VMAN46: REIGNING HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY WITH EWAN MCGREGOR

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Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Stephen Gan

Associate Publisher / Advertising Director Nicola Bernardini de Pace nico@vmagazine.com Advertising Office, Italy and Switzerland Magazine International Luciano Bernardini de Pace luciano@bernardini.it Daniela Sartori daniela@bernardini.it

Managing Editor / Production Director Melissa Scragg Deputy Editor Gautam Balasundar Editorial Consultant Owen Myers Photo Director Goran Macura Editor, Entertainment Greg Krelenstein Sales & Distribution Director / Editorial Coordinator Czar Van Gaal Office Manager / Editorial Assistant Nicholas Puglia Contributing Editor-at-Large Derek Blasberg Copy & Research Editor Lynda Szpiro

Design Associate Art Director Shibo Chen

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Contributors

Digital Director Mathias Rosenzweig mathias@vmagazine.com

Sølve Sundsbø Jean-Baptiste Mondino Damon Baker Billy Kidd Grant Woolhead Bruna Kazinoti Max Papendieck Connor Franta Erik Lee Snyder Andy Polanco Kala Herh Danniel Rojas Antoinella

Digital Editor Dania Curvy dania@vmagazine.com Social Media Manager Kevin Ponce kevin@vmagazine.com Weibo Editor Meng Ji Consulting Digital Editor Ian David Monroe

Consulting Creative / Design Greg Foley

Press and Events

Fashion

Purple PR Andrew Lister andrew.lister@purplepr.com Jocelyn Mak jocelyn.mak@purplepr.com Amy Choi amy.choi@purplepr.com

Contributing Fashion Director Gro Curtis Fashion & Market Editor Aryeh Lappin Assistant Market Editor Sam Knoll Contributing Fashion Editors Nicola Formichetti Patti Wilson Anna Trevelyan Paul Cavaco Amanda Harlech Jacob K Joe McKenna Melanie Ward Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele Clare Richardson Panos Yiapanis Jane How Tom Van Dorpe Beauty Editor Stella Pak

Finance/Distribution Managing Director Todd Kamelhar Distribution David Renard

Special Thanks DNA Tony Craig NEXT Kyle Hagler Gabriel Rubin Samuel Zakuto IMG Kevin Apana Morgan Rubenstein The Society Jaga Acquarulo New York Model Management Grier Haney Art + Commerce Annemiek Ter Linden Dana Heis ADB Sacha Di Bona Walter Schupfer Brent Smith Society MGMT Stephane Gerbier Streeters Rayna Donatelli Tyler Williamson Paula Jenner De Facto Jen Zambrano Management + Artists Chloé Deforges The Visionaries Yan Javeri Art Department Anita Castillo Maistra Hospitality Group Interns: Sam Tracy Arianne Zhang Yoon Ji Yang Carlos Chinn Lily Tubman Kaylah Bryan Madison Martin Jesse Leonard Carly Gallagher Talyr Hill Emma Walpole Bailey Bujnosek

On the cover Cover1 Ewan wears jacket Celine by Hedi Slimane Bracelet Tiffany & Co. Shirt his own Cover2 Ewan wears all clothing Tom Ford Necklace, ring, bracelet Tiffany & Co.

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For our first issue of VMAN in 2021, all we could think about was the possibility of new adventures. Slowly, but surely, we'll be returning to a world where we can access and express the boldness and excitement we've all longed for.

Adventure isn't just a destination, but an attitude—an attitude that our cover star Ewan McGregor has embodied his whole career, with so many wide-ranging roles that it's fitting he would take on fashion legend Halston next. An attitude that our VMEN all employed when making their most personal, idiosyncratic works in the face of one of the most challenging years for artists. An attitude that Parker van Noord can't help but exude while wearing the best of spring fashion and looking like a rock star straight out of Max's Kansas City. It's an attitude that even designers are encouraging by offering so many different visions that we can be a new character every week. That's the point; now is the time to be playful, and joyful, and allow ourselves the freedom that we desire. That's what the spirit of adventure is all about. MR.V

VMAN is a registered trademark of VMAN LLC. Copyright © 2020 VMAN LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. VMAN (BIPAD 96492) is published biannually by VMAN LLC.

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20. SPRING SPOTLIGHT 24. VMEN 28. ACCESSORIES OF SPRING 30. LEE DANIELS WELCOMES VENENO'S DIRECTORS TO HOLLYWOOD 32. EWAN MCGREGOR 40. BRAVE NEW WORLD 50. LA VIE BOHÈME 58. SHARP SUITER 66. SHINE BRIGHT 74. TIKTOK'S NEW RULERS 80. WHAT VMEN WANT

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VMEN

Diedrick wears poncho Gucci Shorts his own

Los Angeles’ new wave of creatives bring a powerfully personal edge to their art Photography Connor Franta Fashion Aryeh Lappin

DIEDRICK BRACKENS CULTURAL TEXTILE ARTIST There’s a small, man-made lake in Diedrick Brackens’ hometown of Mexia, Texas, where Brackens draws his artistic power. The artist drives to the lake to get inspiration for his pieces, which uses the language of weaving to explore identity and sociopolitical issues in the United States. Lake Mexia is a nexus for the community to come together for celebrations. While there’s been a lot of joy, there’s also been a lot of grief. In the ‘60s, Brackens’ aunt drowned in the lake during a car crash, and, during 1981’s Juneteenth celebration, three Black teenagers drowned while in police custody. The latter inspired bitter attendance, drown jubilee (2018) showing two figures swimming among three catfish. The catfish represent “those who have departed,” he says, speaking from his minimalist studio in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. “These creatures are sustenance, and that there’s this perfectly closed loop of eating it, it eating us, it being us.”

