THE JOURNAL
Rock ’n’ roll may be supercharged with many connotations, but it isn’t usually thought of as a gentlemanly pursuit. Mr William Gilchrist, however, shows that the two can indeed coexist in harmonious fashion. At first glance, Gilchrist’s reedy, elegant frame swathed in lean but fluid tailoring and coolly draped kikoi scarf, betray his hand in The Rolling Stones’ inimitable on-stage aesthetic. But he is a softly spoken man with a refined, steady articulation and his speech sparkles with thoughtful witticisms. We speak via a very patchy phone signal, as he is island-hopping around the Dalmatian Coast. Since childhood, he’s been drawn to a life on water. After a pandemic spent stranded in the Californian desert, and later in a locked-down Naples, he’s extremely grateful to be riding the swells again. “I’ve grown up all over the place, but the sea will always be one place I’ll always feel at home.”
Born to an engineer father and teacher mother who spent his formative years between Arabia and Africa, Gilchrist attended a co-ed boarding school in the Midlands, before moving to London in the mid-1980s, when the city’s burgeoning club scene was abuzz with counterculture movements. “The music industry was thriving. You had Taboo and the Mud Club; it was an extraordinary time when all this creativity came together – music, clubs and magazines.” It was also around this time that Gilchrist encountered the editors and stylists of i-D and The Face, the game-changing titles that celebrated the non-conformism that has now come to define an entire area of fashion in its own right. “It made me realise that there were people who were questioning the usual journey. I found them really inspiring,” he says.
After graduating from London College of Fashion, he took a role at a design agency in Milan, but soon realised he wasn’t cut out for a desk job. Luckily, chance came calling. When an assistant stylist at the agency turned down a call requesting her services on a photo shoot, Gilchrist volunteered. Within a month, he found himself working on location in the Caribbean. “It was two weeks in St Barts,” he says. “Working very hard, of course. But it was in St Barts.”
Stints in London and New York styling for Arena and Details magazines saw Gilchrist following his own non-conformist path. Once, when given a brief to shoot three stories at a nondescript studio in LA, he took the team to the Philippines for a month instead.
In 2005, chance came calling again. The Rolling Stones were due to be photographed for the cover of their album A Bigger Bang when the stylist pegged for the job was struck down by a stomach bug and Gilchrist was asked to step in. It led to a relationship with the rock legends that has lasted 16 years. This relationship feels particularly poignant now, as we speak just days after the passing of drummer Mr Charlie Watts.
“His style and elegance wasn’t just his wardrobe, it was his outlook on life. It was an absolute pleasure to have spent time with him. It hurts that he’s not around,” says Gilchrist, the tremor of emotion palpable in his voice.
Although Gilchrist states his home is where his friends and family are, for the past two and a half years, he has put down roots in Naples. It’s a city that many visitors find an assault on the senses, but for Gilchrist, has an almost spiritual quality.
“It’s the first place I ever felt truly comfortable in,” he says. “It’s not on offer to tourists. They’re welcome to come and see it, but it’s a living, breathing, pulsating, sweating city. If people ask me to describe Naples, I say it’s the love child of Paris and Mumbai.”
This adoration for the rhythm and spice of Campania’s capital made it the perfect setting for MR PORTER to put Gilchrist in front of the lens, and to assess the dressing habits of the first gentleman of rock ’n’ roll.
01.
Tailoring doesn’t mean constriction
“When you’re packing to go somewhere, I always say, ‘bring your armour’,” Gilchrist says. “Which for me, is a double-breasted peak-lapel suit. You always hold yourself better in a well-tailored piece of clothing. Fluidity in clothing is important and I like softer collar shirts for a more relaxed feel. It’s also why I’m keen on the unlined ties made in Naples. They’re malleable and allow you to build body into the knot to create structure. I find unnecessarily complex seven-fold knots to be a bit of a deadweight; a half-Windsor is perfect. Too often, I find people seem to treat tailoring as constriction. It’s not, it’s construction.”
02.
Texture-rich pieces will see you through
“The cold is not my friend and the weather seems to perpetually change these days, particularly in the UK. You might start with sunshine in the morning, but you can never guarantee how things will end, so the ability to absorb heat or repel the cold is how I approach dressing for a full day. With a piece such as this fleecy jacket – which I love because it reminds me of the bombers worn by the RAF – I would always want to pair it with smart, well-tailored trousers. The nearest I get to flying Spitfires, though, is meandering through Mayfair on my Brompton bike.”
03.
Contrast smart and casual layers
“I really enjoy cooking and putting an outfit together isn’t dissimilar to putting together a good meal, which is all about combinations. A lot of my outfits are based on juxtaposition. I blend the rough and the smooth, the soft and the sharp, the smart and the casual. Living in Naples means that some of the great artisans and tailors are neighbours, De Petrillo, Kiton and Isaia, to name a few. These are exponents of the deconstructed jacket and there’s a way they’re traditionally worn but, as a new inhabitant, I feel I can break some of the rules. Umit Benan B+ is an excellent example of a designer who understands that rules do not create style – life and the enjoyment of it does – and that’s also how I approach dressing.”
04.
Linen is for all seasons
“Linen is a truly versatile fabric and if you pick the right density and weave, it works year-round. Layering is key at this time of year and on cooler days, I really like lightweight knits for adding some heft – Anderson & Sheppard do some lovely ones. With a linen shirt and jacket you can add a sleek, silk scarf to keep you warm and it will bring a welcome hint of contrast. A pair of high-twist 120s wool trousers with a sharp knife-blade crease will further that play on style juxtaposition. I do tend to avoid pure linen trousers if I’m attending a seated event on account of the wrinkles, but if I’m honest, I’m very happy to coexist with my wrinkles.”
05.
A lightweight scarf has practical worth
“As I mentioned earlier, the cold is an unwelcome guest in my life, so I always keep a couple to of kikois to hand – a type of Kenyan cotton scarf that has great adaptability. It most likely came from the Arabian sailors who traded on the east coast of Africa where it was adopted by the Maasai and many others as an indispensable accessory for daily life. It can transform from scarf to bag, to towel, to cushion to pyjamas, so I’m never without one. A scarf like this does the work for you, so I don’t overcomplicate things and just let it drape.”
06.
Don’t be afraid of white tailoring
“An off-white suit or jacket may seem rather decadent – it probably is – however, it’s also a lot of fun. Can you wear a white tuxedo jacket after 6.00pm? Well, that depends on your hosts. But a light-hued suit that you’re not nervous about wearing while enjoying a negroni or two is a lovely thing. Like all suits, it’s still a jacket and pair of trousers that don’t mind stepping out separately on occasion. I’ll sometimes contrast the jacket with darker trousers, though I’d avoid doing the same with my shirt. Instead, I would seek harmony in white or light hues – think David Bowie or Bianca Jagger – and steer clear of Tony Manero territory.”