13·FALL/WINTER

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ISLAND APPEAL Dine your way around PEI

TOKYO TALE Japan’s secret shopping rules

FUTURE PERFECT Meet the next generation

of S-Class

NICO ROSBERG 60 minutes behind the scenes with the Grand Prix superstar

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http://www.bandierajewellers.com

CALGARY: J. Vair Anderson, Tel. (403) 266 1669 • VANCOUVER: Montecristo, Tel. (604) 263 3611TORONTO: Bandiera, Tel. (416) 642 8806 • Wellendorff • Tel. (415) 860 4010 • www.wellendorff.com

BERLINKaDeWe Tel. + 49 30 21 01 65 80

Hotel Adlon Tel. + 49 30 20 45 52 88

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SAN FRANCISCOShreve & Co

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Celebrating 120 YearsGenuine Values since 1893

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FA S C I N AT I O NFrom dining to style, Canadian culture stays ahead of the curve.

DES I G N

E B B A N D F L OWCanadian designs eschew 90-degree angles in favour of sinuous forms.

E V EN TS

RU N WAY, T H E I R WAYAlternative takes on fashion week are springing up across Canada, and they don’t always fit the mould.

A RE A

P R A I R I E S T Y L EWhat to see and do in Edmonton’s hippest neighbourhood.

STA R PRO F I LE

A R T I S T U N S C R I P T E DDirector Paul Haggis makes connections between two disparate worlds: Hollywood and Haiti.

SCEN E

CA N A DI A N B E AU T YA look at three homegrown cosmetics brands – and the women who aren’t afraid to put their money where their makeup is.

SO C I E T Y

F I L M , FAC E S , F E S T I VA L S Step out with Mercedes-Benz at the season’s hottest events, from parties to concerts.

G E TAWAY

A S H O R E T H I N GOn Prince Edward Island it takes a village to make a meal.

DR I V I N G PERFO RM A N CE

FA N TA S T IC F OU RThe CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC is a four-door coupe with superpowers.

J E TSE T

R E TA I L Z E NExperience the refined simplicity of the Japanese aesthetic where you would least expect it: in the bustle of Tokyo’s shopping districts.

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i n t h i s i s s u e

STAYS

T OW N & C OU N T RY Five of our favourite getaways around the globe, from oceanside resorts to urban Art Deco meccas.

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th is page: toronto art fash ion week

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P R E S I DE N T ’ S NO T E

R U N N I N G S T A R T Athletes train for years with a single objective: to optimize their technique.

T H E P E R F E C T S H A P ENature frequently provides the best ideas for making energy-efficient buildings or even streamlined swimsuits.

M I S S I O N: P E R F E C T I O NRetaining the title as World’s Best Automobile since its inception, the S-Class lives up to that billing more impressively than ever.

T H E L O N G E S T H OU RJoin Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg in his pre-race ritual ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

I N NOVAT I O NFrom 3-D printers to a limited-edition smart fortwo, here’s where high-tech meets fine design on the international stage.

C H A N G E I S G O O DA look at how the new Mercedes-Benz 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission will raise the bar once more.

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b u L L e t i n s p o t L i g h t

28

TEA TIME IN BOOM CITYChengdu may be the fastest-growing city in all of China, but the metropolis situated in the province of Sichuan carefully preserves its traditions.

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L U X U RY F O R A L LHow to sport designer handbags, sunglasses and watches without having to own them.

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A B R E AT H O F M O B I L I T YJapanese artist Yasuaki Onishi created a virtually weightless sculpture using the Mercedes-Benz CLA.

S I T B AC KThe new S-Class turns the humble driver’s seat into a Human Machine Interface.

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A L E G E N DThe S-Class has earned a reputation as the doyen of every class – and the epitome of exclusivity.

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P R E S I D E N T , S N O T E

With every new generation,

the S-Class has introduced

groundbreaking technologies

and sophisticated systems that continue to

revolutionize the automotive industry. The

S-Class is not just a technological spearhead for

Mercedes-Benz, but for vehicle development as

a whole. This tradition of excellence was estab-

lished with the very first S-Class, and we have

subsequently brought to market such signifi-

cant advancements as the Airbag, ABS brakes

and ESP with every new model introduction.

Our brilliant engineers worked tirelessly on

three main development priorities for the 2014

S-Class. These included “Intelligent Drive,”

“Efficient Technology” and “Essence of Luxury.”

Page 28 provides a detailed preview of the many

impressive attributes that will allow the S-Class

to set the benchmark in the luxury segment. For

example, DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist

allows for hands-free semi-autonomous driving

in traffic situations, while PARKTRONIC with

Active Parking Assist automatically searches for

suitable perpendicular and parallel parking

spaces via ultrasonic sensors, and can take over

control of the steering wheel to smoothly steer

the car into a parking space.

Inside the luxurious cabin, the Drive-Dynamic

multicontour front seats cradle passengers in

ultimate comfort and offer the option of a hot

stone massage (page 98), while the standard

Burmester Surround Sound System was pre-

cisely configured to the vehicle’s interior to

ensure well-balanced and dynamic sounds that

will envelop the entire passenger compartment.

In addition, the new AIR BALANCE System

provides the choice of four high-quality interior

fragrances that can be selected according to

personal preference and mood, and optimized

filtering and special oxygen ionization further

improves air quality while reducing viruses,

bacteria and odours from outside air.

After spending some time behind the wheel

of the new S-Class during the world press launch

in Toronto and the Muskoka region in July, I can

unequivocally say that we have certainly

achieved our objective to build one of the best

cars in the world. We were extremely proud to

host over 700 journalists from around the globe

here in Canada. The picturesque roads and

special demonstrations provided an ideal back-

drop to introduce the world to our new flagship

sedan. This program marked the first trip to

Canada for many of our international guests,

and I can’t think of a better way to see a small

section of our vast country than from behind

the wheel of an S-Class.

On that note, while this issue does a great job

of painting a vivid picture, there is certainly noth-

ing like experiencing the countless game-changing

innovations for yourself first-hand when the

S-Class arrives in dealerships this November.

Whether you are first drawn to its striking

design that pays homage to its storied heritage,

or the countless systems that effortlessly merge

comfort and safety into an opulent form, as you

explore the pages in this issue, you’ll quickly

realize that the S-Class does not disappoint on

any front.

Sincerely,

Tim A. Reuss

President & CEO

14

p u b l i c a t i o n d e t a i l s

published byDaimler AG · Communications · HPC E402 · D-70546 Stuttgart

Responsible on behalf of the publishers Mirjam Bendak

publisher’s council Dr. Joachim Schmidt (Chairman) · Daniel Bartos · Thomas Fröhlich · Lüder Fromm ·

Christoph Horn · Jörg Howe · Anders Sundt Jensen · Alexandra Süss

canadaMercedes-Benz Canada Inc., 98 Vanderhoof Ave., Toronto, ON M4G 4C9

president and ceo Tim A. ReussVice-president, Marketing Gavin Allen

director, communications and pR JoAnne Cazanational Marketing communications Manager Jay Owen

supervisor, customer Relationship Management Lisa Hyneksupervisor, pR Michael Miniellycoordinator Vanessa Pagliaroli

concep t a n d edi t i ng

germany Condé Nast Verlag GmbH · Karlstrasse 23 · D-80333 München

contributors 500GLS, Bernhard Bartsch, Fabrice Braun, Leandro Castelao, Annabel Dillig, Björn Fischer, Lyndon Hayes, Christoph Henn, Jasper James, Jörn Kaspuhl, Anatol Kotte, Harmut Lehbrink,

Michael Moorstedt, Tobias Nebl, Ulrike Stierle, Matthias Straub, Wolfgang Wilhelm, Meike Winnemuth

canadaSpafax Canada, 4200, boul. Saint-Laurent, suite 707, Montreal, QC H2W 2R2

president, content marketing Raymond Girard executive vice-president, content marketing Nino Di CaraVice-president, finance and operations Paula Pergantis

content director Arjun Basusenior strategist Courtney MacNeilproject leader Celyn Harding-Jones

editor Natasha Mekhailsenior editors Christopher Korchin, Isabelle Vialle-Soubranne

associate editor Eve Thomaseditorial assistant Stephanie McBride

online editor Jasmin Legatosassistant online editor Renée Morrison

contributors Rich Begany, Mike Berson, Curtis Comeau, Kate Hahn, Valerie Howes, Tracy Hyatt, Christophe Jasmin, Frances Juriansz,

Paige Magarrey, Celeste Moure, Julie Saindon, Chantal Tranchemontagneacting art director Christine Houde

graphic designers Bruno Dubois, Nicole Noonproduction director Joelle Irvine

production manager Jaclyn IrvineFact checkers Catherine Korman, Lisa Voormeij

proofreader Katie Mooretranslation CH-Kay, Marie-Paule Kassis

advertising sales Spafax Canada, 1179 King Street West, Suite 101, Toronto, ON M6K 3C5, sales@spafax.com

national sales manager Laura Maurice, Tel. 416-350-2432, lmaurice@spafax.com

Rights©Copyright 2013 by Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints and use, as a whole or in part, only with the express written permission of Daimler AG. No responsibility can be taken for

unsolicited texts and photographs. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher or the editors. Some vehicles may be shown with non-Canadian equipment. Some vehicles may be shown

without side marker lights. Some optional equipment may not be available on all models. For current information regarding the range of models, standard features, optional equipment and/or colours

available in Canada and their pricing, contact your nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer or visit mercedes-benz.ca. All other content in this magazine has been compiled to the best of our knowledge,

but no guarantee is given.

Mercedes-Benz magazine appears semi-annually, with editions published under cooperation or licence in 40 languages. Number 324, 59th year of publication, succeeding Mercedes – the

magazine for people on the move and Mercedes-Benz in aller Welt.

Return undeliverables to Spafax Canada, 1179 King Street West, Suite 101, Toronto, ON M6K 3C5

Printed on paper bleached without chlorinePrinted in CanadaISSN 1925-4148

Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 41657520

Mercedes-Benz Customer Relations Centre 1-800-387-0100

mercedes-magazine.ca

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G O O D S

Bricks & Bones

P u t t i n G t O G e t h e r a house without nails is all in a day’s work for BONE Structure president Marc-André Bovet. Working out of Laval, Quebec, the eight-year-old construction company builds environmentally responsible homes made entirely out of recycled steel. Each tailor-made building is designed to snap together like a giant Meccano set, from the walls to the roof, eliminating waste, not to mention the need for bearing walls and posts. The resulting open-concept homes are built to last generations, and can be assembled in as little as four days.

bonestructure.ca

M O n t r e a l - B a S e D Ecksand Fine Jewellery is dedicated to keeping their hand-hewn pieces as natural as they are beautiful, using materials that include conflict-free diamonds and family-farmed pearls. Divers pull pearls up from oysters in Australian and Tahitian lagoons (replacing each gem with grains of sand to restart the process), while naturally coloured diamonds are ethically mined in northern Canada and Australia. Founders Erica Bianchini and Yoan Gehant-Vidoni also keep the jewellery line as organic as possible: The Little Eck line uses reclaimed leather and the Classic Pearl collection is entirely glue-free (a first in the industry).

G O O D S

True Colours

ecksand.com

B l e S S e D w i t h t h e B e S t of mountain culture, Whistler has always been a draw for hedonists – epicures included. Cornucopia, the village’s biggest culinary bash, has recently expanded from a five-day affair to an 11-day marathon, held November 7–17, 2013. Expect more tastings, feasts, cooking classes and cocktail competitions. Foodies in the know will want to snap up tickets for the Chef’s Trip to the Farm and Araxi’s Winemakers Dinner, headed by award-winning chef James Walt. For the cherry on the cake, revellers make their way to the après-party, the legendary Masquerave, presented by Bearfoot Bistro, home to a subzero vodka tasting room.

g o o d s s T Y L E C U L T U R E T R A V E L d I N I N g

f a s c i n a t i o nD i n i n G

Food Fetish

whistlercornucopia.com

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I n 19 9 3 , Montreal’s Mariouche Gagné took her mother’s fur coat and reworked it into a reversible ski suit, complete with accessories. Since then, the doyenne of ecological fashion has grown her company, Harricana, into a global brand sold in 15 countries (while saving more than 800,000 animals in the process). Most recently, she collaborated with Rossignol, the storied ski brand, to create a 12-piece capsule collection. The vibe is European ski racer meets Inuit artisan, in a sophisticated mélange of technical materials with fur, First Nations motifs, braids, fringes and sheepskin. Sustainable fashion never looked or felt so good, whether on the ski hill or in the street.

In the swag suItes of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, celebs coveted one very unexpected item: Stolen Riches shoelaces. David Barclay, a fourth-generation textile manufacturer, took the once humble accessory and elevated it, with the idea that “if shoes make the individual, then the laces make the statement.” Available in 69-cm, 81-cm and 163-cm lengths, the nylon-core laces come in hues that give footwear extra flair, like Portsalon Red, Bubba Blue and Huckleberry Yellow. And the beefy construction, beautifully finished with gold, silver and gunmetal aglets, gives the company the confidence to offer a laces guarantee.

h av I n g p r e v I o u s ly constructed the Living Pod dress with light sensors that activate miniature motors sewn into the fabric folds, Montreal fashion designer Ying Gao is no stranger to innovative design. Her current exhibit, (no)where (no)here, displays two interactive frocks that seem to mimic the movement and disappearance of jellyfish in the water. Gao’s dresses are crafted with photoluminescent thread and eye-tracking technology that lights up and moves in response to a viewer’s gaze. Find Gao’s work in November 2013 at the new Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai or in spring 2014, closer to home, at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto.

s t y l e

Renewed Interest

harricana.qc.ca

C u lt u r e

Eye for Fashion

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Spirited Scenes

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G O O D S

Form & Function

zoemowat.com

E D m O n T O n - b O R n , Montreal-based designer Zoë Mowat has made a name for herself with furniture featuring smooth lines and pops of colour, and she has a talent for finding the right mix of form and materials – spot her felt-topped Soft Table in Wallpaper* magazine’s most recent Global Interiors special. Now she is favouring a smaller scale, providing admirers with a more intimate look at her aesthetic. She’s collaborated with Canadian chefs on a series of cutting boards and released Arbor, a jewellery caddy, as well as Table Service (pictured), a modular set for the modern meal.

G U y m a D D i n , the venerable experimental filmmaker, spent the first part of July shooting 12 films in 13 days at Montreal’s PHI Centre for his Seances project. Haunted by early Hollywood films that were destroyed intentionally or through decay, the Winnipeg-based director and his cast of 66 Québécois actors, including Karine Vanasse (Pan Am) and Roy Dupuis (Shake Hands with the Devil ) plunged themselves into a deep trance in order to summon the souls of lost silent films. Cameras transmitted the performances to a live remote audience, and Maddin plans to produce a film chronicling the experience as well as an interactive work to be released in 2014. FOR ThEiR winTER 2013–14

boot collection for women, the world’s largest snowboard brand tapped into Manitobah Mukluks’ Storyboot Project and traditional First Nations design. Burton Snowboards partnered with the Aboriginal-owned Manitoba company to offer the Memento (pictured below), a performance riding boot based on a traditional design by the late Annie Madeleine McKay of the Misipawistik Cree Nation. While the Memento beautifully reflects the hallmarks of a traditional mukluk with its classic rolled toe, fringe and floral trim, it still retains the technical aspects of a great Burton boot, like quick-fit laces, heat-mouldable liners and special pockets to accommodate toe warmers.

S T y L E

Sole of the Slopes

burton.com / manitobah.ca

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Whether you’re heading off on a business trip, a weekend break or a long holiday, every memorable journey begins with a well-packed bag. The exclusive Mercedes-Benz luggage range, made by Samsonite, offers you the perfect piece to put in your trunk, including the X-Pression Spinner 66 Suitcase (1), a selection of fashionable handbags (2) and the X-Pression Holdall weekender (3). They all have one thing in common: the high-quality materials, functionality and elegant design you can expect from both Mercedes-Benz and Samsonite. thecollection.ca

D I N I N G

Jam Packed

kitchenbybrad.ca

D I N I N G

Forest Fare

dorigina.com

I N N o r t h e r N Q u e b e c , four hours north of the provincial capital and deep in the boreal forest, lies a treasure trove of flavours. d’Origina, a company founded by the Girardville Forestry Cooperative in 1979, hand-harvests native plants at the precise time that they release their peak powers and aromas. The result is a line of sustainable and organic essential oils, teas and herbs that are high in antioxidants. The herbs are especially popular with chefs like Jean-Luc Boulay, one of Quebec City’s greatest culinary influences, who has opened Chez Boulay, Bistro Boréal, with a menu featuring d’Origina products such as powdered wintergreen and peppery green alder.

t h e r e a r e s e v e r a l b a c o N j a m s on the market today, but none is quite like chef Brad Smoliak’s. Forget sweet and heavy – his is savoury and complex, with layers of flavours including chipotle, espresso, maple syrup and tomatoes, plus a dash of spiciness. This bacon jam can elevate your grilled cheese or burger, make your scrambled eggs sing or turn crackers and cheese into a real treat. Smoliak is a big player on the Edmonton scene, having cooked for Queen Elizabeth II, co-founded the Hardware Grill and most recently started up Kitchen, a local test kitchen, cooking school and private-party venue.

Distinctive Style on the Go

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Forget square furniture: Canadian designs eschew 90-degree angles in favour of sinuous forms. Working with shapely lines, their creators produce light-as-air pieces that look like they’re about to float away.

words Pa i g e M ag a rre y

Ebb and Flow

1

Ripple Effectmerganzer.com

Seemingly lightweight despite its down-to-earth palette, the Wave table is as undulating as its namesake. Toronto woodworker Brett Lundy of Merganzer Furniture and Design creates the made-to-order coffee and side tables by hand-carving the sculptural base out of solid walnut, cherry or sassafras and then topping it off with simple floating glass.

