitan Gandy is off to advise Jaguar on how to improve band presence. He’s a motoring journalist, has just launched a fitness app and occasionally appears on television advertisements. Brand Gandy is a serious concern. Dressed in wide-leg pinstripe pants and vest, with pinstripe wide-lapel jacket, he’s an amalgam of male elegance – Clark Gable meets Count von Count cast as Jay Gatsby. The dashing Gandy wide-pants stance has delighted the front row at ‘London Collections: Men’ shows. He’s become an unofficial ambassador for British men’s style. The passionate style enthusiast talks earnestly about the positives of British High Street offerings, while criticising elements of men’s fashion editorial. “Work out how to get men to shop like women, and you’ll be a millionaire”, he suggests. Confident, elegant and eloquent, it appears he was born to this life. David was a working-class Essex boy, an excellent county cricketer and a talented (and usually tracksuit-clad) rugby player before a college pal entered him in a UK morning TV show’s male model competition. He won, and found himself on the books at Public Image Worldwide. Job done? Not quite.

His rise from breakfast TV man –crumpet for middle- aged This Morning viewers to fronting a Milanese fashion house hasn’t happened by chance – strategy and personality have been critical. Ten years ago, Gandy’s signature wedge shape and smouldering, craggy looks were far removed from the zeitgeist – even for machismo merchants Dolce & Gabbana. Was it a masterful presentation to the casting agent that Gandy squeeze neatly into those famous white trunks? All David will let on is just how meticulous the maestros behind the label he fronts are when it comes to decisions, however minor. “One major thing I respect about those guys it they’re still at the forefront of everything that goes on – right down to the people that sit in the front row at the show”, he says. “They decide everything. In other big designer houses, you won’t find a head of a company governing all that – I think it’s one of the reason they’re so successful. Being so close to them, I see they still make every decision and have complete control. It’s unique compared to other houses”.

It was no Sunday drive from the catwalk to the campaign set for Gandy and the Italian boys, however – not when even haircuts can be a deal-breaker. “Back in 2001, when I first worked with Dolce & Gabbana, they’d have everyone’s hair the same – bosh - cropped right off at the sides, and left alone on top. I lost others jobs because of that cut. When I went back, I was sat with Domenico and Stefano and they said, “Right, go and get the hair cut.' I was only 23, but I said, ' I can't, I lost work because of it.' They gave me an ultimatum, so I had to just walk. I didn't go back until 2005. By then a few things had changed."

Gandy had, by this stage, been getting plenty of modelling work. but mainly aspirational brand jobs and favourable editorial. Although earning a good living, he wanted more, and to have greater control over his career route. " I decided to rebel from the skinny-trendy look and go bigger," he says. "I was never going to be skinny, so I thought, 'It's go big or go home time-- let's see if the industry comes around.'" It did. In the case of Dolce, who decided they wanted a new, inreconstructed of masculinity: a tanned, Mediterranean take on herculean virility. Cue Gandy entering the theater of global advertising campaigns, as directed by the world's finest photographers.

After Testino's Light Blue, David took lead roles in other famous Dolce & Gabbana campaigns, such as Steven Klein's Sicilian odyssey and recent Mariano Vivanco work. Was it difficult for the former sportsman to stay still for such epic roles? "I've never been confident in front of the camera, even in family photographs," he deadpans. "Weirdly I'm still not. I don't like my photo being taken" He raises on eyebrow. "But in 11 years, I've got to learn what works for people. At the end of the day, brand employ you to make it work. The client and art director and photographer know what they want. You have to take those thoughts and adapt them to what you can do. It’s like being an actor. You know your best looks, but you’ve got to trust the director. Particularly Mario and Mariano – they simply know how to make people look beautiful. Some just shoot in their own style, but there’s something about the way they appreciate the female or male form that makes you look good. They get something others wouldn’t. You have to trust them. If you have doubt, you still have to go with it – they have the vision”.

