Sharp April 2015

SPRING STYLE UPDATE

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LOOK BETTER / FEEL BETTER / KNOW MORE LOOK BETTER • FEEL BETTER • KNOW MORE

APRIL 2015

SHARPMAGAZINE.COM

F E AT U R I N G TV’S BEST & BOLDEST

SUITS, SHOES, AND REVISITING ’70s STYLE

JUSTIFIED’S

TIMOTHY OLYPHANT

( S E R I O U S LY )

S C A N DA L’ S

TONY GOLDWYN MAD MEN’S

MATTHEW WEINER THE RETURN OF

LINDA CARDELLINI

(IT’S ABOUT TIME!)

KEVIN SPACEY AND

HAIL TO THE CHIEF PLUS

HIGH TIMES HIGHER PROFITS HOW TO MAKE A BUCK OFF LEGAL BUD

PA G E S O F

D R E S S B ET T E R R I G H T N OW !

TAME YOUR BRAIN WITH THE NEWEST TREND IN TECH

Editor’s Letter

You’re Welcome

B Sharp is on the air The Sharp Magazine Show is now on SiriusXM Canada Talks (channel 167) every Sunday at 8pm. Hosted by myself and Ward Anderson (of SiriusXM’s Ward and Al), it’s yet another chance to enjoy everything you love about Sharp, in a funny, conversational format.

You can also download all of the episodes at SHARPFORMEN.COM/SHARPSHOW.

EHIND ME, SOMEWHERE IN MY BOOKSHELF tucked between back issues of Sharp and cologne samples, is the first copy of Esquire I ever bought. It’s the June 2001 issue. Jon Stewart is on the cover. This was before The Daily Show became essential viewing for lefty millenials, but things were obviously looking up for him (although, things are always looking up for Stewart; he’s not a tall man). I had started flipping through it in a friend’s kitchen.

It was her father’s copy, so I bought my own on the way home.

I still think about the cover story in that issue — a clever bit of fluff written by A.J. Jacobs, and cleverly annotated by Stewart himself. It was more than clever, actually. It was the first time I realized magazines could be funny. Like, make-a-self-consciousteenager-laugh-out-loud funny. I was 17, just about to graduate high school, but I still own it. I still refer to it, even.

If that same article had been in any other medium, I’d have discarded it by now. The power of magazines — including, and especially, this magazine you’re holding now — is that when you find the exact title, the precise issue, at the right time, that speaks to you in the exact right way, they can change your life.

Before that issue, I wanted to be a social studies teacher.

Sharp is part of a grand tradition. We welcome men into manhood, with all its attendant pleasures and complexities, and we tell them how to behave once they are there. We give them advice on how to dress, what to drive, and where to shop. We make them think about fatherhood, happiness, and everything else that’s wrapped up with being a man. In this issue, for example, Jacob Richler, son of Mordecai, writes beautifully about his father, and what it means to feed his family; and Jeremy Freed, Sharp’s former Editor-in-Chief, begins his incredibly honest column about finding authenticity in life.

We’ve had some changes around here, but our purpose — our role — hasn’t changed. It won’t. You will continue to find superb advice, thoughtful features, and world-class photography in Sharp. Truth is, I’ve been thinking about men’s magazines for half my life. So, whether you’re new at this adulthood thing or you have decades of experience with all its attendant pleasures and complexities, whether you’re a faithful reader of Sharp or whether you’re flipping through this issue in your friend’s kitchen: welcome to manhood. It’s a good place to be.

Oh, and if you’re just flipping through, and you’re anything like me as a teenager, you’ll want to know that there are some very tasteful pictures of Linda Cardellini on page 130.

GREG HUDSON

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Photo: Matt Barnes

Editor-in-Chief

Pre-ramble

Term: Seasons 1-5 of 24 Location: Baltimore, Maryland What’s there?

The many telephones with which, every few days it seemed, he spoke with Agent Jack Baur; the bullet that (spoiler alert) killed him.

Term: Seasons 1-7 of The West Wing Location: Manchester, New Hampshire What’s there?

The original “Bartlet for President” cocktail napkin; the discarded hopes and dreams of every real-life Democrat.

4:1

Arnold Schwarzenegger

6:1 Scott Weiland

16:1

French Toast Crunch

PRESIDENT FITZGERALD GRANT III

Term: Seasons 1-3, Scandal Location: Santa Barbra, California What’s there?

Grant’s naval uniform; a crowd of social media junkies Tweeting the entire experience.

PRESIDENT FRANCIS UNDERWOOD Term: Season 3, House of Cards Location: Gaffney, South Carolina What’s there?

Secrets. So, so many secrets.

34:1

Dinosaurs (Jurassic World)

5000:1

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Easter Bunny

A BRIEF (STONED) HISTORY OF M A R I J UA NA

Bugs Bunny

PRESIDENT JOSIAH BARTLETT

MOST EDIBLE

As medical marijuana in this country gets more and more complex, we felt some clarity and context was needed. Here is the result of our research (more on the issue on page 114)

Dude. Ok dude. So like, here’s the thing. Weed — it’s like a pretty awesome plant, right?

It’s got all these medical properties. So like, it was discovered in, uh, shit. The middle ages? No wait. No wait.

It was discovered in like, 300 BC, like in Asia or something.

And they used to grow it to do, uh, to do these amazing things with it. Like make shirts and pants and paper and stuff that big corporations totally think they invented, but they didn’t, because hello? Weed was already in the earth. Like, you didn’t put it there, it’s like oil.

You didn’t put that oil there, so why do you think you own it, you know? Why do you fight wars for it and stuff. But, right.

