Suit by Calvin Klein, tie by Geoffrey Beene

After MVP ended, Dillon has been guest-starring in a number of shows and making memorable appearances despite his limited screen time. His filmography includes The Vampire Diaries and Torchwood; his steamy sex scene with co-star John Barrowman in the latter has been creating quite a buzz since the episode aired in mid-2011.

Most recently, he was added to the main cast of spy drama, Nikita. DA MAN caught up with the 28-year-old in this exclusive fashion shoot and interview to talk about the TV series, his upcoming movie The Vow and much more.

Suit by Calvin Klein, tie by Geoffrey Beene

DA MAN: One of your most memorable experiences is…
Dillon Casey: My time at McGill University. I finished high school a year early and was on my own in Montreal at 17. It took me a couple years to find my place, but everything clicked in my third year. Met the greatest group of friends, an amazing girl and really learned how to work hard. University is a great place. I have definitely changed a lot since then, but the time there definitely laid a great foundation for knowing what to look for in life.

DA MAN: You can’t live without your…
Dillon Casey: I really don’t think there’s anything I ‘can’t live without.’ When you’re trying to make it as an actor and especially when you start getting work you can end up living a very nomadic existence. I’m never in one place for very long so maybe by necessity I’ve kind of lost any strong attachment to anything in particular. I mean, I love my family, my dog and my friends, but as a middle child starving for attention, I’ve learned to entertain myself in my head pretty well. If that makes sense! That being said, I wear the same jeans every day, so I guess I can’t live without them. And I like food.

DA MAN: Your idea of happiness…
Dillon Casey: Tough question. Not really sure. Happiness always comes for me in these ‘moments’. In University I can clearly remember one moment in particular: Walking home one morning from my girlfriend’s apartment after an amazing night, exams finished, sun shining in downtown Montreal, young, squash game booked for the afternoon, plans to hit a patio that evening… and it just kind of hit me that life was perfect for that moment. Another one was on a film set. I remember walking around it just taking it in thinking ‘Hmm, I’m doing it. This is pretty cool.’ Things like that. There are always ups and downs, but sometimes when you get that moment of self-awareness to look at everything you have, rather than what you don’t have or are trying to achieve, life can look pretty good.

Pants and belt by Dolce & Gabbana

DA MAN: You value….
Dillon Casey: Life.

DA MAN: Something that you have not told anyone is…
Dillon Casey: I sometimes go to tanning booths. They can be very soothing.

DA MAN: This year, your goal is to…
Dillon Casey: Honestly, I don’t have one in particular… at least nothing written down. I guess I want to keep living day by day and continue to grow as an actor and a person; learn as much as I can from working on Nikita; maybe do some traveling in the off time. I just [want to] keep on enjoying the ride I guess.

Shirt by Calvin Klein, tie by Geoffrey Beene

DA MAN: Fashion, to you, is….
Dillon Casey: More of a state of mind than anything. A buddy of mine and I were talking about this girl the other day and trying to figure out if she was a ‘hipster’ or not. We came to the conclusion that she was not because she had that ‘quirky’ fashion before it became popular or ‘cool’. What that means is: she had the personality that matched the clothes. I don’t buy some rich dude dressing like a homeless person. You gotta own who you are and have the state of mind to back up the clothes. My brother keeps telling me to dress like a nerd so I can look like “IRS” from the WWF. Right now, I can’t pull that off; maybe someday.

DA MAN: If you were not acting, you would be…
Dillon Casey: Again, I don’t know. I forget who said it, but it might have been Matt Damon. There’s a saying that goes something like ‘If you can picture yourself being anything other than an actor, do that thing.’ That’s why whenever people ask me advice on how to make it as an actor, I say, ‘Don’t do it.’ Honestly, if you’re not hungry enough to figure that stuff out on your own, you’re in the wrong industry.

DA MAN: Your favorite journey has been…
Dillon Casey: The ‘Los Angeles’ journey has been an interesting one. If you check out my episodes of Living in L.A. With Dillon Casey, you can actually see where my mind is at at different stages since the start of my time in L.A. There have been moments of being bat-shit crazy, being Zen, then having a lighter sense of humor about it all. I’ve always had a sense of humor about my own craziness and overreactions to things, but you can see the skin getting thicker as the episodes move forward. That reminds me of another thing: Rejection makes a man out of you. When you get to L.A., all you hear is ‘Nope.’ They slowly turn into ‘maybe’ and then the occasional ‘Yes.’ If you work hard enough, learn from your mistakes and stick it out, that’s a journey I wouldn’t trade. People who make it too fast in this business are the first people to crash and burn. Rejection is actually one of the most important things as an actor.

