RJmag 4

issue 4 / SS 2010

RJMAG

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springsummer2010

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THE STYLE REVIEW FOR MEN byRECTANGLEJAUNE

A Bright Day at LE GRAY Suit Rules dresslike

corto

maltese getaway

whale watching

The LUXURY TRAVEL issue1

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RJMAG i the new men’s quarterly the new men’s quarterl

by RECTANGLEJAUNE featurin

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Contents Luxury Impromptu at Le Gray 20 RECTANGLEJAUNE spring-summer 2010 Ohé Matelot!

04 A bright day at Le Gray 24 Style tips: 5 Suit Rules 44 Summer ties 50 Ride the yellow wave 56 Summer gear: polos 58 Dresslike: Corto Maltese 78 A beach romance 82 T-shirt therapy 96 Travel Whale watching in Canada 53 Mood «We're not on the same boat» 98 Creative director: MAYA METNI

issue 4/ SS 2010

Photography: IMAD EL KHOURY Styling: JULIEN ABBOUD Set Design: RANA EL KHOURY Contributors: HALA SALLOUM ADRIANA LEBBOS KAT ASMAR

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on the deck of a Princess

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Art direction MAYA METNI Styling JULIEN ABBOUD Set Design RANA EL KHOURY Photography IMAD EL KHOURY

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impromptu

at le

GRAY... luxury redefined

Gordon Campbell Gray, the man behind it all...

By Hala Salloum

GCG could also stand for: genuine, caring and green...

These are the initials of Gordon Campbell GRAY, visionary hotelier, revolutionary manager and occasional humanitarian, but always true to whatever he does. GCG has become a signature for authenticity, subdued luxury, generous service and environmental responsibility.

This is the crowning of one man’s lifelong work; the sum total of what he has come to stand for and represent in an otherwise ostentatiously excessive world of luxury.

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Gordon Campbell Gray has always been an hotelier, despite having dropped out of hotel school while still in his late teens. He went on learning his profession on the job, going through different positions at a number of renowned London hotels, among them the likes of Portman InterContinental.

At that point, in a characteristic coup de coeur, Campbell Gray decided to take a turn into a side road: he worked projects for Save the Children in Bangladesh, Morocco and Nicaragua.

When he got back to London, Campbell Gray started buying old hotels and refurbishing them, building himself a reputation for refined taste, impeccable service and a high standard of professionalism. He was the creative mind behind now legendary boutique hotels such as London’s the Feathers at Woodstock and Draycott in Chelsea, and Maidstone Arms in East Hampton, New York.

But it was One Aldwych that definitively positioned him as a master artist in hotel boutique creation. The hotel became iconic as the most innovative luxury hotel in London. The other jewel in Campbell’s Gray crown is his Carlisle Bay hotel in Antigua, luxurious in its simplicity and calm.

So what is the secret to his fabulous success?

Well, the man himself admits to following his heart. Campbell Gray will not venture into a location unless he utterly falls in love with the place, its people, its life.

This is precisely what brought him to Beirut. “Beirut is one of the sexiest cities in the world – it’s sexy, vain, damaged, beautiful, difficult and exciting all at the same time and these together make it utterly beguiling. Just being there is magic, whether you’re walking along the street, at a nightspot or seeing the ruins.”

The magic spills over into his vision for the hotel he created for the city: the purple tiles of its rooftop swimming pool shimmer in the sun; the cigar lounge is in amber glass; a central glass dome changes color; the design of the lobby wall is a delicate etching of leaves and trees, complex yet magically simple.

Campbell Gray has created Le Gray in the image of Beirut city: “I am dazzled by the Lebanese. Every man, woman and child is gorgeous – and they know it. I love their joie de vivre. Beirut oozes glitz and glamour.” The hotel he envisioned is just as dazzling, just as glamorous.

Gordon Campbell Gray, a steadfast democrat, still manages to bring to all of his projects the subdued refinement of his gentile roots. He is a man who wants to offer a snob-free, environmentally-compatible luxury experience to the “smart traveler” in search of a genuine experience off the beaten track of the mundane tourist.

His next heart throbs are just as honest, and just as exotic: it is rumored he has his heart set on two projects in Morocco, one in Oman, one in the Falkland Islands, and one in New York… and just maybe a castle in Scotland – grandly romantic. So many new temptations for a man who will thoroughly follow through his every infatuation! These are love affairs definitely to keep an eye on. H.S. 22

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a bright leDAY at GRAY...

Art direction MAYA METNI Styling JULIEN ABBOUD Photography IMAD EL KHOURY

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must-know:

suit essentials 44

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The 5 rules when it comes to suits...

1 Sleeves and pants. Your sleeves should be right over

your round wrist bone, about 1.25 cm above your shirt cuff. The pants legs should have a single medium break in the front and the back part should fall where the top of the heel meets the leather of your shoe.

2 Armholes. If the armholes are a bit high and tight, they can be tailored to get you more room. But if the bottom of the arm opening is low and baggy, you should choose another size or cut.

3 Rollout. Most of suits are cut with a slightly sloped

shoulder. That is why men with broader shoulders get an unattractive fabric roll that gathers where the collar and body meet. It should be removed by your tailor.

4 Middle part. When your jacket is buttoned, tug it away from your body: your should have about 5 cm of room.

More than that would make you look like a box, and we are aiming for a defined waist.