A graduate of California College of the Arts, Brackens’ work is often inspired by a historical event yet given a through line to the present 24

with his weaves. Weft by weft, Brackens slowly layers fuchsia, gold, and plum cotton threads to create dynamic tapestries that explore the long-term impact of the AIDS crisis on the Black community in his upcoming show at NYC’s Jack Shainman Gallery. “Texture and fabric and color gets people really excited,” he says solemnly. “The power of the medium is that I can get people to come in really close—and if there’s something horrific or tragic embedded there, they will likely see something they would otherwise not engage [with].” Titled blessed are the mosquitoes, the work references the “bugchasing” subculture of men who actively seek HIV infection, while also commenting on the freedom to live life on one’s own terms.

The beauty of Brackens’ work is not only in his ability to weave folklore, religon, Black history, and his own lived experience into his powerful tapestries—but also his unapologetic way in which he does so. “I’m here. I’m queer. I’m Black,” he says affirmatively. “These are the things I’m looking at, and this is what I want you to look at.” KALA HERH

vmen LoveLeo wears top and pants Dsquared2 Jewelry his own

LOVELEO SYNTH-POP SURREALIST “I can’t stand not making stuff,” Leo Reilly, aka LoveLeo, says from his L.A. home. Last year the eclectic young musician attempted a break from making songs, only to realize the detrimental effect it was having on him. “I was beating myself up a lot, and I thought it was easier for my mental stability to take a break from working. But not creating was slowly driving me insane.” Last summer he released a wide-ranging EP titled Look at This Mess I’ve Made, with eight songs that glide from slow-burn crooning to dance-friendly pop, with a punk excursion in between. It’s the sound of someone teeming with ideas and finding plenty of room for exploration.

That ethos is indicative of Reilly’s creative process; he is constantly seeking out new ways to push his sound. “Lyrically, I’ve been going back and listening to a lot of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra, just in terms of sleazy storytelling kind of stuff. On the flip side, I’ve been listening to a lot of LCD Soundsystem and people who are a little bit more comical with their lyrics.” That sense of lightheartedness comes across in

his songs as well, which always manage to have a buoyancy to them, regardless of their tempo or style. “I’ve really been really getting into a lot of grunge, deep house, techno,” he says. “And I’ve really been inspired by how that world has been interacting with the bubblegum pop world. I’ve been making a lot of stuff that I’ve never done before.”

A similar spirit carries over to his phantasmic visual output, most apparent in music videos that are filled with bubbly, energetic, and comical scenes. He superimposes his face onto eggs or bowling pins or female models, shrinks himself to the size of nail polish, and, conversely, enlarges himself so that he can peer into his own apartment window on L.A’s Eastside. These themes extend to his social media, another avenue to be expressive and a little surreal, and innately reflects his brimming creativity. “We, as humans, have the ability to change how we look at any point, so it’s such an exciting thing to do that,” he says. “Not to become different people, but to explore different parts of yourself.” GAUTAM BALASUNDAR 25

vmen Christian wears coat Maison Margiela Top and pants his own

CHRISTIAN LEAVE DIY POP STAR If you’ve been on the Internet long enough to remember the ALS ice bucket challenge, #alexfromtarget, and belfies, you may know Christian Leave as the Vine star who went viral with his relatable videos about school, friendships, and everything in between. Born Christian Akridge in Wichita Falls, Texas, the then 14-year-old was making six-second videos, responding to (at times, outlandish) fan DMs, and starting Twitter challenges—all from his childhood bedroom. “I’ve lived a lot of my life on the Internet,” says Christian, now based in Los Angeles.

“I’m getting into this moment of living life in front of me and being a regular person in the real world.”

After Vine went under in 2017, Christian turned to another passion of his: music. Like many of his Gen Z cohorts, he often finds himself in a perpetual state of numbness, overwhelmed by the seemingly endless pool of content on social media, and anxious about the post-pandemic future. For the 20-year-old, his lo-fi music and therapy are interconnected; he uses songwriting to clear his mental slate. “I’ve tried to 26

shape my music in a way to really allow someone to hear what I’m saying and then immediately agree or feel some kind of comfort,” he says.

The product of his casual, yet intimate journaling is his just-released new EP, Heavy Hitting Hurts My Head. On the gauzy, emotion-drenched song, “Bedache,” Christian confesses that, “I can’t seem to move on,” and “I wish I could give up,” with his ultimate admission in the chorus, “All this thinking makes me want to drop dead.” The EP is an incisive portrait of his inner life, whether he’s singing about remorselessly ghosting on plans or, more poignantly, about the fear of being different.

