Back in 2013, when financier Pierre Lagrange took over as chairman of the English tailor Huntsman & Sons, the brand was not especially well known to those who were not regulars on Savile Row. Today, thanks to both his leadership as well as the brand’s presence in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman films, of which Lagrange was an executive producer, Huntsman is known around the world for its sharp tailoring and stylish sensibilities. Now Lagrange has launched a social-media campaign that invites writers both established and novice to send in “Letters from Confinement.” A panel of writers and journalists, including Jay McInerney, Tara Westover, Niall Ferguson, and Air Mail’s own Graydon Carter, will select a winner, whose words will be shared by a surprise reader on Huntsman’s social-media channels. (There is also a gift card involved.) In the meantime, Lagrange shares his thoughts on the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airport: Côte d’Azur, in Nice. The food is great, and it does not feel like you are in an airport. The lounge has a great pissaladière, and the main area has a socca bar.
Bag: A supple camo-printed leather weekender I bought in Formentera years ago. The leather is so soft, I keep rubbing it between my fingers.
Bike: My new Pedego Ford e-bike, which enables me to cruise tens of miles up and down the canyons in Malibu.
Breakfast, weekend: At Granger & Co., in Notting Hill. They have a way of doing the scrambled eggs so that they taste like a fluffy soufflé. They swear that they don’t add butter or cream!
Car: My Jaguar E-Type convertible. Is it the most beautiful design in the world?
CHILD: One who is happy, curious, competitive yet compassionate, and finds out early what he or she loves.
Cocktail: A mescal-jalapeño margarita, replacing half of the Cointreau with more mescal, for the smoke and the kick!
Cocktail appetizer: A tub of Garrett’s popcorn—salted-caramel/cheddar mix—that some friends sent us on day one of confinement. Sick!
Couple: Paul Auster and Siri Hutsvedt. I don’t know them personally, but I love they are both talented writers—a more balanced version of Pollock and Krasner.
Diet: Flexitarian. I have failed miserably at all others. I tried vegan for a week following watching The Game Changers on Netflix, but it was really hard. I enjoyed the cashew-based, non-cheese cheese, but then is this not the kind of processed food my mother told me not to eat? And what about the energy it takes to transform cashews into cheese?
Dinner, weekday: Palomar, at the bar, in Soho in London. But, please, can you bring the shakshukit back to the menu?
Drive: The Pacific Coast Highway at sunset, especially the stretch going by the Malibu R.V. park, which has the best view of Paradise Cove.
Escape: Mustique. There are very few places I go year after year, and every time I arrive, it takes only a minute to completely arrive in another space.
Family:
My modern family. Everyone—my ex-wife, kids, and husband—is looking to make everyone else happy. I am so grateful.
Fit: A Huntsman bespoke jacket.
Flaw: The wicker chairs beloved by Marella Agnelli. The idea of enhancing an aesthetic with an item that’s of poor taste or seems out of place is spot-on.
Hotel: Quisisana, in Capri. Nothing beats sipping cocktails on the terrace overlooking Via Camerelle and watching the fashion show of beautiful Italian women. I always feel a Dolce Vita moment there.
Jacket: A pink cord jacket. The cut is so classically beautiful, and the color is unexpected. I can wear it anywhere.
Movie: Ted. I know—not very highbrow, but just hilarious. And I can never look at Sauvignon Blanc the same way again.
Podcast: Brené Brown on The Tim Ferriss Show.
SONG: “I’m So Glad I Am a Woman,” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra. I first discovered it on Spotify, making a playlist for our baby girl. It is the first song she ever heard with fitting lyrics: “We are the limelight of mankind.”
Theme song to your life: “Perfect Day,” by Lou Reed.
Work of art: The Dürer self-portrait at the Pinakothek, in Munich.
Pierre’s Essentials
