As this next installment of LC:M has come to a close we take a look back at the impeccable style of David Gandy. As the camera's seemed to not get enough of his front row style, neither could anyone else. From his Brioni suite on day one, to his collaboration with Fennel, his monogrammed cream coat was a hit, for day two, to his day three Thom Sweeney three-piece blue suit paired with his signature brown shows and Persol sun glasses. The international press has responded immensely to David during this LC:M as ambassador and as a reference to men's style. So as a finale we hope you enjoy this wonderful photos of this past week.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The British model David Gandy is captured by the great John Balsom for the cover of the winter "Explorer issue" of Man of the World and is featured in the rugged editorial "A New Frontier". Styled in an attractive look by fashion director Julie Ragolia and with grooming by Mira Chai Hyde, the model is photographed braving the elements of Scotland. He is also pictured admiring and exploring the beauty of Loch Lomon invoking the spirit of the great explorers and of those who sought to go beyond their known boundaries driven by wanting to know and to discover new horizons.
"Kill Yourself To Get Ahead" is the title of David Gandy's new portrait by Rich Hardcastle for his new Dark Tales exhibition being held at Mead Carney Gallery in London from January 24th until February 23rd. Mr. Hardcastle spoke to British GQ about David's portraits saying, "This is my idea of personified of pre-determined destiny, based on where we are from not where we are going, in this case, Essex."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.This evening David Gandy attended a private viewing of Rich Hardcastle's 'Dark Tales' exhibition held at the Mead Carney Gallery in London. David is the subject of one of Mr. Hardcastle's portraits titled 'Kill Yourself To Get Ahead'. Among the other celebrity portraits are Ricky Gervais and Michael Sheen.
David Gandy was voted one of the world’s sexiest men by not one, but two British women’s magazine’s last year (Glamour and Cosmopolitan). He’s also ranked second on Forbes’ list of top-earning male models. When I sat down with the gent from Essex to talk fragrance (specifically Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue, for which he is the face and body), I was surprised at how dually down-to-earth and driven the man behind the muscle actually is. He strives to be on par with female supermodels, but he isn’t afraid to “flop like a seal” at a photo shoot with Bianca Balti and Mario Testino. Here, his thoughts on scent and why he’ll never fully embrace the iPhone.
You changed men’s modeling and helped designers embrace a more muscular physique. How do you feel about altering the face of an industry?
It’s an honor that people say that, but you can’t really put it down on just me. It was the genius of Dolce and Gabbana and Mario Testino—they came up with that concept of going against form in the modeling industry. Once a trend works, they all follow. [The campaign] worked for Light Blue, so everyone else—from Armani to Calvin Klein—all tried to copy the same thing. So yes, it has changed a lot, I really kind of hope I paved the way for guys, not just as using a more masculine man…but really competing with the female supermodels and not being complacent with or satisfied with what we have. Women are being paid so much more and they have so much more acclaim as a female model. I was like, ‘Why is this?’ The men usually don’t take it as serious as the women and they don’t have a business mind. We can compete with them; we can brand ourselves; we can be the ambassadors for [labels] instead of just modeling for them. In that way I hope I have changed [the industry].
You shot with three different models thus far for various Light Blue campaigns. How does the dynamic change on set and is there a Light Blue woman that stands out as your favorite?
A favorite—I can’t possibly say. First of all, when we did the Light Blue with the first girl [Marija Vujović], we didn’t know the impact it was going to have. It was all very new and we didn’t know each other. Then we shot the second one with Anna [Jagodzińska] and had big shoes to fill. We got on very well, had a great laugh, and the second one was probably the most fun. Now, with Bianca [Balti] the dynamic has slightly changed. In the first two [campaigns], I was the domineering Mediterranean man, and in this one, she’s the Mediterranean Latin woman—she’s more domineering of me. The shoot with Bianca—she’s so lovely to work with—but she is the definition of that Latin Mediterranean woman. She is the one that fits the mold best.
Which Dolce and Gabbana fragrance is your favorite on a woman?
You are going to think this is so cliché, but actually I still love the women’s Light Blue. It’s just a classic fragrance. When [I] first started negotiating with Dolce & Gabbana and they said it was for a fragrance with P&G and we didn’t know what it was, my mom said ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if it was Light Blue because that’s the one I use.’ It turned out that it was the Light Blue for men. It was such a strange coincidence, but it was one of those coincidences in life that makes you say ‘I wonder if that was meant to be?’
