RJmag11

RJMAG

THE STYLE REVIEW FOR MEN

by RECTANGLEJAUNE

dresslike sherlock holmes inspiration born to be wilde getaway scotland

fallwinter13/14

>spirited publishers >old friends, old books >sexy men read

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BOOKS & MEN

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04 Sherlock HOMME 12 Born to be WILDE 18 Winter Essentials 22 Spirited Publishers 28 OuterWear Gear 34 Collector Shirts 40 Old friends, old books 54 Scotland the Brave 58 Sexy men read Creative director:

MAYA METNI

Photographer: Imad El KHOURY Stylist: Julien Abboud Contributors: Adriana Lebbos Tania El Khoury Ziad Habib Joseph Alam Kat Asmar Carole Bou Serhal

Special Thanks:

issue 10 • SS13

George Arbid Pierre Sabbagh The Hangout Beirut Superga Parfois

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Oscar Wilde once said: "With freedom, flowers, books and the moon, who could not be happy?"

This is exactly what RJmag 11 is all about: the undeniable pleasure of a good book, an old friend, or the wanderings in the worlds of fictional characters...

We also had an insight into the passionate path of two intrepid Lebanese publishers, and a stunning travel story in Scotland.

Happy reading!

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my dear watson...

You all know by now that RJmag team is a total sucker for series; especially the ones with the most intelligent characters, complex plots, inspiring set design and art direction.

If you've got an hour to spare, immerge yourself into Elementary 's totally new Sherlock Holmes, beautifully interpreted

by Jonny Lee Miller and his FEMALE better half, miss Joan Watson, with the definitely refreshing Lucy Liu. Directed by Maya Metni, photographed by Imad El Khoury and styled by Julien Abboud, we give you: SHERLOCK HOMME, RJmag's Elementary editorial.

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"Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

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BORN to be

WILDE

Oscar Wilde would have had thousands of followers if twitter was born in the nineteenth century!

Take a mere look at the all the unofficial social media accounts and pinterest boards of his numerous fans!!

The shrewd intelligence and delightful sarcasm of the brilliant Irish author of "The picture of Dorian Grey" and "The importance of being earnest", remain ever so modern to this very day.

We had to pay him homage!

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Winter Essentials

Our seasonal style guide with key items and various smart outfits.

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RJ essentials

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SHIRT essentials

Even the most classical shirts have a little plus this season, a sober yet unusual palette or print, inserts in different fabrics, interesting embroideries...

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RJ essentials

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Spirited publishers

Marwan Abdo-Hanna

Founded as a bookstore in 1947, Librairie Samir starts publishing in 1958 and quickly becomes famous in the Middle East and Arab world for its school manuals and educational tools.

Renamed Samir Éditeur in 2003, the company is now dedicated to the publishing of textbooks and children's books in Arabic, French and English, as well as multimedia tools.

RJmag is proud to get you this interview with Marwan Abdo-Hanna, a man of few (but witty) words: We know you “fell in the cooking pot” when you were little; did you like being part of a “publishing family” or did you rebel at some point?

What an attractive cooking pot! Books foment revolutions! So being a publisher is certainly a good way to rebel…

What is the impact of your online presence?

Is Social media helping?

We have an e-store and attract overseas clients.

As regards Social media, it can help, of course, but what a mess when the tweets are longer than the books!

What did you choose as a college degree?

Was it related? And if not, did it bring a new aspect to your view of the business?

School of Business (boring but useful), Archeology and Art History (exciting but useless), and finally Electronic Media (it actually helps).

What are you currently reading?

Danube by Claudio Magris and Le bonheur à l’envers by Pascal Ruter.

What was the major achievement since you took over?

My kids! They are living books and a good source of inspiration.

How tough is it to keep rolling with all the turmoil in Lebanon and the Middle East?

I have been told that people read more in times of crisis. So, no need to worry!

What’s the latest project your are really passionate about / proud of?

Be present on the French market. We are selling French coursebooks in French public schools.

What a cheek!

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How can we encourage Lebanese people to read more?

Create a subway network in Beirut… but people would certainly talk to their seat neighbours instead of opening a book!

What about numeric books?

Nice challenge! They are completely changing our field. We are adapting our inside departments, training our authors to insert interactivity in their works, and teaching the readers to use them properly.

Last but not least, our brand sounds Frenchy and our magazine speaks English, because over the years our target speaks less and less French and more and more English. Do you have any comment? Do you know why it happened?

It is a pity! And as a local French books publisher, maybe I should blame myself for that ;-)

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Spirited publishers

Emile Tyan

For our "Books and Men" issue, we were also delighted to go up close and personal with Emile Tyan of Hachette Antoine, a joint venture between the international French publishing leader since 1826, and Librairie Antoine, one of the most established Lebanese bookstores since 1933.

As well as the rocketing partnership with Hachette, Tyan is also part of the success of Antoine Online, the bespoke online destination for Lebanese and Arab culture.

We know you “fell in the cooking pot” when you were little; did you like being part of a “publishing family” or did you rebel at some point?

I was not intended to work for Hachette Antoine. I am a law graduate. Yet, I do not regret this change in career nor this choice. The concentration and discipline it requires are clearly reflected in my daily life. At a certain point, I felt the need to learn and further myself, I followed a management training course.

