Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic My personal style signifiers are pretty casual and consistent: my tortoiseshell glasses – I’ve worn various brands over the past 20 years – and a navy cashmere four-bar cardigan, chino trousers, white cotton Oxford shirts, a rep tie and classic wingtip brogues, all by my partner Thom Browne. The last thing I bought and loved was a painting by Ewa Juszkiewicz, the Surrealist Polish artist. She recreates paintings from the renaissance to the 19th century, but obscures their faces with fabrics or phantasmagoric wigs. Ours references the 17th-century portrait of Maria van Strijp by Dutch golden age artist Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, which belongs to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. We’d been looking for one of her paintings for a long time and were lucky to get it in a Sotheby’s evening auction. The work of art that changed everything for me is Francis Bacon’s “screaming Pope”, after Diego Velázquez’s 17th-century Portrait of Pope Innocent X. It’s such a depiction of postwar existential angst and I tend to gravitate toward artists who reinterpret history in different ways.The best book I’ve read in the past year is Alan Hollinghurst’s Our Evenings, a social comedy about gay life in England from the 1960s to the pandemic. I’ve always loved his operatic writing style. It’s told through his lived experience, and I think it resonated with me because I was also reading Monica Miller’s Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity at the same time. Both examine issues of race, gender and sexuality and are rooted in history, and Miller’s book inspired our upcoming exhibition at The Met.The place that means a lot to me is Villa d’Este in Lake Como. It was the first place Thom and I went on holiday together and we still go two or three times a year. It’s become a home from home. We tend to go right after the Met Gala in May, after the fashion shows in Milan and for three weeks at the end of August. Lake Como has such a microclimate: one day it’s sunny, one day it’s hailing, one day it’s snowy, so it’s a very biblical place in terms of the weather. We used to explore the lake more, but now we just stay put and catch up on reading. And the best souvenirs I’ve brought home are chocolates from London; the KitKats and Cadbury dark chocolate buttons are outstanding. I once brought a Moroccan rug home, but these things tend to lose their lustre in different environments. Now I stick to edible souvenirs.The most interesting things in the Costume Institute archives are the toiles of Charles James, an English-American designer known for his ballgowns and sculptural dresses. They reveal his process and brilliance, his obsessive attention to detail and his raw talent. They’re both spontaneous and contrived; they reflect the soul of the designer.Once you’re a dachshund owner, you collect dachshund memorabiliaMy favourite Met Gala theme was 2003’s Goddess by then-curator Harold Koda. It was the first one I attended, and it was when Tom Ford was at the height of Gucci, which was a sponsor. Nicole Kidman was a co-chair, and she brought Adrien Brody, who’d just won an Oscar for The Pianist, and Diana Ross was the entertainment. The night was so glamorous, and the exhibition illustrated beautifully the influence of classicism on contemporary design.My style icons are David Bowie, 100 per cent. I’ve worshipped him since I was a kid. He was a confident chameleon, wearing everything with such style and surety. And Tom Wolfe for his uniform white suits, regardless of the season. The best gift I’ve given recently was a Hermès dachshund picture frame that is made up of six smaller articulated photo frames. It was made for Princess Margaret, and it’s engraved with the letter “M” and a crown on one side of the dachshund’s head. Once you’re a dachshund owner – which we are – you collect dachshund memorabilia. I had missed two of these frames at auction and I finally got this one for Thom on 1stDibs. And the best gift I’ve received is a Georges Rouault painting from Thom that once belonged to Alfred Hitchcock. It’s called La Sainte Face and has elements of Fauvism and Expressionism. He used rich layers of paint that look like stained glass. It hangs in our dining room.The last music I downloaded was “Born with a Broken Heart”, the second solo single from Damiano David of Italian rock band Måneskin. It’s so theatrical and uplifting, yet sad and dark at the same time. I’d call it soulful pop. The best way to spend $20 is going to the Met. For New York State residents (and tri-state students) entrance is a pay-as-you-wish situation, but it offers good value for money. The recent Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 exhibition was breathtaking, as are the Greek and Roman galleries. The light changes throughout the day, so they’re different every time you visit. You can see objects again and again, but they will affect you in different ways depending on the mood.I have a collection of Cartier Tank watches from the ’30s to the 1980s. My favourite is a ’70s gold example with a grain de riz mesh bracelet.Amy Schumer makes me laugh, as does Saturday Night Live, but I