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Smoke and Mirrorstsunamiglassworks.com

Now available in a sophisticated new polished mirror finish, Tsunami glasswork’s one-of-a-kind Cell Bowls feature rounded, organic forms created using the Windsor studio’s special blown-glass technique. available in four sizes – from 15 to 40 centimetres in diameter – the bowls also come in a bevy of shiny and matte colour combinations.

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Line Drawingkinoguerin.com

Kino Guérin’s quest to build furniture with no legs, crossbars or supports led the Quebec craftsman to develop his seamlessly tangled benches, tables and art pieces made of thin layers of wood glued together and then bent, folded and knotted into airy creations. The Double Twist Shelf, for example, is made of a single piece of wood layering with a walnut veneer.

3

Wall Artkeioudesign.com

For a touch of tactile drama, Keiou Design Lab’s three-dimensional Dapli Wall Surfaces twist up interior spaces in a variety of patterns. The Richmond, B.C., design studio developed the pourable stone substance out of fine-grained white jade and uses it to create large-scale panels with dramatic reliefs and intricate layers of textures and colour.

4

On the Floorcreativemattersinc.com

Hand-knotted in Tibetan wool with pure Chinese silk, #432 is part of Creative Matters’ Art Day Collection of motifs. It was developed during the Toronto rug company’s Art Day brainstorming sessions, when the entire staff gets together to draw, paint or even build sandcastles around a specific theme. This layered rug was inspired by a day of stamp-making.

5

Geometry Lessononeillfurnituredesign.ca

Inspired by Art Deco, Kitchener designer Shawn O’Neill uses layers of walnut, Baltic birch and plywood to create this glass-topped cocktail table’s dramatic, multi-toned base. It features a stepped arch that creates a convex curve at each end, evoking a feeling of expansion and contraction, as though it’s in a constant flex.

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Mercedes-Benz Start Up showcases emerging Canadian talent at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto. But you don’t have to be in Toronto – or, for that matter, New York, Paris or Milan – to be part of the experience. Alternative takes on fashion week are spring-ing up across Canada, and the designers, collections and models they showcase don’t always fit the mould.

words C el eST e M o U re

Runway, Their Way

r e g i n a

National Aboriginal Fashion Weekfacebook.com/nationalaboriginalfashionweek

J U n e Debuting in 2012 in regina, this three-day event has helped bring North America’s aboriginal fashion designers into the spotlight, fusing fashion and music from First Nations artists and designers from across North America. “We are letting the world know that we are here and we are beautiful and very creative,” said linsay Willier, an aboriginal model and runner-up on Canada’s Next Top Model, at last year’s inaugural show.

T o r o n T o

Fashion Art Toronto fashionarttoronto.ca

a P r i L More than just a catwalk, Fashion Art Toronto celebrates style in all its forms: on the runway, through live music and dance performances on stage and on film, as well as through photography exhibits and art installations. Held every April in Canada’s fashion capital, the week welcomes thousands of guests as well as 200 local and international designers and artists in an effort to explore a new era of clothing – from streetwear to avant-garde collections – and redefine the fashion experience.

f a s c i n a t i o n : E V E n t s

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Va n c o u V e r

Eco Fashion Weekecofashion-week.com

a P r I L Believing that we can look good and still be good to the environment, Myriam Laroche launched EFW four years ago. More than 2,000 sustainability-minded fashionistas, stylists and photographers descend twice annually upon Vancouver to promote, discover and celebrate innovative and sustainable collections from around the world. But if you think eco fashion is just about hemp clothes, think again. The category covers organic materials, fair trade, renewable production and environmental welfare – subjects addressed during EFW’s free seminars.

T o r o n T o

Canada Philippine Fashion Weekcanadaphilippinefashionweek.com

J u n e After his son died of a genetic condition, Filipino-Canadian broadcaster Jeff Rustia found a way to channel his grief into something positive. The result was 2013’s inaugural Toronto event to celebrate the best of Philippine fashion and culture in Rustia’s adopted country, while at the same time raising money for Canada’s Kol Hope Foundation for Children, a charity that helps and supports children with disabilities. The five-day affair features innovative and pioneering designers from the Philippines and Canada.

M o n T r e a L

Black Fashion Week blackfashionweekmontreal.com

M aY Following on the chic heels of Black Fashion Week Paris, 2013 marked the debut of the Montreal edition, which celebrates and promotes black fashion in Canada. Organized by Senegalese designer Adama Paris, the three-day show featured homegrown and French designers as well as models from such far-flung countries as Senegal, Haiti and Cameroon. The expertly choreographed catwalks wowed audiences inside the transformed Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in the heart of the city.

Va n c o u V e r

Men’s Fashion Week mensfashionweek.ca

a u G u S T It’s no secret that menswear designers are underrepresented in fashion weeks – not just across the country, but around the world. Jun Ramos, co-owner of Canadian accessories company Ramos & Fortier, took notice. So in 2010 he launched MFW, the third of its kind – behind Paris and Milan, but before London. The reason was simple: “We need to have a stage that puts a spotlight on Canadian talents,” said Ramos. The event continues to highlight established and up-and-coming menswear designers and has become a bridge for international labels to break into the local market.

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The MarketThe plein-air City Market Downtown is one of the most noteworthy reasons to explore 104 Street on Saturdays. Before noon, the market is already in full swing with 100 vendors selling local goods – such as just-bottled thistle honey, local pecorino cheese and organic honey wine – that represent the best of Alberta’s artisanal food movement. Edmonton chefs make a stop at Evoolution’s tasting bar for premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You’ll also find the handiwork of the local creative class in the form of wood-fired ceramic bowls, delicate découpage jewellery crafted from paper and Australian lacewood cribbage boards.

What to see and do in Edmonton’s hippest neighbourhood.

words T r ACY H YAT T

Prairie Style T r AV E L

The SceneA decade ago, downtown Edmonton was a virtual ghost town after the business crowd cleared out for the day. Today, thanks to revitalization efforts, an influx of new condo developments and some enterprising entrepreneurs, Edmonton’s core has risen again, its historic brownstones sharing real estate with modern glass-and-steel towers. At its heart is the 4th Street Promenade, a pedestrian enclave and former warehouse district – home to luxury clothiers, hip wine bars and some of Canada’s best dining. We explore a sophisticated new downtown that will change your mind about this Prairie city.

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The MenuTucked away in Phillips Lofts basement is Cavern, an intimate shop and café-bar run by Montrealer Tricia Bell, whose culinary pedigree includes apprenticeship under America’s foremost cheese authority, Max McCalman. Down the street, Tzin impresses as much for its extensive wine selection as for its small plates (try the spicy potato bravas and warm marinated olives). Less than a block southeast at Corso 32, there’s no bolder Edmonton chef than Daniel Costa. The tiny restaurant attracts reverent gourmets to modern-Italian mainstays, like the arancini balls and pasta with black truffle butter.

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The ArtsJust off the strip, the Art Gallery of Alberta reopened in 2010 with a new design by American architect Randall Stout, whose curvaceous steel-and-glass facade pays tribute to the Northern Lights. The AGA maintains a permanent exhibit of 7,000 modern works, including a large Group of Seven collection. Meanwhile, nearby avant-garde gallery Latitude 53 shows thought-provoking works by local and international visual artists, like Megan Dickie’s interactive leather sculptures and Kyle Whitehead’s light and sound installations. Both galleries throw late-night fêtes that draw the local smart set.

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The Shops The best menswear outpost on what’s becoming the go-to street for exclusive clothing labels, The Helm has a penchant for bespoke clothing and exceptional craftsmanship (think Corneliani suits and Magnanni lace-up oxfords). Three doors down, find Coup Garment Boutique, stocked with women’s niche luxury labels from Tokyo, London and New York, and a cross between sharply structured garments and casually elegant slouchy layers. The shop was in the spotlight two years ago as one of a handful of Canadian boutiques to carry the navy-blue Smythe blazer Kate Middleton wore while touring Canada.

The SpaExperience blissful pampering at The Beauty Lounge, a large salon, day spa and medi-spa in downtown Edmonton run by local beauty-industry veteran William Halabi. The spa’s signature mud and clay contour wrap detoxifies the skin and shrinks fat cells. Other services include Dermalogica facials, therapeutic massages and Ciaté Caviar manicures. While reviving tired muscles, you’ll also want to soak in your surroundings. The three-storey former Birks Building on Jasper Avenue resembles an opulent 1930s Art Deco mansion, further embellished with damask wallpaper, crystal chandeliers and rococo settees.

1 Chef Daniel Costa presents modern plays on rustic Italian fare at Corso 32. 2 The Helm specializes in sharp Italian suits and bespoke styling for men. 3 Cavern’s exceptional wine and cheese selection makes it a go-to after-work destination. 4 The metal lines of the Art Gallery of Alberta were designed to evoke the aurora borealis. 5 Coup stocks niche luxury labels for women. 6 The Beauty Lounge occupies the historic Birks Building.

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aul Haggis was on his first visit to Haiti in 2008 when he saw her: the little girl in the white dress. Her pristine school uniform gleamed

against the wooden shacks of a crowded slum. Her bright smile shone even as she lugged cooking pots to a ditch of dirty water and sewage. Her feet were bare.

“That little girl says a lot about Haiti,” says the award-winning filmmaker. “That joy and that beauty – and that level of despair.”

The desire to eradicate that despair drove London, Ontario-born Haggis to found the non-profit Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) to support healthcare and education programs in Haiti. It was a full two years before the 2010 earthquake would make the Caribbean island a cause célèbre.

But Haggis is well-known for veering ahead of the Hollywood curve. In the 2006 Academy Award winner Crash, which he wrote and directed, he eschewed the traditional hero story for a less pretty one about racism when the disparate worlds of Los Angeles residents randomly collide. A similar narrative ties together this fall’s release of Third Person, starring James Franco and Mila Kunis as one of three couples whose paths cross unexpectedly.

Haggis’ unconventional touch as a screenwriter also helped create a modern, moodier James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) in the blockbusters Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, and several not- so-good soldiers, including those in the 2007 Iraq War-era thriller In the Valley of Elah, which he also directed.

It was on a trip to Italy to promote that film that Haggis found his philanthropic calling. Following an interview with a reporter, as they sat in a café finishing their coffee, the conversation drifted to her recent assignments. She told Haggis about her visit to Haiti to meet Father Rick Frechette, an American doctor and community organizer who has spent over 20 years in the Caribbean

The Canadian-born director of Crash and Third Person is known for films that put different social spheres at odds, but in real life Paul Haggis makes meaningful connections between two disparate worlds: Hollywood and Haiti.

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Clockwise from top: Haggis and actor Olivia Wilde on the set of Third Person, his latest release, which he wrote and directed; Breaking ground with Haitian students at the Academy for Peace and Justice as construction begins on a third wing of classrooms; Worlds collide in Haggis’ provocative drama, Crash, the Best Picture winner at the 2006 Academy Awards.

nation – the poorest in the Americas – building orphanages, schools and hospitals. Intrigued, Haggis asked to see the article. When he read it later, his jaw dropped.

“I frankly couldn’t believe this man existed. I have a cynical heart, but the stories of what he’d built were so heroic,” recounts Haggis, who wasted no time in flying to Haiti to find Frechette. He stayed for a week and worked in the slums.

Haggis has light blue eyes and a kind face splashed with a few pale freckles and a slightly scruffy, close-cropped beard. Were he an actor, a casting director might have him audition for the role of a civil servant turned heroic whistle-blower.

As the first screenwriter to pen two back-to-back Academy Award best picture winners – with Crash following on the heels of Million Dollar Baby in 2005 – he has no trouble attracting top talent. Haggis also likes to work with the same actors as often as their schedules allow – people like Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde, with whom he has lasting friendships.

So in what could have been a scene from Crash, Haggis hosted a small dinner party at his house in Los Angeles to introduce Father Frechette to some A-list celebrities. It was a mash-up of social spheres so profoundly differ-ent that at one point, Frechette gestured toward a tall blonde across the table and asked, “What does that woman do?”

“That’s Charlize Theron,” Haggis replied. “She’s an actress.”

At first, donations came mostly from a small, core group of Hollywood artists. But when the earthquake struck in 2010, Haggis sprang into action, flying APJ straight into the chaos with supplies, aid money and returning to L.A. a week later to raise $4.5 million in one afternoon. He had the will to fix everything, but Frechette had a longer-term plan. Frechette would focus on rebuilding what had been; Haggis would create what had never been before.

Their approach changed the face of Haitian education. The year of the quake, APJ built Haiti’s first free secondary school, the Academy for Peace and Justice, and the first free arts and technical college, the Artists Institute. At both institutions young attendees receive a full scholarship. Since opening, the secondary school’s student body has grown by 400 kids a year and is expected to reach 3,000 by 2016, when the facility reaches full capacity.

In the APJ mandate, school buildings not only have to be functional, they must also be beautiful. That helps fulfill a more elusive aspect of APJ’s mission: “giving people dignity,” Haggis explains. “That feeling of self-worth is part of the cure.”

He understands the power of encouragement. As a child, he discovered his special talent for writ-ing when his fifth-grade teacher praised one of his essays. “That had a profound impact,” he says. “Somebody believing in me. Often, we need just one kind word and we take the rest on our own.”

So perhaps what seemed like another crash of cultures at first – glamorous Hollywood and under-served Haiti – took a mind like Haggis’ to reconcile. In fact, this year, Haggis along with music-pal Quincy Jones and other artist members of APJ are opening an Audio Institute. It’s an initiative that will give Haitian students a chance to enter the entertainment industry – or maybe even build one of their own – in a future that already looks more hopeful. Like a starched white dress among the shacks. >

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words MI CH Ael M o orstedt photos AnAtol kot te

The World’s Best Automobile: This title has stuck to the flagship model since its inception. And the new generation of S-Class lives up to that billing more impressively than ever.

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Mission: PerfectionThe World’s Best Automobile: This title has stuck to the flagship model since its inception. And the new generation of S-Class lives up to that billing more impressively than ever.

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A vision of the automotive future

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sQUeaKY CleaN The optional AIR BALANCE

Package ionizes the air and filters out dust particles and germs.

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hat exactly is the “smell of success?” is it that heady aroma of fireworks and champagne, the rich scent of rose petals as they flutter to the ground around the feet of the champion? if you’re talking about a one-off triumph, perhaps – like celebrating a promotion in the workplace or winning an award, for example. But what if success has become the norm, if setting the benchmark is no longer exceptional but routine, and the one to beat is always yourself? these are circumstances that call for a good deal of subtlety.

So how do you go about moulding an idea that is already tough to define into microscopically small scent molecules that give the uninitiated nose only a vague sensation of what it feels like?

After all, the nose is directly linked to the limbic system. “that’s the oldest area of the brain, the part responsible for the emotions,” explains Sabine Engelhardt. She should know. She developed the AiR BAlANCE System for the new S-Class and came up with olfactory equivalents for concepts such as familiarity and comfort, progress and luxury. Working in tandem with a renowned per-fumer, Engelhardt’s team created four different fragrances – ranging from a Sports variety, which has the freshness of bright green foliage, to Nightlife, with luxurious wood and ambergris notes. of course, the fragrances have to be just right in intensity: not overpowering, but rather “like taking a sniff from a perfume bottle,” she stresses. JA

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ClassiCallY ModerN the two-spoke steering wheel is a holdover from the s-Class legacy.

iNtelligeNt CoNtrols

A wide range of assistance systems support the driver.

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Sabine Engelhardt speaks eloquently and at length about vertical-axis flows and optimum air distribution in enclosed spaces. to talk to her is to feel the enthusiasm the new S-Class triggers in those who helped create this car, even those who focus – like Engelhardt – on what you might think of as small details. Development has involved many experts – people willing to look beyond their areas of specialization and embrace a role as part of something bigger.

the S-Class has always been more than just a vehicle. it is a monument to what is technically feasible, and a vision of our automotive future. the meticulous work of people like Engelhardt has had its intended effect: Journalists at the influential tech magazine Wired even proposed taking up immediate residence in the new Mercedes-Benz flagship. the words they used were not “drive,” “cruise” or “floor the gas pedal,” but “move in” – pack your belongings, ditch the apartment and, if necessary, recruit a few roommates. After all, the car comfortably accommodates four.

100 motors – in the interiorBut even leaving size out of the equation, it’s no surprise that the new S-Class has grabbed the attention of the engineering and it fraternity. More than 30 million lines of programming code are at work in a car like this, though the driver would never know it. that’s just a little less code than is used in a modern passenger aircraft. in short, it’s the perfect symbiosis of software and hardware.

the list of technological innovations developed by Mercedes-Benz for this S-Class is as long as it is impressive. there are over 100 actuators and electric motors in the interior of the new S-Class alone – although naturally the highlight remains the machine under the hood. But the string of new developments and technological world premieres is almost endless. it includes intelligent driver-assistance technology such as DiStRoNiC plUS with Steering Assist and BAS plUS with Cross-traffic Assist – systems that, respectively, help the driver maintain the correct lane position and dis-tance to the car in front, and recognize pedestrians and potential hazards at road junctions.

then there is the multimedia system, which gives each of the four vehicle occupants dedicated access to the entertainment package. or a suspen-sion system that enlists the aid of a stereo camera mounted behind the windshield to scan the sur-face of the road ahead so it can counteract any flaws or unevenness in a fraction of a second.

the loNg VersioN For the first time, the focus of development was on the

long-wheelbase sedan. >

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PERFECTLY PITCHED The Burmester surround sound system with FrontBass provides a 3-D auditory experience.

