Editor’s Letter: Inside Robb Report’s September Style Issue

I had my photo taken the other day. Not one of those quick, mindless snaps we barely notice anymore in the age of social media, but the other kind—the posed, clipped, brushed, shirt-smoothing, best-face-forward type. And as it turns out, nothing makes you consider your wardrobe with fresh eyes quite like getting dressed for a picture of yourself that you might have to look at for a while. 

Luckily, I was in the middle of putting together the magazine you’re now holding, our annual fall style issue, packed with the most covetable clothes and sharpest fashion advice and analysis anywhere. So when the first photos from our “High Country” editorial landed on my desk, the loose, relaxed, undeniably fun energy of the shoot was a perfectly timed reminder that clothes should be just that—fun!—and that our wardrobes should always be a source of joy. 

There’s a lot of that in this issue, I’m happy to report, from a Champagne-soaked European rail tour aboard the gilded Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to an illuminating new Panerai to the best yacht-bound toys and amenities, including my favorite: a sleek, high-design diving board with the distinctive mahogany inlays of a Riva Aquarama. I’m convinced it will work brilliantly in my office, just as soon I figure out how to convert it into a bench. 

Speaking of converts, a warm welcome to Robb Report’s sizable female readership! In case we don’t say it enough, we’re glad you’re here. Especially for you, then: a 40-page fall fashion supplement packed to the brim with striking photography, galloping writing—I particularly enjoyed Christina Binkley’s lively and incisive piece on the Lazarus-like resurrection of the indie fashion boutique—and some of the most beautiful jewels, watches, sunglasses, and accessories in the world. 

But product, no matter how fascinating, is only so interesting on its own. Once you scratch the surface, you soon realize that the most intriguing stories behind any luxury good are those about people—all those who imagined, designed, tinkered, and toiled to produce the things we love most. It’s an idea that my predecessor, Paul Croughton, and I spent many hours discussing over the years, which is why I’m delighted to point you to his feature, “The Woman Behind the Hermès Man,” about the French fashion house’s remarkable menswear designer, Véronique Nichanian—a revealing profile of a quietly consequential, world-building talent with incredible devotion to her craft, written with Croughton’s signature eye for detail. 

Craft is something we feel privileged to also pursue here at Robb Report. In a reactionary informational landscape where speed is confused with relevance and volume with quality, it’s a gift to produce something every month that demonstrates the power of slow, costly, inconvenient, and often arduous journalism, even when covering the pinnacle of the luxury universe. For this issue alone, aviation editor Michael Verdon climbed into the cockpit of (another) prototype eVTOL to report from the skies on the soon-to-arrive future of this burgeoning space; senior editor Justin Fenner traveled to France—and, unexpectedly, Utah—to fully capture the story of superstar perfumer Francis Kurkdjian; and a crew of style writers (myself included) spent months testing made-to-measure denim programs on two continents to help you find that sartorial grail: the perfect pair of jeans. 

And it goes beyond the words, to the stunning images conceived and produced by photo director Irene Opezzo, or the impeccable curation by watch and jewelry editor Paige Reddinger for the aptly titled “Deep Impact” shoot, and on to our copy editors, Rebecca O’Connor and Johanna Wolfe, who check every fact, figure, quote, comma, and caption in these pages. Every detail has been considered for you, the Robb Report reader, who’s savvy enough to always demand the best. Which is why we’re so proud to deliver you this magazine—and certainly no one more than I am, as this is my first issue as editor in chief. I hope it brings you as much joy as it did me. 

Enjoy the issue.