Suit by Calvin Klein, shoes by Raoul

DA MAN: Your motto in life is…
Dillon Casey: I’m about to get really pretentious here, but there’s a quote from Don Quixote that I like: ‘Ah, madman that I am! Now that I am absent and far from danger I say I should have done what I did not do!’ What that means to me: if something scares you, you should just f#@king do it. Stop the talk. Just f#@king do it already. Get over yourself, get out there and fail your ass off. In the end, nobody cares about your life more than you, so if you make an ass of yourself, the only person who’s going to remember it in a week is you. People have their own lives to worry about.

DA MAN: What’s it like shooting Nikita in Canada?
Dillon Casey: It’s funny. I moved to L.A. to make it as an actor and as soon as I got a big job, I moved back in with my dad. Ironic. It’s nice to be back with my friends and family, but a part of me wishes I could be doing this in L.A. Not that I don’t love Canada, but it’s also a bit of a tease. I was just starting to enjoy and adapt to the pace of L.A. Toronto’s incredible though and it’s amazing to be a part of this show, so you know what? No complaints. It’s awesome. Couldn’t be luckier.

DA MAN: Do you have any favorite tourist tips for people visiting Canada?
Dillon Casey: I always tell people to go Montreal in the summer. That’s it. Go there.

Shirt by Calvin Klein, tie by Geoffrey Beene, glasses by Derek Lam

DA MAN: Tell us about working on The Vow, which is out in February?
Dillon Casey: The Vow was another amazing experience. There was one moment that can go back to your question on ‘happiness’. I’m sitting at a dinner table. To my right is Sam Neill, the guy from f#@king Jurassic Park. One of those movies that tells a kid to become an actor. To my left is Jessica Lange. Legend. In front of me is Rachel McAdams and beside me is Channing Tatum. Stacked cast and I was a part of it. And watching these guys between takes work on their lines and listen to the director and have the same hangups and jokes about filming was a really cool thing. We were all equals. It was nice.

DA MAN: How do people reach you?
Dillon Casey: Go to caseybros.ca and check out my website. My brothers Conor, Lyndon and I have been working together for a while, we have a short film called Captain Coulier that was in Sundance 2009 along with a number of other amazing short films on that site. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Photographs: Eric Silverberg

Abercrombie & Fitch is a classic brand and over the last few decades, the brand has gone through business changes and has recently been under the umbrella of The Limited Brands group — which includes Victoria’s Secret — and as with that sexy lingerie brand, Abercrombie & Fitch’s distinct edginess has really come to the fore. Through it all though, they have stuck to their leisurely outdoorsy roots.

It has, of course, evolved to become a favorite among edgy prepsters and Ivy Leaguers the world over and now it is making its debut in Singapore. Famous for, and some would even say infamous, for their ad campaigns and marketing gimmicks that usually push the envelope, Abercrombie & Fitch seems to be all in when it comes to keeping hipsters hip.

This new flagship store in Singapore—located at Knightsbridge on Orchard Road, it opened with a splash, featuring dozens of shirtless A&F guys lined up on Orchard Road for a week—represents only the second foray into an Asian country for
the iconic American label, after the incredible success of its stores in Japan.

Earlier in 2011, A&F opened their first-ever stores in Paris and Copenhagen. Prominent figures who were A&F loyalists in the early decades of the brand include U.S. presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, aviator Amelia Earhart, actresses Greta Garbo and Katharine Hepburn, actor Clark Gable, author John Steinbeck and several others.

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Photos: Abercrombie & Fitch website (top) and Facebook site (bottom)

The Plasteramic material, a signature of the ToyWatch brand, is a combination of plastic and special ceramics, which enabled watchmakers to print designs directly on the watchbands and bezels.

This collection is comprised of watches with 40-millimeter cases and water resistant to 50 meters, with a date display highlighted by a magnifying lens at 3 o’clock. The watch comes in several variations; in Chronograph or Time Only styles, and in snakeskin, camo, carbon fiber, woodgrain or horn.

He used to own several establishments in California before selling everything and relocating to Bali and eventually to Jakarta’s Otel Lobby (otellobby.com). Ben is now in charge of Otel Lobby’s beverage/cocktail development and staff training, as well as being the “social face” of the restaurant and bar.

“My job is basically to make sure people have a good time.” Other than the “secret garden” that he uses to grow mixing herbs and plants in, the successful mixologist believes in perfecting original cocktail recipes rather than twisting them with new spirits or mixes.

Ben’s favorite spirits are whiskey and gin. “I like gin because its complex. While vodka is like a piece of meat, gin is that same piece of meat seasoned and rubbed with botanicals, making it full and complex.” Here are a few tips and fresh cocktail recipes from the master mixologist.