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MORE THAN JUST A CAR Fragrances and a hot-stone

massage effect turn the S-Class into a mobile wellness centre.

S P O T L I G H T

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bugatti-fashion.com | 1.800.363.7442

mercedes-benz.ca

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Mercedes-Benz calls this innovation MAGIC BODY CONTROL. As science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke stated, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indis-tinguishable from magic.” Except that even Clarke could never have dreamed that the spirit of human engineering would get us to this point as early as 2013 – and certainly not be manifested in such a prosaic object as a car.

Indistinguishable from magicOf course, throughout its long history the S-Class has never been just a simple – if high-tech – means of getting about. Indeed, it has now morphed into a moving office, prestigious lounge and mobile well-ness centre all in one. Martin Bremer and his team were responsible for ensuring that the latest incarna-tion of the flagship model from Mercedes-Benz would successfully fill these various roles, both now and in the future. As Head of the Colour and Trim depart-ment, Bremer is in charge of equipping the entire interior. As he puts it, “We’re responsible for every-thing you can see and touch inside.”

Having worked on both predecessor series and undertaken a lengthy journey with the new model, this is a man who knows the S-Class. “From coming up with the initial idea, it takes 60 months to produce the first customer-ready vehicle,” he says. Bremer and his team were there from the start. “Visual seren-ity” was the goal with the new car, he explains. “Our view is that you shouldn’t be aware of the complexity of the various mechanical systems and technology.” So while they worked, the designers focused on creating an interior that would not alienate the occu-pant – despite the built-in technology, the large-format screens, the many buttons and switches – and instead would communicate craftsmanship and bear the hallmarks of handmade exclusivity.

In-turn, that meant using only materials suitable for processing and crafting by hand. Bremer and his team took two years just to select the leathers and fine woods for the interior. Only then did they start looking for the best suppliers and processing methods in order to be certain that these natural materials would maintain their original form and colour even after years of use.

That is not something you learn by spending a couple of days at Milan Fashion Week, notes Bremer, adding – with barely concealed pride – that his lead designer also possesses a background in haute cou-ture. “The most important aspect,” explains Bremer, “is that there is harmony between the various ele-ments.” But isn’t there one feature of which he is particularly proud? Yes, he says: the seats. Or to be

more precise, the way in which the seams of the optional perforated leather upholstery have been stitched. Bremer calls it “stagecraft,” explaining how it evokes associations with designer footwear and luxury handbags.

And while you’re still musing over the signifi-cance of such fine details, the realization suddenly hits you: That is precisely what makes the new S-Class unique. When you take a good long look around the outside, inspect the interior and try out the seats for the first time, you come face to face with new master strokes and superlatives at every turn. And yet none of them appear to stand out on its own to claim the limelight for itself.

The S-Class is the sum of its parts. And so much more besides.

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luxury awaits rear-seat passengers.

S 550 4MATIC

Engine/Performance4.6-litre V8, 449 hp at 5,250-5,500 rpm; max. torque 516 lb-ft at 1,800–3,500 rpm

Transmission7G-TRONIC PLUSseven-speed automatic

SafetyThe optional Premium Rear Seat-ing Package includes a beltbag that protects rear-seat passengers in a crash. An airbag inside the seat-belt strap inflates it to almost three times its normal size. This addition-al inflated surface mitigates the impact of an accident.

MoodAmbient lighting – in the form of a wraparound band of light – uses seven different colours to enhance the feeling of on-board comfort.

The above data do not relate to an individual vehicle and do not form part of an offer but serve solely to facilitate comparisons between different models.

>

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©2013 Simple Concept Inc. | BONE Structure. The illustrations can differ from the actual model. Architectural works relative to BONE Structure houses are subject to international copyright law. The simple fact of using or copying the plans of Simple Concept Inc. in whole or in part or to fabricate or build directly or indirectly a house based, in whole or in part, on plans, scale-models or model homes of the former, without the express consent of Simple Concept Inc. might constitute an infringement to international copyright laws.

REAL BEAUTYLiEs wiThin ThE wALLs

S C E N E

Canadian Beauty

A look behind the bottles and beauty counters of three homegrown cosmetics brands

– and the women who aren’t afraid to put their money where their makeup is.

words E v E Th o m as photos r i ch b Eg an y

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ee Graff never thought she’d be taking on Estée Lauder. But scan the shelves at Sephora and you’ll find the makeup line she co-created, Cover FX, flanked by Clinique, Dior and other top-selling brands. It’s also in over a thousand Shoppers Drug Marts across Canada and at upscale British department stores Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser.

Quite a feat when you learn that Cover FX wasn’t even created with the commercial market in mind. It was originally developed for the CosMedic Clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, where Graff still works as a corrective makeup specialist.

“I was brought in to help patients referred by dermatologists and plastic surgeons,” says Graff, who has a background in psychology. “It turns out they’re not the only ones who want to feel comfortable in their own skin.”

Though the hyper-competitive beauty industry has long been dominated by European labels and American corporations, Cover FX is hardly the only success story to come out of Canada. The men behind M.A.C, Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo, got started in a Toronto kitchen almost 30 years ago, Lise Watier ran her epon ymous skincare and makeup line out of Quebec for over 40 years before stepping down in September, and Cargo Cosmetics, with its signature silver tins and numerous awards for eco-friendly design, was founded in 1996 by Egyptian-born Montrealer Hana Zalzal.

There may very well be something distinctly Canadian about the cosmetics brands that come out of this country – a commitment to quality, the hands-on approach of their founders, a focus on green packaging and natural ingredients (including some sourced in the Great White North) – but you’ll find each of the following entrepreneurs approaches the market from her own unique angle. >

L> –The Trailblazer

“I could fill this entire place with the products I tried!” says an exasperated Lee Graff from a boardroom at the Cover FX headquarters. She spent 15 years searching for the perfect product to hide a range of dermal conditions – everything from acne scars to skin-discolouring vitiligo – without inflaming them further with ingredients like fragrance, gluten or mineral oil.

Luckily, she had the ideal research tools on hand: a lab around the corner from her office and patients eager to try anything. “Normally, people with sensi-tive skin are extremely cautious. But they’ll open up in a medical setting,” says the native Torontonian and grandmother of two (though you’d hardly know it to look at her – as seems to be the case with most beauty-industry entrepreneurs, she is her own best advertising).

Graff tested early foundation formulas on rosacea sufferers, the canaries in the coal mine of the skincare world – if an ingredient doesn’t trigger a flare-up in them, it’s going to be safe for almost anyone. At the same time, Toronto’s multicultural nature ensured a refreshingly diverse range of shades, what Cover FX calls its “global palette.”

In 2003, a local news team aired a segment about the clinic and Cover FX, broadcasting foot-age of a makeup application and flooding Graff with calls from people (including many men) who had never been to a department store beauty counter let alone a dermatologist.

Then SARS struck. The clinic closed temporar-ily, like much of the city, and it looked like all the buzz would die down. Instead, Graff went over to a Shoppers Drug Mart and set up shop, seeing patients and introducing the line to passersby. “I’ve always had a hand in everything,” says Graff, laughing, “mixing products in a basement, pack-ing up and shipping out orders.”

Good skin is a canvas. Trends change every season, and you can play with your nail polish or your hair colour on a whim. But show me someone who doesn’t want healthy, flawless skin.l e e g r a f f , c o v e r f x

beauty firsts

M.a.C 1984, toronto

Top producT: Lip liner in SpiceBeauTy Buzz: all Viva Glam product sales go to the M.a.c aIdS Fund, which has raised over $240 million since its creation in 1994.maccosmetics.com

Lise Watier 1968, MontreaL

Top producT: portfolio professional corrector concealerBeauTy Buzz: The Lise Watier Institute was founded in 1968 as a charm and beauty school that taught grooming and etiquette.lisewatier.com

Miracle10 2005, toronto/

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Top producT: platinum10 with eMc10™BeauTy Buzz: The skincare line was created by The plastic Surgery clinic in Toronto’s upscale yorkville neighbourhood. miracle10.com

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whipping up cosmetics with nothing but a wooden spoon and a dream is tempting, it’s only partially true.

“Sure I was in my kitchen, but I went in with a solid business plan,” says Reier, a mother of two and Kitchener, Ontario, native who holds a degree in political science (which she insists comes in handy when negotiating with suppli-ers). At a time when women were lining up for Magnolia cupcakes thanks to Sex and the City, Reier, a former Roots employee and self- proclaimed beauty junkie, harnessed both an industry craving for something sweet and the timeless appeal of indulgent bath products.

A little celebrity attention didn’t hurt, either. Cake got noticed in the United States after Kate Hudson ordered some creams and spread the word through Hollywood. A nod from Oprah was the icing on Cake’s climb, and the brand has since benefited from the most coveted product placement of all: gifting suites and goodie bags at TIFF, Sundance and the Oscars.

“We didn’t target celebrities, but it’s had a lot of impact,” says Reier. “After all, they have access to anything they want and they chose us.”

Cake also looks to the catwalk for inspiration, launching new lines seasonally and collaborating with other brands for limited-edition products. The first was for Barbie’s 50th anniversary (“Can you believe Mattel contacted me?” Reier marvels), and this fall they are launching a bag custom-made with Nella Bella, an upscale vegan accessory brand that’s also proudly Canadian.

Still, Reier is adamant that Cake is about more than just pretty packaging. For one, she specific-ally created a line she could afford, with a host of items costing under $20. She also couldn’t help but make something catering to her fellow citizens. “I think Canadians are especially conscious about ingredients,” she says, noting that everything at Cake is paraben-free. “Plus, a lot of our products were developed with >

Of course, she gets help from an accomplished team. Graff still works alongside Sunnybrook’s chief of dermatology, Dr. Neil Shear, and the company’s new CEO, Sharon Collier, is the former president and CEO of Laura Mercier. Then there’s chief innovation officer Victor Casale, who can often be spied in a white lab coat covered in clouds of pigment. He has a background any cosmetics brand, Canadian or not, would covet: founding partner, chief chemist and managing director at M.A.C.

Like M.A.C, Cover FX quickly became a favour-ite among makeup artists, especially for covering tattoos and blemishes in the unforgiving age of high-definition cameras. Though the line has evolved and expanded, adding brushes, lip treat-ments and new packaging, the emphasis will always be on the fundamentals. “Good skin is a canvas,” says Graff. “Trends change every season, and you can play with your nail polish or your hair colour on a whim. But show me someone who doesn’t want healthy, flawless skin.”

> –The CelebrityAcross town, another Torontonian is helping people feel good about themselves in a completely different way. You may not know the name Heather Reier, but you’ve likely spied her pink-hued products on the pages of Lou Lou or Hello! magazine. Or perhaps you’ve simply smelled them across a crowded room – lemony fresh dry shampoo, luscious vanilla-coconut body mousse, sugar cookie lotion that could be mistaken for the real thing.

Cake Beauty’s oft-repeated origin story goes like this: In 2003, a twentysomething Reier shut herself in her kitchen and came out with her first signature product, Velveteen Hand Creme. While the image of a beaming blonde Reier

star power

FaCe atelier 2005, Calgary

Top producT: ultra Foundation BeauTy Buzz: Famous fans include Kelly clarkson, pink, Fergie, Lady Gaga and Madonna (the line even sponsored her “confessions” tour).faceatelier.com

Dalish2006, toronto

Top producT: Mascara-Liquid eyeliner duo in SlateBeauTy Buzz: canadian celebs who’ve sported the line include Nina dobrev of The Vampire diaries, Sass Jordan and corner Gas star Tara Spencer-Nairn.dalishcosmetics.com

Mèreadesso2008, toronto

Top producT: all-in-one MoisturizerBeauTy Buzz: Founder Linda Stephenson has an honours degree in chemistry and biology and a minor in botany.mereadesso.com

A Lot of our products were developed with the Canadian climate in mind. When your heat is on half the year, your skin needs something nourishing. You can’t fake it. h e a t h e r r e i e r , c a k e b e a u t y

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the Canadian climate in mind. When your heat is on half the year, your skin needs something nour-ishing. You can’t fake it.”

> –The HealerAcross the country, in Halifax, Julie Clark started small. Very small. “I was just looking for something I could put on my face,” confesses Clark, who, on the day she graduated from high school, moved to Montreal to study fashion and costume design. She continued on to New York to work as a stylist, where stress and city living aggravated what she calls her “triangle of afflictions” – eczema, asthma and more allergies than she can count.

Clark did lack one thing: American healthcare. So before you can say, “Physician, heal thyself!” she was mixing up her own creams and potions in local DIY workshops. But even small-batch, handmade products couldn’t save her, not when coconut oil and shea butter were still too harsh for her skin.

Enrolment in a holistic health school brought Clark back across the border to Toronto, where she eventually opened Province Apothecary (PA) in 2012. She now has a small treatment studio in Little Portugal, where she offers customized aromatherapy facials as well as an organic skincare line that she also sells online, in city shops and at the trendy Junction Flea Market.

Once packaged haphazardly and slapped with handwritten, Scotch-taped labels, PA products got an upgrade care of Clark’s design- and business-savvy friend. Though their minimal blue packaging reflects the simplicity and purity of the ingredients inside, it barely hints at their diverse origins. Between treatments and products, Province Apothecary lives up to its name, sourcing ingredients from coast to coast: glacial clay from British Columbia, sweetgrass dried and braided by First Nations women in Manitoba, lavender from a family-owned Ontario

green party

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farm and seaweed harvested in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. (Even the handful of ingredients that just can’t be sourced locally, like apricot oil, are imported from France by a Montreal-based, eco-certified company.)

Appropriately enough, Clark says she’s met most of her suppliers organically. “Someone will hear what I do and say, ‘Oh, my grandma has a friend who makes honey and beeswax.’”

PA’s marketing has been just as natural. “Word of mouth and Instagram,” states Clark, and, indeed, her treatment room, with its dried lav-ender hangings and unframed, silkscreened zodiac print, looks like it was made for a vintage photo filter.

PA may just be starting out, with a new line of essential oil perfumes and plans to expand into the U.S., but Clark is part of something larger than her brand. She’s an example of a new wave of cosmetic entrepreneurs who consider green ingredients a default rather than a perk. PA’s products are all free of petroleum, parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes and pesticides, and Clark stands behind them so firmly, she swears you could eat most of them (though she doesn’t recommend it).

“Starting a cosmetics company today, in 2013, I don’t think it’s even an option not to make ingredients a priority,” she says.

That’s a sentiment echoed by both Graff and Reier, who adds: “The new buzzwords aren’t special ingredients, they’re all the things that you don’t put in your products.”

In truth, no one can tell when someone is wearing a homegrown cosmetics or skincare brand. But look into the company’s history and you’re apt to find traces of that typically Canadian do-gooder streak: ethically sourced ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, charitable tie-ins. They’re just not always front and centre. After all, when it comes to cosmetics, it’s often what’s left unseen that leaves the strongest impression.

Starting a coSmeticS company today, in 2013, I don’t think it’s even an option not to make ingredients a priority.j u l i e c l a r k , p r o v i n c e a p o t h e c a r y

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The new intense fragrance for men

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C o N t r A s t s A view of Chengdu,

population 14 million. Not visible here are

the traditional town-houses, which nestle

alongside the sky-scrapers in defiance of

the economic boom.

Tea Time in Boom Citychengdu may be the fastest-growing city in all of china, but the metropolis situated

in the province of sichuan carefully preserves its traditions. the people here love progress, but they also know how to maintain a laid-back attitude.

B U L L E T I N

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to change and yet stay true to oneself. That’s Chengdu. s u q i a n , e n t r e p r e n e u r

“making battle plans” for nearly 70 years, and even though the city around him has changed dramatically since his youth, Chen is still his old loquacious self. “We’re not your usual sort of folk,” he grins. “We stay the way we are.”

It is exactly this characteristic which makes the Chengduese the envy of many of their countrymen: The residents of the capital of the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan are considered the happiest people in China. Though the city of some 14 million is the fastest growing in the People’s Republic, the pace of life here is more relaxed than in other Chinese megacities. Glittering skyscrapers brush up against classical courtyard houses, mighty highways abut ancient alleys, modern lifestyle exists next to traditional culture. “Develop quickly, live slowly,” is Mayor Ge Honglin’s motto.

Like Chen, Su Qian also starts her day with tea. Ensconced in a teahouse in Kuanzhai Alley, the 31-year-old entrepreneur is awaiting the arrival

typical day in Chengdu starts slowly. Early in the morning, tai-chi practitioners gather beneath the trees of Wenhua Park to perform slow-motion shadow boxing. Old men appear carrying bird-cages, hang their feathered friends on tree branches and sit down on stone benches for games of Chinese chess. A group of women does fan gymnastics to the upbeat sounds of pop music. Couples dance Viennese waltzes. Inside a gazebo, a small choir enthusiastically belts out folk songs.

The becoming capitalChen Shuwei has settled down at a stone table with a notepad, ready to write poetry. That is, unless he once again whiles away the entire mor-ning in conversation. “Nobody likes discussing things more than we Chengduese,” the retiree explains. “In our dialect, we call it ‘making battle plans.’” Chen, who used to work in the adminis-trative office of a state-run factory, has been

A

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C H E N G D U successfully balances progress with the past. Left page: the recently completed Raffles Mall and the entrance to a restaurant in the Old Chengdu Club Hotel. This page: a traditional “face changer” (above) and past meets present on People South Road.

of a business partner as the tea ceremony is being prepared in the background. “Teahouses are the locus of social life in Chengdu,” explains Su, who studied economics in Britain and now runs a wine business. “Just as Europeans meet up in a cafe, we get together for tea.” Over tea, business deals get negotiated, contracts are signed and intellec-tuals and artists debate the issues of the day. No subject is too small or too weighty to be hashed out over tea. Chengdu’s teahouse culture may have given the city’s residents a reputation for not taking their work too seriously, but Su doesn’t consider this a problem: “Why not have a good time while you’re working?”