His rich, soulful sound can be traced back to his years growing up in a Pentecostal church where his dad was a pastor. As he stretches the boundaries of his sound, you’ll find yourself unraveling a coming-ofage story that’s eerily familiar. Despite making the transition to music, Christian is still the same boy-next-door with an affinity for nonsensical quips that Vine users fell in love with. After listening to the dreamy, intimate lyrics of his new album, you might be next. KALA HERH

vmen Jean wears top (over hoodie) Ermenegildo Zegna Hoodie, pants, shoes his own

JEAN DAWSON ALT HIP-HOP ALCHEMIST Back in October, the 25-year old Tijuana-born, L.A.-based musician Jean Dawson opened up his world to the public with the release of his debut album Pixel Bath, a sprawling collection of sounds, genres, and moods. “It feels like holding your breath for a long time and then finally exhaling,” he says, of the album’s release. With only one guest verse on the entire album—rapped by A$AP Rocky—Pixel Bath is a pure expression of Dawson. Even when filtered through catchy, energetic guitar lines on songs like “Devilish” and “Pegasus,” Dawson’s lyrics are brooding, selectively using menacing metaphors in the vein of rap to confront his inner turmoil “living life with a price on my head / Death got a gun with a beam, and it’s red” on Clear Bones. “I go places that I’m probably not super comfortable with going if I was just in a normal conversation,” he says. “Not for the sake of just being extra vulnerable, it’s just that place that you go when you’re doing something that needs to be viscerally felt.”

Even though Pixel Bath is categorized as “alternative,” Dawson is

part of a generation of artists who aren’t constrained to one genre, in part because of the exposure they’ve had via the internet. “We have a passport to ideas; we have an entire infinite encyclopedia of anything and everything that we’re interested in. We are probably the generation that fully is taking advantage of it.” Pixel Bath sounds like it could have come out of the early-2000s pop-punk scene, or the indie-rock wave that emerged at the end of that decade, or can slot into the trend of rappers trying guitar-driven sounds. “You’re using other people’s ideas and inspiration to show your individualism,” he says, appreciating the irony. “...which, in itself is kind of a paradox, but it kind of chain-links us to everything around each other.” Nonetheless, whatever Dawson creates ends up as a deep personal expression that continues to grow beyond himself. “I’m always looking at myself as a primary reference for anything that I make, because I only have experience in my skin. I feel like it will always be a representation of my being—and hopefully something bigger than that.” GAUTAM BALASUNDAR 27

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LEE DANIELS WELCOMES VENENO'S DIRECTORS TO HOLLYWOOD The Madrid-born geniuses behind HBO Max’s groundbreaking drama open up to filmmaking veteran Daniels about trans visibility on-screen and their heady rise to the top Text Kevin Ponce

Photography Damon Baker Fashion Nicola Formichetti Lee wears jacket Desigual Top and sunglasses his own

Whether it’s film or television, true directorial masterpieces know no bounds, no language barriers—only raw emotions that evoke a sense of hope in others. That is exactly what Veneno, the mini-series based on Spanish trans icon Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez (aka “La Veneno”), did for American film director, producer, and screenwriter Lee Daniels.

While oceans apart, the directors of the series Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo were able to touch not only Lee’s heart but those of many queer folks like them. As the Western world is catching up to the buzz surrounding the show, VMAN brought the three directors together on a call to discuss the cultural importance of the series.

Lee Daniels: For those who read VMAN out there and don’t know what this is, Veneno is an eight-part mini-series on HBO Max that is a tour de force.

Javier Calvo: It is a true story about a Spanish trans woman who was a sex worker in Madrid and suddenly one day, a television crew came to the place she worked at and gave her the opportunity to become a star and she suddenly became [a part of] one of the [biggest] shows in Spain. She was one of the first trans women to appear on TV, and she was a big hit for only two years. Then everything ended and everyone forgot about [her]. [For] the rest of her story, nobody knows what happened, so that’s what we wanted to tell.

Javier Ambrossi: In Spain, we [call them] “Juguete Rota”—the people that were once famous and [now] no one knows about them. [She] was a one-hit wonder, and everyone would laugh at her.

LD: That’s the brilliance of it. I think that’s what was so moving about it. For the first time, I was able to see my generation honored and it 30

was like, “thank God these kids get it.”—that you’re here because of us.

JA: It was a love letter to the people that came and fought before us and to the people that are imperfect.

JC: We are not perfect. We are not correct. There [are] people who [paved] the road when there was only a jungle. There’s a line in Veneno that I love: ”She walked so we could run.”

LD: I just feel like your voices are so fresh and your perspectives are so clear that I just don’t see that in America, the way I felt it from you.

Let me talk about the other [things] y’all did that was really smart. You brought in the younger trans [woman] who wrote the book.

JC: We’re friends with Valeria [Vegas], and one day she said, “I wrote a book about La Veneno.” And we read it and burst into tears. We said, “Why don’t we know this story? Why don’t we know the story of the people who came before us? Why don’t we know our LGBTQIA+ elders?”

JA: [The character of] Valeria is based on the real writer. She is the one that wrote the biography and she’s a trans woman and journalist. We were going to adapt the book only [focusing] on the life of La Veneno, but we had some issues. First of all, she [did] not tell the truth all the time and we needed to acknowledge and play with that. We needed someone who knew her and tried to see if it’s right or wrong. So when Valeria [the author] told us her story, we thought, “Oh my God, there’s another story here and we need to tell both!”