So when you smell Light Blue, does it remind you of your mother?
No, it reminds me of the first time we shot really…Light Blue just takes me back to that first trip to Naples and Capri.
Where do you spray cologne?
I’m probably quite traditional, so around my neck. My girlfriends say that…when they then wear my clothes, they can smell me, Light Blue.
What about on a woman—where should a woman spray fragrance—perhaps someplace more risqué than just the pulse points?
Oh God, I don’t know. That’s for me to know and her to know, I think. A fragrance is so important to me on a woman. There is nothing worse than when you really like someone but can’t stand that fragrance they have. It’s quite weird when you miss someone and you smell that [scent] on someone else—it totally takes you back to that person.
As far as shooting the latest campaign, you said that you are playing the secondary role to stronger female counterpart, so what was that like?
It was not the easiest shoot because the weather didn’t really play ball, but just standing up on the boat was tricky for both of us because it was so rocky. Even when the weather became beautiful the sea was still quite rough, and that was the first time we’ve had that. It was quite comical; we were in hysterics trying to stand up. You have to look domineering and sexy and everything else, but Bianca was falling all over the place and I was trying holding her up. Mario was shouting at us to try and look sexy, and try and do this, and try to do that—it was quite funny. On the video [spot for Light Blue] I have to push myself off the boat. If anyone has tried that, [they know] there is not an elegant way of doing it—it’s one of the hardest things to do.
Well, after many, many takes. The [raft] was connected to a speedboat and we were going around and around. Once it would be in position, they shouted, ‘David go again,’ and I was being absolutely torn to pieces by the sea. I put my arm in [the boat] just so I didn’t have to keep treading water, and then [the director] said to the speedboat ‘Go!’ My arm was still [attached] so it dragged me off. Everyone was saying, ‘No, David’s connected!’ By that stage, we were laughing so much anyway and Bianca was in hysterics.
About how many takes did it take to get that shot?
I didn’t want to hang around too long, but it was probably four or five takes. But you get exhausted after treading water and having to push yourself off the boat. The first time I did it, I looked like a seal trying to get up onto a boat—I was sort of flopping on, but [eventually I was able] to do it more eloquently.
Fragrance aside, what is the rest of your beauty regime like? What are your skincare must-haves?
There isn’t much to it. It went everywhere for some reason when I said in an interview that I use rose oil, but really it’s because I fly so much, you know how it is, it just dehydrates the skin. A makeup artist asked if I ever tried organic rose oil, and I said no, so she put that on my face and it worked wonders. It’s my little secret. Otherwise I just use moisturizer, fragrance, a bit of hair gel and that’s about it.
What’s your go-to hair gel?
The one at the moment is an Aveda product that’s not even mine. It’s actually my hairstylist’s. He’s got that one and he mostly does the hair—I leave that to him, he’s the expert.
You are traveling so much for you job, so what do you pack? What’s one of your must-haves that you always bring with you?
For some reason, I have a bag of chargers. I don’t know about everyone else, but everything needs to be charged, so I have a separate bag of these chargers that seem to take up half my bag and all the adaptors for them. My Mac goes everywhere with me—that’s probably my one savior with communication, but really if I could not lose anything, its my Blackberry. I would rather lose my wallet and my cards than my Blackberry.
Interesting that you’re a Blackberry man. You won’t switch to the iPhone?
I love the iPhone, but if they come out with a keyboard I’m there. It takes me about a half hour to type one message with fingers and thumbs. Its really great for slight hands but my thumbs cover half the screen. I think I’m going to be one of those people that have two—the Blackberry and the iPhone—so you have all the apps, you have everything. I have my own iPhone application, that’s the thing; I actually have two of them. But I can just go down the road and use my keyboard and not even look where I’m going and type a message. It’s quite amazing in the fashion industry how so many people still have Blackberrys. I mean we are on the forefront of design and trends and everyone comes in and gets their sneaky little Blackberry out—it’s still old school.
Lucky Brand's latest 'California Dreaming' Spring 2014 Campaign has arrived. There is a sense of casual coolness in this year's campaign. Styles vary from black leather moto jackets, to soft cool colored chinos and pique polos, gym gear and of course Lucky's signature denim. For this campaign this American brand has once again entrusted the talent of international models David Gandy and Missy Rayder.