Like they would smoke it in these big circles right? In these tents. And they’d all get high, like whole tribes right. Because everyone used to smoke it. And then they’d, like, they’d be

Frank

PRESIDENT PALMER

There are only about 320,000 people on the island of Iceland, which we visit on page 80. Many of them are related to each other. Icelendiga is a dating app that helps weed out people who are potentially your cousins. Solid plan, Iceland.

Solid plan.

On page 75 you’ll find a perfect recipe to get you eating more rabbit.

But, which rabbit should you choose?

Velveteen Rabbit

3:1

Twin Peaks

Something You Didn’t Know About Iceland Tinder + ancestry.ca = Icelendiga

Energizer Bunny

Scott Weiland isn’t the only ’90s staple making a triumphant return (page 56). Our odds on which nostalgia-fuelled comebacks will succeed and which will stay extinct.

The Other, Other White Meat

Jessica Rabbit

When a US president leaves office, he is entitled to build a library anywhere in the country to house records and memorabilia (and in the case of George W. Bush, a few shaky portraits of his dogs). As it happens, this issue is full of presidents — TV ones, the kind we love the most (see pages 88 and 108).

Here, a fittingly fictional guide to their Presidential Libraries.

THEY’LL BE BACK

Little Bunny Foo Foo

TV Presidential Libraries

LEAST EDIBLE

April 2015 LOOK BETTER FEEL BETTER KNOW MORE

Guide

Cone of Sound Aether’s latest is the music player we deserve

EMEMBER LISTENING TO THE RADIO? IT WAS KIND OF brilliant, right? Not the technology so much as the DJs — nerdy guys in dark rooms who, when they were good, seemed to intuit our every musical desire. No fumbling through records or spinning a click wheel or funneling frustratingly through playlist after playlist to find something we want to hear. We lost that for a while. Now, enter the Aether Cone, a speaker that’s updated the concept for the digital age. It’s replaced those banter-spewing, ad-happy DJs with an algorithm that automatically chooses music from a host of available Rdio playlists and a few other audio sources. But it’s even smarter than that. The Cone takes your early commands and learns what you like to listen to, and where — it’s your own personal call-in show, only it knows what you’re going to say, that you’re into slow jams in the kitchen in the morning, or ABBA in the bedroom later on. At least that’s the idea. If nothing else, it just looks cool.

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$400. AETHER.COM

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Guide A MAN WORTH LISTENING TO

Timothy Olyphant Is just happy for the work B Y P E T E R S A LT S M A N

Let’s start at the beginning.

Growing up, was acting always the thing?

A little-known fact is that you did stand-up comedy for bit.

That was somewhere in the early ’90s I guess. After college. I was trying to avoid a midlife crisis. I didn’t want to be one of those people who always thought I’d do something and never did it.

So I gave it a shot.

I grew up in Modesto, CA. Cow-tipping was the thing.

Ice-blocking was the thing.

Cruising was the thing.

What did you think you were going to do?

I thought I was going to try to get out of there. But careerwise? I had no idea. It wasn’t until I went on a college recruiting trip that I discovered the art department — I had no idea such a thing existed. You can get a degree in that? I liked to draw, so that became my major in college. I was thinking maybe I’d have an art career. Worst-case scenario I’d get my Master’s and teach.

Your resume now is so varied — comedy, dark stuff like Justified. What were you hoping to do originally?

HE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT TIMOTHY Olyphant is the way he talks. He’s got this slow, slacker’s drawl, the kind of sun-stained smoothness that’s totally placeless, maybe even timeless — because yeah, he’s a star out of time, an old-school workaday actor who just happened to hit it big. That’s how you know him, anyway: as Raylan Givens from Justified, the neo-western psycho thriller based on an Elmore Leonard character that ends its Emmy-fueled six-season run this month. Or maybe as Seth Bullock from Deadwood.

Or as the handsome guest star on sitcoms from The Office to The Mindy Project.

But also, there’s the way he talks. The way he seems to be searching for the right answer — the real answer — in a totally artificial setup. Like he wouldn’t mind revealing some essential truths to himself in the course of our brief interaction, if the opportunity arose. That’s the thing about Timothy Olyphant.

He’s not really just an actor. He’s a thinker. An art lover. A lover of learning — like, honest lifelong learning, because that’s what it takes to be a better artist, a better actor, a better man. And that’s what you really notice about Timothy Olyphant.

Photo: Getty / Kevin Winter

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In some ways I was trying to get my hands on the best possible thing I could get without having to deal with anything I wasn’t prepared to deal with. So it was always one step forward, two steps back. Take a breath. See if I can deal. I got great opportunities right off the bat. And at the same time, I ended up passing on enormous opportunities that would’ve made things ridiculously easy. And then I’d think to myself, “What the fuck am I doing? Why did I do that?”

But sometimes I feel like I got away with some things, because I’ve been able to work for a long time and I haven’t had to deal with any kind of fame issues.

Has that always been your attitude, that it’s just a job?

I guess any other way of looking at it doesn’t interest me much. I like the job, and I feel fortunate to still be doing it. Plus you get paid a lot for it.

How did it go?

It went pretty well, actually.

But the lifestyle didn’t appeal to me. The hours aren’t good.

Plus, there’s a thing that starts to happen when you go down that road — it’s very hard to spend time with people when you’re just trying to think of the joke. That was exhausting.

Best-case scenario: I was going to end up in a sitcom, and then I would be off that sitcom in a blink of an eye, and I’d wake up and realize that I have no fucking skills. That would’ve been a tough road.

So I thought, maybe I’ll take an acting class.

Even though you’d already been working as an actor.

That’s when I read Stanislavski and Meisner. I think I was a bit embarrassed to say I wanted to be an actor.

