Oahu is known for its North Shore, which is home to the “seven-mile miracle” of legendary coastline and surf. Turtle Bay Resort sits on the northernmost point, less than an hour’s drive from the airport and a far cry from the bright lights and bustling beaches of Honolulu.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: After passing through the coastal cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, the winding ascent up the Palos Verdes cliffs to Terranea Resort signals a retreat away from the congestion of the city.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The Golden State revives the body, mind, and spirit. To re-energize, head inland to the city of Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Recreation reigns supreme in Palm Springs, providing an ideal escape. Toscana Country Club is a private members’ club, located in the heart of Indian Wells, California.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The laidback vibe of L’Auberge Del Mar is a quaint nod to East Coast prep, à la Cape Cod or Nantucket. The AAA four-diamond, 120-room property sits perched above Powerhouse Park, mere steps away from San Diego beaches.

It goes without saying that Las Vegas is a feast for the senses, but there’s another oft-overlooked side to this city.

The chance to sit down with a leading skin-care scientist doesn’t come along often, if at all. The added insight provided by someone who knows the intricacies of minute, cellular functions at work is critical to achieving the best possible routine and results.

FROM THE ARCHIVE:For 30 years, the Louis Vuitton Cup has been a rite of passage for those looking to claim victory at America’s Cup, the world’s most prestigious sailing competition.

“The more glasses you have in your wardrobe, the better. There’s less anxiety in the morning” says Cutler and Gross design director Marie Wilkinson, laughing. “If you only have four pairs to choose from, it’s hard. But if you’ve got 20, I think it’s much easier.” Torontonians are in luck then, as the London-based eyewear brand has reopened its flagship boutique in Toronto.

Vienna’s appeal is undeniable. The Austrian capital was named the world’s most livable city for the sixth time in a row.

Newton Vineyard in Napa Valley is well worth a visit, both for its acclaimed unfiltered wines, and for the splendour of its English gardens and mountain caves. Its founders, Peter and Dr. Su Hua Newton, opened the winery in 1977.

“What is extraordinary about Fabergé is that he was so much more than just the imperial eggs, they are the absolute tip of the iceberg. They represent less than a quarter per cent of what he really produced.”

“San Francisco has only one drawback. ‘Tis hard to leave,” English writer Joseph Rudyard Kipling once said. The City by the Bay has long enchanted locals and visitors alike, with its rolling fog, back-breaking hills, and fascinating history.

An outing to a L’Occitane en Provence boutique is reminiscent of a trip to the region from which the French beauty company takes its name. From the bright yellow signage and the limewashed walls, to the warm ochre terracotta floors, there are notes of Provence everywhere.

It all begins with water, and the act of giving with no expectations of receiving in return. It was a poignant lesson, delivered by Obakki founder Treana Peake to an audience of 2,500 in Vancouver last month for TEDxVancouver.

There’s a phrase common to the fashion set, a notion of revisiting your existing wardrobe: “shop your closet”. But Holt Renfrew gives new meaning to the saying with the Apartment, a 1,000-square-foot private shopping suite at its Yorkdale Shopping Centre location in Toronto.

A fusion of Tokyo style and Vancouver sensibility, menswear brand Wings + Horns celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a season of change. The brand’s structured basics are internationally sought-after, known for striking a fine balance of aesthetics and functionality and incorporating an attention to detail that elevates wearable garments into forward-thinking attire.

The stakes are high in Las Vegas, and hotels and casinos pull out all the stops to produce such a spectacle. The statistics of the art world in Vegas, however, are surprising for different reasons.

“Many contemporary philosophers say that consumerism is the biggest ethical battle of our times,” says Sara Nickleson, associate curator at the Design Exchange in Toronto, as she walks through a sea of white mannequins just days before the opening of the design museum’s new exhibition Politics of Fashion | Fashion of Politics.