Introducing The New Menswear Collection 2014 M&S S/S
We would like to give a very big Thanks to Denise Woodcock from London for being so kind with us and sending us these scans from the latest M&S Magazine. Thank you so much!
New!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
We'd like also to give a special Thank You to the girls of David Gandy Fans UK for sharing this wonderful article from the another M&S Magazine version with us. Thanks Ladies!
Launching this month, M&S Collection for men has been developed under the skilled guidance of head of design for menswear Tony O’Connor. Here he talks us thorugh the range, and David Gandy tell us about his involvement as the face of the collection, as well as what inspires him in work and life.
Great news for your other half’s wardrobe, M&S Man has undergone an exciting rebrand and, as of this month, will become the improved M&S Collection. Hot on the hells of the transformation of M&S womenswear last year, head of design for menswear Tony O’Connor and his team have been busy creating a considered edit of timeless pieces that encompass M&S’s core values of quality and innovation. With improved fabrics and superior designs, the refreshed collection is designed to fit seamlessly into an everyday wardrobe, and each item has the bonus of being constructed to last.
The classic cuts that run through the collection of luxury tailoring, everyday pieces and activewear are based on M&S’s iconic shapes, which have a stylish and timeless feel. Tony has worked hard to capture a strong and confident sense of style in the collection, which is modelled by David Gandy. We caught up with Tony to find out more about this exciting new range, and met David to talk about why he’s proud to be associated with M&S, and his life as a model and fashion ambassador.
Tony O’Connor has been designing menswear for retail brands for more than 20 years, and has been head of design for menswear at M&S since 2008. We meet up with him to find out more about the new range.
What have you set out to do with this collection? I’ve been working on a timeless feeling for the M&S Collection, and David and I have had some great collaborative meetings on how he’s going to wear it in our shoot, and what the shoot’s going to look like. We’ve agreed on what sort of style he’s going to convey. I want it to feel like timeless wardrobe classics. M&S Collection is about simple pieces with a really strong essence of style.
Do you design the range with David Gandy in mind?
David is definitely one of my references, but I want to make sure that this brand is worn by all men. David’s a very stylish man, and he’s going to carry it really well. He looks great in everything, but I want M&S Collection to be absorbed by lots of guys. That’s why the pieces feel quite easy to wear and are clean looking and simple. Men can come into M&S and feel satisfied that, it they walk out with something from M&S Collection, they will look stylish in it.
What does David bring to the brand?
I hope David wearing M&S collection will inspire other guys to see how it can be worn and how good they can look in it.
What are the key things that you will be refreshing your wardrobe with this spring?
Some of our deconstructed tailoring and a sports jacket, because that’s a really top look for spring.
What are spring’s key colours?
There’s a new aqua that looks really fresh and confident. It looks especially great teamed with neutrals and whites – which are also key shades for spring – and is a really modern-looking colour. And pink is still a very important colour for this season. We have a strong pink, as well as a softer version.
David Gandy, 33 is one of the world’s top male models, as well as British Fashion Council ambassador. We talked to him about his relationship with M&S, his career and life in fashion.
You’re very involved in Britain retailing. Is it important for you?
I’m very proud to be British. All I see is that we want to drive foreign cars or wear Zara or Abercrombie & Fitch, and here we are with Marks & Spencer, which is an iconic brand and an institution in the UK. I want to support British brands. I’m on the menswear committee for the British Fashion Council and an ambassador for London Collections: Men, and I’m building this relationship with M&S and with new collections. I think we should be more loyal and supportive in the UK. We put ourselves down in this country and don’t shout about what we do well. The rest of the world can see what we do well, but I think we’re a bit blinkered about it. And when we do something amazing, like the Olympics, everyone takes notice, and that’s what I try and push all the time.
How would you define British style?
It’s very individual. I’ve always thought that Britain was the king of individuality. From Carnaby Street to Savile row to the London dandy to Vivienne Westwood. I think we’ve lost a bit of that because of globalization; but I still think, for me, it goes back to tailoring, and we have our heritage here with Savile Row. We started suiting and tailoring. That sartorial Savile Row man is how I see an English gentleman and I don’t think that will ever change.
How did you get into modeling?
I won a television competition after a friend sent in photos to This Morning with Richard and Judy. It was the end of uni and I thought why not, it sounds like a bit of fun. Select [model agency] took me on – even before I won the competition they told me they were going to put me on their books. It was a bit of an adventure; I got to observe the industry over a few years, and thought there could be something in it for me. I wasn’t successful to start with – but I thought modeling could fit in with my desire not to do the same thing every day.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a model?