It was pretty superficial. But I remember reading those books and feeling like, here are two guys that look at this professionally in a way that hadn’t occurred to me. It felt like they were speaking the same language, directly to the artist I was trying to be.

So I thought maybe there’s a way to make this work. It started to feel like an extension of a lot of conversations that started in art school, where I discovered Baldessari and Chris Burden — who rocked my world.

What was it in their work that was blowing your mind at the time?

Well, look: when you’re a kid from Modesto and you go off to get a bachelor of fine arts in studio arts, you come — CONT. ON PAGE 52

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Guide A WELCOME INTRODUCTION

Erin & Sara Foster Explain the meaning of the word ‘meta’

BY BIANCA TEIXEIRA

RIN AND SARA Foster look like they were made for reality TV. That’s not an insult. As the unnervingly photogenic offspring of music producer (and perennial reality star) David Foster, they kind of were. Just don’t tell them that.

“Networks would call and ask when they could get us on a reality show,” says Erin. “We weren’t ever interested.” The sisters had their own careers going — Sara as an actress (she was on 90210, not that you’d know that, right?) and Erin as a writer. And that’s where their show, Barely Famous, a scripted comedy series, comes in. The two play sisters who refuse to do a reality series and are filming a reality series about their decision not to do a reality series. “Well,” says Sara, “they say to write what you know.”

Photo: John Russo

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Guide

MUSIC

Scott Weiland is Reborn (Again) The Ex-Stone Temple Pilot has been seeking redemption for over a decade. Maybe this time he’ll actually deserve it

BY ALEX NINO GHECIU

HE DRUG BUSTS, THE DUIS, THE PIMP SUITS — SCOTT WEILAND MIGHT well have been the most destructive rock star of the past 20 years (who’s still alive today, anyway). But the singer’s also been incredibly successful. He’s sold more than 35 million records worldwide as the frontman of grunge titans Stone Temple Pilots and ’00s rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. Getting booted from both bands for said recklessness, of course, has left whiskey stains on his legacy.

“There are always things I look back at in my career and say, ‘I wish I would’ve done this,’” Weiland sighs over the phone. Among his sore spots: a slew of milliondollar STP tours cancelled in the '90s due to his descent into drug addiction. “Hindsight is 20/20 for things I could’ve done differently.”

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But now, a chance at redemption.

Again. Call it a re-redemption: he’s got a new band, Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, and a new record, Blaster. His fingers are crossed that these 12 tracks of no-nonsense rock will free him from his frontman-for-hire purgatory, and maybe even earn him a spot beside the Vedders and Cobains, hell, even the Hommes and Turners of the alt-rock pantheon.

“I haven’t been this excited since Core [STP’s debut] to make an album,” says Weiland, who recorded the songs with a band of pals. “I am artistically beyond satisfied with it. I hope it resonates with my fans. I hope we get new ones as well.”

More than a grunge throwback, Blaster is a showcase of the versatility in Weiland’s slithery, sinful voice. He delivers low baritones over Sabbath-y riff rock (“Modzilla”), high rasps over catchy power pop (“Amethyst”) and tender croons over sun-baked ballads (“Circles”). It’s classic, hair-raising Weiland — a reminder of what’s been sorely missing from STP (who’ve received lukewarm reviews with their new frontman Chester Bennington) and Velvet Revolver (who still haven’t found one).

What Weiland’s trying to do — starting anew without the band(s) that made him famous — is a daunting feat for any lead vocalist. Critics and audiences are stubborn; they’d rather hear the old hits.

It’s why Chris Cornell abandoned Audioslave to resurrect Soundgarden, and why Billy Corgan ditched Zwan to reform the Smashing Pumpkins (in name, at least). Weiland, by comparison, has garnered critical acclaim quite consistently — whether with STP, Velvet or by his lonesome. (We’ll forgive him for that Christmas album he made in 2011.)

Not that Weiland doesn’t see the value in nostalgia. In 2013, the remaining members of STP slapped him with a lawsuit for playing the band’s material at solo shows. But he isn’t sore about it. In fact, he’s up for meeting them sometime for a beer. Or, you know, a reunion tour.

“The lawsuit’s all behind us now,” he says. “I don’t have any ill will or negative feelings. The Wildabouts are what I’m about now, but one thing I’ve learned is that you can never say never in rock ’n’ roll.”

Sure, Weiland still sounds like a frontman-for-hire. But if Blaster proves anything, it’s that he’s one of the best vocalists on the market—and in all of rock n’ roll. That’s his legacy, stains and all.

Guide T H E T R AV E L L I N G M A N

Hong Kong B Y YA N G - Y I G O H

Sydney-trained chef Jowett Yu uses his inimitably askew vision of Chinese cooking to concoct a slew of knockout, taste-bending plates. The juicy short ribs are topped with a potent mix of green shallot kimchi and jalapeño purée, while the fried Brussels sprouts and cauliflower come with a cupful of so-good-it-hurts chili-bacon jam.

HOLEEFOOKHK.TUMBLR.COM

ANDING IN HONG KONG CAN BE A LITTLE DISORIenting. You look up and can’t see the sky, crowded out by the city’s world-record 7,740 high-rises (that’s about 1,600 more than Manhattan, if you’re counting). Navigating the winding, overstuffed laneways can feel like you’re trapped in the world’s largest pinball machine.

Slow down a bit, though, and you’ll find an inexhaustible supply of things to love down at ground level. The streets are crowded for a reason: Hong Kong is home to a surplus of modish hotels, clandestine cocktail bars and off-kilter boutiques that perfectly complement its life-altering food scene. Here’s where to begin.

