Our cover star wears a piece of rock ’n’ roll history

Excerpts and out-takes from the pages of Esquire

Typically, Esquire cover stars wear clothes from the new collections of the leading fashion brands — and so they should. Occasionally, though, it’s fun to mess around in the dressing up box. Vintage clothes — or “pre-loved” to use the grisly, contemporary vernacular — presumably always have a story to tell, but it’s not always easy to tease it out. (Inanimate objects: so tricky to interview.) In special cases, though, as in the example of the baseball jacket photographed above, and worn by our cover star, Vanessa Kirby, on page 115 of this issue, we know exactly where an item is from and some of where it’s been.

Eagle-eyed readers will find a clue in The Rolling Stones’ logo (the famous Mick’s lips) and the legend “US Tour ’81”. For 20 years, the jacket has been in the collection of Bay Garnett, the noted stylist and editor and sustainability champion, who dressed Kirby for her Esquire shoot. Bay found it in Connecticut, on a visit to the house of Keith Richards. Her friend, the late Anita Pallenberg, actress, model and style icon, was the mother of Keith’s son Marlon Richards.

It was for Marlon that the jacket was made. He would have been 12 in 1981, which is why his jacket is small enough, today, to fit comfortably on the slender shoulders of Vanessa Kirby.

Those who’ve read Life, Keith Richards’ autobiography, in which Marlon naturally features, will know that even though by 1981 his father was living a slightly less rock ’n’ roll lifestyle than on earlier tours, still this is an item of clothing that earned its well-worn patina. And in case you were wondering, no, “Torn and Frayed” was not on the setlist in ’81. (We checked.)

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