Things operate a bit differently in Chengdu than in the rest of the country, and this has traditionally been the case. The city has played a unique role in Chinese history. Long before the first camels inched their way to China along the Silk Road, Chengdu – which literally translates as “becoming the capital” – was China’s gateway to the rest of the world. The city supplied fine fabrics to destinations as far flung as the Roman Empire. During the Mao era, Chengdu became the vanguard of the new China: Situated deep in the country’s interior, its geographical placement made it the ideal strategic location for industry and research. According to Chen, it was hardly a coincidence that the great reformer Deng Xiaoping, who put China on the path towards a free market economy, hailed from this region. “Deng had his own head on his shoulders,” says Chen. “That’s typical of us Sichuanese.” Today, Chengdu is the economic hub of western China. Over 200 international corporations have built factories in the industrial parks surrounding the city. Apple’s iPad is made here. During the last few decades, the

city’s population has more than doubled. Chengdu is the fastest growing city on the planet.

“Not everything the boom has brought to Chengdu is good,” notes Su. Returning home after three years abroad, she hardly recognized parts of the city, so quickly do new streets, apartment houses and shopping malls spring up. Nevertheless, Chengdu’s urban planners grasped much faster than their colleagues in other Chinese cities that modernization isn’t worth much unless it can incorporate historical elements. Green parks and restored alleyways preserve the city’s trad-itional character – a cherished commodity among older and younger generations alike. Many of the upscale restaurants which Su supplies with wine are tucked inside the red gates of the old city. “We like the mix of old and new,” she says. Among her favourite locales is White Nights, an establish-ment which stubbornly refuses to decide whether it would rather be a teahouse or a bar.

History meets modernitySo where do the Chengduese get their balance? “From the Tao,” says Chen. The philosophy of the “way” teaches the importance of recognizing con-nections, going along with life’s flow, and not allowing oneself to be blinded by false appear-ances. “To change and yet stay true to oneself – that’s Chengdu,” agrees Su Qian. A little stuffed panda dangles from her handbag. No wonder the endangered bears, who have found their last remaining refuge in the nature preserves surrounding the city, are the favourite animals of Chengdu’s residents. Pandas, so the saying goes, are true Sichuanese: unhurried, pleasant, idio-syncratic – but not to be underestimated. >

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A R O M AT I C F E A S T In his trendy restaurant, up-and-coming young chef Zhou

Shicheng cooks with locally grown ingredients.

C H E N G D U ’ S R E S TA U R A N T S are famous across China, and Zhou Shicheng is its

young culinary star. The 27-year-old is head chef at the popular restaurant Zheng Qifu, which

specializes in Sichuan cuisine with a modern twist. “A hundred aromas” is how he describes

his philosophy of cooking: No other province offers a wider variety of ingredients than fertile

Sichuan. “For us, natural flavours are key,” says the son of a farmer who inherited his love of

cooking from his mother. She constantly found different ways to combine the abundant harvest

from her garden. At 16, Zhou began an apprenticeship with a chef in Chengdu. It was a very

traditional education: He spent a year slicing vegetables and observing the master at work

before being allowed near a stove. But Zhou’s talents were soon obvious. Following stints in

several restaurants, he took over the kitchen of the small but elegant Zheng Qifu in 2010. He

gets his produce from small local farmers and his wild herbs from the mountains. His parents

raise the pigs for the cured ham that he puts inside dumplings. “The salty pickled tofu we serve

as an appetizer is prepared by one of my aunts,” explains Zhou. “Some dishes simply can’t be

improved upon.” Restaurant Zheng Qifu, Kuangxiang Street 2, +86 28 8626 8777

Even Better Than Home Cooking

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T H E G A R D E N S in Sichuan offer an abundant selection of ingredients. Here, sweet potatoes roast atop a mini-oven.

K I T C H E N heat: West-erners may

find the culin-ary offerings in Chengdu a bit on the spicy side.

i

JUST AS THE INUIT have a plethora of words

for “snow,” the Sichuanese scrupulously differentiate

between varying degrees of spiciness. The word “ma,”

for instance, specifically refers to the flavour of the

Sichuan pepper, which technically isn’t a pepper at all

but rather a citrus fruit like the lemon. Tasting faintly

of anise, when bitten it leaves a numbing sensation on

the tongue. “La,” by contrast, is the Sichuan term for

the piquancy of dried red chilies, which tend to appear

on tables here en masse. Many recipes unite “ma” and

“la,” like the famed “huoguo,” or hot pot. But be careful:

The dish didn’t acquire its name by accident!

I N T H E E A R LY morning, calm reigns on

Jinli Street. Later, it comes to life with tourists,

traders and performers.Some Like It (Very) Hot

Dried yak meat with pepper

Pork in spicy Xiangchun sauce

Beans with wild vegetables

Hot pot with tofu

Homemade cured ham in spinach dumplings

Braised carp

Stir-fried pickled cabbage with red beans

Beet stew

Baked Suining sweet potatoes

Stir-fried spring bamboo shoots

Shangri-La pears with lotus seeds

ZHoU SHICHENG’S E ARLY- SUmmER mENU

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The street of caramel animals

C H E N G D U is a modern

metropolis that never forgets its

past. Nowhere else in the city is

this more apparent than on Jinli

Street. Just 350 metres long, this

historic promenade transports

visitors back to an earlier era:

Street musicians play traditional

songs, while classic handicrafts

such as 17th-century embroidery

abound. Some cynics dismiss

the street as nothing but a tourist

trap. Nevertheless, plenty of locals

can be found here as well. Above

all, Chengdu’s children love Jinli

Street – not least because of

the caramel artists who fashion

three-dimensional animals from

the hot sugary confection. Those

with a taste for more sophisticated

cultural offerings need only turn

their heads for a great view of

a stage on which a Sichuanese

opera is being presented, with

highlights including the “face

changers,” who swap masks with

breathtaking rapidity.

Look, Relax and MarvelEXEMPLARY ARTJust an hour away from Chengdu, the

Jianchuan Museum is recognized even

beyond China’s borders for its exemplary

work in the area of historical interpretation.

The museum’s grounds are enormous,

containing among other things a group of

200 sculptures dedicated to the resistance

against Japanese occupation.

WHITE NIGHTSIn Chengdu, everyone knows where to go

for a little enjoyment: to the teahouse.

People chat, play mah-jong or simply

relax while savouring a fragrant green

blend or a smoky Pu’Erh. The White

Nights teahouse, run by renowned poet

Zhai Yongmin, enjoys cult status – in the

evenings, it turns into a bar.

(NOT SO) GOOD MATESChengdu is home to the panda.

Nowadays, most of these endangered

bears reside in Sichuan’s nature

preserves. At a dedicated research

facility, scientists seek to understand the

bear’s idiosyncrasies, including its rather

lethargic reproductive habits. The highlight

of any visit is, of course, the baby pandas.

K I T S C H or tradition? A classic door knocker

J I N L I S T R E E T is especially popular

among the young.

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A S P O R T I N G L I F E !

Vancouver – CalgaryToronto – Oakville – Waterloo

Montréal – Laval

Hermes.com

TippingIn restaurants, hotels and taxis, leaving a tip isn’t the norm. Feel free to give your tour guide a gratuity, though, unless he or she has taken you to a shop where you’ve purchased something. In that case, you can rest assured a tip has already been collected there.

Beat the HeatChengdu is among the hottest cities in China. Local residents like to combat the external heat using heat from within: Warm tea is a more effective coolant than cold water, so they say.

Tea Droppings Chengdu loves its pandas, its tea – and especially panda tea. Leaves from tea shrubs grown in panda dung cost on average $3,000 per kilogram.

Table MannersMaking a mess is okay. But don’t ever stick your chopsticks upright into the rice bowl. This reminds the Chinese of the twin incense sticks that are placed upright in a shrine for the deceased.

Wonder WormsSichuan is a hotbed of traditional Chinese medicinal remedies. One such miracle cure is the caterpillar fungus, which looks like dried worms.

Secret TongueThe Sichuan dialect, with its harsh vowels, is unintelligible for many Chinese. In government offices, conversing in high Chinese is required.

J i u ya n B r i d g e makes a good

starting point for a picturesque evening

stroll. Amble your way upstream past small

restaurants offering grilled meat skewers or

spicy river crabs, and take in the bars with live

music. At the fifth bridge, after roughly four

kilometres, turn left and in 10 minutes you’ll

arrive on Jinli Street, where a nightcap in the

Lotus Palace garden awaits.

aT T H e O L d C H e n g d u C L u B , residents can sleep like ancient Chinese royalty. Situated in a traditional courtyard complex once home to an aristocratic family, the boutique hotel boasts spacious rooms with antique wooden furniture and four-poster beds with yellow curtains – yellow being a colour long associated with imperial royalty. After a long day out in steamy Sichuan, guests are extremely grateful for the swimming pool, even if it’s out of place in terms of period authenticity.

Go, Go, Go!

The ciTy is defined by its teahouse culture. People love to converse. And they’re extremely idiosyncratic. l i a o y i w u , w r i t e r

r O O M a P L e n T y The Mercedes-Benz ML 350

4MATIC outside the Old Chengdu Club.

need TO knOw

Chengdu The Aristocratic Life

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A Shore Thing On Prince Edward Island, where foraging and locavorism were long-standing traditions before they became culinary buzzwords, it takes a village to make a meal.

words Va l Er I E H Ow Es photos Fr a n c Es J u r I a nsz

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beachy keen A view of the Cavendish shore

on northern PEI; breakfast at Youngfolk & The Kettle Black

They call this place the Gentle Island. As I drive past Guernsey cows in buttercup fields, wooden houses in bridesmaid-dress hues and blue herons in wind-tickled rushes, I get that. But on an eating, sipping, cooking and foraging road trip through Prince Edward Island, between the capital city and the north coast, I also get the sense it’s a lot more intense than it first appears. I discover fierce loyalties and dynamic collaborations between those who produce, harvest and serve the island’s outstanding land-and-sea delicacies.

“My business partners and I are the hardest-working lazy people I know,” says Robert Pendergast, pulling a tray of country, oat and Red Fife loaves from the oven, glancing over to check on his sleeping baby, Beatrice, and garnishing my meal. We’re in Pendergast’s kitchen at the very back of Youngfolk & The Kettle Black, Charlottetown’s newest coffee house – a breakfast-sandwiches-and-burgers place where the smoky maple syrup on your French toast is bought in small batches from a local forager, and the fresh dill and chives on your lobster roll are snipped from the overgrown gardens of neighbourhood restaurants where Pendergast has the kinds of ties that make pilfering okay.

At Youngfolk he’s becoming known for the specialty breads he bakes each day: only three or four kinds, but each the result of obsessive experi-mentation with heirloom grains grown by local organic farmers. After hours, the native Islander is setting up a wedding catering company with culinary adventure operator and chef Ross Munro to ferry feasters – and their feasts – to secluded beaches in a small boat. He throws five-course beer dinners with Gahan House brewery and is refining his rye bread for an upcoming throwdown with Montreal’s famous smoked-meat restaurant, Schwartz’s. So I’m not convinced by the “lazy” part (I’d go with “calm”). Pendergast has the air of a man doing exactly what he should, on a scale that keeps him busy yet sane, buoyed by like-minded people.

The art of cookingAfter breakfast, I head northwest from Charlottetown on Highway 2. Salt-and-fir-scented air wafts

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on his tractor with a bucket of green beans and ask, ‘Do you want them?’” says Norman. “We’ll take them and tell the students we’re switching up the recipe.”

Norman also asked a local artisan, Suzanne from Village Pottery, to use his Thai garlic rasp as a prototype for ceramic versions in her studio. Now, when people admire his, he can send them over to her place to buy their own after class. When I pop in to see Suzanne, she tells me she’s working on Dutch ovens and tagines, too. “Every time I see Norm, he has a special project for me,” she says, chuckling at her potter’s wheel.

There’s just time for an afternoon walk along the beach before dinner in North Rustico. The huts sit empty – lobster fishers start at 4 a.m., so they’re done by early afternoon. But there’s action to spare in a speedboat piloted by two sunburned dads. As it comes into the harbour, a freckled kid

in through the open window as I pass emerald potato plants pushing through rust soil, buoys bobbing above a mussel farm, a trotting fox. Then, just after the prim white house of Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery, in New London, I pull into the car park at Annie’s Table, a new culinary school in a converted church where the focus is on island flavours.

I’m soon aproned-up with half a dozen locals and learning to bake gluten-free with Tracey Allen, a hog farmer-turned-cookbook author who’s teach-ing her very first class. The school invites everyone from sommeliers to chefs to mussel fishers to serve as special-interest instructors, and today in-house chef Norman Zeledon is on hand to ease Tracey through her debut.

Norman dashes outside to gather basil, tarragon, savory, mint and lemon balm from his kitchen garden so we can customize Tracey’s dough. He suggests fanning PEI pear slices on top of her bis-cuits and sprinkling them with brown sugar, salt and pepper. And for dessert, he shows us how black garlic with a paste consistency – developed by island farmer Al Picketts and a world exclusive to PEI – can be used as a sweetener, much like dates. “I’d never have thought of that,” says Tracey, increas-ingly animated after every tip. By the end of the class, the two instructors are talking quietly off to the side about co-authoring Tracey’s next book.

Teamwork and improvisation are the lifeblood of this school. “Sometimes our neighbour Herb, an organic farmer, will drive right up to the door

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on board yells, “Everybody first!” All four children and a sheepdog abandon ship at once, a leaping blur of sunblock-streaked limbs and wet fur.

I drive on to the Pearl Café, where the menu is built around iconic local ingredients such as Raspberry Point oysters, grass-, potato- and grain-fed beef, and of course PEI spuds. The garden is alive with blooms and driftwood sculptures, a taste of what’s to come inside. Owner Maxine Delaney greets me in the art-filled dining room, cutting a striking figure with her poker-straight red hair and bangs illuminated against a bay window. I’ve sipped my way through an entire cocktail (concocted by Maxine using vodka, Cointreau, lime and a cordial of forsythias from her own flowerbeds), before I notice I’m sur-rounded by naked people – on the walls, that is. This year’s exhibition, Exposed, showcases nudes by local artists.

Island tIme Clockwise from top left: baking bread at Youngfolk & The Kettle Black in Charlottetown; a water-side scene in Naufrage; antique signs at Water-Prince Corner Shop and Lobster Pound; Village Pottery in New London; brunch at the Pearl Café

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Most of our partners are small-scale organic farmers who want to be certain their product is treated well. j o h n p r i t c h a r d , c h e f

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I point out my favourites to Maxine: two stripped-off cyclists, a golden bum and a naked knitter. In that last one, a young woman sits cross-legged, casually plain-and-purling in the nude beside serious grandmothers decked out in full twin-sets. It’s hilarious. “Oh, I painted that!” says my shy server as she pours my tea. A broad grin lights up her face. “And I’m the knitter.”

A painter herself, Maxine often hires up-and-coming artists, both for the back and front of house. You get the sense that their creativity adds to the magic that draws people out to her rural restaurant, not just for dinner (well-executed as it is) but for a dining experience.

Plants and animalsOn day two, I head to Terre Rouge Bistro Marché in Charlottetown to load up on charcuterie and cheese. Here, locals come by for morning coffee, their weekly grocery shopping or even date night. It’s a joint venture, opened in 2012 by chef John Pritchard, who once taught skills like making edible underwear on his own TV cooking show for men, and chef Dave Mottershall, nicknamed “Animal” after the wild Muppet drummer for his frenetic kitchen pace – a must in this 360-degree enterprise. At the back is a chalkboard-walled fine-dining area. Up front they sell everything from mini turnips to yellow artisan butters from suppliers they’ve come to know over the past 25 years. “Most of our part-ners are small-scale organic farmers who above all want to be certain their product is treated well,” says John.

I head east, stopping at Dalvay-by-the-Sea resort to rent a bike for the four-kilometre stretch to Covehead Harbour along marsh-lined coastal trails. I turn off at a red-and-white-painted light-house toward Richard’s Fresh Seafood, where I scoop out fresh-from-the-sea steamed mussels with an empty shell.

The Mercedes-Benz GL 350 BLueTec 4MATIc is a joy to drive along the hilly, winding roads of PEI’s backcountry or down red-sand paths leading to the sea. This is an amply proportioned, confidence-inspiring SUV that offers a commanding view of the road, an airy cabin with seating for up to seven adults, an industry-leading suite of security features and a level of luxury that you’ll appreciate as much on vacation as on the daily commute. What’s the catch? There isn’t one. Thanks to cutting-edge technology like the energy-saving 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission and new low-sulphur diesel fuels, the powerful GL 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC delivers compact-car fuel economy and low emissions in a glorious full-size package.

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G e T A w A Y

BounTy hunTer The Inn at Bay Fortune’s sous-chef

Melinda Gorman forages for local ingredients. Opposite page: Julie Shore of Prince Edward Distillery; a pier view by Confederation Landing Park; gluten-free pie at Annie’s Table; apple brandy >

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SometimeS our neighbour Herb will drive right up to the door on his tractor with a bucket of green beans and ask, ‘Do you want them?’ n o r m a n z e l e d o n , c h e f

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I have just enough time to check into the Johnson Shore Inn on the northeast coast before my last meal of the day. It’s run by Prince Edward vodka distillers Arla Johnson and Julie Shore, and in the mornings they serve up ham from their own pigs in your morning omelette – or shellfish or beef that they’ve bartered for their coveted meat or booze. I sip tea for five minutes in an Adirondack chair, perched on a point where two ocean-battered cliff walls meet and the crashing waves are at their loudest. I leave for dinner feeling replenished.