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STAY: 1. GATEWAY

HOTEL

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The hipper younger brother of the neighbouring Marco Polo Hotel, Gateway blends designdriven, boutique-y good looks with the scale and service of a stalwart luxury chain. Book a room on one of the three Continental Club floors, and you’ll be greeted with a private lounge, complimentary evening cocktails and personalized butler service. The biggest lure, though, is its location: nestled above Harbour City — Hong Kong’s largest designer

1 shopping mall — it’s steps away from both the heart of Kowloon (HK’s Brooklyn) and the ferry to Central (its Manhattan).

MARCOPOLOHOTELS.COM

EAT:

DUDDELL’S

With two Michelin stars on its mantelpiece, there’s no better place to experience Cantonese cuisine elevated to the level of art. The sleek, light-filled dining room and adjoining rooftop garden — designed to evoke the elegance of midcentury Hong

Kong — serve as the ideal backdrop for the wonders streaming from the kitchen: succulent barbequed pork; crisp broccoli slathered in a rich hairy-crab bisque; and a spectacular oversized oyster baked in port wine.

DUDDELLS.CO

2. HO LEE FOOK

Yes, the name is hilarious. But this bustling cool-kid hangout delivers on way more than just clever puns.

Taiwan-born, Vancouver-raised,

CUISINE CUISINE

Skip the unwieldy crowds and excessive wait times at Tim Ho Wan (the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant) and head to this lesser-known gem for a more serene, civilized dim sum experience.

Pitch-perfect renditions of traditional favourites like har gao and siu mai are served alongside more inventive fare — the delicate abalone tarts and Wagyu beef buns are not to be missed.

MIRADINING.COM

Guide

T H E T R AV E L L I N G M A N

4 3 KAM’S ROAST GOOSE

You can’t leave Hong Kong without feasting on its most iconic dish: roast goose. Arguably — and believe us, the food-obsessed locals will argue with you about this — the best spot to do so is Kam’s Roast Goose, a low-key eatery that churns out plate after mouthwatering plate of its namesake fare, heaped over rice or noodles, for a measly 48 Hong Kong dollars (about $7 Canadian) apiece.

226 HENNESSY ROAD, WAN CHAI

DRINK: 4. SEVVA

If you’re having trouble finding the beauty amid Hong Kong’s concrete confusion, head to this stylish 25th-floor hotspot at dusk, have a drink or three on its sweeping terrace, and then watch the sun disappear over Victoria Harbour. Problem solved. SEVVA.HK

THE WOODS

The moody, seductive environs at this below-ground watering hole are

a welcome respite from the pandemonium at street level, but the exquisitely engineered cocktails — made with small-batch spirits and house-cured ingredients — are the real stars here.

Saddle up at the bar and let the bartenders do the rest. THEWOODS.HK

SHOP: 3. THE

ARMOURY

Its mahogany fixtures and ladder-accessible shelving make this small but formidable menswear shop feel a bit like the private library of a Lindbergh-esque explorer. Which is fitting, because its wares are sourced from artisans the world over: grenadine ties from Drake’s in London; calfskin monkstraps from Carmina in Majorca; tweedy sportcoats from Ring Jacket in Tokyo; and classic dress shirts from Hong Kong’s own Ascot Chang.

THEARMOURY.COM

KAPOK

With six locations across the city, this budding boutique

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empire stocks the latest looks from buzz brands like Études and Beams alongside an extensive selection of smartly designed stationery and home goods.

Stop in for a few minutes of window-shopping and you’ll find yourself wondering how in the hell you’re going to fit that mint green steel drinks tray into your luggage. KA-POK.COM

W.W. CHAN & SONS

On every street corner in Hong Kong, about a dozen guys will offer to make you a custom suit and a half-dozen shirts in 24 hours for the price of a tank of gas. Ignore them. Instead, pay a visit to this renowned, 50-year-old tailor shop for a true bespoke experience.

We’ll warn you now, though: once you sample the house’s signature blend of time-honoured Shanghai tailoring techniques with the very best fabrics and silhouettes from Europe, theirs will be the only suits you’ll ever want to wear. WWCHAN.COM

Take a Hike: If you’re feeling a little claustrophobic downtown, these trails will be a (literal) breath of fresh airu MacLehose Trail Stage II

LENGTH: 13.5 KM BEST FOR: BEACH BUMS This hilly trail passes through several picturesque inlets — don’t be ashamed if you abandon the hike halfway in favour of a sunny spot in the sand.

Lower Shing Mun Reservoir

LENGTH: 4.6 KM BEST FOR: BEGINNERS A laidback two-hour stroll through shady paths laden with trees, quiet streams and the occasional macaque monkey.

Dragon’s Back (above) LENGTH: 8.5 KM BEST FOR: BUDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS The panoramic views from atop this awesomely named ridge make it the perfect spot to snap that epic Instagram shot you’ve been waiting the whole trip to take.

Guide FOOD

Rabbit The other, other, other white meat

Charcut’s rabbit sausage pasta with sweet corn INGREDIENTS

BY KARON LIU

Rabbit Sausage T SOME POINT IN THE LAST CENTURY — PROBABLY sometime between Bugs Bunny and Roger Rabbit — we stopped eating rabbit. At least most of us did.

But the truth is, those little woodland creatures have been a staple of hearty country diets for generations. And, most importantly, they’re delicious. Now, thanks largely to our recent fascination with nose-to-tail carnivorism, a new generation of urban men are finally digging in to the stars of their beloved childhood cartoons. Even food activists like Michael Pollan are giving the green light to rabbit meat, which requires much less space, feed and water to grow compared to beef. Rabbits are lean, low in cholesterol, slightly sweet, loaded with vitamin B12 and easy to cook. It’s the perfect springtime protein that won’t weigh you down. That’s what’s up, Doc.