JC: We looked at each other and said “Valeria, would you be comfortable if you were a character in the show?” She was like “Umm, no I would not.” (laughs) JA: So then after, I was like, “Okay but I insist, so go home. Think about

vman talks

Photography Danniel Rojas Fashion Antoinella On left, Javier Ambrossi wears cardigan Gucci Top and pants Loreak Mendian Shoes Converse

Grooming Noemí Nohales Stylist assistant Tinet Serra

On right, Javier Calvo wears Top (worn over) vintage Levi’s Turtleneck Garcia Madrid Pants Carlota Barrera Boots Gucci Jewlery Twojeys

it. And tomorrow you have to say yes!” (laughs) JC: For the character of Valeria, we didn’t want to only show the sad, tragic story of a trans woman because we needed hope. We needed a trans woman who is passionate about being a journalist, who has a mother that loves her, and who has a brilliant future ahead of her. So that helped us to see the two sides of the story. Even though there’s a long road [ahead] still for the rights of the trans woman in Spain, at least, she had light in her life—that was important for us.

JA: So for Lola [Rodríguez], who is the actress that plays Valeria, we cut her hair and she was like, “Oh my God!” JC: She transitioned at nine years old. And we were like, “Okay, we need you to go backwards—we need to cut your hair [and] draw on a beard.” We had a few issues because [even though] we loved her at the audition, she has a Canarian accent, which was kind of challenging and she had these huge breasts. We talked to the makeup department and the costume department and [told them] you have to make that disappear.

LD: Honestly, it’s so well done that you really believe that this person has done it in real life! What was the experience [of shooting Veneno] like?

JA: It was intense. We had the pandemic right in the middle of shooting, so instead of three or four months, we had a whole year of shooting.

JA: They were working their asses off to be the best. We made sure that every single department had at least one trans person—from the truck drivers, even the lighting [crew]. Department by department, we said, “You have to make sure you have at least one trans person or you’re out of the show.”

LD: I’m fascinated when people co-direct and co-write. How does that work? How do you stay alive as a couple?

JC: When Stephen [Gan] said, “Okay, I’m going to stop talking and I’m going to let the three of you talk,” I thought, “What three? We’re two.”

I really feel that we’re one person. I feel what he feels. I feel the ideas he has. We just have that connection.

JA: I’ve only grown in life with him. I don’t have the experience of being alone because I’ve only ever been in love with him.

LD: What was the most difficult part of Veneno when you really think about it?

JA: I always try to forget the difficult parts, but for me, it was to be fair and kind to everyone all the time.

LD: I think that’s a really good point. It is when you want to get the job done—it’s really hard to be kind and fair to everybody.

JC: It was the first time for many people in that production, [but] we had to make this right. We couldn’t make one mistake.

JA: I [took] one hour of my time and [went] one by one to every single person and said, “Hi and thank you,” because I wanted to know them and know that we were together. I had to do it because if I want to do a story about a community, it needs to be done by a community. So to be respectful and to understand what it really means to be trans was difficult. It was also hard to accept that in our society, we don’t love [them] correctly, we don’t understand and are not fair with them.

And that broke my heart.

LD: You guys show love in a great way, and I think that it’s really one of the best television shows I’ve ever seen. I just want everybody to see it!

Head to Vman.com to read the extended interview.

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Ewan wears all clothing Gucci Necklace Tiffany & Co. Watch Tag Heuer Shoes his own

EWAN MCGREGOR From indie-favorite to intergalactic Jedi Master to Hollywood leading man, the multifaceted Scottish actor has dominated every screen he has appeared on. Yet his upcoming role as fashion legend Halston is his most thrilling transformation to date Photography Damon Baker Fashion Nicola Formichetti Text William Norwich 32

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HAT DO WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HALSTON? WE TALK ABOUT FASHION AND FAME, ART, CULTURE, POLITICS AND HIGH SOCIETY, HIGH IN THE PARK AVENUE SENSE AND ALAS, THE COCAINE-VODKA ADDLED SENSE. THE GLAMOUR. STUDIO54. BLACK CASHMERE TURTLENECKS AND CIGARETTES. SWEEPING GESTURES AND AIR-KISSES. ANDY AND LIZA AND ELSA AND HIS BELOVED VICTOR HUGO’S FESTIVE PENIS. WE OPINE ABOUT THE RISE AND FALL OF HALSTON, LIKE ICARUS, HE FLOATED TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN. JACKIE KENNEDY’S PILLBOX HAT, LIZA MINNELLI’S COSTUMES, ELSA PERETTI’S SABLE IN THE FIREPLACE, THE OLYMPIC TOWER PLEASUREDOM, AND ALWAYS THE CRASH AND BURN: MAN TAKES A DRINK, DRINK TAKES A DRINK, DRINK TAKES THE MAN. COURTESY OF FILMMAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE RYAN MURPHY AND A CREATIVE TEAM OF EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS INCLUDING THE WRITERS IAN BRENNAN AND SHARR WHITE; ALEXIS MARTIN WOODALL, DANIEL MINAHAN, ERIC KOVTUN, AND CHRISTINE VACHON AND PAMELA KOFFLER OF KILLER FILMS, THE FIVE-EPISODE, LIMITED SERIES HALSTON COMES TO NETFLIX THIS SPRING. IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, ACTOR AND PHILANTHROPIST EWAN MCGREGOR STARS AS HALSTON. MINAHAN IS THE SERIES DIRECTOR. HALSTON’S FALL HAPPENED WHEN A HOSTILE TAKEOVER FORCED HIM TO BATTLE FOR HIS MOST PRECIOUS ASSET: THE HALSTON NAME ITSELF. BEFORE THE FALL, THE DESIGNER PERSONIFIED AMERICAN FASHION DURING AMERICAN FASHION’S GREATEST EXPANSION ON THE WORLD STAGE, WHEN HE AND HIS COMPATRIOTS, INCLUDING CALVIN KLEIN, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, AND BILL BLASS, RATTLED THE PARIS AND MILAN FASHION ESTABLISHMENTS BY MAKING CHIC, WEARABLE, LUXURIOUS CLOTHING AMERICAN WOMEN WANTED TO WEAR TO WORK AND FOR GRACIOUS LIVING AT HOME. HALSTON BANISHED THE GYPSY HIPPIE-BOHEMIAN LOOKS OF THE 60’S AND EARLY 70’S AND INTRODUCED STRONG SOLID COLORS, THE POWERFUL DRAPING OF FABRIC TO CREATE A SINGULAR DRESS, AND INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO ULTRASUEDE, LUXURIOUS, CHIC, AND STURDY LUXURY. ANDY WARHOL ONE OF H’S CLOSEST FRIENDS, DESCRIBED HALSTON’S FASHION SHOW AS “THE ART FORM OF THE 70’S.” HALSTON DIED OF COMPLICATIONS FROM AIDS IN LATE MARCH 1990 AT AGE 57, IN SAN FRANCISCO. HE HAD MOVED THERE ONLY A FEW MONTHS BEFORE. EWAN MCGREGOR IS NOT ONLY ONE OF OUR FINEST ACTORS, BUT ALSO ONE OF LIFE’S GREAT ENHANCERS. KIND, GENEROUS, SELF-EFFACING, AND FUNNY. VIA ZOOM FROM HIS HOME IN LOS ANGELES HE TALKED ABOUT HIS COMPLEX AND SENSITIVE PORTRAYAL OF HALSTON.