Rum daiquiri
• 2 ounces of rum
• An ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¾ ounce of simple syrup (white sugar and cold water, blended)
• Put all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice
• Shake for six seconds and serve

Sour
• 2 ounces of any spirit of choice (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, etc.)
• ¾ ounce of lime or lemon
• ¾ ounce of simple syrup
• Fill up shaker with ice and all ingredients
• Shake for six seconds and serve

Ben adds that these are a few of the ‘must have’ spirits that people should keep handy around the house if they’re keen on fresh cocktails:
Whiskey
Rum
Tequila
Vodka
Gin
Cointreau
Kahlua

Video Tip: Impress the Ladies

Lastly, one final tip from Ben is to always use fresh ingredients. “I’m very adamant about using strictly fresh juices and ingredients. A lot of bars I did consulting for actually tried to replace the juice with store-bought juices—canned products—and it really kills the recipes. Never do that.”

Above photo: Shirt by Dior Homme, jacket by Burberry Sport, shorts by Dries Van Noten

Swiss designer Bally is celebrating 2012 with its new Majestic Dragon capsule collection. The collection includes a messenger bag that’s adorned with a motif of a powerful dragon.

Indeed, Bally isn’t the only one featuring dragons this year, but Bally stands out by keeping true to its core principles. This messenger bag still maintains the Swiss brand’s signature style and quality; notice, for instance, its red and white strap.

Moreover, the simplicity of the design gives the bag a longevity factor; it can be used, not only for the entire Dragon year, but also for many years hence, all the while remaining stylish and making a fashion statement.

Mexican Telenova veteran Demian Bichir (Che) stars in this Oscar-contending drama about a
Mexican immigrant gardener/single dad trying to make it in America.

It certainly pulls at the heart strings. Bichir has been nominated for Best Actor and stands a decent chance, especially when you consider that most of the Academy’s decision-makers also have Mexican
gardeners at their Beverly Hills mansions and… well, let’s just say they might feel
somewhat obliged.

That definitely does not take away from the excellent work by Bichir, but what does is the film’s myriad Spanglish cliches. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth seeing.

Official HD trailer:

This ‘Year of the Dragon’ timepiece from Swatch is decorated with an artful drawing of a blue dragon dashing across the white sky of the strap made from white silicone.

On the dial face, housed within a 34-millimeter wide case, the Chinese character for “Dragon” is written in abstract block form. Water resistant to a depth of 30 meters, this limited-edition Year of the Dragon watch is part of the Swiss watchmaker’s Original Gents collection, and is powered by a Swiss ETA movement.

The sports car was born not in sunny California, but interestingly, rain-drenched England. Also, the term sports car does not refer to extremely powerful road cars. Those are supercars. The term sports car refers to small two-seat convertibles. And since early on, the genre was dominated by British makes; that is, until 1989.

The sports car was almost extinct in the early 1980s because the cars were not practical and unreliable. Then in 1989, Mazda shocked the whole world by introducing the original MX-5 (at time called the Miata in most markets) and it became an instant worldwide success. Mazda’s sport car was reliable, fun, practical and affordable. It was such a success that sports cars were revived and other brands soon followed with the likes of BMW Z3 and Mercedes SLK. The first two generations of the MX-5 were not made available in Indonesia, but it seems Mazda was saving Indonesia for the best version of the model, the third generation—the one that comes with a folding hardtop roof. This is very important to guarantee its success in this market, because of the additional security and comfort it provides compared to the soft-top option. Like all things Japanese, there is a philosophy behind every design. Mazda designed the MX-5 around the principle of jinba ittai—or “rider and horse as one”—to arrive at a car that is nimble and fun to drive because the driver and car achieve true unity. The principle of jinba ittai is when the archer and horse must move as one.

The MX-5 is also a car produced using something called kansei engineering, where the focus is not on direct measures, such as performance and quality achievements, but rather the intangible virtues such as pleasure, beauty and emotional attachment. In sum, with the MX-5, Mazda wanted a car that pleases the driver and occupant, a car that focuses more on the subjective feeling rather than on paper excellence. After driving the newest MX-5 for a few days, I can honestly report that jinba ittai and kansei, weird and vague as they may sound, are wonderfully effective. The first impression that I got was the MX-5 is rather small, however, once inside it was not at all cramped. Tight fit, yes, but it is more like wearing a bespoke suit. Mazda Indonesia equipped the MX-5 with a pair of body-hugging cloth-and-leather Recaro seats that provide magnificent lateral support and are ergonomically correct.