Chatting with sous-chef Melinda Gorman on a tour of The Inn at Bay Fortune is a similarly amped-up experience. Melinda on the pork belly she made yesterday: “I took a chainsaw to this tree for applewood to put in the cold smoker.” Melinda on salmon-skin risotto: “I want to make it here soon. It’s metallic silver! People will be shocked.” Melinda on waste: “I just don’t like throwing things in the garbage. I need to know how to use every part of an animal or vegetable.”

One of Melinda’s favourite aspects of the job

is training apprentice chefs in this kitchen. They’re not just here to stir pots, they’re expected to figure out how to forage for kelp on the beach, strike deals with cheesemakers at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market and make every-thing in-house, whether it’s sweet-potato brioche or chicken liver crème brûlée.

When I peek into the kitchen halfway through my dinner on the veranda, I’m surprised how calm the staff is, under such a firecracker. But Melinda knows how lucky this next generation of island chefs is to be in such a unique place, and she takes passing on her knowledge seriously. “When the restaurant closes for winter, I go work in Montreal,” she says. “There I’m always aware, when I’m cut-ting open a package, that if I were on PEI I’d be making that same thing from scratch.”

Above all it’s the ties on this island, forged over seven seasons, that seem to pull her back. “You can get our oysters all over the world, but there’s nothing like having them dropped off by the fisher you drink pints with at the local pub.”

The Great GeorgeBook the signature island flavours experience, Savour! – which includes an improvised chef’s dinner – at this heritage boutique hotel. 1-800-361-1118t h e g r e a t g e o r g e . c o m Charlottetown Farmers’ MarketSpend Saturday morning meeting local artisans selling everything from quince jam to hand-sewn undergarments. 902-626-3373 c h a r l o t t e t o w n f a r m e r s m a r k e t .w e e b l y . c o m

Annie’s TableExplore island flavours and traditions with PEI chefs and producers. 902-314-9666a n n i e s - t a b l e . c o m

The Pearl CaféEnjoy hyperlocal food while surrounded by hyperlocal art. 902-963-2111t h e p e a r l c a f e . c a

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The whole ideal of Teaism is a result of this Zen conception of greatness in the smallest incidents of life.f r o m t h e b o o k o f t e a b y k a k u z o o k a k u r a

In a Japanese tea ceremony, the walk to the tearoom is the first step in the ritual. In this short stroll through a garden, forest or bamboo grove, guests are expected to leave behind the cares of the outside world and clear their minds for the simple appreciation of tea.

And while the upscale Omotesando Hills shop-ping centre in Tokyo’s densely populated Shibuya district is about as far removed from a tearoom as a brick from a flower, there’s an element of ceremony to my stroll through the mall’s cause-way, which coils uninterrupted through three floors. The gradual incline eliminates the need for escalators and maintains a peaceful order even on a busy Saturday afternoon.

It’s also no coincidence that the mall’s design counteracts the frenetic pace that normally accom-panies the shopping experience. Its architect, Tadao Ando, references Zen philosophy in all his work. His Church of the Light in Osaka features a sanctuary cross made up of bisecting seams of sunlight streaming through concrete: an interfaith yin and yang. His partially subterranean Chichu Art Museum on the island of Naoshima is literally one with the earth. Omotesando Hills, with its

R e t a i l Z e n Experience the refined simplicity of the Japanese aesthetic where you would least expect it: in the bustle of Tokyo’s shopping districts.

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atrium flooded with natural light and concrete walls that undulate without corners, is not just a mall, it’s a place for quiet perambulation.

Mindful design is a feature of all Japanese spaces, from tearoom to shopping centre. Art scholar Kakuzo Okakura described this concept in a turn-of-the-last-century Boston salon when he delivered the lecture that would become The Book of Tea. Translated into more than 30 languages, his essay provided four generations of Westerners with an insider’s look at the Japanese aesthetic. Its premise – “there is beauty even in the mundane” – is just as relevant today. Here in retail Tokyo, that translates to consumerism elevated to art.

The arT of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.

Shopping is Japan’s unofficial national pastime. In the world’s third-largest economy after the United States and China, consumer spending accounts for about 60 percent of GDP. It’s a culture obsessed with “specialties” – every small town has one, be it Bizen pottery, rice-paper screens or sour-plum preserves – and all are snapped up by the domestic populace on their travels. Gift-giving is also a cultural essential, and every visit to a friend’s home means the purchase of flowers, a box of sweets or a set of teacups.

But while spending may be fast and loose, the focus is always on quality. Japanese consumers are discriminating. That’s why a mall like Omotesando Hills, with Dolce & Gabbana as anchor and row upon row of high-end indepen-dent boutiques, may appear devoid of merchandise to Western eyes. But delve below the surface and the reason becomes clear.

In Edition, one of the many well-edited niche luxury boutiques in Omotesando Hills, the floor stocks only one of everything. The organic-cotton T-shirt, the flame-forged silver ring, the hand-stitched leather moccasin… all are arranged with the greatest care. One dangles loosely from a wood hanger, another peeks out of a glass drawer and another tops a metal podium in a lesson that any student of ikebana (Japanese floral arrangement) learns on day one: The space between things is as important as the things themselves.

Each object can be appreciated on its own,

Art FormsJapanese pottery embraces the beauty in imperfection

(opposite); the flagship loca-tion of cultured pearl brand

Mikimoto, designed by Toyo Ito, is a Ginza icon.

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Japanese outpost was assembled by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, who describes her creation as “beautiful chaos.” There are no walls between bookstore, clothing shop or fragrance counter. Instead, each area is delineated by the mood it strikes. Black Comme des Garçons sells only monochrome garments; Balenciaga marks its territory with dizzying, kaleidoscopic mirrors; Mulberry is flanked by an army of oversize garden gnomes. In the Comme des Garçons Junya Watanabe Man space, a vending machine sells the brand’s cult white T-shirts. Their classic simplicity is the essence of the Japanese aesthetic.

Teaism is the art of concealing beauty, that you might discover it.

Back in Shibuya, Found Muji’s rustic window display of vintage-looking ceramic cups and pre-serve jars seems out of place along the six-lane Aoyama Boulevard. A concept-store offshoot of

Japan’s beloved minimalist clothing and house-wares brand, the shop’s one and only location sells objects inspired by traditional handicrafts, household implements and tools that represent exceptional design. Think Chinese bamboo steam-ers, English pewter teaspoons and Swedish waxed-canvas military backpacks. Once again, great pains are taken to showcase each object for the attributes that make it a universal staple.

Space age The Herzog & de Meuron-designed Prada (above); thoughtful gift selection is a ritual in Japan (below).

turned over, observed from various angles. The shop is a gallery. But far from being cold and austere, the ambiance is warm and lively, with the salespeople calling out the ubiquitous “Irasshaimase” of welcome and the shop’s win-dows covered in a living wall of ferns.

The mall is just one of the many beautiful examples of design along Omotesando Avenue, where luxury brands compete for prominence with lavish flagships designed by some of the world’s top architects. Today, the crowd along the strip is a mix of serious shoppers (a.k.a. aristo-cratic Tokyo girls carrying teacup poodles), Harajuku hipsters and international tourists taking cellphone pictures of this architectural permanent exhibit.

I shyly pull out my own camera in front of Italian shoe and leather goods emporium Tod’s, a seven-storey glass tower, designed by Toyo Ito, ensconced in a criss-crossing frame of concrete. Then I join the throng snapping the Bruno Moinard-designed Cartier, where sets of vertical wooden slats run the length of the glass-and-steel building like stalks of bamboo. The neighbouring building is arguably the street’s most famous: the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Prada, whose smoky, bubbled-glass facade mimics the patina of a luxury handbag.

Art as shopping, shopping as art is an unwritten code, and there’s nowhere in Tokyo that embodies it more than Dover Street Market in tony Ginza. A sister property to the London original, the

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You might wonder why a store with some of the most expensive square footage on the planet would give an empty jam jar a place of such rev-erence. But there’s logic to it. In Japanese art, wrote Okakura, there is meaning in suggestion: “In leaving something unsaid, the beholder is given a chance to complete the idea.” That simple jar whose design hasn’t changed in centuries is in itself perfection. It could be filled with pre-serves, with river stones, with seashells. In other words, it’s not the jar for sale, it’s its potential.

A similar concept exists at Over The Counter. The shoebox-sized apothecary and lifestyle store curated by Tokyo fashion stylist Sonya Park sells cashmere scarves, eggshell-porcelain teacups and badger shaving brushes. But rather than having the wares out in the open, the stock is kept behind the counter.

The system forces a dialogue between buyer and seller about where the object comes from, the history of the brand and its special features. It recognizes that one should only purchase a pre-mium toothpaste if one appreciates the reason why it’s more expensive than its drugstore counter-parts: Maybe it’s made by a fifth-generation family business, maybe it uses ingredients harvested in an ethical way. In making this conversation part of the purchase experience, Over The Counter shows its customers a profound respect.

Detail orienteD Even a simple chopstick rest receives a place of honour (above); the Mulberry space at Dover Street Market (right).

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there is already a lineup of customers outside. At precisely three minutes to the hour, three female attendants in immaculate uniform (hats, blazers, pencil skirts, gloves) approach the entrance. Two hold the doors slightly ajar while the third steps forward. She welcomes customers to Takashimaya, addressing them in the formal manner as okyakusama (“honoured guest”), listing the store and restaurant hours, letting everyone know that there is a rose exhibit on the eighth floor and a new ikebana installation in the entrance gallery. She retreats back inside with her cohorts and a minute later, at precisely 10 o’clock, they whisk the doors open to customers.

And just as they’ve done every morning for almost a century, the store’s employees form two perfect lines on either side of the entrance. As the first guests enter, the staff folds at the waist in unison. A deep bow. A gesture of the utmost respect for their clientele. A ceremony of beauty among the mundane.

Until one has made himself beautiful, he has no right to approach beauty.

Respect is intrinsic to a society that always puts the group before the individual. Place your handbag in the basket, remove your shoes, step onto the raised platform, pull the curtain, cover your face with a face cloth. These are the steps involved in trying on clothes in a Japanese dress-ing room. Shopping protocol is a ritual of polite behaviour in which the garments – and ultimately the next person to try them – also receive their due respect.

And in the same way that merchandise in a Japanese store may seem sparse to Westerners, the number of personnel may also seem exces-sive. Shops often employ greeters whose job is merely to say “welcome” and “come again” to customers. But sadly, this is one aspect of the experience that is vanishing as post-recession cost-cutting has resulted in many retail redundancies.

Still, there is one place that rigorously upholds tradition. The glamorous Takashimaya department store in Chuo has remained largely unchanged in its decor (marble floors and crystal chandeliers) and customer service (white-gloved and attentive) since it opened in 1933.

When I arrive just prior to the 10 a.m. opening

Tokyo MinuTeA Marni doll necklace at Dover Street Market (above); Found Muji recreates design staples and tradi-tional handicrafts (below).

WindoW dressing Comme des Garçons’ Omotesando address (above) and its T-shirt vending machine at Dover Street Market (below)

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Omotesando HillsAn architectural shopping experience.4-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuyao m o t e s a n d o h i l l s . c o m

Dover Street Market GinzaRei Kawakubo’s favourite things meet in “beautiful chaos.”6-9-5 Ginza, Chuog i n z a . d o v e r s t r e e t m a r k e t . c o m

Found MujiPractical objects from around the world get a Mujification. 5-5-6 Jingumae, Shibuyam u j i . n e t / f o u n d m u j i ( j a pa n e s e o n l y )

Over The CounterGrooming and provisions apothecary. 101 Palace Miyuki, 5-3-8 Minami Aoyama, Minatoa r t s - s c i e n c e . c o m / s h o p l i s t / o v e r _ t h e _ c o u n t e r

Takashimaya NihonbashiTokyo’s original luxury department store. 2-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuot a k a s h i m aya . c o . j p / t o k y o ( j a pa n e s e o n l y )

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Make a Connectionso much more thAn A deAlership, Mercedes-Benz Connection, Tokyo, is a

meeting place for those who love the brand. In Downstairs Coffee, sip lattes and cappuccinos

made by internationally award-winning barista Hiroshi Sawada. Afterwards, visit the Gallery to

get a closer look at the lineup of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Take one on a spin in the Trial Cruise

or just relax on the sofas to watch their performance on widescreen TVs. Still peckish? On the

second floor, the Upstairs bar and restaurant serves casual French fare from a menu developed

by Michelin-starred chef Ryuta Iizuka. Mercedes-Benz Connection, 7-3-10 Roppongi, Minato

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Art of the Stayi ’ d m A r v e l l e d At t h e A r t w o r k in the Shangri-La

Tokyo for two days before a staff member let me in on a little secret. All of

the 2,000 originally commissioned artworks – from the lobby screens of gold

embroidery silk, one-tenth the width of a human hair, to the 2,400 eggshell

porcelain tiles making up the mural installation at the entrance – were based

on the Tang Dynasty Chinese poem “Song of the Pipa.” The Shangri-La takes

aesthetics seriously, from these works to the design of its rooms to the spa

services. The two-hour Kisetsu Ritual includes a foot scrub, skin polish, steam

bath, full-body massage and mineral soak replete with spa products, essential

oils and fragrant teas that respond to the body’s seasonally changing needs.

For an artful meal that also has a seasonal twist, try Nadaman restaurant’s

kaiseki meal, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. In this chef-selected

collection of small plates, served in ceremonial procession, only the freshest

in-season ingredients are used. Every dish is artfully presented with sprigs of

in-bloom flowers, and the lacquered bowls and chopstick rests are themed to

match the colours and mood of the time of year. shangri-la.com/tokyo

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The Longest Hour

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The 60 minuTes before the start of a Formula 1 Grand Prix pull the teams this way and that. Gone in a flash one moment, time passes at a snail’s pace the next. The pre-race ritual follows a cleverly devised choreography.

muLTiTAsKinG Ninety minutes before the race, the drivers head out to greet the spectators. Time to turn on the charm.

The ARRiVAL of the high-speed gladiator:

Nico Rosberg strides from paddock to garage ahead of

the Australian Grand Prix.

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a key skill for a Formula 1 driver: power napping on demand

Sixty minutes to go: The team runs an engine test on one Mercedes F1 W04, then the other, using an external starter motor. This allows them to fix the revs and oil pressure before the ignition spark is released. The V8 machines let out a potent bari-tone bellow, then a few angry barks, before dying away again as if nothing had happened.

Undeniable calmFifty-seven minutes to go: warm-up time. For Nico Rosberg, this means a kick-about with physiother-apist Daniel Schlösser, juggling the ball and not letting it touch the ground – “keep-ups” in soccer parlance. “It’s been years since anyone beat me in a keep-up contest,” says Rosberg, smiling. Meanwhile, the mechanics have pulled on their flame-retardant suits and wired themselves up to their radios. Sporting Director Ron Meadows is focusing on the team’s race strategy. The fuel tanks of the two Mercedes AMG Petronas race cars have been filled to brimming, the fuel coolers removed. The temperature of the gasoline rises to as high as 60°C during a race, expanding as it heats up. The cooler it is at the start of the race, the more you can fit in the tank. “The fuel can be chilled to a maximum of 10°C below air temperature,” explains Meadows.

Forty-two minutes to go: “Around this time I walk or jog to the garage – it all helps the warm-up process,” says Rosberg. He shares a joke with his mechanics in a show of calm. Then it’s down to business with race engineer Tony Ross. Rosberg analyzes the start of last year’s GP: the way the race panned out, the areas of concern. Even pro-fessional racing drivers never stop learning. The German driver pushes in his earplugs, pulls the fireproof balaclava over his head, presses on his helmet and lowers himself into the cockpit. The eight-cylinder engine lurking behind his neck bursts noisily to life. The top brass on the pit wall have been topped up with drinks, and team boss Ross Brawn has stocked up on bananas. Things are rather less luxurious – and a whole lot more cloak-and-dagger – in Rosberg’s world. A chilled drinks bottle holds 1.5 litres of the top-secret “special mixture” that he sips on inside the cock-pit. That’s the maximum amount of liquid permitted by the regulations (to prevent it being used as movable ballast). Rosberg will need to have emptied the bottle by the halfway point of the race to keep it from getting too hot in the stuffy carbon confines of the cockpit.

Thirty-six minutes to go: The weather is holding up, the rain is staying away, so the mechanics

ime is a fascinating yet inexorable fact of life, and nowhere is it more keenly felt than on a racetrack. Fractions of seconds, discernible only with the help of high-tech gadgetry, draw the line between victory and defeat, triumph and disaster.

Start the clockBut what precisely happens in that hour before the lights above the grid go out? The final 60 minutes leading up to a race are something of a paradox: not enough time, and yet too much. The seconds can pass at a tortuous plod, but equally run through your hands like water. The meticulously measured world of Formula 1 appears to keep a different time compared to our internal clocks.

As the minutes were ticking down to this year’s Australian Grand Prix, there was no sign of stage fright on the face of Nico Rosberg. “Not after 128 F1 races,” says the Mercedes AMG Petronas man with a shrug of the shoulders.

Flash back to that big day Down Under. There are 80 minutes to go before the race, and Rosberg has just made his way back from the drivers’ parade. He’s deep into the relaxation zone now, chatting with girlfriend Vivian on his cellphone while resting up. Not that there’s time for any restorative shut-eye: Rosberg has yet to crack the crucial “power nap on demand” skill mastered by such illustrious F1 predecessors as Nelson Piquet and Gerhard Berger.

