Paddle8’s Alexander Gilkes on NoLita, Berber hats and Yves Klein

My personal style signifier is a Bhutanese prayer bracelet that I have worn for 13 years. It is completely faded now. When it breaks, the wish I made when it was given to me will supposedly come true.

The last thing I bought and loved was a Whitehall Top-Frame Briefcase by leather specialists Swaine Adeney Brigg and the curator-designer Alex Eagle. I love the traditional form and the modernity of the blue, and it reminds me of my father’s bag: he was a dermatologist, and for fun he would sometimes pull a canister of liquid nitrogen from his briefcase and throw it on the floor to create a cloud of smoke, like a magician. £1,650; alexeagle.co.uk

The thing I’m eyeing next is a gold 1972 Citroën SM that an artist friend told me about. Citroëns from the 1970s and 1980s are rather niche but a bit undervalued. I live in Manhattan and don’t own a car now, but this one would give me all the more reason to drive upstate to the beach at weekends.

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a short, camel-coloured linen jacket by the Australian designer Patrick Johnson. I have many pieces by Patrick, ranging from towelling beach shirts to suits. I like his informal tailoring; I don’t often wear traditional suits. From £860; pjt.com

The object I would never part with is my wireless MH40 Over-Ear Headphones by Master & Dynamic. The leather is really soft, so they don’t hurt my ears; the sound quality is superb; and I like their retro look. I have three pairs, in different colours, and I’m always carrying one. £369; masterdynamic.co.uk

A recent “find” is Cha Cha Matcha, a café in NoLita. It’s next to my apartment, and I have become the pitiful New Yorker who orders a ginger turmeric matcha on ice with hemp milk and an extra shot. It offers a calmer wake-up than normal coffee. $6; chachamatcha.com

The best gift I have given recently was dance classes at Manhattan’s Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory to a friend whose girlfriend trained in classical ballet and was fed up with his lack of skill on the dancefloor. He took them in secret and it has transformed their relationship. hdcny.org

The last meal that truly impressed me was at Restaurant de Canet in Esporles, Mallorca, last summer. I was on my way to Deià to holiday with Jay Jopling and Hikari Yokoyama. We stopped at this nondescript roadside restaurant and ended up feasting on an unbelievably good grilled rabbit and snail stew with lemon zest and tarragon, washed down with an exceptional local wine. restaurantdecanet.weebly.com

An indulgence I would never forgo is a parenia, a Russian banya (sauna) treatment at The Bathhouse at the South Kensington Club. There’s a deep-heat treatment in the banya, then the therapist stimulates and massages the skin with oak, birch and eucalyptus leaves before you plunge into cold water. Afterwards, they wrap you in muslin and an otherworldly euphoria sets in. I first experienced this type of treatment when I lived in St Petersburg as a student, and the South Ken Club has nailed it. From £42 for members; southkensingtonclub.com

The beauty and grooming staples I’m never without are my alcohol-free Windsor Stick Deodorant by DR Harris, which I buy from its flagship in St James’s; Marvis toothpaste, because I love the old-school packaging; and Byredo’s Super Cedar eau de parfum – I was given two bottles as a gift at a wedding last year and have worn it since. Byredo Super Cedar eau de parfum, £142 for 100ml; byredo.co.uk. Marvis toothpaste, from £6.50 for 75ml; harveynichols.com. Windsor Stick Deodorant, £13.50; drharris.co.uk

My favourite websites and apps are TheSelby.com – I love the photography and cast of characters in their personal spaces – and the Tablet Hotels app, to find places to stay.

My style icon is David Hockney. With his round glasses, weathered Panama, wingback trousers and bright colour palette, he has such a distinguished look – a foppish, dandyish demeanour with great personality. It’s not how I would dress, but I admire his style. He’s instantly recognisable; so many artists aren’t.