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Connie DeSousa of Calgary’s Charcut Roast House, one of the nation’s top destinations for all things meat, knows a little about prepping bunnies. “When people are cooking rabbit for the first time, I often recommend that they treat it as a neutral meat like chicken,” she says. “It’s mild, but takes on flavours really well, too. It’s super tender and you don’t have to worry about cooking the heck out of it.”

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FOR DIRECTION ON HOW TO BUTCHER A RABBIT VISIT SHARPMAGAZINE.COM

• 1 lb rabbit meat, ground • 3/4 tsp ground mace • 3 sage leaves, chopped • 1 tsp sea salt • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper • 2 tbsp ice water

The Pasta

• 1 package dried lasagna noodles • 2 tbsp butter • 2 tbsp olive oil • 4 cloves garlic sliced • 2 corn cobs worth of kernels • 1/2 lemon • 1/2 bunch chopped parsley • 1/2 cup chicken stock • 1/4 cup grated parmesan • Salt and pepper DIRECTIONS

• In a bowl, combine the ground meat and seasonings. Gradually add the ice water and continue mixing until the meat starts to have some elasticity to it, leaving a sticky coating on the side of the bowl.

•Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, cut into square pieces, and set aside.

• In a large non-stick frying pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil. Add the sausage and corn and continue to cook, breaking up the sausage into small pieces. Add the cooked pasta and squeeze the lemon juice into the pan.

Add the chicken stock and butter. Toss in the chopped parsley and half the parmesan cheese.

• Season with salt and pepper. Serve in a large family-style bowl and garnish with the remaining cheese. Serves 4-6.

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Guide

DESIGN

Cut and Paste You should cover your

house in wallpaper. Really F YOU BOUGHT A “FIXER upper” anytime in the last half century, chances are you spent countless hours (or dollars) painstakingly stripping the walls of layer upon layer of sodden, ugly wallpaper. Well, consider that a lesson — because you should probably put some up again. The once-old-fashioned wall treatment is having a comeback, led by hip, upstart design houses and major fashion and lifestyle brands alike. The biggest difference between this crop and Downton Abbey? These are decidedly masculine, favouring big, bright colours and patterns, with nary a toile in sight.

Here are some of our favourites.

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THOREAUX

Thoreuax is a spin-off from Toronto-based branding and design firm Whitman Emorson. Starting a wallpaper brand in 2014 could be considered a bit twee and dismissible — if it weren’t for the 19thcentury-inspired patterns being so, well, likeable.

THOREAUX.COM

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

FEATHR

OMEXCO.COM

F E AT H R . C O M

The iconic fashion house branched into wall coverings last year, with a series of designs for the Belgian wallpaper brand Omexco.

Think lots of trompe-l’oeil and geographic prints.

This collection, sourced by a Finnish design firm from a pool of 300 artists, is all about large scale — like, really large scale — prints. One, by Luke Evans, is a hi-res image of a slice of cow brain.

April 2015 LOOK BETTER FEEL BETTER KNOW MORE

Cars Riders on the Storm: Three Ways to Conquer Bad Weather There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from having the right tool for the job. Unless your plan is to hibernate through the Canadian winter, that means having a car capable of confronting icy roads and deep snow effortlessly and with style, even in the spring. Here, three very different tools that are all more than up to the job of tackling the next polar vortex

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Cars 3.

BMW X6M Standing before me are two things that should not exist: a Formula One race track in the middle of Texas, and an electric blue SUV that can lap it. Fast.

Both things feel like a bluff that’s been called; boardroom jokes that somehow became real. But, here they are: The Circuit of the Americas, and on it, the 2015 BMW X6M. Yes, it is an SUV. Yes, it has BMW’s superb xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Yes, it will handle the snow banks and icy roads with ease, even though none are on display here in Texas. But most importantly for bad weather speed demons: it’s a product of BMW’s M Division, which means it’s very, very fast, no ENGINE: matter the weather.

4.4-LITRE By our calculations, TWIN-TURBO V8 the X6M is the most powerful all-wheel drive POWER: vehicle BMW has ever 567 made. It’s twin-turbo HORSEPOWER 4.4-litre V8 engine — shared with the M5 and GEARBOX: X5M — produces 567 8-SPEED AUTO horsepower here. Now in its second generation, PRICE: the X6M feels like it’s $108,200 come of age, all rough edges smooth off. The coupe-like shape no longer looks awkward stretched over an SUV frame. The eight-speed automatic is even snappier than before. And, 0-100 km/h comes up faster too, in just 4.2 seconds. The suspension feels a bit too stiff initially, but as the speed increases, the ride feels perfectly judged.

On the back straight at the Circuit of the Americas, the X6M effortlessly hits 225 km/h. I wonder how fast it could go on ice? ­— M A T T B U B B E R S

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2. Volvo V60 Cross Country HEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE IN A VOLVO? UP UNTIL A few months ago, my last time was in university. My roommate drove a white 1990 200 Series wagon with a Baby on Board decal and a punk band’s sticker on the rear window. She used to drive us up to the ski hill in it, equipment strapped to the roof. She got it from her older brother, who got it from their parents who bought it new, drove the family around for a decade or so and only traded it in when they were ready to get another. Safety has a way of engendering loyalty.