Gandy is now a tangible part of Dolce’s vision. He sits “frow” in Milan, instead of rippling down the runway at their shoes. He’s one of the family. On my recent regular visits to the boutique in Bond Street (to borrow Gandy – sized clothes for the photographs that illustrate these words), it became apparent that he’s extremely popular with the staff. They all sent him their love along with the carefully packed suits. He’s a Dolce talisman now, encapsulating the house’s masculinity. I’ve heard that his personal traits – he’s charming, modest and a consummate low-key British gent – are partly what appealed to the Italian icon – makers when it came to elevating him. The book David Gandy by Dolce & Gabbana, shot mostly by Vivanco, came out last year, and is a hard-back, slightly homoerotic homage to Gandy via the campaign shoots plus some additional, overtly 'racy' imagery.

Was the book a leap of faith for Gandy? "We actually held back in some regards," he says. "Mariano and the boys did take it to the next step, but I never did a full frontal nude. We always left something to the imagination." In some instances, it has to be noted, it was only half left. "Yes, it's 80's Bruce Webber referential -- very sexualised. People think I do nude all the time. Yes, for the book, but that's Mariano and Dolce & Gabbana's thing -- I don't do it all the time." He's very focused about what he will do and how he's seen. " We have a plan,Select ( his currant modelling agent) and I. I've always said it's more important what you say 'no' to than what you say 'yes' to. It's a game of chess-- the moves you make are important. The wrong one puts you back years." The nude, sexualised shots demonstrate Gandy's trust and loyalty to Dolce & Gabbana and their setup, regardless of how people might view it.

Gandy's quite exasperated by how judgemental people can be about men's style and image in the UK. " If you walk out of London without socks on, people will still take a piss. I got papped with a man-bag going to the gym, then got slated in the press, It shows people's insecurity." This doesn't stop a man of Gandy's wilfulness working his own style regardless. " I go for '50's suites and baggy strides," he says. "That's me going against the trends. I feel compelled to, as it seems there's less and less individualism these days. What I'm trying to say is, it's okay to do what you want." A trifle easier for a chap with screen-idol looks, but I see the sentiment. " David Beckham has done that so well. I also think Andreas Kronthaler - the design director for Vivienne Westwood - is brilliant. He says people are sheep; they just follow. So he leads the way by wearing really good vintage and mad creative clothes put together his way. He looks utterly amazing."

So what has David learnt from Dolce & Gabbana's approach to style? "To be more individual," he asserts. " That's what Domenico does do brilliantly. For example, he now trucks thick knits into smart trousers, and somehow, it just works. Personally, I'm quite traditional English. I like broader lapels, wider ties-- but I do mix it up.

And how the look in the shoot readers are beholding now? " The essence of their style has come from their Sicilian origins," he says. " The style is seen in every season. In my opinion, when they truly go back to those Sicilian roots, that's when the real Dolce & Gabbana comes out. It's brilliant. While a lot of fashion houses seem to blend into each other, you can spot when a guy is wearing Dolce & Gabbana-- there's always that different edge to their stuff, that edge that gives a guy something different."

Keener-eyed viewers will already have noticed that we shot David portraying a Hollywood screen idol. He delivered exactly what we'd ask him for thoughout. while the camera adored him. Mahatma Gandhi ( no relation) once said, " I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers." In the case of this Gandy, the press appear to love him, while the public relish seeing a humble lad from Essex do so well. As far as the British export is concerned, perhaps Jaguar should take a look at how Gandy is perceived from all sides: dashing. modern British at its low-key, classy best.

А!!!!! Ёська!!!
Я смотрю КЯВВМ (Как я встретил вашу маму), сериал такой, америкосовский, типа "Друзей". Там в последней серии твой Мангоньелло!!!
Ничё не могу сделать, я сразу серию на паузу поставила и сюда бежать
Вроде успокоилась, пойду, дальше посмотрю