The best gift I received recently was a portable Marshall speaker from my father. It has a retro look, like the old-fashioned amplifiers. It’s my faithful companion on every trip I take, and the epicentre of all good gatherings. From £209; marshallheadphones.com

If I didn’t live in New York, I would live in Seville. I speak the language and I like the fact that it is a city that is not about work. I always stay at Corral del Rey, where many of the rooms have a plunge pool and a private terrace with views of the city’s spires. I have tapas and manzanilla at El Rinconcillo, an old bar where the locals go – you write your order on the countertop – and I love the flamenco nights at Casa Anselma. It’s a rather formal city, so there are quite a few hat shops, but I always buy mine from Sombreros Antonio García. Casa Anselma, Calle Pagés del Corro 49 (+34606-162 502). Corral del Rey, Calle Corral del Rey 12 (+34954-227 116; corraldelrey.com). El Rinconcillo, Calle Gerona 40 (+34954-223 183; elrinconcillo.es). Sombreros Antonio García, Calle Alcaicería de la Loza 25 (+34954-222 320; sombrerosgarcia.com)

The best book I read in the past year was Marina Abramovic’s memoir, Walk Through Walls. It divulges much about her life, from her romances to her relationship with her parents. Marina, who is a great friend of mine, has incredible self-discipline: she will regularly spend time in a cabin next to the river by her house, meditating, drinking only water and writing her thoughts in a notebook.

The best souvenir I bought recently was a traditional Berber hat from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco that I gave to my brother. Local hats are my staple souvenir gifts: over the years I’ve brought back dried banana-leaf hats from Zanzibar, woven wicker fezzes from Morocco and wide-brimmed gaucho hats from Chile. 

In my fridge you’ll always find a bottle or two of Krug, lots of beers, a few lemons and, if you’re lucky, some almond milk or a tub of hummus. I have to confess, it’s the ultimate lad fridge.

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d choose NoLita in New York, where I’m currently living. The husband-and-wife team at Feit makes amazing shoes from single pieces of leather: I love their hiking boots. Cire Trudon is candle heaven, and I buy clothes at APC and The Quality Mending Co., which sells vintage pieces and its own line of menswear. Uncle Boons, which feels like a bar in 1980s Phuket, has a great take on Thai food: it serves jasmine sausage and a punchy chicken salad that blows the roof of your mouth off. APC, 49 Bond Street, 10012 (+212-966 0049; usonline.apc.fr). Cire Trudon, 248 Elizabeth Street, 10012 (+212-203 0453; trudon.com). Feit, 2 Prince Street, 10012 (+212-226 8600; au.feitdirect.com). The Quality Mending Co, 15 Prince Street, 10012 (+212-334 5334; qualitymending.co). Uncle Boons, 7 Spring Street, 10012 (+646-370 6650; uncleboons.com)

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Yves Klein: I love his blue, but his works are all in museum hands now. I was mesmerised when I saw Body, Colour, Immaterial, the exhibition devoted to him at the Pompidou in 2007.

An unforgettable place that I have visited in the past year was Chile. I went with six friends, and we started at the Viña Vik wine estate, which is about 150km from Santiago. It belongs to Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik, whose house is like Scaramanga’s lair, overlooking his vineyards. We then went to northern Patagonia and stayed at Dos Lagos, an incredible private lodge in the distant reaches of Chile’s lake district, and a farmstead owned by Captain Robin Westcott, who took us around the fjords and glaciers in his traditional wooden boat. We also flew to San Pedro de Atacama and spent a few days hiking, riding and hitting the geysers and the natural springs. doslagoslodge.com. vikchile.com

The last music I downloaded was Depending On You by Nightlands from the album I Can Feel the Night Around Me and Sage Comme Une Image by Bottin featuring Jupiter. I run at least twice a week and I create playlists that stretch from classical to funk.

The people I rely on for grooming and wellbeing are Modo Yoga in Greenwich Village for hot yoga and Keith Smith in London for haircuts; his appointments are by referral only. From $20; nyc.modoyoga.com

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be a documentary maker, creating films about weird and wonderful people – the undiscovered originals.