The instrument panel of the MX-5 is a sight to behold. Nothing flashy here with digital displays, all simplicity and legibility. Being small, all controls are within easy reach. If you subscribed to a proper driving seating position, your back would never have to lose contact with the Recaros to do practically anything. There are also just enough number of storage compartments to store your things. Your could definitely live with the MX-5 as a daily driver as long as you are not in denial of its size—just as you shouldn’t buy a St. Bernard puppy if you live in a studio apartment. The MX-5 is not an outright performance car, although there is more than enough power from the MZR 2-liter, in-line 4-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine with Sequential Valve Timing and Electronic Throttle Control. This engine produces 160 horsepower and 188 Nm of torque. Because the car is lightweight (less than 1,200 kg.), even for my power-hungry appetite, I never felt the car needed more power. The MX-5’s Variable Induction System further ensures at least 90 percent of peak torque is available from 2,500 rpm to the 6,700 rpm redline. Wind the engine all the way, as it passes 5,000 rpm, the engine roar changes from a normal 4-cylinder whine to a throaty intake roar reminiscent of, dare I say, the legendary original M3. Power delivery is smooth and linear, and although the low rpm torque is enough for the day-to-day grind, to really extract the power you need to maintain the rpm above 5,000.

The only available transmission in Indonesia for the MX-5 is a 6-speed Activematic automatic with the option of manual sequential shifting through the shift lever or paddles on the steering wheel. Although the MX-5 might be more popular in other markets with a manual transmission, Mazda Indonesia made the right decision here to offer only automatic, since 99 percent of the time in Jakarta or other major cities, you will be in a situation where you will be thankful to have it. As far as driving enjoyment goes, the rest of the car is top notch. The steering is direct and nicely weighted. The car turns as soon as you turn the steering wheel. No waiting, no arguing. The brakes are exceptionally firm, something that I do not find often in other cars bar the multi-billion rupiahs supercars. The Bilstein suspension is also very well tuned for the car. The ride is firm but never jarring. Firm enough to control the car over road undulations and twists, but supple enough to absorb road imperfections. Mazda has also perfected the construction of the MX-5 chassis that I did not notice any scuttle shake—often an issue with convertibles. Mazda’s proper engineering and clever use of materials, has made the MX-5 as stiff as any hardtop car.

Fun does not mean irresponsible for Mazda, as the MX-5 enjoys two types of safety measures—active safety and passive safety—to provide state-of-the-art protection. Active safety comprises of Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). It also has Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Traction Control System (TSC). The passive safety consists of dual front and side SRS airbags, side-impact door beams, collapsible steering shaft and injury-minimizing brake pedal, and highly acclaimed Mazda Advance Impact Distribution System (MAIDAS) using a rigid unibody design. The folding hardtop roof of the MX-5 is a gem. Opening and closing is a one-button affair. With it raised, the car was just as quiet as any medium-size executive sedan. At one point, with rain falling on the roof, I was noticeably less noise than you’d hear in typical sedan. With the roof down, the car remains as quiet. Wind noise and buffeting is almost non-existent until at least 60 kph. When I drove on the toll road, roof down with both windows up, I could carry on a conversation with my passenger at normal volume. As such, the seven-Bose-speaker sound system does not go to waste, roof up or down. The Bose system is a special piece of kit with the rear speakers mounted in the rear trim next to the top-inboard corners of the seats for optimum audio performance especially with the top down, while full range and tweeter speakers are mounted in the door panels and a full-range speaker mounted atop the dash to enhance audio imaging.

I love driving and love driving alfresco, even more. I drove the MX-5 with the top down as much as I could. Being a convertible, its rareness made most people do a double-take at the MX-5—on the road, in parking lots, top down, top up, and especially when the top was being put up or down. Other drivers let me go by just because they want the full view of this curiously wonderful machine. Further, with the MX-5, I also experienced something different. Unlike with luxury convertibles, apparently people feel that you are more style than snob in the MX-5. It’s like, because you wear that bespoke suit and not the ready-to-wear stuff with highly visible embroidered logos people appreciate it for what it is, not for the brand or the cost. You are exhibiting style, not the thickness of your wallet, and people universally appreciate that. During my time with the car, I must have received at least 10 thumbs-up from fellow drivers and, surprisingly, motorcycle riders. Never before, in decades of driving here in Jakarta, had I received thumbs-up salutes.

The MX-5 was first and foremost designed as a sports car, for which it has excelled. The jinba ittai and kansei engineering philosophies are certainly expressed in the final product. Everything about the car is nicely balanced for a fabulous driving experience. In most parts of Indonesia, however, sadly due to the lack of nice roads to drive on, this aspect is not experience often enough, But the MX-5 is also about self-expression and style. On this front, I don’t think your Rp 590 million could buy anything better. And when you think driving a convertible in Jakarta is not possible because of the heat, I don’t know about other convertibles, but in the MX-5 try top down, both windows up, AC temp at full cold with blower set halfway, and flow distributed 50 percent to the dash vents and 50 percent to footwells. Set as such, I guarantee you will enjoy every second of your roof-down day-time drive. Bring your sunscreen.

Specs:
Engine: 2-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve
Transmission: 6-speed Activematic automatic
Fuel: Gasoline
Power: 160 hp; 188 Nm of torque