Courtesy of Stanley

Invented in 1913, the Stanley thermos, which evokes an ear when women sent their men to work with soup and a sandwich, is one of those often-overlooked design treasures. But the green steel bottle that American fighter pilots carried during World War II is as stylish as ever. Yes, it's great for carrying coffee, butsince it can keep liquids cold as well as hotit's just as useful for transporting margaritas. ($32, stanley-pmi.com) Monica Khemsurov

READ MORE:
Portable summer gadgets

Where to find the best punch

Prada ($795), 888-972-1900. Photograph by Brad Bridgers.

You've owned messenger bags, modified briefcases, and, more recently, maybe a tote, but deep down you still have a soft spot for your very first book bag (the one with the Voltron decals). Functionally, the backpack is the ideal conveyance. It frees up your hands and distributes weight evenly, allowing you to comfortably carry twice as much as a comparable one-strapper. The problem was that this miracle sack was fit mostly for nerds and the kind of people who eat gorp. Now there are options designed for men. Courtney Colavita

1. Material: Choose a bag in sturdy nylon or durable canvas and stick with dark or neutral colors.
2. Attire: Pair a knapsack with a T-shirt and jeans, but if you look more like you're heading to calculus than brunch, try adding a blazer.
3. Hardware: Unless you plan on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, your pack shouldn't be tricked out with hardware. Go with the basics: straps and zips.

READ MORE:
The best plaid shirts for summer
How to pull off white denim

Photograph by Brad Bridgers. Click to enlarge

What happens when a stodgy, almost-forgotten brand gets together with a couple of emerging avant-garde designers? In the case of Florsheim and Duckie Brown, near perfection. For their first collaboration with the Milwaukee-based footwear giant, Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, the men behind Duckie, turned what was best known as a ho-hum line of mall staples into a covetable collection of upscale saddle shoes, brogues, and plain-toe lace-ups. When you're visiting your grandfather in Boca, tell him you're wearing Florsheim. When you're at a party with friends, they're Duckie Brown. Courtney Colavita


READ MORE:
Kanye West channels his vision into sneakers for Louis Vuitton
The best suede shoes of the season

Photograph courtesy of Casey Rodgers/AP

Got a minute? Man vs. Wild star Bear Grylls on surviving city streets, why he likes Brad Paisley, and playing duets with Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Q: You just finished filming some urban survival classes for Dos Equis' Web-based video series Most Interesting Academy. How is surviving in the city different from surviving in the wilderness?

A: It's all the same principle. Survival is all about heart and never giving up and thinking outside the box and coming up with new ways—clever ways—to improvise. I filmed five of these webisodes for Dos Equis on everything from how to escape burning buildings to how to survive getting mugged to running across rooftops to crossing city gridlock to catching rats in the sewers. You know, really fun stuff.

Q: How was Will Ferrell's recent guest appearance on Man vs. Wild?

A: I knew he liked the show, and I've wanted to take somebody out with me for a while. He leapt at it. And then about a week before we went he rang me up and went, "It's all dawning on me now." I tell him, "Come around, no entourage, and just trust me." It took him about six flights from L.A. to get to the Arctic. He was dropped off and left there, and we tunneled through the ice tundra. He said he lived 10 lifetimes in those two days, and I really admire him.

Q: We only see you roughing it in the woods, but what do you do for entertainment when you're at home?

A: I live on a boat on the Thames, and my telly there only works on Thursdays, when the tide is in, so I don't watch very much TV. But I listen to a lot of music and play the guitar. I was filming in the Chihuahuan Desert last week, and a local ranger had his daughter with him listening to her iPod. I was sitting around on the tarmac, waiting while they rigged the helicopter, and I asked to listen to her favorite thing on her iPod. It was Brad Paisley. You heard of him? It was absolutely brilliant. I was completely sold. He was singing about guns and trucks and stuff. I quite like that sort of thing.

Q: Do you write your own music?

