Issue #354 | The Strange Journey of John Lennon’s Stolen Patek Philippe Watch

The Strange Journey of John Lennon’s Stolen Patek Philippe Watch

A few months before he was killed in 1980, John Lennon was photographed mid-session recording Double Fantasy, his first album in five years, wearing what has become one of the most valuable watches in existence. “The room is dim, but he has on sunglasses, celluloid horn-rims recently bought in Japan. Buckled on his left wrist is the Patek 2499,” writes The New Yorker. Until recently, Yoko Ono, who gave Lennon the watch for his birthday, thought it was tucked away safely in her apartment. So how did it end up getting nabbed in 2005, move through multiple European auction houses, and then end up in the hands of someone called Mr. A?

The New Yorker

Keep Summer Casual With The Best Short Sleeve Button-Downs

[Partner] The “no hurries, no worries” frame of mind is one we could all use a little more of this summer. Part of adopting a laid-back attitude that syncs up with the season—it officially starts tomorrow, by the way—is dressing the part with pieces that are as easy and breezy as an ice-cold piña colada on a tropical sandy beach. Huckberry’s deep selection of short sleeve button-downs will get you at least halfway there, with the likes of camp collar shirts in terry cloth that just can’t be bothered, and linen numbers that will keep you as cool as a cucumber in the middle of July.

Summer starts with these shirts.

America’s Most Stylish Fellas Answer (Almost) All Our Burning Questions

Would you ever wear sneakers with a suit? What never goes out of style? What do you spend the most on in your wardrobe? For its summer edition of the Big Black Book, Esquire’s ongoing guide to style, the guy’s mag poses these queries and more to some of menswear’s most interesting and influential personalities. Designer Aaron Levine weighs in on why he just can’t commit to a single watch, for example, while Jian DeLeon, the men’s fashion director at Nordstrom, shares what he thinks is the most critical part of an ensemble. This is a major cheat code. Use it.

Esquire

Jim Henson Was a Style God for the Ages

The Muppets were the real show. But Jim Henson, as much as he stayed out of the spotlight, knew how to dress for the camera, too, it turns out. “Thanks to Ron Howard’s new Disney+ documentary Jim Henson Idea Man, the visionary puppeteer’s righteous behind-the-scenes wardrobe is finally getting a well-deserved spotlight,” says GQ. While not necessarily the focus of the flick, how Henson pulls off paisley button-downs, leather jackets, and neckerchiefs are a world unto themselves—not unlike the ones he created for the screen.

GQ

How Directors Dress

After winning best picture at the 2023 Academy Awards for Everything Everywhere All at Once, indie studio A24 was suddenly the production company nobody could shut up about. Now, it has aims of becoming an absolute juggernaut in the establishment film biz. While we wait to see how that goes, the studio has been releasing merch, including a couple of books like this guide to Florida nobody asked for and the much more useful How Directors Dress. The compendium touches on the most sartorially inclined auteurs of our time, with commentary from some of menswear’s most influential critics and contributors. $40

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