But the latest collection of Volvos is about more than just safety. That ethos remains intact, of course — Volvo’s “Vision 2020” is to have a lineup of cars in which it’s impossible to have a fatal crash, and with the newest suite of safety-tech, which scans the road for pedestrians and will even brake autonomously to avoid collisions, they’re well on their way. Still, strides are being made to diversify the brand’s appeal, and it’s about time, because in today’s market, vehicles have to hit bull’s-eye on an array of targets like tech, design, performance, comfort and, of course safety, in order to compete.

And on this, Volvo’s aim is true. The all-new V60 Cross Country — a rugged sort of wagon — works perfectly downtown in fair weather, toting the younguns from ENGINE: recital to practice and back again. But, it will also conquer 2.5-LITRE, a country winter, when hockey tournaments require a INLINE few hundred kilometers of travel over icy roads. It’s the 5-CYLINDER type of car that looks more at home with a roof rack than POWER: without (and that’s a good thing). Its elevated ground 250 clearance, hill descent control, navigation system and HORSEPOWER Haldex all-wheel drive, make it suitable for adventure in any season, even the worst Canadian winters. Swedish GEARBOX: winters aren’t exactly tropical, after all.

6-SPEED And though the long, low, boxy silhouette that AUTOMATIC defined my ex-roommates’ old 200 Series wagon is PRICE: gone, this is still a Volvo wagon. $44,100 Scandinavian design is evident in its airy modern cabin, and crisp, clean exterior lines that somehow look at home on an adventure, or parked beside your other, perhaps less practical ride.

So, regardless of when the last time was, the next time you find yourself in a Volvo might be sooner than you think. ­

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— COLEMAN MOLNAR

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LOOK BETTER FEEL BETTER KNOW MORE

Style TRENDS

Worth Every Cent E CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE PENNY, BUT NOT THE PENNY LOAFTER. The preppy icon is as fashionable as ever — but you don’t have to dress like an ivy leaguer to pull them off. In fact, they’re incredibly versatile and easy to wear (it’s a slip-on after-all). Dress them up with a suit, or dress them down with denim or a pair of chinos. Whatever you wear them with, here’s one more pro tip: when in doubt, go sockless. B R O O K S B R O T H E R S , $ 4 0 5

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Photo: Matt Doyle; Styling: Christopher Campbell for Atelier Management. Wool-spandex blend pant ($124) by Banana Republic

April 2015

Style HOW IT’S DONE

On the Fitz

Tony Goldwyn takes a break from Scandal’s presidential suiting to show you six ways to be the best-dressed man in the office PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN MADDOX

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DRESS DOWN YOUR SUIT

STYLING BY GAELLE PAUL FOR W A LT E R S C H U P F E R MANAGEMENT

Not into buttoning up? You should be — even if you’re not a “suit” guy. Try pairing classic tailoring, like this double-breasted getup, with more casual pieces, like a solid-colour crewneck sweater or T-shirt.

WOOL SUIT ($3,620) BY GUCCI; LINEN SHIRT (PRICE UPON REQUEST) BY PERRY ELLIS.

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Style GROOMING

The Manly Pedi For something so

important, men sure don’t take care of their feet

HE AVERAGE MAN PAYS more attention to his shoes than what goes in them.

It’s the way we approach most things. We’ll take pains to dryclean our suits and press our shirts, but not think twice before eating a plate of bacon. And we’re notoriously bad at foot care. Statistically, it’s safe to say that you aren’t about to pamper yourself with a pedicure at a spa, so it’s time to take your feet into your own, um, hands. Here’s a no-nonsense, non-dainty foot-care regime.

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Charlie Hunnam has some advice on how to be as manly as an outlaw (without smelling like one) Charlie Hunnam is no pretty boy. He’s attractive, sure — just ask your partner — but as the main character on Sons of Anarchy, leading a gang of motorcycle-ridin’, head-bustin’ existentialist ruffians around California he’s way too rugged to be considered “pretty.” As the face for Calvin Klein’s newest men’s fragrance, CK Reveal — a nostalgic dose of suede, spice and sweetness — he’s considerably less violent. But if you’re looking for some manly inspiration, you could do a lot worse.

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On Style:

I’m a very functional dresser, with maybe a little gypsy flavour in there, too. I like to be a little rougher, less polished.

On Meat:

I’m not vegetarian, but meat for breakfast is unnecessary.

On Stories: 1. SOAK

Sure, you could just shower —rubbing your feet with an exfoliating scrub like Jack Black’s Body Rehab ($40) — but there’s something delightfully old-timey about sitting with your feet in a tub, pants rolled up, tie loosened. The point is, you want to soften the hardened skin and callouses, so you might as well get something out of it.

2. SCRAPE

There are fancy electronic gizmos that claim to offer the pedicure experience at home (some are even helpfully marketed to men), but a classic pumice stone — like this one from Kaufmann Mercantile ($13) — works just as well. There is nothing not manly about scouring away dead skin with volcanic rock.

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3. SOOTHE

Let’s be clear: Urea — one of best moisturizing ingredients for cracked feet — does in fact come from urine. Well, it’s found in urine. But, for our purposes it breaks down scaly skin at the cellular level. It’s odourless, non-toxic, and these days, is thankfully synthesized. Look for creams with at least 10% urea. Try Eucerin Complete Repair Lotion ($20).

4. SCENT

Finish with a shot of Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet talcum powder ($35). It will keep your feet soft and absorb excess moisture. Imagine taking off your socks at the end of the day and it being a good thing.

I was out surfing and got bumped by a shark. In that spot, they also have Black Jack fish, which are about 30-40 pounds and swim very fast. They can create the same feeling as being bumped by a shark, but it’s not as good of a story. I was bumped by a shark.

On Stamina:

I do 100 pullups, 100 dips, 200 pushups and 200 squats.

