Holiday Habits Rankin

Photography’s bad boy, Rankin, on why he loves a rude weekend in Paris

Interview: Charlie Dawson

“How long does it take me to pack? Thirty minutes. Not long. Last thing in is the laptop, or a book. At the moment I’m reading Twilight because my missus said I’d like it. She read it, her mate read it, her mate’s husband read it, so there we go. Actually, she said I’d like the one after so I need to nail this one first. It’s about a girl falling in love with a vampire and, yes, it’s pretty simple but it’s the voice of a teenager so actually it’s written spot-on.

“I like to travel by air, and if it’s a flight to Rome, even better. It’s my favourite place. Everything’s on your doorstep – the food, the galleries, the whole city having a good time. The last time I went we found this diamond driver and he just gave us the whole insider’s tour. I like the sculptures of Bernini, so I go to see those, otherwise it’s a great light to shoot in. Everywhere in southern Europe has the same beautiful light.

“My favourite escape is Hotel Costes in Paris. It’s the kind of place Bardot would have stayed – lush and decadent. It’s really ‘sceney’. Like, you’ll go and see Lagerfeld and the fashion crowd there, and everyone is so brilliantly insulting. I mean, the French as a nation are rude, but this lot make rudeness an art form. I love it!

“It has a particular amazing smell because of the scented candles they burn everywhere, and even the swimming pool smells the same. In fact, the pool is great. Not a lot of Paris hotels have them. The Ritz has one that would stretch from here to that Lily Cole print (17m, in fact), and the pool at Hotel Costes is huge too. But the rooms are tiny. They’re basically only made for sex, but I’ve had a few affairs in that place and, well, I’m not complaining.

“Who likes having their photograph taken? Heidi Klum. Kylie Minogue used to like it – I don’t know if she still does. But most people, including models, look in the mirror and go, ‘You know what, I don’t really like myself.’ Everyone thinks something is wrong with them, including me. I don’t want to have my picture taken just now.”

RANKIN LIVE!
Rankin Live! runs at the Truman Brewery, London, in August and September, where Rankin will be shooting 1,000 of Britain’s most original people. If you are aged 13 or over and you want to be considered, please email rankinlive@rankin.co.uk with a photo of yourself and your reason for applying.