A: I write the occasional song for my wife. We had dinner the other day with Andrew Lloyd Weber, and he handed me a guitar. I had had a few drinks by then. My wife looks at me and she goes, "Don't!" But I did anyway. I started with a bit of "Desperado." I played lead guitar, and I got him on the piano.

Yaran Noti



Will Ferrell and Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild


READ MORE 60 SECONDS INTERVIEWS >>

Every Thing Matters! by Ron Currie Jr. [Viking, $26]

In Ron Currie Jr.'s secondsoon to be cultishnovel, the protagonist learns as a wee fetus that a meteor will destroy Earth when he's 36, info that alters his approach to life (and those of doomed characters like the mother who drinks vodka from Big Gulp cups). To the 34-year-old author's credit, the hook never feels gimmicky, even at the choose-your-own-adventure-inspired climax. Timothy Hodler


READ MORE:
Nick Reding traces the rise of crank
Tom Folson's portrait of Crazy Joe Gallo and his gangster brothers

It's Kurt Vonnegut meets The Hangover; John Steinbeck meets Milk. Check out our weekly posts from Slaughterhouse 90210 for highbrow insights that may just make some sense of some of our guiltiest pleasures.

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."
—Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey





Photograph courtesy of Vince-Vaughn.com

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Random House, $25)


The Irish-American author pulls a DeLillo on Phillipe Petit in this social epic. Using the Frenchman's famous 1974 Twin Towers tightrope walk as the axis around which the story revolves, he paints a picture of malaise-era New York and the diverse cast of junkies, socialites, artists, and priests that inhabited it—and creates a sweeping potboiler. Timothy Hodler


READ MORE:
China Miéville's most audacious premise yet
Work books for the cynic

Tortoise, Beacons of Ancestorship [Thrill Jockey]

Our rating: 3 out of a possible 5

For their first record in five years, the avant-rock collective sticks to their M.O.:unpredictability. With the exception of "High Class Slim Came Floatin' In," which jumps between skronk rock, ambient noise, rave beats, and swirling keyboards, it's not as revolutionary as their nineties masterpieces. But in Tortoise's hands, even comfort food is arresting. Matt Hendrickson

The music video for "Prepare Your Coffin"

READ MORE:
Dave Matthews adds some much-needed soul
Phoenix strikes the perfect balance

Photograph courtesy of Flickr

It's an easy call: You can whip out the bucket, soap, and Armor All and spend the afternoon cleaning your ride on the driveway, or you can sit back and let these suds masters—young and old—make you shine in a matter of minutes. Ian Daly


CLASSIC CAR WASHES:

SEATTLE: Elephant Car Wash
The original shop, established in 1951 and worthy of seven spin-offs, is as much a Seattle landmark as the Space Needle, thanks to its big neon-pink elephant. [616 Battery St., 206-441-6776; elephant-carwash.com]

MADISON, WISCONSIN: Octopus Car Wash
The staff motto is Many Hands to Serve You, and the rotating green octopus illustrates the point. There are locations in six states, but this was the first. [2202 University Ave., 608-238-1111; octopus-carwash.com]

WACO, TEXAS: Genie Car Wash & Lube
The huge genie in a jeweled blue turban looming over the building looks like a refugee from Frank-and-Dino-era Vegas. [916 N. Valley Mills Dr., 254-776-9274; geniecarwashwaco.com]

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA: Sparkle Car Wash
Big rainbow spires sprout from this masterpiece of Googie architecture straight out of American Graffiti. [276 E. Highland Ave., 909-883-5919]


MODERN CAR WASHES:

MIAMI: Karma Car Wash and Cafe
This car wash–cum–restaurant offers eco-friendly cleaning agents plus tapas, wine, and Belgian beer. [7010 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-1392; karmacarwash.com]

LOS ANGELES: Santa Palm Car Wash
Santa Palm has a waiting room primed for celebrity sightings. Hence the assertion that the hot spot hoses down "more Rolls-Royces than any other car wash." [8787 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-659-7888; santapalmcarwash.com]

