The Debut of Montecristo Magazine

I happened to get a hold of the first issue of Montrecristo Magazine, a decidedly Vancouver publication that launched in mid-December. Montecristo is the vision of Pasquale Cusano, founder of Montecristo Jewellers and the quarterly national publication NUVO. He says the magazine "will be firmly rooted in this community. It is about passion, about quality, about the artisanal [sic] way, and about those in this region who pursue those things," and it certainly espouses the desires of the upper class community, boasting full-page advertisements for such names like Chanel, Rolex, Jaguar, Land-Rover and Mercedes-Benz. The articles appeal to anyone with a sense of aesthetics within a broad range of interests from travel to punk rock and philanthropy to the future of automotive alternatives. The magazine serves up high-calorie slices of insight on west coast life and I appreciate some of the tasty morsels that are offered up (such as the article about the handmade clothing of Hajnalka Manula). These bite sized features may not provoke as much thought as the articles of The Walrus or The Tyee, but a little indulgence never hurt anyone; it's about keeping it in perspective.