Anson Boon Believes in Dressing 'With Conviction'
It’s almost been three minutes of dead silence between me and Anson Boon. Granted, neither of us thought the other was on the line, but that’s just what can happen when you’re trying to call an actor in Germany before one of the biggest runway shows of the year. “Oh well, we’ve already been through two minutes and 56 seconds of each other’s company and we didn’t even know it,” Boon says when we finally realize that we are in each other’s virtual presence. “I am honestly such a grandad with technology, but we’re here now.”
Indeed we are, except I’m sitting at my desk New York and Boon is getting ready for Saint Laurent’s men's show in Berlin. Despite the distance (and the initial silence), chatting with him is easy. The 23-year-old actor—you may know him as John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, in Pistol—is humble, honest, and diving headfirst into the fashion scene. “Obviously as an actor, I don't wear a suit in everyday life. Some people, I guess if they work in an office, get more opportunity to wear a suit,” Boon says. “I don’t have that, and I think wearing suits is so cool. My first thought when it comes to something like this—especially with a brand like Saint Laurent where Anthony [Vaccarello]’s tailoring is so impeccable—I’ve got to wear a suit.”
But this isn’t your typical suit; it's a sleek-yet slouchy creation meticulously designed by Vaccarello himself. “I’m wearing a double-breasted blazer tonight with a really cool dramatic shoulder and nothing underneath,” Boon says. “It’s quite effortless and elegant. And I’m wearing it with some flared silk trousers and this very cool Saint Laurent boot. [Vaccarello] has recently been doing these dramatic, brutal bangles, so I’ve accessorized with a big silver one on my wrist. And a little white pocketchief, which I think just makes the whole black thing pop.”
It’s not just a spiffy suit that’s giving the English actor star status. Between his fashion-versed parents, niche British qualms, and anticipated upcoming films, Boon’s revealing a deeper layer beneath his Saint Laurent exterior, which he shares with Esquire. And yeah, the exterior is pretty great, too.
On the Show Experience
It's my first time in Germany. I feel very lucky to be coming with the Saint Laurent family because you get so well looked after, and it’s so nice to be staying in the city center and get to look out, see everything, visit everything. What I love is that when you come to these fashion shows—I’m really interested in clothes anyway—but on top of that, you get to meet so many more actors that you would just on a film set. It’s such a different experience getting to come to a fashion show where they’re bringing 20 actors that you probably would never work with otherwise. And you get to make so many new friends and meet other industry peers. Because it can be lonely being an actor sometimes, so having everyone flown into Berlin, being in the same place, sharing an experience with a brand like YSL. It’s really cool, actually.
On Saint Laurent
I love what Anthony’s doing with Saint Laurent as a brand because he is so mindful about the legacy of Mr. Saint Laurent, which I really respect and love that people care about the brand’s origins. But he’s making it so perfect for a modern audience while keeping the classic tones of it. And I just think that my outfit tonight is cool because it has this super dramatic angle while being incredibly subtle and classic and effortless. I think that actually is what Berlin stands for as well. That's definitely the impression I'm getting here. It's like everyone is so cool, but they're just not trying. So yeah, it feels very special to be in Berlin with Saint Laurent.
On Ever-Changing Style
I honestly think I'm a bit of a chameleon. I really like clothes. My parents really like clothes as well. So I'm very lucky; I've got very cool parents, and they're very stylish, so I was brought up admiring what my elders wore. My style changes, though. In my spare time I have a season ticket at Tottenham Hotspur, so If I’m going out with my buddies I love championing in '80s, '90s old-school football casual wear. So like the '80s Fila, Lacoste, Sergio Tacchini—that kind of thing I think is so cool. As I said, if I get to go to a classy event, I love to put on a suit. And I guess for walking around and just chilling in Berlin today, I've gone for a very casual orange T-shirt and some Birkenstocks. I felt like I wanted to have a bit of a European vibe. So I like to dress for the occasion, whatever I'm doing.
On a UK Tradition
I like to wear things with conviction, so I’d like to think that I don’t have any regrets. In the UK, everyone wears a uniform to school, and we have this day called Mufti Day. It’s a charity day where everyone brings in a pound and gets to wear their own clothes, and then the money goes towards a local charity. My mom always used to dress me and my brothers so cool, and at the time, everyone would try and dress the exact same at school—like all my buddies would be wearing their football jerseys. But my mom, I distinctly remember, would dress me and my brother up in a really smart little outfit.
On Irks
Something just ridiculous that irks me is when there are too many glasses on a dinner table when you go to restaurants, and you’re just inundated with glasses of drinks that you’re not going to drink. I don’t really drink wine, so then I’ve got like three different wine glasses in front of me which is so unnecessary. And I have a very specific British pet peeve, so I’m not sure if it would make much sense to your readers, but it’s to do with a traditional English breakfast called a fry up. You used to always have tinned tomatoes on it, which was a part of the breakfast, and these days it’s becoming trendy to do a fried or roasted tomato. And it’s just not good; it doesn’t taste nice. And you just get tomato juice all over your plate.
On What’s Next
I spent a lot of time in the Champagne region, towards the end of last year, doing a film about the true story of the making of Veuve Clicquot champagne. A lot of people love this particular champagne, and they just love the taste of it. But the story behind it is even better. It’s about the lady Madame Clicquot, who was a widow and became probably the first businesswoman in Europe—or one of the first businesswomen in Europe—when it was illegal for women to work. She broke through so many barriers; she was constantly put down by all the other champagne houses that were all run by men. And she just became such an incredible figure with one of the most successful business stories that has come out of France. It was an amazing story to be a part of. I play her assistant, accountant, accomplice—her partner in crime. That’s hopefully going to come out at some point this year or next.
And then I’m actually in development for a gritty, British, psycho thriller drama about Stockholm Syndrome. I can’t say too much about it, but it’s with a very, very cool older actor. A very cool director and a very cool story, but we are developing it at the moment so I don’t want to give too much away.
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