5 2.5 cm of magic. While you're standing with your arms

on the side, curl your fingers to touch the bottom edge of your jacket: it should fall right between your first and second knuckle. If you want your suit to have a modern look, take out another 2.5 cm, but anything more than that would ruin your suit's proportions.

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Whale Watching Canada's beating heart

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An unforgettable trip to plan this summer would be watching the whales at the mouth of the Saguenay fjord, on the St Lawrence: Embark on a marvelous journey that will fill your eyes - and your kids' ! - with sparkles.

The guides are extremely respectful; the boats turn off their engines whenever a whale approaches, hence the mammals are very friendly and always ready to make a show!

Discover the many species of the St Lawrence: the Blue Whale, the Fin Whale, the Minke Whale, the Beluga and the Grey Seals, marvel at the beauty of the ancestral lighthouses and continue your trip to a hidden treasure, GaspĂŠsie's natural park, a green beating heart...

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Plan your trip: Cruises: www.croisieresaml.com Lodging: www.global-reservation.com

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Whale Watching

An overdose of Oxygen.

That's what whale-watching on the St Lawrence and wandering through Gaspésie feels...

If every one would keep an eye over nature the way this region does, our planet would breathe again.

Text Kat Asmar • Photos Ghassan Koteit

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ride the

yellow wave

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Polo neck piqué, Total eclipse navy -sunshine yellow /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, multi stripes 100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, sunshine yellow base -multi stripes /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, white - sunshine yellow combo /100% cotton

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Polo piqué Collectors edition, Powder blue, navy /100% cotton

Polo piqué Collectors edition, Indigo, powder blue, total eclipse navy /100% cotton

Polo piqué Collectors edition, Blue Amalgam /100% cotton

Polo piqué Collectors edition, White-Navy crossed contrast /100% cotton

Polo piqué Collectors edition, Large RJ Crest /100% cotton

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Polo neck piqué, multi stripes /100% cotton

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polos

summer

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polos

summer

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Polo neck piqué, Flame Red, Navy & White /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, multi stripes Navy & Mint /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, multi stripes /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, Powder-Navy combo /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, Phantom Grey, Powder, Navy combo /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, White-Navy & Red contrast /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, multi stripes /100% cotton

Polo neck piqué, multi stripes /100% cotton

Polo piqué Collectors edition, Flame red & navy contrast /100% cotton

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...The notorious sailor created by Hugo Pratt and his unmistakable sense of style is more that ever in the right direction!

dresslike:

cortomaltese

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dress like:

cortomaltese

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a beach romance

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TEE-SHIRT

therapy

Nautical flags Navy round-neck tee-shirt /100% cotton

Nautical knots Cloud Cream round-neck tee-shirt /100% cotton

Surf board Flame Red round-neck tee-shirt /100% cotton

Nautical dpt. Cloud Cream round-neck tee-shirt /100% cotton

Surf board Navy round-neck tee-shirt /100% cotton

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So you thought it was all about owning the boat?

Well I have news for you darling…

we’re not on the same boat!

by Adriana Lebbos

"Since I moved back from Dubai, I don’t move my thumb… I just give instructions. We have two guys working for us at the house, and two guys looking after my boat… my driver is always with me, I am “valeyed” to the teeth. All I do is work out and go out.” (Out of my sight…now!!!!)

With these amazing verses, Romeo thought I’d fall. I did fall, though, but not for him.

First time I met Romeo, he gave my wrist one of those pathetic looks, I thought I was losing my hand to some type of sudden dislocation disease… He piteously held my miserable hand, stared at my 100USD watch and stuttered with disappointment in his eyes: -“Why? Why Adriana? A watch is a status symbol you know.”

“That don't impress me much,” sings Shania Twain. Amen. Don’t get me wrong. I'm not one of those women who pretend that money isn't attractive. Of course it is, and it may surprise you to learn that not all women who find money attractive are gold diggers. But being rich is one thing, and showing it off in your face is another. Show-off is such a turn-off!

Yes women like strong men and men with money tend to be men with powerful jobs. This is attractive to women on so many levels that I won't even try to get into it right now as it would take too long.

Yes women like men who've achieved something. It shows that you had goals. It shows that you had a plan and that you were clever or skilled enough to see that plan realized.

And yes some women don't want to outperform their man. Just as some men have issues with dating women who earn more than they do, so do some women.

Women often like men who are more successful than they are because this is the balance which feels most natural for them.

(All of you feminazis out there, don’t get me wrong, it has nothing to do with feminism). And let’s not mention the mother of all relationship poisons that could arise if the guy of a successful woman happens to be insecure.

Bottom line, it’s not the money that triggers the interest; rather success, control, and most importantly CONFIDENCE. There is nothing sexier than a self made man who’s wealthy and mature enough not to flaunt it!

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Points of sale Lebanon Centre Sole, Achrafieh ABC, Achrafieh ABC, Dbayeh City Mall, Dora Beirut Souks, Downtown Faubourg de Tripoli Main Boulevard, Zahleh

Dubai Deira City Center Mall of the Emirates Galleries Lafayette, Dubai Mall

Syria Damaskino Mall, Damascus Shahba Mall, Aleppo

Customer care Beirut +961 4 720077 (ext.1) Dubai +971 55 4783883 Syria +963 988 477 877

www.rectanglejaune.com 99

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