Horah! A brand-spanking new issue of 10 Men is here – our 58th, to be exact. Titled ELEGANCE, BEAUTY, GRACE, this issue serves as a study of elegance when it comes to the modern man. For our first of four covers, Chris Kang and Kenny Wu are pictured in New York wearing Louis Vuitton’s AW23 collection – shot by Jimi Franklin and styled by Marcus Correa.
For more from inside the issue, read Sophia Neophitou’s editor’s letter below:
Elegance can be so many things. It’s not just what you wear but how you interact with others, how you smell, your humanity, your kindness. And an elegant man can bring so many different elements of himself to every interaction.
My wonderful Daddy, Christos Neophitou, was the ultimate in elegance. Immaculately dressed, every suit handmade by his faithful tailor of 40 years, he always looked impeccable. He stayed clean shaven, with never a hair out of place, and wore a crisp, freshly ironed shirt every day. What I loved most, though, was how fresh and clean he smelled: his signature scent, Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior, was mixed with a hint of tobacco (he loved his Rothmans) and straight whisky and ice.
He was elegant in every way. Graceful and kind, my Dad was not afraid to show love and was full of compassion. He never saw those things as weaknesses, but as strengths and real sources of power, which, I think, is the true mark of an elegant man.
In this issue, we find a way to express the elegance of a modern man, his quiet confidence, his stillness, his measured approach. On the catwalk, Anthony Vaccarello at YSL really captured that for me. His stunning show in Paris brought to life a languid, striding, modern elegance. The collection was quietly luxurious and, alongside the rigour and beauty of his line, he expressed a powerful softness and a moment of sensuality.
It marked a shift. This season we really did see the tracksuit-wearing, post-Covid attitude of the last few seasons become a thing of the past, as Calum Gordon explores in his brilliant piece about post-hype dressing. Across the AW collections, there was an innovative approach to refinement, and although it was peppered with a few nostalgic details, this new vision showed a confidence that’s in touch with an unashamedly more feminine side. The clothes and the attitude were gentler and less rigid, all the better to express the multifaceted sides of the modern man.
Our contributors have expressed their visions of elegance in this issue. For Tony Marcus, it is all about smell. His essay explores the scents that evoke sophistication; the big surprise for me was his inclusion of Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel in his top three. Karen Binns creates a fashion tribute to her friend, the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Back in the day, Binns would go shopping with him and understood his nonchalant style better than anyone. “I wanted to show the elegance of a man who was an intellectual and always working with his hands,” she says. Cornelius Lafayette’s striking editorial shows the importance of silhouette when expressing the idea of elegance. It’s all about beauty, as designers like North London-based Aaron Esh and Luar’s Raul Lopez from Brooklyn merge elements of womenswear with menswear to create something new.
The attitude is haute, as Stephen Doig explains in his essay on the rise of men’s couture. Kim Jones has been pressing this point since his debut at Dior and, now, a new level of refinement and luxury is blossoming. But what resonates for me in the issue is the romance of elegance. It’s intoxicating.
I hope you enjoy finding your way back to elegance through our pages.
Issue 58 of 10 Men – ELEGANCE, BEAUTY, GRACE – is on newsstands September 22. Pre-order your copy here.
LOUIS VUITTON: GIVE LOVE
Photographer JIMI FRANKLIN
Fashion Editor MARCUS CORREA
Models CHRIS KANG at New Icon and KENNY WU at New York Model Management
Hair CHIKA F.K using Oribe
Make-up NANA HIRAMATSU using MAC Cosmetics
Photographer’s assistants JAE KIM and ONEIKA JAMES
Fashion assistants VESKA NARATAMA and ALYSSA CHANDELLE
Casting director BRENT CHUA
Production assistant ONEIKA JAMES
Clothing and accessories throughout LOUIS VUITTON AW23