William Norwich: Hollywood is quite something, isn’t it? You’re on your beloved motorcycle one day, and the next day you’re on some set version of Studio 54 channeling Halston. How did this role happen?

Ewan McGregor: I don’t chase after things. About two years ago, I went to my agent’s office to meet about a few potential projects. They sat me in a room, two or three meetings about different scripts, one after the other. Dan Minahan, who’s our director for all five of the episodes, came in and we met. I just liked him straight away. I liked the way he talked about this man who I didn’t really know much about. Dan had some really beautiful photographs of Halston, and Halston’s world, and he was so prepared and just very calm. Sometimes people are nervous, or I’m nervous. It was just very easy. I was as taken with Dan as I was with Halston at that moment, and these photographs kept coming over the desk and I’m like, “wow, this is a time.

I was excited about that.”

WN: Did you know much about Halston before your meeting with Dan? EM: No. I started reading about him. He sent me some articles and more photographs. I read everything. I started falling for Halston’s pictures, and I was like “who is this guy? Surrounded by all these Halstonettes. So grand.” I learned more about Halston’s quick temper, about how loyal everybody was to him, how they loved him, and how not many people have got a nasty thing to say about him. Even though he was a very difficult man, there was so much love for this guy. All of that started titillating me and my sort of creative imagination, thinking how interesting it would be to play him. To be able to flash from anger to the way he looked, the way he drew everyone in. I loved the pictures of him looking at women wearing his clothes.

WN: He loved women, didn’t he?

EM: I loved how he saw beauty, and I thought, I want to play him. We had this sort of little merry band, and it wasn’t Ryan Murphy at that point. We went right to pitching the project. I hadn’t really done much or any of that before. It included Christine Vachon, whom I love.

WN: Had you known her before?

EM: We did Velvet Goldmine years ago, and I love her and love working with her. There’s something about having a producer who isn’t afraid of the actor, for starters. They have a habit of speaking to an actor like you’re a child or something. You watch them sort of change, when they approach you to speak with you, the actor. They sort of go: “Oh, um”, speaking to you like you’re this little thing—“is everything okay? Thanks so much for everything you’re doing!”

And Christine’s not like that. She’s absolutely—she tells you the truth. And I never hesitate to pick up the phone to her on set and go, “I don’t know about this,” if there’s something not right. She’s amazing. She and I, and Dan, and Sharr White—who was one of the writers early on—we went round and we pitched everywhere. We pitched it to fucking everyone. We went to HBO, we went to SHOWTIME, all of them.

WN: What kind of feedback did you get? I don’t want to be reductive, but I think there’s a whole generation who wouldn’t know about Halston. Recovering disco baby boomers, like me, know and the real, 20-year-old, fashion-insanely-devoted know Halston, but as nostalgia for the Studio 54 days, not so much his clothing.

EM: It is interesting, isn’t it, he was so huge. Wasn’t he the first of his kind in terms of branding his name on airplanes, carpets, slippers, towels, sheets. He did everything. And it was probably

part of his downfall, in a way. But he was so famous, and I think he liked that. He loved going to clubs, to the front of the queue, being with famous people, and being a famous person.

WN: What were you told at those meetings?

EM: The feedback from those early meetings was that they loved—everybody loved the world of Halston, they loved the idea of Liza Minnelli, Joe Eula, Elsa Peretti and Victor Hugo—everybody loved the idea of this man and his passions, that creative sort of genius passion which is dark and light, all at the same time. Studio 54 and New York and Montauk. Everybody liked the world of Halston. The glamour. But ultimately, nobody took it. And I think it’s because nobody gets murdered; there’s no blood. But the storyline is what I love about it. There’s something poetic about his story, what happened to him. And it’s so fascinating. I don’t need to see somebody murdered in a piece of drama to be engaged in it. But for TV, those sorts of sensational aspects were maybe what was missing. We did meeting after meeting after meeting, it was quite nerveracking. I did pitch meetings a long time ago for my motorcycle films, about 20 years for the first one, Long Way Round, and they were tough. You think it’s a great idea, but the execs are all skeptical, and it sort of hurts your ego. You’re like, “Why don’t you think it is as good of an idea as I do?” Here we were putting ourselves out there for Halston, and not getting the kind of “Oh my God, where do I sign up?” response that I expected.