ORANGE COUNTY: Miami's Auto Spa
More like a Spanish Mission villa than a car wash, this place pampers your car with lamb's-wool pads and horsehair brushes while you sip free Starbucks. [2472 Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance, California, 310-325-9299; mautospa.com]

CHICAGO: Simon's Shine Shop
Simon's will hand-wash your car and park it for you while you shop the neighborhood—or simply enjoy the complimentary Wi-Fi. [1439 W. Shakespeare Ave., 773-348-2000; simonsshineshop.com]


READ MORE:
The best FM radio stations
Lotus' newest sports car is built for drooling over

Got a minute? The on-the-rise country musician is touring with Brad Paisley this summer—and he's got the hairstyle to go with the hype. Get to know him before he steals your girlfriend.

Q: You live in Nashville when you aren't on the road, right?

A: Yes, I've been in Nashville about 11 years. The faces come and go. It's where everybody migrates to become a superstar, and unfortunately it doesn't happen for everybody. But it's kind of wild to look up on a stage and see someone who's 21 years old and think to yourself, I was here half of your life ago, and you're more successful than me.

Q: Speaking of success, you've gotten the country-star makeover yourself, with the Keith Urbanesque do and all.

A: Before I moved to Nashville, I was more of a tight haircut kind of guy. Well, I don't mind growing my hair out and all of that stuff—I just think the music should come first. It's unfortunate if you have to buy music based on someone's looks, but that's a reality. I know some ugly people that can sure sing.

Q: Since you're marketed as a ladies' man, do you ever feel trapped? Like you can only perform love songs?

A: Yeah, definitely. I have something else to say, but sometimes folks do not want to indulge in that. They want to keep it light. Songs like "Kerosene Kid" and "Where You're Going"—I love to write those kinds of songs. I call ones like "4515" crossword-puzzle songs, because you have to listen to them multiple times. If you dial in on a radio station halfway through the song, you miss the story.

Q: You're from North Carolina, so I bet you have strong feelings about barbecue. What's your favorite?

A: I mean, Carolina barbecue is great, and I'm not a traitor. But I tell ya, man, Rendezvous Ribs in Memphis, Tennessee—unbelievable. They say they have the most famous ribs since Adam's, or something like that. The waiters have been working there since 1954, some of them, so they're old-school.

Q: You were a prison guard before your music career took off. It's sort of the opposite of Johnny Cash: You sing about working there, and he sings about being locked up.

A: I know, isn't that funny? I could have easily ended up in there, though. I don't even know how it happened—or didn't happen.

Erica Cerulo

READ MORE 60 SECONDS INTERVIEWS >>

It's not just about looking cool with white gunk on your nose. The beach-rescue professional projects easy confidence off duty, too. "No matter where he is, he really just wants to be surfside, and that comes through in the clothes," says designer Michael Bastian, who built his current collection around the all-American archetype. Wade into the role with these essentials.

1) Hoodie ($835) by Bruno Cucinelli, brunellocucinelli.com. Henley ($275) by Maison Martin Margiela, martinmargiela.com
2) Lifeguard on Duty ($45), powerhousebooks.com
3) Watch ($99) by G-Shock, gshock
4) Jacket ($275) by Victorinox, swissarmy.com 5) Flip-flops ($24) by Havaianas, havaianasus.com
6) Sunglasses ($290) by Marc Jacobs, solsticestores.com
7) Michael Bastian, spring 2009 runway.


THE UPGRADE: THE NEW BOARD SHORTS

Shorts ($40) by Gap, gap.com

Straight guys call it the Prison Look, gay men the Mantle. The uniquely American physique is all pec, no legthose guys at the gym who look like Schwarzenegger on top and Humpty Dumpty down below. With a little more work on your calves and quads, you won't be compelled to hide those shriveled appendages under the kind of sagging board shorts that reach your ankles when wet. Advance to more modern trunks that come with pockets and hit about three inches above your knees.

Photographs by Matt Albiani; Courtesy of Michael Bastinan. Still Lifes by Brad Bridgers.

READ MORE:
Limited-edition Havaianas
How to pull off a white suit