What was the major achievement since you took over Hachette Antoine?

I’ve been on board since the beginning of the project which was established in 2010. Making Hachette Antoine a viable company and meeting the base projections is definitely my major accomplishment.

How tough is it to keep rolling with all the turmoil in Lebanon and the Middle East?

We try to keep walking and not to over think.

What’s the latest project your are really passionate about/proud of?

What I am most proud of, is my team and how they react to the challenges they face.

What is the impact of your online presence?

Is Social media helping?

SM is a vector to communicate with our readers and potential readers. It is undeniably a chance and an opportunity.

Its positive impact provides us with the mean to reach and interact with our readership in the Arab world.

Last but not least, what are you currently reading?

I will not share what I am currently reading, however I will share the book that I advise you to read: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith a.k.a J.K. Rowling.

RJmag has always followed closely Lebanese Success stories. Being ourselves part of the "cultural resistance", it definitely makes our hearts race when we meet passionate entrepeneurs like Tyan or Abdo-Hanna.

Rock on, gentlemen!

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Winter Gear

Contemporary style pieces that are easily combined, perfectly designed and built to last, these are the essentials of our winter collection.

Shot at The Hangout Beirut, our favorite eatery in town.

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WALL OF FAME

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Let's Hangout at the Book CafĂŠ

Also shot in The Hangout's warm and luscious interiors, our NEW collection is about everything OLD: Old books, old friends and old wine.

The Hangout Beirut have a library of more than 80 Lebanese wines, making it the perfect spot to read, dine or indulge with friends.

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RECTANGLEJAUNE Tobermory, main harbor of the isle of Mull

Most of the roads of the highlands have only one lane for both sides! The driver needs to wait in the "passing place" till the other car passes...

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Scotland the Brave After Brittany last year, we continued our Celtic explorations and went on a road (and boat!) trip through the Isles, Lochs and Highlands. With its amazing nature, historical castles and peaty single malts, Scotland is pure magic.

Duart Castle, Mull

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>For more info: www.visitscotland.com

Balmaha, Loch Lomond

>Where to Eat: You always eat well in Scotland, but if there was one address we'd like to share, it's the Potting Shed, in Applecross, 01520 744440 >Where to Sleep: In Loch Lomond, The Loch Lomond Arms Hotel Main Road, Luss, G83 8NY, +441436860420 In Loch Ness, The Lovat Fort Augustus, PH32 4DU, +441456459250 >Distilleries we visited: Tobermory, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Oban >Don't miss: Whisky Fudge!

meettheTEAM

a few "light" thoughts Imad El Khoury has been taking professional pictures for almost two decades now, and still has the eyes of a child.

With his evergreen faculty of reinventing himself, he never looks at the same subject from the same perspective, ever.

When you see him discussing the theme of an issue with our creative director, he always takes very seriously her brief about the lighting in every scene, no matter how weird it gets.

Light is definitely the essence of Imad's work. be it with his architectural shots, his fashion editorials with RJ and other magazines, or even his advertising portraits and packshots.

He always seems to catch the perfect light that enhances the particular spirit of each one of his subjects.

Looking forward to much more creative years together!

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Sexy men read

By Adriana Lebbos

Always go to bed with a good book, or with someone who has read one...

Been a long drive to the mountains this morning.

I just regret getting in the car in the first place.

Looks like everyone and their kids are heading to the slopes today. Like a grumpy cat, I park and take my skis from the trunk, then head to the terrace for a quick coffee fix.

A quick look across from me and I see HIM through the cover of Pale Fire by Nabokov.

OMG! Who is this man? Who gave him that? Is that a gift from a wife or girlfriend? Is he in a book club? And then I forget the jam packed roads and I start to fantasize about this stranger. What genres he’s into and what books did he read. I want to know him in the literary sense.

I like a man with brain. A man who knows how to use it.

Is the snow melting already or is it just me?

Stranger with a book... take me away.

There are plenty of attractive men in the world, but unfortunately few of them are avid readers. I personally find it super sexy when a man picks up a book and reads.

Truth is, no matter what the media tells us, people find intelligence attractive in a mate. We want someone who can keep up with us and get our jokes, who can understand the secret parts of ourselves yet also stimulate us and help us discover new things. We like the guy who can pass us a book we’ve never read before, and not be so set in his business books that he can’t pick up Bukowski or Joyce Carol Oates sometime. I saw a man reading Fountainhead on the plane the other day, and I nearly died.

I wanted to have my picture taken next to him and the sexy book, and flaunt it on facebook, twitter, instagram and pinterest.

Sure men’s taste in music says a lot about them, but an easier way to judge how open a guy’s mind is to look at his book collection and see what he is putting in that brain of his. Inspecting a guy’s reading list offers us a glimpse into his psyche. Is he into fiction? Is he only interested in obscure books that you’ve never heard of?

Does he only pick bestsellers from the local bookstore?

Or rely on some bookworm’s recommendations?

Reading allows us to see what’s under the surface of someone and realize that this hot guy might be more than what he seems.

In a society where we become jaded as we come to believe everyone is the same, books offer the promise of something different, another world opening up to us.

Let me put it in plain language: reading increases knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is sexy. Voilà!

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franchise@rectanglejaune.com

+971 55 281 9231 facebook.com/RJleb www.rectanglejaune.com 60