even find someone tripping in the street – without incident, of course! – funny. I always laugh at myself when I trip. And I used to watch The Vicar of Dibley with my dad. The dry, silly joke at the end never failed to amuse us.In my fridge you’ll always find leftovers from takeaway orders, and cans of Hector’s Royal Canin dog food for his digestive issues. You’ll also find the basics: Ladurée strawberry jam, milk and a bottle of Dom Pérignon.I’ve recently rediscovered Mr Kipling Bakewell Slices. They’re so old-school – my grandmother used to eat them. They’re reminiscent of something from the Blitz. I had them on a recent trip home and came back to New York with a suitcase full. The most spectacular gown I’ve seen at the Met Gala was a 1998 John Galliano for Dior haute couture gown worn by model Jessica Stam. It was hand-embroidered and stunning. I tend to like the less-famous people on the red carpet; for example, theatre producer Jordan Roth in a custom Iris van Herpen “curtain” cape that revealed a full theatre with elements of the Palais Garnier, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera in Stockholm underneath. Life is theatre! An object I would never part with is the first painting Thom and I bought together, a study by John Singer Sargent from around 1901. It’s a painting of a boy – Alexander McCulloch – that the artist gave to his mother. The McCulloch family was from Southport, where my mother was also from, so it has a nice connection to her as well. It’s very sketchy and fluid, which I love…My grooming and wellbeing guru is Laila Hayani, who does these incredible facial massages using a little roller with cold steel balls. It sounds rude but it’s so relaxing. She comes right before I hold press conferences and on the first Monday in May, and she’s just so quiet and relaxing. I also rely on Robin at Kinhouse in SoHo. He’s been cutting my hair for 15 years and was trained as a traditional barber at Freemans Sporting Club. The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a Thom Browne navy corduroy jacket with silk grosgrain armbands. It was an impulse purchase at 1am. I don’t want to push my luck asking for things.The thing I couldn’t do without is listening to WQXR every morning and evening. They play classical music as well as live concerts. I find it so soothing. My favourite room in my house is the drawing room, especially for evening drinks. We have a small study by Lucian Freud here – it hangs next to the Sargent – and the light is so beautiful. It overlooks a communal garden, and we have views of the East River and the Queensboro Bridge. It’s rural and urban at the same time. Some of my best ideas have come from movies, books, travelling, fashion shows, a friend, an advertisement, an exhibition – it’s more about my frame of mind and openness at the time. I love street style and find Tokyo particularly inspiring. I also get great ideas while running at the gym; I’m not worried then, and I don’t have any devices to distract me.A place I’m excited to explore is India. The tradition, craftsmanship, embroideries – all done by men – are very interesting to me and I hope to do an India-influenced show in 2028.An indulgence I would never forgo is a glass of champagne with Thom, every evening about seven o’clock. It’s our lovely, stress-free ritual. We’re like two old men!In my carry-on you will always find a book, laptop, my Yankees baseball cap, sunglasses and my Smythson notepad. If I feel stuck on my laptop, I write in my notepad and invariably get unblocked. I have an old-school briefcase – very The Thomas Crown Affair – which is hard-sided and works as a portable desk. It’s black with red, white and blue stripes as it is by Thom.My biggest adventure was being immersed in the Vatican – surrounded by papal tiaras, rings, robes, mitres – for the 2018 show Heavenly Bodies. We spent months trying to borrow objects and garments from its archives, and I finally found the right person for loan approvals. Donatella called him “Gorgeous Georg” because he was an ex-tennis player and ski instructor, and he had the final say. He asked if I knew Roger Federer – which I did – and gave us the loans in exchange for an introduction. The special places I saw, the artwork… it was like being Alice in Wonderland. The grooming staple I’m never without is Aveda Men Pure-Formance Thickening Paste for thickening hair. I have a lot of fine hair and it allows me to go out in G-force wind. I also use Dr Barbara Sturm’s cleanser and moisturiser for sensitive skin. I’m fairly low-maintenance. Aveda Men Pure-Formance Thickening Paste, £28 for 75ml. Dr Barbara Sturm Cleanser, £18 for 50ml, and Face Cream Men, £145 for 50mlIn another life, I would have been a psychoanalyst. I love the psychology of dress and would like to do a “Freud and fashion” show at some point. A psychoanalytical look at fashion. One way to do it would be to examine one person’s wardrobe throughout time and see how they develop.The best bit of advice I ever received was from Anna Wintour, who said “no is a very good word”. It’s better to just say “no” upfront, rather than cancelling later or overcommitting, but it’s hard for me. Thom is better at saying “no” before I have to.