Pullups are the thing. They are the barometer of the man. You have to be able to do 100 pullups a session. If I get to a point where I can’t do that, I have to give myself a serious talk.

TIMEPIECES

Keeping Things Light Impressive timepieces

that are worth far more than their surprisingly light weight

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BY ARIEL ADAMS

HE MEASURE OF A TIMEPIECE’S QUALITY WAS once easily summed up by evaluating the weight of the watch in one’s palm. Good watches used more (and better) metal, so it was easy to gauge their relative desirability by how heavy they were. But today’s most advanced timepieces borrow liberally from the worlds of auto racing and aerospace, where weight is actually a detriment. Lovers of performance-driven watches can expect some timepieces to be light and airy on the wrist without any sacrifice in quality or durability.

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1. ZENITH EL PRIMERO LIGHTWEIGHT

The El Primero Lightweight by Swiss watchmaker Zenith uses a unique titanium version of Zenith’s famous mechanical El Primero automatic chronograph movement, which is 25% lighter than its standard counterparts. The El Primero’s case is rendered from black carbon fiber – making it possibly the lightest chronograph movement on the market. ($19,200)

2. HAMILTON KHAKI PILOT PIONEER ALUMINUM

Famed for its use by military forces around the world during the 20th century, the Khaki collection by Hamilton gets a twist with their first ever models available in aluminum. Inspired by vintage aviation,

they contain a Swiss automatic mechanical movement and comes in several styles, along with matching cases, dials and NATO straps. ($1,250)

3. SEIKO ASTRON CHRONOGRAPH TITANIUM

Titanium makes otherwise large watches feel comparatively svelte due to its lighter-thansteel properties.

Seiko relies on it to make its GPScontrolled Astron Chronograph – which updates itself with the correct time no matter where you are on the globe – insanely comfortable. ($3,300)

4. BULOVA MARINE STAR DURAMIC Duramic refers to Bulova’s trademarked ceramic-

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nylon composite, which isn’t only surprisingly light and abuse-resistant, but also colourful – something metals and most ceramic materials could never claim. The Marine Star model range contains quartz chronograph movements, in perfect fitting with it’s athletic style. ($350)

5. TISSOT T-RACE TOUCH ALUMINUM

Tissot offers a family of intuitively designed T-Race Touch watches with lightweight, coloured aluminum cases. That, paired with their famous T-Touch technology movement that allows you to activate handy functions such as a compass, chronograph tide chart, make it a perfect timepiece when you are on the move. ($595)

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FUTURE T H E E D I T O R - A T- L A R G E

Down-N-Out Burger Eating your way through a midlife crisis

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BY JEREMY FREED

EFORE I LEFT LA FOR MEXICO I FOUND MYSELF ALONE AT an In-N-Out Burger in the San Fernando Valley, sitting at a terrazzo table under an unseasonably hot January sun watching traffic rumble by on the Hollywood Freeway. I was thinking about what I wanted. Not sandwich-wise, that was easy (a double cheeseburger with onions, fries, iced tea); more about life in general. I had left Toronto with a backpack, an open-ended ticket to Mexico by way of California and the notion of taking some time to figure out exactly what it was about my previously charmed existence that was lacking. It was a good life by anyone’s estimation — an editor’s job people would kill for, great home, wonderful friends — but for some time now, years maybe, something had been weighing on me. Despite all of the things for which I was grateful, and there were many, I wasn’t able to get rid of one recurring thought:

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“Is this it?” I should be happy. What right did I have to feel unsatisfied?

I tried burying myself in my work. I tried smoking too much pot, watching too much TV, serial online dating, taking up a hobby, working out. None of this made much difference. It was like getting off the log ride on a not-quite-summer day, shirt sopping wet and heavy from the splash pool. Once it warmed to the temperature of my body I could mostly forget the weight of it and enjoy myself, but then the breeze would come up out of nowhere and leave me uncomfortable, shivering uncontrollably. It took a particularly bad six-month stretch of existential malaise to shock me into action.

Eating a thesaurus-sized eggplant parmigiana sandwich in front of the same episode of I’m Alan Partridge I’d seen 18 times while browsing Tinder on my phone was fine as an evening’s entertainment, but as a long-term life plan it wasn’t working.

It sounds uncharacteristically earnest, but what I wanted, I realized, was a more authentic way of living. One that didn’t involve staring at a screen all day, scrolling through photos of beautiful things. I wanted to tear it all down and start again. Become an organic farmer. Maybe learn how to make artisanal goat cheese. Or just live like a nomad, roaming the world in search of…well, I didn’t quite know what. And Mexico? Well, I love both Mexican food and palm trees. It also

Photo: Getty / Lew Robertson

PRESENT

“Sure, a vacation is great, but taking a vacation at the expense of the life I’d spent years building seemed incredibly irresponsible. I was alternately exalted at the promise of the future and terrified that I’d made a huge mistake.”

wasn’t a coincidence that I was leaving in January. Because, seriously, fuck winter. Everyone I told about my plan seemed to get that part, but just as many responded with puzzled looks. “So you have no idea what you’re going to do when you come back?” They’d ask, concerned.

“Nope,” I’d say, “I’m going to try and not think about that for a little while.” And then, of course, I would think about it and wonder again what the hell I thought I was doing.

It had the vague feel of some kind of manic episode. Sure, a vacation is great, but taking a vacation at the expense of the life I’d spent years building seemed incredibly irresponsible. I was alternately exalted at the promise of the future and terrified that I’d made a huge mistake.

But back to that cheeseburger.

It was good in the way that only cheese-upon-meat-upon-breadupon-cheese-upon-meat can be.