WN: The worst feeling…

EM: It just goes quiet. You know, the phone doesn’t ring. Nobody calls you to say it’s not being picked up, because I guess they just have to wait in case somebody changes their mind—so it’s not like you’re told it’s not going to happen. It just goes very quiet. And I just thought, “Oh, okay, that’s a shame. I don’t think it’s going to happen; it’s not going to work.” Life went on. I started to plan the third part of our motorcycle journeys, me and my friend Charley Boorman, our Long Way Up trip starting at the tip of Argentina to L.A., on electric Harley-Davidsons.

[Editors’ note: all McGregor’s remarkable motorcycle trips, three compelling documentary films, are available on Apple TV]. But then, weeks later, the phone rang. Christine told me she’d just been somewhere with Ryan Murphy, and she told him she’d been pitching the Halston story and nobody was going to do it, and Ryan was like, “Well, we’ve got to fucking do it. Of course, we’ve got to.” It was really Ryan who took it and made it happen. The scripts shifted into more of his style. They became snappier.

WN: How do you prepare for a role? I had the pleasure of having dinner with Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson in New York a while ago. They were both about to do very different roles, and here were two very different people, great actors, talking about two very different ways of creating a character. I was mesmerized.

EM: I think it’s quite mysterious. And I don’t really understand it myself, other than I totally trust that it’s happening. They send you your script and you sit down and read it. You see the movie in your head. That’s the first time you imagine it. And it’s not a movie yet because it’s only in your imagination, so it’s larger than a movie. The only reality of it is your imagination.

From the moment you say to your agent, “I’d like to do this,” there’s part of your brain that’s now thinking about that character. What do you need? What things can you go out and learn.

For the Halston series, I learned how to drape. I had to look like I knew what I was doing with draping, you know?

All clothing Tom Ford Necklace Tiffany & Co. Watch Tag Heuer

This spread: Top and coat Valentino Ring and bracelet Tiffany & Co.

“ THERE ARE SO MANY SIDES TO SOMEBODY, AREN’T THERE? I FELT LIKE I JUST HAD TO EMBODY HIM, FEEL LIKE HIM, LIKE HALSTON.” —EWAN MCGREGOR

All clothing Celine by Hedi Slimane Necklace Tiffany & Co. Watch Tag Heuer

WN: Draping fabric well is not easy.

EM: No, it’s not easy. I spent time in the wardrobe workrooms with different tailors and different people. And I was shown how Halston made a dress from a piece of fabric. He was a genius.

Late at night, often alone, smoking a cigarette, he would cut these shapes that would suddenly fall into the most beautiful shape on a woman’s body. I got a tailor’s dummy. A male one and a female one. I had a sewing machine. I went to Mood Fabrics on 37th Street in New York and bought all these threads and fabrics and materials. I made a pair of trousers for myself; I’m very proud of them. And next, I am going to make something for my partner Mary [Elizabeth Winstead] and for my little girl.

WN: You really would like to make clothes?

EM: I love clothes, and I’m sort of particular about what I like to put on my body, but I’m not really a fashionista. I’m not really involved in the fashion scene, as it were. However, because of the series, I started looking at clothes wherever I went, thinking, “how did that get made?”

And then I would find myself, you wouldn’t do this anymore because of COVID, even touching people’s clothing.

WN: Oh dear, best beware. “Who is this man, why is he touching me?”

EM: Yes, exactly. Of course, I read Simply Halston, the Halston biography and many interviews, but what I really did was ask myself “How did he perceive things?” Dan and I came up with

some beautiful moments where he’s just looking at a tree, or a statue. And then there was his physicality, his accent, and his voice. All of which were sort of far away from me. And I loved that about it, as an actor, I thought that was a great challenge.

WN: What about portraying his sexuality?

EM: Many sensitivities about being a straight man playing a gay man, and is this an issue for some people? And, if it is, how do we feel about it? I spoke to Dan about it, I spoke to Christine about it. I wanted to know that there was no doubt in their minds that it was not going to be upsetting for anybody because I don’t want that.

WN: But you yourself had no qualms about it, portraying a gay man?

EM: No. My feeling is, I respect all the opinions about a straight man playing a gay man. I haven’t had to come out; I’ve been in the straight lane. So, I appreciate that our experiences in life are different. My feeling about it is also that I’m not playing “gay.” I’m not just playing his sexuality. I’m playing him. And Halston’s sexual preference is men. He likes to sleep with men; that’s part of who he is. There’s also the creative part, the genius part, the terrible temper part of him. There are so many sides to somebody, aren’t there? I felt like I just had to embody him, feel like him, like Halston. This is a really interesting, important subject. I talk about it a lot. People have different opinions about it, and I respect them all.

WN: How was the accent for you? Halston’s native Indiana accent becomes Park Avenue.