What was once a fishing camp, situated at the confluence of the Metis and the St. Lawrence rivers in Quebec, is now home to one of Canada’s most imaginative gardens. The International Garden Festival, which is now in its 15th run at Reford Gardens in Quebec, concludes September 28, 2014.

Prisca Courtin-Clarins, one of four heiresses to the family-owned Clarins beauty empire, has a career that may just be the envy of all women.

Those looking to make it in Hollywood are perennially in hot pursuit of a big break. While there is no sure path to success or stardom, there are certain steps that help along the way: education and an early start.

No matter the season—or climate—Swiss watchmaker Alpina encourages its wearers to head outdoors.

Design studio Duffy London gives new meaning to round-table discussions. The new King Arthur table (an update to the studio’s popular Swing Table) features suspended, swaying seats, adding an element of play to typical dining or meeting settings.

While it may seem early to plan the contents of your beach tote, Aerin Lauder’s Beach Cream is a summer staple that will be snatched up quickly when it hits counters again in June.

Chantecaille celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with the release of its new Rose de Mai cream. The ancient Rose de Mai bloom in May in the fields of Grasse, Provence, and are selected for their extraordinary anti-aging properties and enchanting fragrance.

The list reads like a garden inventory: daisies, poppies, carrots, strawberries, ginger, peppermint, lavender. And yet, it’s simply a sample menu of ingredients you may find in the composition of a Dr. Hauschka product.

The legacy of Roots runs deep. With an affinity for Canadian wilderness and sport, founders Don Green and Michael Budman—both, as many may be surprised to hear, originally from Detroit, Michigan—created their signature brand of leather goods and athletic wear in the 1970s.

Duke Fulco di Verdura was born into Sicilian aristocracy in 1898 and began his prolific career as a jewellery designer for Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, whom he met at a party hosted by Cole and Linda Porter in Venice in 1925.

There are those versatile items one should always keep stocked: add the fouta to this list. Traditionally found in Turkish baths, or Hammams, these towels have long been used in Turkey and North Africa, and have attracted attention worldwide.

For Toronto-born, now Tokyo-based Oki Sato, design solutions tell stories. While the use of manmade objects and spaces risks becoming mundane when unimaginative and repetitive, Sato believes that these everyday items and environments have the potential to create meaningful experiences. His designs, as a result, merge utility with quirkiness and charm.

Éminence CEO Boldijarre Koronczay is one of the lucky ones. A survivor of childhood leukemia, he claims it wasn’t chemotherapy that worked for him, it was naturopathic medicine based on remedies created by his mother and grandmother in Hungary. Naturally, Koronczay is a proponent of the organic, all-natural skincare products that form Éminence, a skin-care company founded by his family in 1958.

The cross-country road trip is something of a rite of passage for Canadians; our country’s vast and varied terrain is ample raw material for exploration. And while nothing beats getting behind the wheel, we don’t all have the time, or patience, for a journey of this magnitude.

Amidst the mass manufacturing of today, the Urban Electric Co. is a welcome change of pace. Founded by Dave Dawson in Charleston, South Carolina 10 years ago, the lighting firm is celebrated for its handmade designs—a revival of small-scale American craftsmanship.

An interplay of light and dark infuses the new collaboration between filmmaker David Lynch and champagne house Dom Pérignon. After photographing the advertising campaign for the Dom Pérignon 2003 and Dom Pérignon Rosé 2000 vintages, Lynch designed limited-edition bottles for each.

Taxidermy had its peak in the 19th century, when exotic curiosities led to the widespread creation of preserved beasts. Today, when a click of a mouse or a flick of a remote brings the animal kingdom to life in ways previously impossible, the ethics of the practice are in question.

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Gustav Klimt’s birth, the Belvedere palace and museum in Vienna—which owns the world’s largest collection of his paintings, including The Kiss (1908)—has amassed a special exhibition on the visionary Austrian artist. “The Jubilee Exhibition: 150 Years of Gustav Klimt” runs until January 6, 2013, in the Upper Belvedere.