Behind the Issue
1. In “Your Money’s Worth” (p. 48), Montreal-based writer CAITLIN STALLPAQUET gets real about how the pandemic has forced us to slow down and rethink our spending habits— and why that’s not a bad thing. But even with a more watchful eye on her own budget, there is still one thing Stall-Paquet will indulge in. “Good wine,” she says. “With my leisure expenses nearing zero, I feel like I can live a little in this department. My best friend and I have been nerdy and drinking the same wine over video chat.”
2. We can’t stop staring at Calgary-raised artist LAUREN TAMAKI’s gorgeous illustration accompanying our story on grooming during a pandemic (“The Last Blowout,” p. 34). Has COVID-19 changed her own beauty habits? “In the ‘before times,’ I was just going to my studio, so my usual beauty habits were basic,” she says. “My hair is currently out of control—think manicured pixie cut that has grown into a 1970s Bruce Lee shag (but worse). I used to be a super-groomer in my 20s, but who has the will for that now?”
3. Beauty writer INGRIE WILLIAMS is the latest to join us on our quest to get you to wear sunscreen every day—even when you’re inside—and explains why in “Sun Shields” (p. 29). Other than SPF, what is the one product the Torontonian must always have in stock? “Since I discovered it last year, I can’t fathom living without Dermalogica Age Bright Spot Fader,” she says. “It takes down blemishes while minimizing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.”
4. Montreal native PATRICK VIMBOR had his pick of the chicest pieces while co-styling our breezy head-totoe-white-themed shoot (“Cloudburst,” p. 60). But IRL, he lives by one rule: “Buy what makes you feel happy and excited. [You should] be able to see yourself wearing [an item] for the next 10 years.”
5. Behind the lens, photographer ALEX BLACK, who shot “Cloudburst” (p. 60), is the consummate professional. But once her camera is down, even she can’t help but appreciate the drama of a high-fashion photo shoot. “When we returned to the hotel, our model, Athena, was a little chilly so she draped herself in an iconic Balenciaga coat,” says the Montreal native. “She looked like a star—which she should, because that girl is a star.”