If I could go back to my six-year-old self, it would probably be something to do with the motor industry or motoring journalism. But the thing is, I review cars for GQ.com and I work with Jaguar. I see all the products that are coming out.
I also collaborate with brands like M&S and they do take my direction seriously, so I get that designing thing. I’ve always been interested in design – if you like fashion, it goes from watches to cars to interiors to clothing.
What are the best things about modeling?
The best thing for me is that no day is the same. That was my aim when I was younger – anything I wanted to do was going to be a job where I wasn’t going to the same office with the same people every day. Today I’m doing this interview, I was shooting last night – I’ve got about five meetings this afternoon, Monday I go to the LA Motor Show for Jaguar, then I’ve got an M&S Collection shoot – and in between all that I’ll be writing for Vogue.com and GQ.com. I get bored very, very easily.
Was it always going to be fashion, or could it have been music or film that would have enabled the lifestyle you wanted?
I haven’t got a bit of musical talent in me, so it was never going to be music. Acting – I’ve doing a few bits, but it’s always fashion related. I have a production company as well, and we’ve done a few fashion-based films for different brands.
Which designers do you admire?
Dolce & Gabbana. Obviously, I work with them and I admire how involved thy still are in their business, which is massive. They make every final decision – even down to the people they want in their runway shows. You see the work ethic of Domenico [Dolce], who does most of the designing. After the men’s show, when all the models come out down the runway and everyone’s clapped, he’ll go ‘Right – womenswear’. And start the next day on the next collection.
You always look stylish – do you style yourself?
Yeah, I do. Not that I ever think. It’s complicated – it’s just about buying a few good things. I get some suits made, but I mix them up with different jackets and trousers. I like to wear designer pieces along with high-street stuff. A friend of mine, who’s a well-known stylish, looks impeccable every time I see him and he doesn’t do it in an expensive way. He puts together designer and high-street very well.
Do you dress differently for day and night?
Every day is different, it depends what I’m doing. Today, I’ve come here in a coat from M&S’s Best of Britain range – I support the brands I’m working with. Night and day are usually separate looks, as they’re two different entities.
Yesterday, I was shooting and I took a suit along to wear in the evening. It was good to get into a three-piece wool suit, as I haven’t worn one for a while because I’ve been always, and I went straight out in it last night.
What are the three items you couldn’t live without?
A good three-piece suit. I prefer the classics over trends; as soon as something becomes trendy I literally chuck it out. Watches, I couldn’t live without. I have too many. It’s an expensive habit, but the right ones hold their value. There’s a history behind the ones I collect, the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch on the moon; the TAG Heuer Monaco was the one Steve McQueen wore in his films.
Do you ever make any fashion mistakes?
Yeah, I’m sure everyone does. I think you learn by mistakes. That’s certainly what I’ve done. You learn what you look best in by what doesn’t work. In my uni days, I played so much sport that my fashion sense was just utilitarian, because I was going from training ground to training ground. And I didn’t have much money to spend. I think that puts you in good stead.
What’s your top way to unwind?
Driving. I got my racing licence last year. This year, I was in the Mille Miglia – a 1000km race around Italy. I did it with Yasmin Le Bon – she’s done more races than me. You race a 1950s classic car round normal roads with normal traffic. I don’t get scared; adrenalin kicks in.
Do you have any memories of M&S as a child?
Many. My mum dragging me into the underwear department to buy underwear. Hers, not mine! I remember being absolutely traumatized by that. I got to 10 and said, ‘Mun, I’m not doing this any more. I’ll be in the corner eating Percy Pigs’.
In the sixth from at school, we didn’t wear uniform, I remember I went into M&S and bought a green V-neck. Everyone loved it and asked ‘Where did you get that from?’ When I said M&S, another four guys went and bought it, so we were all walking round in the same jumper.
I’ve always enjoyed saying something’s from M&S and changing brand perception, even back then. And here I am today, still working with that brand and trying to do the same thing and change that perspective, because people don’t believe I wear M&S clothes.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. If we’ve got one valentine to send, it goes to the King of Hearts, David Gandy. Find out what drives one of Gandy’s greatest passions (hint, hint: top down).
