The Truth Of The Matter

Lessons learned from GQs resident connoisseur of the good life

- Anish Triedi

George Herbert said it first. And well, you may ask who the hell Herbert was. Let’s put it this way. He wrote poetry in the 17th century, so yes, what would he know about the good life, right? Yet, there he was, saying for the first time, “Living well is the best revenge.”

It’s getting a lot harder to do that. Even though the world has spent the last ten years struggling through an economic crisis, lifestyles have changed for most people. Ten years ago, I was among the handful quaffing single malt whisky on a regular basis. Now, every young punk with a credit card is hustling up to the bar ordering drinks he can’t pronounce the names of.

Ten years ago, I could say with some authority that the only suits worth wearing were made by Valentino, the only jeans by Canali, the only shoes by Ferragamo, the only ties by Hermès. Now, no one wears suits, $400 jeans are standard sales in shopping malls and the only things bought regularly at Ferragamo and Hermès are their belts with large visible buckles that leave no question about where they were bought.