The List: Ten things Mark McEwan can’t live without

2 | My Kiton sport coat There’s nothing like a well-made Italian jacket. But it’s a slippery slope: once you get used to wearing them, you can’t wear anything else. Kiton makes the ultimate version with the best cashmere and beautiful handmade construction. They last forever—this one’s five years old but looks like it’s brand new.

3 | My custom oyster knife Patrick McMurray, the owner of Starfish on Adelaide and a ­champion oyster shucker, made it for me six years ago. With it, I can shuck oysters with ­ferocious speed.

4 | My IWC watch I don’t collect watches like some guys do, but I always wear one. I feel off-­balance when I don’t. My wife, Roxanne, bought me a great one for my birthday last year. It’s manly without being too macho.

5 | My stand-up paddle board When I’m at my cottage on Georgian Bay, I do two hours on the water first thing in the morning. It’s a killer workout.

6 | My Frank Sinatra photo Before my dad started working in television production, he was a singer—a crooner, like Sinatra—and he used to work with Sinatra a little bit in the early days. I keep a ­picture of the two of them to remind me how talented my dad was.

7 | My cologne Creed Millesime is my favourite for special occasions. It’s got a herbaceous quality that brings out the Scottish in me.

8 | My go-to T-shirts They’re by Shan. They fit perfectly, don’t wrinkle and look great. The company has a store on Avenue Road, just up from the Park Hyatt. I stock up frequently.

9 | My guerilla garden I spend hours working in the garden at my cottage, and I’ve ­foraged more than 800 ferns for it from the forest nearby. I’ve even been yelled at for stealing plants. I was outside a campground at 6 in the morning, the backseat and trunk of my Mercedes filled with ferns. The superintendent saw them and started running toward me. I took off.

10 | My Hemingway Short Story cigars I love the name. I love the shape. I love the size—it’s a 20-minute cigar, so you don’t get killed smoking some big long thing. They even come in beautiful wooden boxes. It’s the perfect smoke.