Coat Burberry

Grooming Sussy Campos (Art Department) Set design Michael Sturgeon Set lead Carl “Calle” Sjoelin Executive producer Sacha Di Bona (Savvie) Production manager Anderson (Savvie) Production coordinator Hunter Bernardi Digital technician Dominic Escalante Stylist assistants Hunter Clem, Samuel Ososki Location Smashbox Studios

Two accents into one, not easy.

EM: It was quite tricky. I worked with the dialect coach Liz Himelstein, I’ve worked with her for years, since I did I Love You Phillip Morris in 2009. Anything I’ve done with an American accent I’ve worked on with her. We listened to many Halston interviews from television, and, you know, Ryan Murphy sounds a bit like Halston, and we listened for it.

WN: Were you able to talk to any of the people who knew Halston best?

EM: I was very lucky to meet Liza Minnelli before we started. I had tea with Liza, and we had such a fun time, a great chat. I wanted her to know that Halston was in good hands with me, and that I would be respectful of their great friendship. The scenes that Krysta Rodriguez, (who plays Liza in series), and I have together are great, and there’s something deeply moving about this relationship WN: Halston had such a distinct style. How did you feel when you got into costume?

EM: I’ve never worn clothes like that. He was so specific. In the ‘60s, he wore suits and ties and colored shirts and stuff, then in the 1970s he started wearing turtlenecks and bronzer and pulling his hair back. All of that certainly made me feel transformed into him. The series’ costume designer, Jeriana San Juan, got the tailor, Gino Balsamo, who made Halston’s pants to his specifications make my pants for this. That was great.

WN: Where did you film?

EM: We shot a lot of it in Brooklyn. All the stage work was in Brooklyn. And then all over Manhattan. We had the famous Battle of Versailles fashion show between France and America that happened in 1973. We did that in two different theaters. One backstage and one frontof-house, and that was fantastic.

WN: Did you film this during the pandemic or right before?

EM: Well, we started in January of last year, right before, and we shot ‘til March. Then we got shut down and I came back home here in L.A. We literally thought we were coming back on set in two or three weeks. That turned into six months. By the time we got back it was September, from September to Christmas 2020. So, literally all of last year was just Halston for me.

WN: At some point, didn’t you go from Halston to Pinocchio?

EM: Yes, narrating Jiminy Cricket for Guillermo del Toro, an animated musical expected sometime this year.

WN: Are you filming a new Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi series soon?

EM: We start shooting in the spring, here in Los Angeles, a multi-part television series. I’m thrilled to get to play Kenobi again.

WN: So this spring, when Halston lands on Netflix, you, meanwhile, will be…

EM: I will be in a galaxy far, far away, somewhere.

Head to Vman.com to read the extended interview.

BRAVE NEW WORLD Between stark futurism, sporty shapes, and refined tailoring, the many worlds of fashion come together to create a bold look for spring Photography Sølve Sundsbø Fashion Gro Curtis

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Samer wears all clothing and accessories Louis Vuitton

Samer wears all clothing Balmain Sunglasses Balmain x Akoni

Louis wears all clothing and accessories Celine by Hedi Slimane

Louis wears all clothing and accessories Givenchy

Louis wears all clothing and accessories Prada

Louis wears all clothing and accessories Maison Margiela

Louis wears all clothing and accessories Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

Samer wears all clothing and accessories Fendi

Samer wears all clothing and accessories Emporio Armani

Grooming Matt Mullhall (Streeters) Models Louis Baines, Samer Rahma (Kate Moss Agency) Production Sally Dawson Paula Ekenger Digital technician Lucie Rowan Photo assistants Samuel Stephenson Sebastian Kapfhammer Jamie Rowan Stylist assistant Aurelie Mason-Perez Retouching Digital Light Ltd Casting Shaun Beyen

Samer wears all clothing and accessories Dior Men

LA VIE BOHÈME Parker wears top Dsquared2 Pants AMI Scarf Celine by Hedi Slimane Belt Chrome Hearts

Jewelry on right: Bracelet and pinky ring Galerie Argiles Rings Chrome Hearts

Jewelry on left: Bracelets Fabrice Pinky rings Cartier Ring Chrome Hearts

Wearing leather, mesh, and metallic hardware, let Parker van Noord transport you to a rock’n’roll bohemia Photography Jean-Baptiste Mondino Fashion Gro Curtis 50

Top Emporio Armani Scarf Charvet Necklace (on top and bottom) Fabrice Necklace (in middle) Gachon Pothier Jewlery on left: Bracelets Fabrice Ring Chrome Hearts Jewelry on right: Bracelet and pinky ring Fabrice Rings Chrome Hearts

Top Bottega Veneta Bracelets Fabrice Rings Chrome Hearts

Jacket Louis Vuitton Necklace (worn on chest) Galerie Argiles Pants and belt his own

All clothing Celine by Hedi Slimane Scarf (worn as belt) Charvet Bracelet Galerie Argiles Necklace Fabrice

Top Ludovic de Saint Sernin Pants and earring Dsquared2 Coat (tied on waist) Y/Project Scarf Celine by Hedi Slimane Top necklace Chrome Hearts Middle necklace Gachon Pothier Bottom necklace Galerie Argiles Bracelets Fabrice Rings Chrome Hearts

All clothing and boots AMI Necklace Galerie Argiles Bracelet Fabrice Belt and rings Chrome Hearts