Given that we’ve got sunshine on our minds, and that Gandy landed his dream job – “delivering sports cars to tracks all over the place” at age 17, we couldn’t help but pick his brain about the best convertibles of all time.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Jaguar E TypeEnzo Ferrari described this car as “The Most Beautiful car ever built”. I should really leave it at that. Praise doesn't get much higher. It was Britain’s fastest sports car in 1961 and it’s a car today that people still stop and stare at. In many ways, it’s more like a piece of art.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Ford MustangAsk anyone what car would you see yourself driving the PCH in on a Sunday afternoon and even non-motoring-enthusiasts will probably answer: a classic Ford Mustang. In 1964 it was the fastest selling car of its time. Look up the definition of cool in the dictionary. It should simply have a picture of this car.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Porsche 356The 356 was the first car to wear the Porsche badge and was the beginning of the most successful sports-car brand ever. Strangely the 356 was actually very closely related to the VW beetle, but to me the 356 has to be the most iconic car Porsche has ever built and led to the 911's that we know today.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Jaguar XK-SSWhen people ask me what car would I have if money was no object, this is the one. At around $25 million, I will sadly never own one, but I have driven one of only 16 ever to be built. It was really a racecar for the road and it was most definitely Steve McQueen's choice to race around the Hollywood hills in. He bought one in 1959, sold it in 1969 and then repurchased it in 1977, maybe that tells you just how good it was.
Mercedes 300sl RoadsterThe 300SL some people argue as being the first ever super-car. It was preceded by the iconic Gullwing, but people say the Roaster was always the better car. The 300SL was frankly the most sensational, fastest, most technically advanced car of its time and, I would have to say, more beautiful than the Jaguar E Type. Can I afford one? No, but I am fully restoring the next best thing: a 190sl.
W Magazine, the internationally-recognized monthly American fashion magazine, has released its March issue featuring David Gandy within its 'Pillow Talk' series alongside other international celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Joe Manganiello, Milla Jovovich, Liu Wen, Luke Evans, etc. With an amazing black and white picture taken by Mert Alas& Marcus Piggott and styled by Edward Enninful, David surprise us showing his magnetism.
The magazine also published photos taken by the celebrities themselves during the photo shoot within the 'Strike a #Selfie' series
Beckham aside, if you had to nominate one person who has helped raise the profile of modelling for men more than any other, that person would have to be David Gandy. Often cited as "the first male supermodel" (though this seems to be a category with more than one first, as well shall see) since being unwittingly entered into an ITV This Morning competition by his flatmate, the 34 year old beefcake from Billericay has been unavoidable.
Launching himself with a splash via Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue fragrace as in 2007, a 30 second clip where he canoodles with a brunette in the bottom of a dinghy moored off Sicily wearing a pair of tight white shorts, he followed this with a staggeringly homoerotic promotional calendar entitled David-a reference to the other buff David, the one by Michelangelo. Overnight, male beauty had a new archetype. The photographer Mario Testino summed up the thoughts of the industry when he noted that Gandy "signifies a real shift in men's fashion".
Since then, he's the one male model who really has become a household name, via sheer force of will and an impressive raft of extracurricular projects that include journalism, charitable endeavours like Comic Relief, TV appearances on The Jonathan Ross show and Absolutely Fabulous, talks at the Oxford Union, and his tireless promotion of menswear and London Collection:Men with his seat on the British Fashion Council. He was even quick to see the value in skewering the Zoolander comparisons by making fun of them himself. One if his charities is called Blue Steel Appeal.
"Now a lot more men aren't afraid to say,'Yes, I'm a model'," Gandy says. "Hopefully, I've set a precedent for other guys to come into this industry. I hope other people have followed my lead because it's not been the easiest thing in the world to do. I've worked bloody hard at it."
"George Clooney is doing Nespresso and Ryan Reynolds is doing M&S," David Gandy notes. "Who would ever think M&S were going to sign Ryan Reynolds?'
By 2000, time was called on excesses of muscles and water trucks. In July that year, Heidi Slimane took over as creative director of Dior Homme, and ushered in a widely-imitated new look of nipped-in tailoring and pipe legged jeans, the after-effects of which haven't entirely dissipated today, 14 years later. Sample sizes dropped two sizes from 40 to 36 and modelling was suddenly overrun by barely-there urchins who appeared to have been dragged to the catwalks from the streets because, in many cases, they had been. Slimane left Dior in May 2007. David Gandy's advert for Light Blue aired the next month.