RELAXED Stage fright is not an issue for Nico Rosberg.

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THE KEEP-UP KING Keeping the ball in the air is part of the Mercedes AMG Petronas driver’s warm-up routine. Rosberg says it’s been years since anyone

got the better of him.

TIRE GAMBLEThe decision as to which tire to fit can be delayed until three minutes before a race.

TEST RUN Engine check in the pit garage: The infernal roar of the V8 power-plant has some people blocking their ears.

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SLIM FIT Rosberg worms his way into the confined carbon monocoque of his Silver Arrow.

QUIET, PLEASE Bonding time for man and machine: The mechanics escort the Mercedes into its starting position.

send the car out onto the grid, shod with slick Pirelli tires. Once there, a new set of slicks will be fitted. If there’s a threat of rain, the teams can change their choice of tires up to three minutes before the start.

Thirty-two minutes to go: The pit lane is open. Nico takes the car for a couple of warm-up laps, during which radio exchanges with Tony Ross come thick and fast. If something’s not right with the bal-ance of the car, the driver will have to come in briefly for front-wing adjustments to dial out some under-steer or oversteer. Those are the only interventions allowed under F1 rules at this stage. Ross urges his driver to go easy on the engine “so that it doesn’t rev too high but still gets enough cooling air.”

Vanity fairNico Rosberg’s V8 falls silent 100 metres before he reaches the end of the grid. The Mercedes me-chanics wave the W04 toward its slot on the third row and push it into position. The Silver Arrow drills its way through the carnival-like throng. The cars are arranged according to their starting place, an archipelago of 22 small islands held in check by narrow markings on the track surface. And all around them whirs the glitz of F1’s own vanity fair. The grid girls wheel out their best smiles. F1 president Bernie Ecclestone, flanked by local digni-taries, laps up the limelight. It’s all about seeing and being seen. The photographers creep back-wards, bending as they must to snare their shot, flashbulbs probing for signs of emotion in the Formula 1 ringmaster’s features. Nico Rosberg creates his own island of concentration amid the hubbub. He climbs out of the car one last time, swaps a few final words with his engineers, and does the honours for the TV crews.

Fourteen minutes to go: Nico sinks into the cock-pit, sealing the bond between man and machine. He checks the radio link with the pit crew and tickles the brakes to allow the wheels to be cor-rectly mounted. Finally, the jacked-up single-seater is lowered onto the track. Bring on the racing.

Twelve minutes to go: Only key personnel are allowed onto the grid now.

Six minutes: The cooling fans are taken out of the car.

Four minutes: The engines roar thunderously into action. The noise is unbearable.

Three minutes: Off come the covers keeping the tires warm. Without them, the Pirellis would bring next to no grip to the track in the early stages of the race. The tires have reached

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GREEN LIGHT for the formation lap. Twenty-two

race cars wind their way around the circuit. No

overtaking is permitted.

80°C, but the cool of an Australian fall afternoon is already drifting over them.

Two and a half minutes: Nobody is allowed near the cars now.

Two minutes: Green light for the formation lap. Rosberg nails a practice start and takes his place in the flinching, twisting line of 22 race cars. During the formation lap, overtaking is strictly prohibited. The Mercedes may be a single-seater, but the driver is never alone. “My engineer is constantly chattering in my ear, always the same things: Keep the brakes and tires warm, the engine cool and an eye on the clutch and gearbox settings. Get the car how you need it for the start.”

The crews, meanwhile, are rushing back to the pits in a multicoloured swarm. When they get there, they reach straight for their helmets and fireproof gloves: “One of the cars might get tagged on the opening lap and need a new nose cone, for example,” explains Ron Meadows, speaking from unfortunate experience. Under these condi-tions, the dash back to the garage is hard work, and nowhere does it take longer than at the Malaysian Grand Prix, which is only in a week’s time. “A couple of years ago we had a number of restarts there,” recalls Meadows, shivering at the memory. “And a few of the guys just keeled over.”

nico RosbeRg may be driving a single-seater, but with his engineer’s voice in his ear – urging him to get heat into the brakes and keep the engine cool – he is not alone.

AND. . . GO! The tension that builds the hour

before the race ex-plodes into speed.

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Sixty minutes are up: The five red lights on the gantry above the grid light up at one-second intervals, then disappear in a single jolt. The neat rows of cars explode into a sea of chaos, and Nico Rosberg is in the middle of it all. At last, the race for victory in the Australian Grand Prix is under-way. But that’s a story for another day.

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sprinters, golfers and swimmers train for years with a single objective: to optimize their running technique, golf swing or tumble turn – for defeat or victory is often decided by the tiniest detail.

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F o r E r U N N E r Usain Bolt has changed

the world of sprinting with his running technique.

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sain Bolt bursts out of his starting blocks – the movement is more horizontal than vertical. From here to the finish line he takes just 41 strides. As he accelerates, he eats up the ground like a wildcat on the chase, each foot kissing the track every two and a half metres. At around 45 metres, having reached maximum velocity, he appears to be in flight. And he is able to sustain that for longer than any of his rivals. A mere 9.58 seconds for 100 metres – the Jamaican has set a new world record.

Can something as fundamental and primal as running actually be improved? Is there a perfect way to put one foot in front of the other? For decades the world’s scientists, coaches and athletes have been trying to find answers to such questions. In laboratories and on running tracks they have employed high-tech equipment and a painstaking methodology to optimize the sequence of biome-chanical movements, which – like walking – has evolved over millions of years. And sometimes even the smallest of factors can make all the difference. For in disciplines like the 100 metres, fame and wealth are decided by just hundredths of a second. Anyone who, like Usain Bolt, sets a new world sprint record has secured their place in the history books.

Twitching muscle fibresVolker Herrmann from the German Sport University in Cologne is one such researcher study-ing the secrets of perfect action. “Usain Bolt’s running style confirms something the science world has been talking about for some time,” the biomechanics expert explains. Bolt has switched from the “push” technique that was common in

the 1980s to a “pull” approach, meaning that most of the work is done in front of the body’s centre of gravity rather than behind it. This action requires the athlete to quickly pull the knee back and under, and the foot strike is landed just in front of the hip. “It enables the runner to reduce braking forces on the body,” says Herrmann. This new style of running can better exploit the poten-tial of the posterior thigh muscles.

But the perfect running action is worthless unless it is successfully combined with a sprint-er’s physique. In the athletics community there is a commonly held belief: Anyone can become a marathon runner, but you are born a sprinter. The necessary physiological attributes include high tendon stiffness for optimum power trans-mission from the muscle, the correct leg length for optimum leverage and the right proportion of white, fast-twitch muscle fibres in the body.

Through personalized training programs, ath-letes can activate residual potential in these inherited predispositions. Of the 15 sprinters in Volker Herrmann’s training group, 13 have per-sonalized training schedules that take into account individual strengths and weaknesses. All are striving for the perfect action, something they have in common with scientists and athletes in other disciplines. p

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THERE’S A SAYING among track athletes: Anyone can become a marathon runner, but you are born a sprinter.

b u b b l e b at hswimmers hone their body positions in specially designed flow chambers to reduce resistance through the water.

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f l i g h t t e s t it takes around 500 practice dives to master a new sequence of movements.

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A few years ago, American individual medley swimmers succeeded in shaving off one or two tenths of a second at the transition from backstroke to breast-stroke by spinning in an almost sideways position, thereby reducing the angle and distance of travel to make the turn – an extreme but legal interpretation of the rules. This meant that training involved the swimmer having to learn to rotate more quickly about the body’s lateral axis.

In the 1970s, climbers in Yosemite National Park started honing their sense of balance by practising on a slackline, a rope slung just above the ground between two posts. The idea was quickly adopted by practition-ers of other sports. For climbers this training makes a lot of sense, since like real climbing it requires the coordination of many different muscle groups simul-taneously. Board and platform divers frequently require

s w i n g t i m eIn the golf swing, the brain has to coordinate approximately 130 muscles. Below: Image sequence analysis is used to study biomechanical movements.

some 500 practice dives to learn a new sequence of movements, first on the trampoline, then in the foam pit and finally in the pool, where the water’s surface is “softened” by adding air bubbles to reduce the impact on the body.

Tricking the brainWhen asked about the perfect golf swing, Nuremberg-born golf pro Bernd Ritthammer simply puffs out his cheeks and exhales. The gesture has nothing to do with the 30°C heat that greets us at the München Eichenried golf club. “Of the 72 shots it takes to complete an average round of golf, there are at most two or three I would describe as almost perfect.”

The golf swing involves approximately 130 muscles simultaneously and is considered one of

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the most complex biomechanical movements in sport. Ritthammer is 26 and has been playing golf since the age of three. How can you still perfect an action you have practised hundreds of thousands of times over so many years? And even if your head knows what the perfect action looks like, how do you get your body to execute it? This very question is the research focus of biomechanics expert Peter Lamb from Munich’s Technical University. Here in his laboratory, the Canadian golfer attaches sensors to golfers’ bodies and maps the arc traced by their swing. The players receive feedback even as they execute the movement: If the golf club is not taken back far enough above the shoulder, they hear an acoustic signal. “This enables the golfer to get used to recognizing what the correct move-ment should feel like. The brain then remembers this body position,” Lamb explains.

As references for his research, Lamb has col-lected swing analyses from hundreds of golfers, half of them PGA professionals. “This statistic is my approximation of perfection,” he says. The quest for the perfect golf swing is never-ending – as every player knows. “A single successful golf shot is all it takes to get you hooked and ensure you come back for more.”

Bernd Ritthammer prefers to solve his problems out on the golf course rather than in the laboratory. “Your hip is coming through too quickly, too abruptly,” is the expert’s diagnosis. It’s the age-old problem: The coach explains what needs changing, the student nods – and then carries on virtually as before. So Ritthammer attempts to modify technique through exaggeration, minimizing all rotation of the hips on the downswing. In the heat of the driving range, he stands there hitting ball after ball. They fizz through the air, flying 150 yards, 200 yards. Ritthammer looks satisfied enough.

But he has another favourite trick: “I imagine the ball’s trajectory if I were to rotate my hips more slowly – and then try to strike the ball exactly like this.” Sometimes you just have to dupe the brain.

�OF�THE�72�SHOTS�it takes to complete an average round of golf, there are at most two or three I would describe as almost perfect. b e r n d r i t t h a m m e r

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WORDS FA B R I C E B R AU N

The

Perfect

Shape

BiOnicS RefeRS to the art of basing technological

applications on natural phenomena. Below: an

artificial recreation of a gull’s flight. Right page:

the interior structure of a pavilion, modelled after

a sea urchin.

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Architects, researchers and engineers often look to the plant

and animal kingdoms for inspiration in their quest for the ideal shape.

Nature frequently provides the best ideas for making fuel-stingy aircraft, energy-efficient buildings or even

streamlined swimsuits.

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he huge dragonfly lifts gingerly off its perch, beating all four of its wings, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Hovering in place for a few seconds, it suddenly darts forward, describes a few bold curves, descends almost to the ground, then climbs steeply upward again, its twin pairs of transparent wings beating so quickly as to be a nearly invisible blur. One could easily imagine that a prehistoric dragonfly has actually been restored to life – were it not for the hum of the servomotors. In fact, this 44-centimetre-long flying machine is not a living , breathing animal, but a high-tech creation made of aluminum, carbon fibre and polyamide. Constructed by Festo, an engineering firm in southwestern Germany, the faux dragonfly is called the BionicOpter. Weighing in at 175 grams, this minuscule flier is controlled by a smartphone. The man-made insect’s wings can beat up to 1,200 times per second, and it boasts a repertoire of 13 different manoeuvres – it can even fly backwards. “We view this project the way automakers view a concept car. We want to demonstrate what is technologically pos-sible,” explains project manager Heinrich Frontzek.

Lab with a viewAlthough the concept of bionics has only existed since the mid-20th century, nature has always been a source of inspiration for scientists and inventors. In 1505, Leonardo da Vinci composed his famous study, Codex on the Flight of Birds, and subsequently tried to build flying machines based on the knowledge he gained. All he lacked was the technological means to realize his visions. Since then, researchers in vari-ous disciplines have repeatedly looked to the natural world outside their laboratory windows whenever they felt short on inspiration.

Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral, for example, based his invention of Velcro in the 1940s on the hooked seeds of the burdock plant. In the 1980s, Dietrich Bechert designed a specialized type of foil that imitated the hydrodynamic properties of sharkskin. Aircraft covered with this foil consume four percent less fuel than they otherwise would. The upwardly bent wingtips found on modern aircraft are also a fuel-saving measure: By minimizing turbulence, they reduce air resistance. The naturally occurring counterparts of these winglets, which are also found on Formula 1 race cars, are the wingtips of large birds with their manoeuvrable feath-ers. Tire manufacturers have also modelled their tread profiles on natural phenomena, such as bee honey-combs or the feet of tree frogs and geckos.

Mercedes-Benz also has a hand in bionics research. In 2005, the company unveiled the “bionic car,” a concept vehicle based on the principles of bionics. The car’s extremely low drag coefficient of 0.19 is a direct result of its aerodynamic shape, inspired by the tropical boxfish.

Just how efficiently nature optimizes certain shapes via the process of evolution is clearly illus-trated by a wind tunnel experiment conducted by Mercedes-Benz engineers: An anatomically accurate model of the boxfish recorded a drag coefficient

COPYCAT The BionicOpter imitates a dragonfly. Its twin pairs of wings operate independently of each other, enabling it to fly backwards.

MOdelled ON a tropical flower: The flexible lamellae can

be cambered to align with the sun’s rays.

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T H E J E W E L L E R O F L I G H T ™

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and the interior temperature. The Soma team went a step further in its design for a Salzburg art pavilion: Using a computer to calculate the optimal position of 1,500 aluminum struts with a random number gener-ator, the team essentially created a time-lapse version of the natural process of evolution. The architects input certain parameters, but they had no idea how the final product would turn out once the computer began its calculations. Nonetheless, Rutzinger is conscious of the process’s inherent limitations: “We can try to approach nature’s complexity, but nature will always be more complex by a huge margin.”

Attempting to imitate nature can be fraught with difficulty, as biologist Wilhelm Barthlott learned. In the 1970s, the German professor discovered the “lotus effect.” He noticed that the Indian lotus flower is always immaculately clean, even though it grows in filthy water. Considered a Buddhist symbol of purity, the flower has the unique ability to self-clean. Examining it under an electron microscope, Barthlott discovered the reason: The surface of the flower’s petals only appears smooth to the naked eye, while in reality it is covered with microscopic waxy nubs. This covering makes water bead, taking dirt particles along with it. The biologist quickly saw the potential for applying the lotus principle to the manufacture of self-cleaning materials. But the road to an actual manufacturing process was filled with obstacles: “It took us 10 years just to determine that we could actually make something.” It took another decade to get a real product onto the market. Today, we have self-cleaning roof tiles, window glass and auto-care products all incorporating the lotus effect.

Adopting a long-term perspective, as Barthlott did, is essential when working with bionics. After all, what’s 20 years of intensive research compared to millions of years of evolution?

of just 0.06. “Mother Nature has had millions of years to hone her designs,” is how Werner Nachtigall explains these near-perfect aerodynamics. Nachtigall is one of the world’s most renowned bionics pioneers. For over 50 years, the now retired professor, has been research-ing what technology can glean from biology. “Nature’s work is unfocused, but it occurs on a massive scale. In Europe, for example, there are billions of blue bottle flies, and each one is slightly different.”

Through experimentation, mistakes and natural selection, forms of life emerge with characteristics that are often astounding: “The whirligig beetle, when swimming, exhibits a 93-percent efficiency rate in energy consumption,” he notes. Achieving this sort of perfection in energy usage is something engineers can only dream of.

Beauty vs. functionalityBut the field of bionics isn’t about simply aping nature in all its detail. The key is to stay faithful to the over-arching principle. A few years ago, Festo engineer Frontzek and his team developed a highly responsive grappling arm using an elephant’s trunk as their real-world model. The arm could be used to sort vegetables that bruise easily: “A real elephant’s trunk has 40,000 muscles, but we were able to make do with 11.”

Soma, a Viennese architectural firm, also employs bionics. “Nature is our main source of inspiration, especially in the conceptualization phase,” says Stefan Rutzinger, one of the company’s founders. At the 2012 World Expo in South Korea, Soma’s spectacular One Ocean pavilion raised eyebrows. The high-tech struc-ture’s organic lines and surfaces were especially impressive. But beauty – at least in terms of bionic structures – is considered a coincidental, albeit pleas-ing, by-product that takes a back seat to the main goal of functionality. The building’s highlight is its 140-metre-long facade consisting of huge lamellae – up to 13 metres high – that can be cambered. In addition to its biomimetic qualities, this facade also fulfills an architectonic function by controlling the influx of light

THE LOTUS EFFECT used in roof tiles and windows helps create self-cleaning surfaces. The flower also serves as an architectural template.

SHARK E YES on endless vigil: The

fish’s skin is also hydrodynamically perfect.

An elephant’s trunk was the model for a highly

responsive grappling arm.

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© 2013 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

THE 2014 SLK, E-CLASS CABRIOLET AND SL-CLASS

Because some dreams are too good not to come true.Excitement has never been so palpable. Discover the fascinatingcabriolets, roadsters and coupes from Mercedes-Benz that you have always dreamed of, now within your reach. Visit your local Mercedes-Benz dealership and we’ll inspire you to take a test drive.

To te dolecumquae imilitaque laut et repro omni te volupta cor.