Grooming Akemi Kishida (Management + Artists) Model Parker van Noord (DNA) Executive Producer Felix Mondino Producer Floriana Castagna Safety Supervisor Elliot Kolodziejczak Digital technician Nico Fallet (D-Factory) Photo assistants Margaux Jouanneau, Loup Catusse Stylist assistant Marie Poulmarch

All clothing Gucci Earring Dsquared2 Top and middle necklace Gachon Pothier Stone and bottom necklace Galerie Argiles Jewelry on right: Top bracelet Fabrice Middle bracelet Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Bottom bracelet and pinky ring Galerie Argiles Ring Chrome Hearts Jewelry on left: Bracelets Fabrice Ring Chrome Hearts

Taras wears all clothing and shoes Emporio Armani Jewelry Bulgari

All clothing Versace Watch Omega Jewelry David Yurman

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All clothing and accessories Lorem Ipsum

SHARP SUITER Taras Romanov showcases new minimalist silhouettes in a cinematic vision of New York Photography Billy Kidd Fashion Grant Woolhead

All clothing Burberry

All clothing Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Ring David Yurman

Top Dior Men Watch and jewelry Bulgari Dior Backstage Face & Body Powder-no-Powder

All clothing Prada Shoes Giuseppe Zanotti Bracelet David Yurman

All clothing Hermès Necklace David Yurman

All clothing and shoes Louis Vuitton Watch Omega Jewelry David Yurman

All clothing Balenciaga

Grooming Tsuki (Streeters) Model Taras Romanov (NEXT) Production Gwendolyn Anderson (Walter Schupfer) On-set Producer Jamie Magnifico Digital technician Haren Mehta Photo assistant Bradley Ennis Alex Hodor-Lee Stylist assistant Wilberg Guzman

SHINE BRIGHT Beachside style gets a dazzling injection of color, as worn by Noah Luis Brown on the shorelines of Croatia Photography Bruna Kazinoti Fashion Gro Curtis

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Noah wears jacket Boss Necklace Škude Hat stylist’s own

Top MSGM Sunglasses Oakley Hat and scarf stylist’s own

Top, shorts, necklace, bracelet Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Hat stylist’s own Necklace (worn on hat) Škude

Poncho, bag, hat, necklace Gucci

Pants Marni Pants (worn underneath) hat, bag, boots 1 Moncler JW Anderson Necklace Grlinček

Top Dior Men Necklace Cvancige

Top Alexander McQueen Necklace stylist’s own

Model Noah Luis Brown (DNA) Fashion assistants Ana Nikacevic, Nino Sablic Location Rovinj, Croatia Supported by Maistra Hospitality Group

Pants, skirt, hat, top necklace Celine by Hedi Slimane Bottom necklace Škude

TIKTOK’S NEW RULERS The social media stars harnessing online fame to hone their creative passions.

Head to Vman.com to discover exclusive interviews with the talent Photography Damon Baker Fashion Nicola Formichetti

underwear Calvin Klein 74

NOAH BECK, 19, FORMER ATHLETE AND RISING FASHION STAR jacket Louis Vuitton On eyes Shiseido Kajal InkArtist shadow, liner, brow

DYLAN GEICK, 22, WRESTLER AND WRITER

top and shorts Gucci

24KGOLDN, 20, CHART-TOPPING MUSICIAN

top Versace Watch custom Cartier Pants, belt, jewelry his own

HEIR OF ATTICUS, 20, MODEL AND ASPIRING DESIGNER

suit Etro Jewelry Vivienne Westwood Watch his own

Makeup Elie Maalouf Hair Patricia Morales (The Visionaries) for Garnier Fructis Set design Enoch Choi Executive Producer Sacha Di Bona (Savvie) Production Manager Anderson (Savvie) On-set Producer Luiza Farber (Savvie) Digital technician Anthonie Gonzalez Stylist assistants Hunter Clem, Ali Grusell Production assistant Hunter Bernardi Location Concrete Studios

DAMIAR KROGH, 23, CONTENT CREATOR XOWIE JONES, 21, VISUAL ARTIST

(On left) top Amiri All accessories his own (On right) top Tommy Hilfiger All accessories her own

WHAT VMEN WANT

Julian wears watch and earphones Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Horizon Wireless Earphones - Blue Gradient Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Monogram Eclipse 42 ($1,190-$2,885, all available at Louisvuitton.com) Necklace his own

After months of lockdown, it’s safe to say we all have been bitten by the travel bug. As restrictions begin to lift, Louis Vuitton’s new accessories make catching a flight much more luxurious. The newlyreleased Horizon wireless bluetooth earphones offer 30 hours of playtime, with cutting-edge sound technology that brings every bassy untz and heaven-sent harmony to life. With a striking blue gradient acetate body and polished stainless-steel wireless charging case, these earbuds look as beautiful as they sound. Every globetrotter also knows the importance of being on time; let LV’s new Tambour Horizon timepiece act as your personal travel valet. The watch syncs your hotel information and flight or train bookings, with realtime weather forecasts for more precise packing.

The sleek accessory is customizable to your style (or outfit) with colors including monogram brown, matte black, and pure white, allowing for a more stylish and connected travel experience—no matter how short your legroom. SAM TRACY 80

Makeup Kuma (Streeters) Hair Kazu Katahira Model Julian Trowe (NEXT) Digital technician Matt Shrier Photo assistant Will Cudd Location Liberty Studio Retouching Kenan Atmaca

Travel in style with LV’s latest innovations Photography Erik Lee Snyder Fashion Andy Polanco