"Clothing that skinny is not going to fit a normal guy," Gandy says. "So it wasn't something that guys could relate to, whatsoever."
As for longevity, surviving in an industry that thrives on the new, David Gandy has some strong views on that: "Guys are a lot more replaceable than girls," he says. "Girls can get away with a lot more. I could never understand that. We're on the same advertising boards, the women's market is saturated, and the men's is expanding."
That's why he came up with his cunning plan-copy the girls.
"You've got to turn yourself into a brand. From the reaction that (my) Light Blue (fragrance campaign) got, I just copied what the (female) supermodels have done. It's more important about what you say no to, than what you say yes to. But you can build that brand up, and then you will do one wrong thing that's seen around the world, because you were attracted to the money aspect of it. You don't realise what it's going to cost you."
Of course, not every modelis David Gandy,who,after Sean O'Pry, is thought to be the world's highest paid male model, on about 900,000 pounds a year.
As someone who's newly self-employed, working freelance,as models effectively are turning down work might not be so easy.
"It's a scary prospect," Gandy agrees. "If you don't work, you don't get paid. But you do have to sacrifice certain jobs. You have to have a focus of where you want to be, and you can't divert from that line. You don't want to be seen doing high-street brand when what you actually want is to go and get a fragrance deal. You have to be confident that you're going to get that money back over the next couple of years. Because, when I say no to something, you know they're going to come back with more money. And then they come back again. I hated doing catalogues. I was never going to stay in the industry to do catalogues over in Germany. Some people love that, it's regular work. It's regular money."
And like many jobs-though perhaps surprisingly for this one-success lies not in what you know but who you know. The real work happens off the catwalk.
"What most models don't realise is that on a shoot from eight o'clock in the morning till six o'clock at night, it doesn't stop there," Gandy says. "You have to do the networking: it's the talking, and going to the parties. What people don't realise is that if you do your job well and you're nice to work with, all those other people on the shoot, all those stylist, photographers, and art director have all got other jobs to go on. So if they like you, then of course they're going to bring you onto the next project."
" I was with Nicolas Malleville the other day, who is with Select Models," says Daivd Gandy, of the property developer. "He now has four hotels in Mexico. You can't be a thick person if you've got four hotels in Mexico."
The Bafta's are the last major award ceremony before the Oscar Awards. On the red carpet David was surrounded by many Hollywood and British A-list celebrities like Leonardo DeCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.This evening David Gandy attended the Elle Style Awards 2014 held at One Embankment. The Elle Style Awards have been dubbed the "Fashion Oscars".This year the Style Awards are closing out London Fashion Week.
Another year has gone by and here we are again celebrating another David Gandy birthday. We here at DjG feel honored and privileged that we can join you all in celebrating this day.
For this occasion, we are pleased to have join us our dear friend Lisa Rosenberger from Virginia (USA), who has written to David a special Birthday letter and has made for him a wonderful video, mixing the essence of Brisith Style and the American soul through the pictures and the music. Thank You Lisa for sharing this with us!
And to David we wish you a Very Happy Birthday! We look forward to many more with you!
I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. It's kind of strange, wishing someone you've never met and really don't know a happy birthday. I feel like I'm actually wishing a happy birthday to two people. David James Gandy, the world only male supermodel, and David Gandy the man from Essex. I don't profess to know either one of those men, these are just my thoughts, my observations, which could be completely off the mark. I first saw the Light Blue commercial in May of last year while watching ESPN Sports Center with my son. You popped up big as life on that big screen, and my brain said, 'huh, nice commercial, damn he's hot.' At the time, that was that, life moved on. But then, one morning, there was that darn commercial again, and I had some time on my hands, so I googled 'whos the guy in the Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue commercial'. And there you were. Well, there was David James Gandy the supermodel. I was blown away. I must have been living in a cave to have not noticed you before that morning. Yes, I thought, this boy pulled his looks from the good end of the gene pool. Because, damn, the camera loves you. I searched pictures, websites, liked your page on Facebook, much to my husbands dismay I may add. Following you even got me on Twitter. Yep, the face of the model drew me in, but it was the heart I saw in the man who has kept my attention. The more I read about you, the more I learned about you, the more I was impressed. Not with the model David James Gandy. But with the man behind the brand. Don't get me wrong you're a great model, but you're so much more than the brand. I think a lot of fans forget the man behind the brand. The man who gives his time to Style for Soldiers, because he understands that those service men are heroes. That they may need and deserve a helping hand when they come home. Just a simple shirt can do so very much to move a man forward. The man who supports Capstar Chauffeurs because he understands that a person needs to work, to feel useful, to regain a bit of life they thought may have been lost to the devastation of war. The man who spends his off days at Battersea giving unconditional love to lost and homeless dogs. I firmly believe you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats animals. The kindness in your heart is seen in every picture of you with a dog. The smile we see from you when you're doing what you truly love, that smile, could light up the city London with the joy it conveys.