S P O T L I G H T

A Breath

of Mobility

Suspended animation: Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi created a virtually

words U l r i k e St i erl e photos B J ö rn F iSc h er , M at t h i aS St r aU B

europe an ve hicle mode l shown92

s h a p i n g a i rA plastic sheet assumes the contours of the CLA,

seemingly suspended from threads of black glue.

weightlesssculptureusingtheMercedes-BenzCLA.

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G l u e a r t i s tYasuaki Onishi (left)

creates sculptures out of air and glue.

S P O T L I G H T

ight as a feather and pulsating in the slightest breeze, the gossamer shell hangs in space, illuminated by the ambient light that catches it. The shimmering, silvery silhouette is suspended from the ceiling by countless transparent threads, appearing at once weightless and solid. At first sight it is reminiscent of an abstract mountain range in miniature; on closer inspec-tion, however, the contours reveal the distinctive form of the Mercedes-Benz CLA.

Yasuaki Onishi steps back and lowers his glue gun. The Japanese artist runs his fingers pen-sively through his hair and reviews his installation with a trained eye. “I’ve noticed how simple and elegant this car is. I just wanted to capture the form in a work of art.”

Air as a construct, negative space as art: That is Yasuaki Onishi’s vision. Using the simplest tools – translucent polyethylene sheets and

threads of black glue – the 34-year-old creates works of art that challenge our viewing habits. As virtually weightless as they are colossal, they appear to be floating in mid-air.

Until recently, the Osaka-based artist focused mainly on abstract landscapes, such as his famous installation series Reverse of Volume, which has received showings at prestigious galleries in Norway, Israel and the United States. His latest artwork, Shaping Air, was created in a hangar near Stuttgart and sets out to capture the flowing lines of the Mercedes-Benz CLA. Boasting a drag coeffi-cient as low as 0.28, the four-door coupe is one of the world’s most streamlined production cars. “It’s got something organic about it – a natural, aero-dynamic form. I think the parallels to my artwork can definitely be found here,” Onishi explains.

His signature approach is to create works by slowly drizzling glue from nylon threads

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Discover the Star. The Illuminated Star for your Mercedes-Benz.

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For over 125 years, the Mercedes-Benz star has remained unchanged as the symbol of quality and craftsmanship. Now you can bring this icon to life in the grille of your vehicle. The Illuminated Star is subtle, but eye-catching. Bright but sophisticated. It’s a new and exciting way to make your Mercedes-Benz truly yours.

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Einarmiger Handstand bei starkem Wind: Jede seiner Bewegungen sieht leicht und beiläufig aus, egal, ob er über knorrige Bäume oder bröckelnde Felsen springt.

attached to the ceiling. As the thousands of beads drip downward, they come into contact with a giant sheet of translucent polyethylene spread out over an object a few metres beneath. When the object is subsequently removed, it leaves behind a negative space – and a silhouette that is floating in the air.

Using just a plastic sheet and a glue gun, Onishi is able to shape air into organic works of art that often have a ghostly, ethereal effect – and invariably leave a great deal of scope for interpretation. “My artworks often remind people of mountain ranges. But this time I wanted to create a piece using a more materialistic object,” says Onishi. He spent five days working on his unusual project with patience, absolute preci-sion and meticulous attention to detail. And all the while, the artist studied the shape of the Mercedes-Benz CLA, carefully running his hand

over the plastic sheet, memorizing every curve and indentation of the coupe’s silhouette. The more precise the representation of the car’s shape beneath the sheet, the greater the number of glistening beads of glue.

To help him concentrate, Onishi listens to classical music while he works. During a break, the artist sips green tea and explains how this intense artistic encounter with the Mercedes-Benz CLA triggered a special feeling in him: “I sense the pride of a manufacturer that derives from a long tradition.”

By contrast, Onishi’s works are made for the moment. His Shaping Air installation was cre-ated to be the subject of a fascinating video, before being dismantled once filming was com-plete. In this way, Onishi’s unusual creative process is itself part of the fragile artwork – a breath of mobility. >

S P O T L I G H T

g h o s t r i d e rThe plastic sheet

catches the ambient light, creating an

ethereal, ghostly effect.

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LUXURY REAL ESTATE REDEFINED

Luxury Real Estate AuctionsTo view our upcoming auctions please visit:

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words to b i as n eb l illustr ation 5 0 0 g ls

Sit Back. . . and relax: the new s-Class turns the humble driver’s seat into a Human Machine interface – hot-stone massage included.

hen it comes to the necessity of sitting down to drive from point A to B, little has changed since the automobile was invented. However, the seat behind the steering wheel is an altogether different beast nowadays. In fact, it’s no longer just a seat but a Human Machine Interface, if you please – a key factor in maximizing comfort, and one that plays an active role in keeping the driver fresh during the journey. This advanced technology benefits the front-seat passenger as well. From four-way power lumbar support to head restraints that can be electrically adjusted both horizontally and vertically, occupants in the new S-Class (see page 28) will want for nothing. Indeed, once you’ve sampled the delights of the energizing massage function and seat climatization, you’ll never want to get out.

stars BEHind tHE sCEnEs the position, length, height and angle of the seat – even the depth of the seat cushion, the height of the head restraints and the four-way power lumbar support – can be adjusted electrically as a standard feature. but the really spectacular stuff takes place within the side bolsters: the optionally available Drive-Dynamic Multicontour seat inflates the bolsters individually – and in a matter of seconds – in response to the car’s steering movement, to provide even better lateral support for the driver and front passenger.

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HIGH TECH IN LAYERS Comfort and lightweight design shared centre stage in the development process for the new front seats. Their structure weighs under 20 kilograms – around 20 percent less than a conventional design – thanks, among other factors, to a sandwich construction based around steel shells with integrated plastic inlays.

VISIBLE RELAXATION The engineers also had quite a brainwave when it came to operating the energizing function. The central, 12.3-inch display of the COMAND Online infotainment system shows the individual massage zones in the seats. In addition, a rotary knob graphic appears on the screen displaying the desired program as a number. The menu for the seat functions can be called up directly using a button on the centre console.

HOT-STONE MASSAGE The energizing function of the seats is a world first, using the hot-stone principle to deliver active relaxation. Six programs are available, two of them heat-assisted. Each program separately controls the 14 air chambers in each seat, some of which benefit from quick-responding seat heating. Heat and pressure are used to simulate the effect of traditionally applied hot stones, massaging and mobilizing the shoulder area, back and hips.

SEAT CLIMATIZATION At the touch of a button, four electric fans in the seat surface and two in the backrest draw cooler ambient air onto the seat’s perforated leather surface. After four minutes, the fans automatically invert their direction of rotation to prevent drafts over longer journeys. The fans’ intensity can be adjusted through three stages.

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he 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission long ago laid to rest the notion that you can only have fun with a manual transmission. Now, the

latest evolution is just around the corner. The aptly named 9G-TRONIC boasts nine forward and two reverse speeds as well as a choice of Manual, Economy and Sport modes. In Manual mode, gear changes are carried out by the driver, using the steering-wheel shift paddles. Alternatively, the driver can select Economy or Sport modes and hand over the shifting duties to the intelligent control logic. While the gear changes are barely perceptible, the savings at the pump are sure to grab the driver’s attention.

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Change Is GoodWith nine forward speeds, the new automatic transmission from Mercedes-Benz will raise the bar once more on driving enjoyment and efficiency. The perks of the 9G-TRONIC include smooth, light-ning-quick gear changes and improved fuel economy.

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1 P I O N E E R I N GNine forward and two reverse speeds: Most Mercedes-Benz model series will get this new technology over the coming years.

2 F l E x I b l EThe transmission offers three different modes: Economy keeps the rpm low, while Sport mode delays upshifts. In Manual mode, it’s the driver who calls the shots.

3 Dy N a m I CThe gear-skipping multiple downshift capability is an enormous advantage in terms of agility and fast mid-range acceleration. 4 l I G H TThe 9G-TRONIC has a torque capacity of 737 lb-ft. Despite the two additional ratios (compared to the 7G-TRONIC), the magnesium-alloy casing and plastic sump make the new unit lighter than its predecessor.

E C O N O m I C a lThe large ratio spread has major benefits for efficiency. The new 9G-TRONIC transmission also supports ECO start/stop, which switches the engine off at traffic lights or in stationary traffic.

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A Legend

The ancestors of the S-Class were always highly prized by statesmen and celebrities keen on creature comforts. Thanks largely to its ongoing technological advances, the top Mercedes-Benz

model has earned a reputation as the doyen of every class – and the epitome of exclusivity.

Whenever the paparazzi snap stars like

Céline Dion, an S-Class is rarely far away.

Stately, Sophisticated, Superior

1954

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9 W 180 / W 128 The Ponton would be the first Mercedes-Benz car with a self-supporting body.

1959

–196

8 W 111 / W 112 Premiere: The 220, 220 S and 220 SE Fintails boast a safety body.

1965

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2 W 108 / W 109 Thanks to its V8 engine, the top-of- the-range 300 SEL 6.3 combines luxury with sports-car performance.

1972

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0 W 116 The first S-Class series brings ABS to the road and diesel to the luxury class.

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features that today read like a catalogue of auto-motive firsts: safety body, ABS, driver and front-passenger airbags, Electronic Stability Program – all these made their debut in the S-Class. Innovations such as these would help steer the luxury class as a whole to a new world record: With sales totalling over 3.5 million, the S-Class and its predecessor models became the most successful model series in its vehicle segment.

In part, this success was due to countless VIP fans – from popes and politicians to stars like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. And once won over, many of them became regular customers. Perhaps the most unusual multiple purchase was that of Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan, who ordered six sedans from the W 126 series to match his family coat of arms, each in a different colour of the rain-bow. This bestselling S-Class series was also hugely popular among the racing fraternity. According to the motorsports press of the day, 20 out of 35 Formula One drivers in 1983 privately owned either an S-Class or one of the SEC coupes – including, of course, many drivers who repre-sented rival constructors on the racetrack.

lthough the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany didn’t have a driver’s licence, he did enjoy riding in style. In 1951, Konrad Adenauer decided on the Mercedes-Benz 300 as his official car, but discreetly suggested that his ministers should opt for something a little smaller in scale for themselves. The Chancellor himself, however, was reluctant to go anywhere without his luxury limo – and when he flew to Moscow at the height of the Cold War in 1955, his Mercedes-Benz was sent ahead in a freight car specially converted for the purpose by the German Federal Railway. The largest and fastest German production vehicle of its day, the 300 impressed not only the Chancellor and many other heads of state, it also established the basis for the high regard in which Mercedes-Benz vehicles are now held. This explains why the sedan is part of a special exhibition featuring the S-Class and its forerunners, which runs until November at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The model series was only officially given the S-Class designation in 1972, but its earliest direct ancestor, also introduced in 1951, was the 220 model (W 187). Then, in 1954, Mercedes-Benz introduced a new premium-class generation. With its self-supporting body, the 220a (W 180) offered hitherto unknown levels of interior comfort. The successor series of subsequent decades boasted

Favoured by international VIPs from Elvis Presley to the Pope – as a state limousine or status symbol

STATELY Konrad Adenauer

always rolled up in his Mercedes-Benz 300.

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1 W 126 Marks a world first for airbags, and a Mercedes-Benz premiere for plastic bumpers.

1991

–199

8 W 140 Noise insulation and extra space enhance comfort; the revolutionary ESP system improves safety.

1998

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5 W 220 With the top-of-the-range S 600, the S-Class reaches the 500-hp mark for the first time.

2005

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3 W 221 Night vision, distance control, braking: Assistance systems are a real boon to drivers.

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with an S-Class.

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Certifi ed. Affordable. Luxury.

© 2013 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. *0.9% fi nancing only available through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on approved credit for a limited time. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer for offer details or call the Mercedes-Benz Customer Relations Centre at 1-800-387-0100.

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Every Certified Mercedes-Benz comes with a standard Star-Certified warranty. For a limited time, take advantage of 0.9% APR purchase financing on all 2009-2012 Certified Pre-Owned vehicles.

Buying a Certified Pre-Owned gets you:

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For a complete listing, visit your local Mercedes-Benz dealership or mercedes-benz.ca/certified

Buy with Confidence. Drive with Pride.

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Perhaps one of the most convincing explanations as to why the principle of sharing has recently become such a sur-prising social phenomenon is its strong latent moral aspect. As the new mantra goes, sharing products and using them can be better than owning. In addition, it is a form of consumerism that makes us act more responsibly, think more sustainably and ultimately turns us into better people. For after decades of con-spicuous consumption, we have finally returned to the point from which we all began at nursery school: the selfless sharing of the sandbox.

So much for the bright “new” theory of the “sharity” world. Curiously, though, one of the most successful busi-ness sectors of the sharing society caters to a deeper and more devious motive: sharing as a market opportunity to simulate status, feign extravagance and enjoy the pretense of wealth, even when you can’t afford to.

Nowadays, luxury goods – sports cars, jewellery, designer clothes,

handbags and even sunglasses – can be borrowed from online platforms. The most desirable of all designer handbags, the Céline Trapèze, for example, can currently be rented for about $510 a month from runawaybag.com, a Chanel J12 white ceramic ladies’ wristwatch for $720 and Tom Ford sunglasses for a “mere” $67 from bagborroworsteal.com. And a month later you can return to the websites to select your next must-have accoutrement in a never-ending simula-tion of inexhaustible resources.

From car shares to house swaps, sharing now embraces luxury living. Onefinestay.com, for instance, is a high-end version of Airbnb, offering exclusive accommodations in London and New York, such as a Park Avenue apartment for $1,750 per night. In certain areas, particularly those where the burden of upkeep is greater than the desire for ownership – yachts and private jets, to name but two – the sharing principle is already well established and goes under the highbrow name of fractional ownership. You might think that people with the wherewithal to pay the rental on a Birkin bag by Hermès ($2,450) could just as easily obtain financing to buy it. Yet some choose not to. So why is that? It appears that the object’s value has more to do with being seen with it rather than its intrinsic worth.

Of course, you need not advertise to the whole world that the magic promptly

rubs off at the end of the month, when the borrowed baubles are returned to their owners. We have known for years that glamour is mostly on loan.

The Oscars are now less about the films than about which designer has created an evening dress for which star, or which jeweller has loaned which necklace, with two grim-faced security guards to keep an eye on it. The fact that this Cinderella feeling is now avail-able to ordinary people may have a genuine therapeutic effect: It affords us an opportunity to play dress-up with precious goods that would normally be off-limits. But is the experience as amaz-ing, as uplifting, as transforming as we imagine it to be? Or is the high-end designer bag ultimately nothing more than a piece of leather with carry straps? As always when earthly desires find their fulfillment, mundane reality usually wins the day, such as the comforting thought that even the owner of a luxury sports car has to sit in traffic jams alongside the ordinary motorist.

And yet we all deserve the pleasure of treating ourselves every once in a while – if only fleetingly – to something irresponsible. It’s a little bit like a test drive, a dress rehearsal, an experiment with an uncertain outcome. For without the excitement of trying it out at least once, how can we ever know whether this new life will fit us like a glove or merely make us feel uncomfortable?

s h a r I n g doesn’t have to be a purely selfless act. In a new trend from which we have much to learn, all of us can now enjoy designer handbags, sunglasses and watches with-out actually owning them, as Meike Winnemuth discovers.

P.S. Luxury for All

M e I k e W I n n e M u t h spent a whole year living in 12 cities on five continents after winning a large sum of money on the German version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? she describes her experiences in her book Das grosse los (jackpot). here, she gives her views on sharing, borrowing and non-ownership. In particular, she explores the in-sights that are to be gained from borrowing and renting the trap-pings of wealth. >

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Experience a new level of control. The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. mercedes-benz.ca/drivingacademy

THE WINGS of the show car (with Jeremy Scott, below) have been “clipped” for the production version.

F A S H I O N F O R W A R D

Flight of FancyT H E R E A R E N O L I M I T S to what star designer Jeremy Scott is willing to try out in the name of style. Wings are a trademark of his often rather eccentric fashion creations, for which he is worshipped by pop stars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna – and respected by fellow designers like Karl Lagerfeld. Now this fashion rebel has turned his hand to the smart: Eye-catching rear wings distinguish this special version, which Scott initially created as the “smart forjeremy” show car but is now destined for production in a limited edition. The smart fortwo edition by Jeremy Scott comes in polar white with a pair of wings above the rear lights, while leather lends the interior a touch of haute couture. It’s literally tailor-made. smart.ca

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Driving ForcePaul Rustchynsky is a racing games specialist. As the design director at Evolution Studios, his mission is to make the PlayStation4 game DriveClub (out late 2013) as realistic as possible.

A U T O M O T I V E D I C T I O N A R Y

Mo|tion cap|ture, noun; a tracking process that turns human movement into computer data. Daimler uses special suits fitted with sen-sors that record a test subject’s every move-ment in real time. Exact analysis of the data can be used, for example, to optimize the design of a future vehicle’s interior.

I N N O V A T I O N

Get the Doodle BugT H E 3 D O O D L E R is a pen that frees you from the surface of the paper and enables you to continue sketching in any direction you want – it’s a sort of hand-operated 3-D printer, but instead of ink, it uses plastic. This is first heated and then, with the help of an integrated fan, rapidly cools and hardens. You can use it to make three-dimensional sketches or to create jewellery and accessories by hand. The clever little hand printer from Wobble Works is set to be available this fall. the3doodler.com

How authentic a feel does driving have in your game? DriveClub isn’t a simulator – but we’re definitely edging closer and closer to reality. How do you achieve that? And how do you incorporate the CLA 45 AMG into the game in a realistic way? With a lot of hard work! We start by reproducing the vehicle using original CAD data. Then we take thousands of photos to record every detail of the exterior and interior. And we incorporate all the technical data we can to capture the essence of the car. Several AMGs feature in DriveClub, so we also visited their HQ in Affalterbach, Germany, to experience the feel of actually driving an AMG.

