Page 32 - Sharp: The Book For Men FW21
P. 32

    JOSH GREENBLATT / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ihadinitiatedtheplans,sointheoryIwasinthemoodtomingle — until about two hours before we were supposed to meet, when I felt an intense pull toward the couch. The sky looked threatening; I had a busy work week ahead; I had ordered in every meal for a month. It was a weeknight after all, should I really be going out?
It turns out, the answer was yes. I arrived around 7 PM to a packed patio. I was energized by the lively scene. Everyone around me seemed in good spirits — laughing with their friends, ordering second rounds, chatting with the bartender. As a quick drink turned into “Let’s split
a bottle” and an order of crinkle-cut fries magically appeared at the table, I stopped checking my watch and wondered why I ever wanted to stay home.
Perhaps it was the Amaro Montenegro we chased the pinot with, but I felt a distinct release of tension. More than basking in the afterglow of a great hang, the evening reminded me of how cautiously and sensibly I’d been living, even before the pandemic. We tend to allow ourselves indulgences or celebrations around milestones — birthdays, weddings, promotions — but there’s something liberating about treating yourself to a little (or a big) luxury whenever you want. Is a bit of instant gratification so bad?
We all have reasons for staying in or saving for the “right time”. But treating yourself can be a salve. I’ve thought back to pivotal moments of indulgence that brought me joy (buying a vintage Eames chair), gave me an unforgettable experience (a last-minute trip to Paris), or just got me out of my head (a bottle of wine on a weeknight).
Maybe I’m writing this because I’m trying to justify more lavish dinners out and the wildly expensive shoes I just bought as a distraction from the pressures of work and life. But more than just accruing a collection of stuff, there’s a real, unexpected pleasure that comes from exploring and doing — not just thinking and planning.
We’re trying to capture that sense of discovery, in leisure and luxury, in this book. It’s why we devote so many pages to exploring our favourite things — whether that’s food or travel or style or cars — and the people who make them. It’s about that feeling of forgetting to look at the watch you just bought, because you’re simply having too much fun.
ON A TUESDAY EVENING IN AUGUST, I MET UP WITH AN OLD friend for an impromptu drink at a wine bar in Parkdale that’s beloved for its selection of rare bottles and off-the-beaten-path location.
32 BFM / FW21 LETTER
PHOTO BY RENATA KAVEH. GROOMING BY NATE MATTHEW (P1M)
























































































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