We both share a fondness for quotes, and I found one that spoke to me about what I think you'd like all your fans to do to celebrate your birthday. It's as follows: Plant the seeds of Love in our hearts. Let them grow into trees of Service. That is the proper way to celebrate the Birthday. To celebrate of your birthday, not with overly fluffy messages like the one I just wrote above, but with a deed to give back to someone or something else in your name.
I also made a video for you, to the song Simple Man by Lynryd Skynryd. The song is a prayer from a mother to son, it's what I believe that boy from Essex is in his heart.....a simple kind of man, the kind who loves and understands. I wish you peace and joy on your birthday David. Oh, from one mother to another, please tell your Mom, well done Mrs. Gandy, well done indeed.
His modelling career has taken him from Essex to a 50ft billboard in Times Square, but in his spare time, David Gandy loves putting his foot down.
There are classic cars, and then there are classic Jaguars – so driving a 1959 Jaguar XK120 around the iconic Goodwood circuit is a pretty good day for me. There’s nothing quite like it: the smell of the leather, the wood, the fuel... It’s just astonishing – there’s a very romantic feel to it. Although, at 6’3”, I don’t fit into the car too well – my knees are up to my nose and my head sticks up above the windscreen, which is a little disconcerting, especially if you’ve ever rolled a car (which I have).
I’m a complete petrolhead. My love of motoring was already well established by the time I bought my first car, a 1.1 1988 Fiesta Ghia, complete with electric windows that would only open if you pressed the button and simultaneously banged on the door. My friends and I nicknamed it ‘The Beast’. I clearly remember taking a girl on a date in it; both the doors broke and she had to climb out through one of the windows. It’s probably not surprising that I never saw her again.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.My fantasy car, though, is a Jaguar XKSS – there were only 16 ever made. They would have made more but the factory burnt down and production ceased. I actually got to drive one of them last year, but I don’t think I’ll ever own one – they cost about £20 million each! Truthfully, I was a bit scared to drive it at first; I didn’t want to be the guy that crashed the £20 million Jag, but it’s essentially a racing car, so it drives better the faster you go. When I was driving it, my earpiece may have accidentally fallen out, so I may have done a couple of laps a bit faster than I was supposed to. They ended up having to send a car out to come and get me, which was a bit embarrassing.
It wouldn’t have been my first crash, though. Predictably, I’ve crashed a couple of cars racing, although in the last one I was actually the navigator and Yasmin Le Bon was driving – we were partnered in the 2013 Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile car race in Italy. My most notable crash – purely because my dad never lets me forget it – was when I crashed a tiny Peugeot. I went down a grassy bank and put the car on its roof – even now, whenever I say farewell to my dad, he says, ‘Drive safe, David. Mind those grassy banks.’ I’m, like, ‘Dad, it was 14 years ago, forget about the grassy bank’ – but you learn from your mistakes.
It’s funny, most of my style icons – people like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman – are petrolheads too. My personal style is very utilitarian. I like quality outerwear, trousers and driving shoes; it’s all pretty simple stuff – exactly like James Dean, who almost invented the wearing of a white T-shirt. I think you have to find your own style; I’m not a big believer in trends. My advice is to always try different things, it’s good to be individual, but finding what works for you and your look is the key. Just because something’s on a runway or in a magazine, don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all – if it doesn’t work for you, don’t wear it.
IN THE FAST LANE
David talks wardrobe mishaps, car crashes and the thrill of vintage motoring.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.1. THE DRIVER Sébastien Loeb, the many-time rally champion, would be my ultimate driver. He can pedal a car like no other.
2. THE ROAD My fantasy drive would be the Route 1 highway by the Pacific Ocean. It takes in San Francisco and Los Angeles via the Big Sur and Pebble Beach. It’s pretty spectacular.