What role does the sound of a car play in your work? An important one, because it reinforces the feeling of sitting in a car. Our audio team visited the racetrack and used dozens of internal and external mikes to record all the sounds, which they then reproduced in 3-D.

What is still needed to create a perfect simulation?Television sets don’t normally allow any peripheral sight, which increases the sensation of speed and makes it easier to think ahead while driving. We’re workingon solving this.

D E S I G N

Hot on the Scent

P E R F U M E R Gérald Ghislain was looking for a way to combine his two passions – travelling and scents – which was what prompted him to create his The Scent of Departure series: 22 perfumes for 22 cities, from New York to Budapest. The idea is that the aromas capture the atmosphere of each city – and help combat homesickness, too. The scent of tiare blossom and coconut transports you to Bali, whereas bergamot and amber whisk you off to Abu Dhabi. thescentofdeparture.com

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Upgrade to Sirius Premier. Now you can get all the content you love with SiriusXM plus exclusive premium channels,

including SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,TM PGA TOUR® Radio, MLB Network Radio,TM NBA games, Oprah Radio,® Opie &

Anthony and more, all for just $19.99/month.* Visit siriusxm.ca to learn more.

*Additional fees and taxes apply. © 2013 Sirius XM Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and are used under license. MLB is available on the XM network only. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit MLB.com. The NBA and NBA member team identifi cations are the intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams. © 2013 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © NHL 2013. All rights reserved. PGA TOUR and the Swinging Golfer design are trademarks of PGA TOUR, Inc. and used with permission. All other trademarks, service marks, images and logos are property of their respective owners and are displayed in this publication with permission. All rights reserved.

SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.TM Hear every play.

J E B E L H A F E E T M O U N TA I N straddles the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The road winds its way around 21 bends as it climbs the barren ridge. At the top there is a spectacular view – particularly at sunset – across the empty desert. Along the way you pass a hotel, a radar station and a number of small palaces.

F r O M Al Ain T O Jebel Hafeetd I s TA N c E 24 kilometres

d U r AT I O N 32 minutes

H I G H E s T P O I N T 1,219 metres

2 4 ° 3 ' 3 1 ' ' N , 5 5 ° 4 6 ' 3 9 ' ' O

350,000 P E O P L E work in the so-called “Square Mile,” the centre of London’s financial-services industry and one of the biggest concentrations of finance companies in the world. Things don’t come cheap here. But at least Europe’s biggest-gigabit WLAN network ensures that anyone can gain free access to the Internet. The network is open for unlimited use and covers 95 percent of the City of London. Other cities have similar plans: In Berlin, for example, a network of 100 hotspots is currently being set up in the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg districts. But in this case, free surfing will only be permitted for a maximum of 30 minutes.

N O W I N A U D I O . . .

The OtherM I d d L E - c L A s s

B O Y Neil gets to know John, the son of rich parents, at school, and the two become friends. But whereas Neil opts for an average existence with a job, a wife and two kids, John breaks off all contact and withdraws into the remote backwoods. David Guterson (Snow Falling on Cedars) tells the tale of an unusual friendship that ends under mysterious circumstances.amazon.com

Al AIN

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Upgrade to Sirius Premier. Now you can get all the content you love with SiriusXM plus exclusive premium channels,

including SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,TM MLB Network Radio,TM NBA games, Oprah Radio,®

Opie & Anthony and more, all for just $19.99/month.* Visit siriusxm.ca to learn more.

*Additional fees and taxes apply. © 2013 Sirius XM Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and are used under license. MLB is available on the XM network only. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit MLB.com. The NBA and NBA member team identifi cations are the intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams. © 2013 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © NHL 2013. All rights reserved. PGA TOUR and the Swinging Golfer design are trademarks of PGA TOUR, Inc. and used with permission. All other trademarks, service marks, images and logos are property of their respective owners and are displayed in this publication with permission. All rights reserved.

SiriusXM PGA TOUR® Radio. Hear every round.

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“AN AUTOMOBILE represents your own personality and is an exact reflection of your taste. It is an object of desire, just like toy cars when you are a child.” u s h e r , m u s i c i a n

HOW DO YOU DO IT? Take a daring leap from a cliff more than 10 metres above the sea. You’ll attain a velocity of 50 km/h; if you jump from 28 metres, you’ll reach more than 90 km/h.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE? Train beforehand by jump-ing from five- and 10-metre diving boards at your local pool; then start with low, safe cliffs. And no – Acapulco is not an option.

WHERE CAN YOU LEARN TO DO IT? At a swimming club that offers dive training. You can find a list of clubs on the Web.

Jumping off a Cliff

Hanging Gardens T H E L I G H T PA R K is a concept for architecture magazine eVolo, which holds an annual competition to design a skyscraper. The hovering tower is intended to reduce the strain on the infrastructure of the city of Beijing. The fan-like platforms could carry parks, restaurants and greenhouses, while solar panels on the helium balloon would provide the structure with energy. evolo.us

PROPELLER

A helium balloon and a propeller provide lift.

CABLEThe cable structure distributes the skyscraper’s weight evenly.

PLATFORMS

Adjustable slabs regulate the overall balance.

O N C E I N A L I F E T I M E . . .

International pop superstar

Usher visits Mercedes AMG.

GREEN AREAS

Plants clean the air.

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All Sirius equipped Mercedes-Benz vehicles include a 6 month complimentary subscription. SiriusXM gives

you the content you love, including SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. And when you upgrade to Sirius Premier, you’ll also get

exclusive premium channels, including SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,TM SiriusXM PGA TOUR® Radio, MLB Network Radio,TM

NBA games, Oprah Radio,® Opie & Anthony and more, all for just $19.99/month.* Visit siriusxm.ca to learn more.

*Additional fees and taxes apply. © 2013 Sirius XM Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and are used under license. MLB is available on the XM network only. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit MLB.com. NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. The NBA and NBA member team identifi cations are the intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams. © 2013 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © NHL 2013. All rights reserved. PGA TOUR and the Swinging Golfer design are trademarks of PGA TOUR, Inc. and used with permission. All other trademarks, service marks, images and logos are property of their respective owners and are displayed in this publication with permission. All rights reserved.

SiriusXM NASCAR® Radio. Hear every lap.

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FOUR MISTAKES can be found in the right-hand photo when viewed the right way up. The brand emblem is missing, as are the near-side mirror, the rear door handle and one of the daytime headlights.

Original and FakeThe concept GLA shows what a compact premium SUV from Mercedes-Benz might look like. The coupe-like concept car includes groundbreaking technologies such as laser projectors in the headlights that can project pictures or films

onto screens and other surfaces. Which of these two examples is the original?

all-embracing The Up wristband from Jawbone tracks how much ground you cover, checks how much energy you consume – and even monitors your sleep. A special app analyzes yourprofile and shows how you can improve it.jawbone.com

Peak Scanner identifies moun-tains and tells you their name, height and distance.

Paris for Parents offers travel tips and tells you about things to do with kids in the City of Light.

A P P Y V A C A T I O N

Downloads for TravellersH O T E L T O N I G H T enables you to book a hotel room for the coming night at last-minute prices – with guaranteed discounts of up to 70 percent. With a growing list of countries, it’s ideal for spontaneous trips both in Canada and abroad.

H O W D O Y O U C O M B I N E modernity with tradition? In the Dutch village of Schijndel, the roof and facade of a high-tech glass palace have been covered with a picture of a traditional farmhouse. Inside, there are restaurants, shops and a wellness centre. mvrdv.nl

Freshly Printed

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We’ve got you covered.The Mercedes-Benz Extended Limited Warranty.

Enjoy even more worry-free driving with the Mercedes-Benz Extended Limited Warranty, an affordable way to help retain the value of your vehicle. Best of all, you can purchase extended coverage at any point during your new vehicle warranty period.

Your coverage can be extended to a total of 7 years and a maximum of 160,000 km (double the basic warranty distance). Benefits include a zero deductible, Roadside Assistance, and it can be transferred to a new owner.*

Ask your Service Advisor for more information, or visit mercedes-benz.ca.

*Certain terms, conditions and an administration fee apply. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer for details.

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POWERPACK They look like V12 engines, but are in fact handcrafted espresso machines from Espresso Veloce. Instead of a turbo-charger, they have a grappa reservoir for making caffè corretto. espressoveloce.com

Going, Going – Mine!AUCTION HOUSE BONHAMS normally sells Ming vases and old masters – objects that have an immaterial as well as a material value. So one of the world’s most important historic racing cars did not look out of place in their catalogue: When Juan Manuel Fangio won two Grand Prix in this 1954 W 196, it marked Mercedes-Benz’s triumphant return to racing. The famous model went on the block last July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. bonhams.com

Q U E S T I O N : What links Miami and Affalterbach? The answer is the Concept Cigarette AMG Electric Drive that AMG and boat-builders Cigarette Racing presented at the International Boat Show in Florida. The motor produces an astounding 2,221 hp, and the boat has a top speed of 160 km/h – a triumph of technology transfer from road to water.

Electric Cruiser

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http://mercedes-benz-insurance.ca

Five of our favourite getaways around the globe, from oceanside resorts to urban art deco meccas.

Town & Country

R h o d e I s l a n d , U s a

Ocean Houseoceanhouseri.com

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I n t R o This grand Victorian hotel has been a community hub in Rhode Island’s Watch Hill since 1868 – so much so that it was razed and rebuilt in its former image over 130 years later. The new buttercream facade is so faithful to the original, it could fool former guests.

d e s I g n Find 5,000 original artifacts and antique touches throughout the hotel, including a stone fireplace and historic photos.

a m e n I t I e s Bath products come from the hotel’s Forbes Five Star OH! Spa.

d R e s s C o d e New England casual – find Barbour jackets and Kiel James Patrick nautical bracelets in the hotel boutique.

d R I n k Take a martini-making class in the private Club Room.

d I s h Sautéed scallops at Seasons.

o U t I n g Go sailing or birdwatching at refurbished sister hotel (and fellow Relais & Châteaux property) Weekapaug Inn, a 15-minute drive away.

d o n ’ t m I s s Travel in the fall or winter and the 200-metre private beach could be all yours, or find yourself in good company there for summer surfing classes and oceanside yoga.

I n t R o A country club resort set on 2,200 acres along Jamaica’s north coast, offering 88 rental villas of one to 10 bedrooms.

d e s I g n If you like modern Caribbean architecture, choose Hummingbird House; a Bali-style retreat, look to Mahogany Hill; eco-friendliness, check out partially solar-powered Jubilation.

a m e n I t I e s Each villa comes staffed with a chef, housekeeper, laundress and gardener. Save your energy for the tennis courts and championship golf course.

d R e s s C o d e Appropriate sports attire while in play; resort wear everywhere else.

d R I n k Planter’s Punch paired with the Friday-night beach party.

d I s h Jamaican breakfast (ackee ’n’ saltfish, johnnie cakes, fried plantain) prepared by your villa chef. He’ll also garnish your morning table with fresh fruit and flowers from the garden.

o U t I n g Everyone visits the Lobster Trap (boxer Lennox Lewis is a regular), a rustic beach resto serving up tasty local fare and mouth-watering crustaceans.

d o n ’ t m I s s The 19th-century water wheel is a plantation-era relic. See it on the golf course’s seventh hole or arrange a private dinner at its base.

J a m a I C a

The Tryall Clubtryallclub.com

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N e w Y o r k , U S A

The Jade Hotelthejadenyc.com

C A l i f o r N i A , U S A

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spafairmont.com/sonoma

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The Merchant Hotelthemerchanthotel.com

i N t r o This 113-room Greenwich Village hotel may be brand new, but it feels right out of the Roaring Twenties. A speakeasy vibe runs through every room, from the velvet-draped lobby to its tucked-away restaurant, Grape & Vine.

d e S i g N Art Deco-inspired style interspersed with authentic vintage objects, including rotary phones (that really work!) and Macassar ebony desks.

A m e N i t i e S The lobby’s bookcase is furnished with elegant hardcover editions from one-time Village residents such as Allen Ginsberg and Dylan Thomas.

d r e S S C o d e Boho 2.0 (less tie-dye, more tailoring).

d r i N k Old-fashioned with bourbon- or brandy-soaked cherries (depending on the bartender’s mood).

d i S h Classic New York strip steak served with béarnaise or salsa verde.

o U t i N g Embark on the hotel’s free, low-key neighbourhood walking tour.

d o N ’ t m i S S Toiletries care of C.O. Bigelow, the oldest apothecary in America, whose 1838 flagship store is four blocks from the hotel.

i N t r o There’s something for gourmets and golfers alike in California’s other wine country, Sonoma, at this historic hotel. Originally built as a hot-springs destination at the end of the 19th century, its latest incarnation, including a red-tiled roof, is modelled after a religious mission.

A m e N i t i e S The pools at the 3,700-square-metre spa are still fed by the area’s healing mineral waters, and guests have access to the adjacent Sonoma Golf Club, designed in 1928 by Sam Whiting, the man behind the celebrated Lake Course at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

d r e S S C o d e Wine-country casual (think linen and low heels).

d r i N k Need we say it? Any local bottle will do, and many of the sommeliers and wait staff were raised amid the vineyards.

d i S h Grand Marnier soufflé at the Michelin-rated Santé.

o U t i N g Work off those wine-tour calories at the Jack London State Historic Park.

d o N ’ t m i S S Some suites come with their own wood-burning fireplaces – perfect for the surprisingly cool nights.

i N t r o Located in Belfast’s dynamic Cathedral Quarter, this five-star hotel bridges sleek design and retro style.

d e S i g N The original 19th-century Italianate building features 24 Victorian-style rooms (think silk curtains and antique furniture), while the 2010 extension boasts 38 lavish art deco-inspired rooms.

A m e N i t i e S On-site boutique Harper is Northern Ireland’s sole stockist of Valentino, Céline and Christian Louboutin.

d r e S S C o d e Dapper but not stuffy (double-breasted jackets are acceptable).

d r i N k In 2008, the hotel’s Mai Tai, then made with the ultra-rare 17-year-old J Wray & Nephew Jamaican Rum, entered the book of Guinness World Records as the world’s most expensive cocktail.

d i S h Cucumber, cream cheese and mint finger-sandwiches for afternoon tea at The Great Room Restaurant.

o U t i N g Giant’s Causeway, home to over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, is just over an hour’s drive away.

d o N ’ t m i S S A live performance at Bert’s, the hotel’s jazz bar.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald Food truck louiSe BrookSJack kerouac Picnic BaSket Queen Victoria

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Films, Faces, Festivals

toronto international film festival Mercedes-Benz partnered with Hello! Canada at the celebrity magazine’s exclusive annual cocktail party, where movie stars and TV personalities rubbed elbows with industry VIPs (including comedian Russell Peters, pictured left with Mercedes-Benz Social Reporter Michelle Danese). One special attendee stole the show – a shiny new CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC.

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STEP OUT WITH Mercedes-Benz at the season’s hottest events, from star-studded parties to private concerts.

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b-class launch B-Scene celebrated the Canadian launch of the 2013 B-Class with DJ sets from Chromeo and Dirty Vegas, who played to a packed house at Sound Academy in Toronto.

formula 1 Racing phenom (and Mercedes AMG Petronas team member) Lewis Hamilton is welcomed to the stage at a Formula 1 event in Montreal by Mercedes-Benz President and CEO Tim A. Reuss.

b-The face After a nationwide search, four contestants were selected to test drive the new 2013 B-Class for a year and log their journey on their social media pages. The winners included (clockwise from left): Natasha Chudyk (B-Spontaneous), Chelsea McDermott (B-Playful) and Charles Ruocco (B-Adventurous). Follow the Social Reporters at mercedesbenzcanada.tumblr.com

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T h i s f a l l m a r k s the debut of the new CLA, a striking four-door Mercedes-Benz with

the streamlined silhouette and aerodynamics of a coupe. It’s a compact vehicle that feels anything

but. And though it offers exemplary performance, it also has a stablemate that offers, well, unrivalled

performance. Behold the CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC.

The story begins, of course, under the hood, with the most potent series production four-cylinder

passenger car engine in the world: a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline dynamo, developed independently

by Mercedes-AMG, that unleashes an unfathomable 355 hp at 6,000 rpm and produces 332 lb-ft

of mid-range torque. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed sports transmission, combined with

4MATIC all-wheel drive, draws on its racing heritage to extract prodigious results from this fabulous

powerplant. If you need to get from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds, then this is the CLA for you.

The AMG treatment also means that this astounding coupe is bedecked with stylish features

like Bi-Xenon headlamps, 18-inch AMG five-twin-spoke alloy wheels, a racing-inspired flat-bottom

steering wheel and stainless steel sports pedals. And because it’s a thoroughly modern Mercedes-Benz,

the CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC balances all that power and glory with innovative safety features like

COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST, and energy-saving technologies like the ECO start/stop function.

Now that’s a vehicle without equal.

Visit mercedes-benz.ca to learn more about the exhilarating new CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC.

Driving Performance

Fantastic FourThe CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC is a four-door coupe with superpowers.words C H R ISTO P H ER kO RC H I N

european vehicle model shown

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smart – a Daimler brandwww.smart.com

© 2013 smart Canada, a division of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

>> Turns the city into a loft. The smart fortwo edition BoConcept.What do a Danish urban interior designer and a car maker have in common? Quite a bit, actually. BoConcept and smart: both stand for contemporary, urban design that is distinctive, functional, innovative, and always something special. It’s no wonder something truly special was created when these two got together – a car in which you’ll feel so comfortably at home in, you’ll never want to get out. Find out more at www.smart.com or visit your local smart Centre.

http://www.rolex.com