Quality of style: The best dressed at Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference
Though temperatures in Lisbon rose to 37C, our delegates still came dressed to impress with sharp linen jackets and polished sandals.
When an event doesn’t have a dress code, it can either lead to panic or great inventiveness. Every year as Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference approaches, we receive a handful of emails from first-time attendees asking: Will the gala dinner be formal? Would it be wise to pack a tie? Are shorts permissible on the city tours? Returning delegates are old enough to know what suits them best, and from São Paulo to Manila, they simply reach for trusted favourites in their wardrobes.
This year’s gathering – which ran from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 September – was hosted in Lisbon. Perhaps everyone wished they had packed some shorts when, at the welcome cocktail, the mercury rose to 37C. Instead, most of our delegates managed to finesse a look featuring some combination of a linen jacket, a fine T-shirt and a smart pair of sandals as they attempted to be cool (in both senses of the word).
Across the arc of the three-day event, from auditorium to farewell brunch, it was impressive to see how well people pack. Things were a bit easier for the home crowd, of course, not only because they had their entire wardrobes to choose from but also because there are so many summer-ready Portuguese brands to choose from, such as La Paz and +351. It explains why team Portugal – from Lisbon’s mayor Carlos Moedas to designer Joana Astolfi – stayed looking sharp throughout.
Here we spotlight a few of our favourite looks at the conference that embodies what Nicolas Gabard, founder of Parisian label Husbands, explained on stage: dressing up should be fun and reveal who you really are.