3. THE WHEELS I’d love to own a Jaguar XKSS, a road-going version of the Jaguar D Type. But seeing as there were only 16 ever made, and they each cost £20 million, it’s probably quite unlikely.
4. THE MUSIC I don’t listen to anything if I’m driving hard; you need to concentrate on the engine and pay attention to the tyres and gearbox. Otherwise, I listen to a combination of Magic FM and Smooth FM – everyone takes the mickey out of me for that.
5. THE LOOK Driving a car like a vintage Jaguar gives you a licence to a certain look. You can style it up with heritage-inspired pieces, such as Harris Tweed and tailoring classics.
David Gandy & Carolyn Murphy star in the latest Massimo Dutti New York Collection campaign for SS 2014. Massimo Dutti has casual elegance down to a science. The collection mostly consists of subdued shades of white, ivory, tans and soft blues. With the pops of color coming from the brown leather and suede jackets to the darker blues in mens slacks and blazers. Photographed by Mario Testino.
We would like to give a special Thank You to Sana Moh (Facebook) for letting us use her translation of this interview.
(Background voice) His Body in a white briefs made him world famous. David Gandy appears for Dolce & Gabbana in a boat again, but this time she is in the boat with him, Bianca Balti. We ask ourselves, if these two advertising couple are so beautiful in reality. Oh yes!
Bianca Balti: Halllo! Nice to meet you, Tanja
David Gandy: Nice to meet you too.
BV: Which of them has the bluer eyes? He? No, She. Ok, both of them.
Bianca: Quiet please.
David Gandy and Bianca Balti can now afford to make announcement, as spectacular advertising couple of the world. Even if he makes himself unpopular, ok by ordinary men. What he says now.
David: I go training, I eat healthy that is what we human beings should do. We shouldn’t be fat.
BV: David is a disciplined man and beautiful, and he knows it. During the interview, he always drew his fingers with his lips. Bianca was allowed to kiss his lips, but the two are just a professional couple.
Interviewer: How was it to play a couple although you weren't?
Bianca: It was so hard, so hard for me. I had to put on my acting skills. (laughs). No, it was easy, he is a handsome guy you know, so it was not so hard to pretend.
BV: David Gandy 34 English, and one of the most booked Male Model of the world. Advertising face for almost every well known designer and runway model. Bianca Balti 29, Italian is not as famous has him, but also very successful and that since 10 years.
Both of them are the current face of a Dolce&Gabbana fragrance. Who now things we will be talking about beauty things is wrong. We are allowed to ask private questions.
Interviewer: Which quality must a woman have for you?
David: You could have the most beautiful girl in the world, but if she doesn't have a sense of humor, then it is not worth it really.
Bianca: It is the same, he has to make me laugh.
And he have to except her 7 years old daughter and also Bianca's temperament.
Bianca: You know I will get jealous, if I have to be jealous, but not without a reason. If I am, you don't want to see me when i'm jealous. (laughs)
Maybe that's the reason why it remains professional between Bianca and David, than the girlfriend by David side need a strong nerve.
We are pleased to inform you that on Wednesday, March 5th, at 18:00 pm, David Gandy will participate, as a guest speaker, in the annual round of conferences organized by the Oxford Fashion Week.
Speaker: David Gandy - Fashion Revolution
1855 Wine Bar, Oxford Castle
Wed 5th March, 6-8pm
Can fashion ever be guilt free? Does looking good always mean doing good? What’s the real definition of a ‘fashion crime’? Oxford Fashion Week presents a panel on the most pressing international issues in fashion today. On 24 April 2013 a factory producing garments for several well known retailers on the British high street collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 people.
On Wednesday 5 March 2014, some of the UK’s biggest campaigners will gather to share their views on the impact of fashion on the environment, global resources and the communities involved in producing the clothes we wear every day. Exploring questions such as ‘Who made your clothes’ and ‘Where do your clothes end up?’ our stellar speakers will inform, inspire and ignite the forum, putting Oxford at the forefront of the discussion on ethical fashion.
Tickets only £5 including drinks reception. Buy them here
David Gandy appears in the latest issue from GQ Taiwan, leading British model David Gandy reunites with photographer Chiun-Kai Shih, following a shoot in 2012 for August Man. Styled by Marcus Teo, David is the embodiment of the return of elegance with simple but sleek tailored suiting looks.