Spongy bun, flattop-grilled patties, American cheese, special sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions. It yielded pleasingly to the bite, soft and moist and salty and tangy, with just enough dripping grease to make it feel like an indulgence. It may not be a perfect thing, but it’s as close as you’ll get for four bucks in the San Fernando Valley. Throughout my depression, food remained one thing I consistently enjoyed. Sandwiches in particular. As far as I’m concerned, a well-executed sandwich is one of the highest forms of human achieve-

ment, culinary or otherwise. Like a haiku or a charcoal drawing, it is an exercise in creating transcendence from the fewest possible elements.

It’s cheap, functional, ubiquitous nourishment. When executed with finesse, however, it can be a religious experience. Once in Paris, I bought a ham, cheese and butter on a baguette that was possibly the most incredible thing I’ve ever eaten. The fact that I tried in vain to find the sandwich shop again on subsequent days only serves to support my theory that it was, in fact, made by a wizard. I hold the experience as an example of the potential power of a simple, good thing.

The day before I left for Mexico I had lunch with an old friend at Langer’s Delicatessen, a downtown LA stalwart with a menu the size of a road map. I ordered the same thing I always do: the number 19 (pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on doublebaked rye with a pickle on the side.) The bread is chewy-crusty on the outside, pillowy within, the salt and fat of the pastrami and cheese tempered perfectly by the coleslaw and a wavy line of yellow mustard. I don’t know what Russian dressing is, but I’m sure it’s also vital to the experience.

As I made my way through the number 19, consumed as I had been of late with thoughts of life, career paths and The Meaning of It All, I had a kind of revelation. Stripped

down to its barest elements, a sandwich is basically a thing between two other things. Suspended between my former life and whatever would come after this journey, the idea seemed deeply relevant. A sandwich, too, is all about symmetry: the before, the middle, the after. In the case of my life, I understood that the thing before had been fundamentally good, so that this exercise wasn’t about blowing up my life and starting over, but giving myself the space and time to get perspective on what I had.

The months ahead, I decided then, would be about working to discover what had been missing and bringing that to bear on the thing after. Simplifying. Getting rid of what didn’t work and adding things that did. Creating transcendence from the fewest possible ingredients. I was faintly aware that I might come home with a killer tan and even less idea of what to do with myself, but for the moment I pushed this thought aside. Hell, at the very least I’d get a few good stories out of it. Maybe do a magazine column about the journey — I have some connections in that area, after all. Perhaps leaving everything and everyone I knew for an indeterminate stretch was not as mad as it seemed. I was, I now understood, just using the best tools I had to fix my situation: I was editing my life. There might just be a couple of good sandwiches in it, too.

THE HOUSE OF CARDS STAR IS GIVING IT

HE CAN DO BETTER

By: Alex Nino Gheciu Photo by: Marco Grob / Trunk Archive

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Canada’s medical marijuana industry is about to get big.

Why one former Bay Streeter has gone all in, and predicts nothing but high times ahead

Words and photography by: Luc Rinaldi

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BROOKS BROTHERS Cotton-nylon blend raincoat ($545), cotton sweater ($90), cotton shirt ($100), and cotton chinos ($100).

What are you wearing this spring?

We’ve got you covered, all day long Photography by: Karl Simone • Styling by: Marc Anthony George Shot on location at: The Archer Hotel

Linda Cardellini is a

POWERFUL

WOMAN And that’s just one of the things we like about her

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N Blazer by Mimi & Magenta; bustier by Dolce & Gabbana; bottoms by Morgan Lane; ring by A Peace Treaty; shoes by Jimmy Choo.

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This spring, try tailoring up in your downtime. After all, a well fitting jacket can be as spiritually rewarding as a stroll through a rock garden

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Wool suit ($695) by J.Lindeberg; cotton shirt ($175) and silk pocket square ($65) by BOSS; leather belt ($140) by Strellson; Villeret Double Timezone Alarm watch ($29,274) by Blancpain.

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Photo: Getty / Tim Flach

M A N H O O D EX P L O R E D PA R T I V

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OR:

HOW I LEARNED T O PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE

By Jacob Richler

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Rank & File 8

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Our highly scientific ranking of things that do and do not deserve your attention

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1. THE DAWN OF SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES You can order a regular shipment of everything from razor blades to Star Wars memorabilia to steak. Here’s an idea for one: a magazine that comes right to your door every month. Wait...

2. EASTER We’ll celebrate this weird holiday, but only because it comes with time off work. We’re actually more about Arbour Day, frankly.

3. RAINCOATS You bought yours for a reason, remember? This is its time to shine.

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4. CHRISTINA HENDRICKS We’re sad Mad Men is leaving (see page 58). But we’ll miss her most of all.

5. MAYWEATHERPACQUIAO The boxing match of the decade.

Because really, it’s been about that long since

we cared about a boxing match.

6. GENDERED BREAD Quinoa loaves for women, ryes for men. Arbitrary branding trying to capitalize on gender tropes in the bread aisle, or the way to equality through sandwiches?

7. SONY WALKMAN $1,200 for a pocket device that just plays music.

We salute this triumphant return to single-tasking.

Now, where’d we put all those cassettes?

8. DAREDEVIL We wouldn’t be completely

against remaking all of Ben Affleck’s movies without Ben Affleck. Next up: Good Will Hunting on Hulu?

(But hey! He can direct!)

9. KEVIN JAMES If only Chris Farley were still alive to get all his roles.

Photo: Cotton-polyurethane blend raincoat ($550) by Trout Rainwear: Getty / Chris Hyde, Al Bello, Jason LaVeris, Rob White, Jade Brookbank. Illustration: Getty / Derek Bacon: Daredevil Illustration Courtesy of Netflix.

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