Lewis Hamilton reveals style secrets
In Melbourne of the 2017 Formula One season opener, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton shares his recipe for sartorial success.
He's one of the fastest men in the world, but Lewis Hamilton is still scared of spiders.
"The one negative of Australia is it has every single dangerous animal in the world," he says.
"I'm running down the [Yarra] river and I'm just being careful that an alligator or a croc doesn't jump out and eat me," he says. "I know you've got big ass spiders here, so I'm keeping an eye out for them. When I get here I look under my toilet seat every single day, just in case there's one of those damn things."
Diamond dog tags
The dapper three-time F1 champion is in Melbourne for an exclusive appearance at Hugo Boss in the Crown Casino, and Executive Style has five precious minutes to chat about fears and fashion.
In the flesh, Hamilton is more compact than you might think, but you've never seen a man who is better put together, riffing off lucrative sponsorship deals with Boss, L'Oreal and Swiss watch brand IWC.
Tonight he is head to toe in black Boss finery: stovepipe jeans, pristine bomber jacket unzipped over a long black tee, leather high-tops fresh from the box, felt bowler hat sitting high on his head, round shades completing the sharp ensemble.
And then there's the bling which lifts him from mere celebrity to genuine superstar: diamond dog tags glittering around a tattooed neck, a wide-faced IWC watch with spinning tourbillons on his wrist.
"I love rose gold, so everything is all rose gold and it all blends in," he says.
Looking sharp
The 32-year-old's skin is strikingly luminous despite a gruelling international schedule, his fluffy beard carefully shaped around his jawline. "Grooming is very important for a man, looking after your nails, looking after your skin, moisturise twice a day, shower twice a day, shaving, I floss three times a day," he says. "I use a lot of moisturiser on my skin because I want to make sure I stay looking young."
To keep his rig in top shape, Hamilton keeps his workouts as fun as possible. He is a keen Muay Thai boxer, he surfs, rides mountain bikes, plays squash and smashes out 13 kilometre runs. "I run down the [Yarra] river. It's such a beautiful place here, so often I'll turn out of the hotel and turn left and go all the way up … "
Meet and greet
It's soon time for Hamilton to do a meet and greet with 120 fans drinking champagne in the luxe refines of the Hugo Boss store. Security holds him outside the store until they have everything in place inside, but Hamilton starts to lose patience. He paces around the marble lobby like a prize fighter, a ball of energy and high-end style.
"I don't need a big entrance," he says. "I'm ready to go in now."
But there's no way this man can avoid a big entrance, and when he finally enters the store the crowd erupts.
He might not be a fan of spiders, but in every other way, the champion driver is fearless.
Watch the video at the top to see our exclusive chat with Lewis.