The Faster Lane / Tyler Brûlé
Sunny disposition
Is it safe to say that we’re at the midpoint for summer in the northern hemisphere? Or am I being a little over-optimistic? Many Finns and Swedes are already back at work, Swiss schools are soon returning to class and autumn collections are already on shop rails (more on this in a moment). Then again, many French are only now settling into their Lafuma loungers on Cap Ferret, hotel rates at favourite Med hotels are still showing super high rates through to the start of October and, at Monocle, the coming weeks mark the holiday high point, with our outposts at their most empty. Perhaps if we recalibrate the season and accept that it’s going to be wonderfully warm until mid-October, then we’ve still got a solid two and a half months of lake dips, rosé and Heschung sandals. Regardless of where we are, let’s take stock of a few things.
1
Off the back of last week’s Paris trip I was supposed to head straight to Stockholm, spend a day there, drive to Marstrand and wrap up in Copenhagen. Instead I grabbed a deserted TGV Lyria back to Zürich, spent Monday in the office and then grabbed the train up to St Moritz for a bit of mountain time. It has been heavenly. I have been coming up here for a good 20 years and never witnessed a summer season quite so busy. Is it all good marketing or are we seeing a serious shift away from the Mediterranean in favour of a bit of Sommerfrische? It’s a topic that we’ll be tackling on 17 and 18 August, when Monocle Radio broadcasts from the St Moritz Makers and Shakers festival. Should your summer grand tour take you near the Engadine, then stop by for a drink and a chat with the crew.
2
There has been a certain Olympic metabolism in our household this week. Morning swim, mid-morning hike, end of day swim, 90 minutes of Olympic viewing on France 2 and then a couple of marathon sessions of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+. Back over on France 2, couldn’t the BBC or CNN find a character as charming and healthily tanned as Laurent Delahousse, the frontman for the 20.00 bulletin?
3
Meanwhile, back at Monocle Radio’s base at Maison Allianz in Paris, Emma Nelson and at least one – perhaps two – Monocle producers are hoping to have French diver Jules Bouyer in studio to discuss how to achieve the perfect dive, as well as essential sartorial matters, including how to care for skimpily cut Lycra.
4
And speaking of garments, could we soon be heading for a proper fashion reset when the new season hits the rails? While this has been an ongoing discussion for some time, the late arrival of summer in many parts of this hemisphere has meant that many have not been interested in buying summer wardrobe top-ups well into June, if not July, while autumn items are already about to be shipped. French brand Soeur seems to have the right idea with its debut men’s collection, which won’t be in shops until October 10. This seems just about the time that we will have had enough of seersucker and want to consider things woolly and tweedy instead.
5
I have been thinking that it’s time to launch a global-award programme for superior service. Anyone care to partner with us on sponsoring this venture? While it’s important to recognise athletes, actors and various performing artists, what about an international awards show for the people on the everyday frontlines for brands big and small? Consumers spend more time talking about service – outstanding, poor and all points in between – than they do the person making millions as the over-engineered, heavily scripted brand ambassador. On my Tuesday train ride up the mountains, the conductor on Rhätische Bahn between Chur and St Moritz was so good at his job that he surely would have made the shortlist for best performance on platform and on board in a challenging environment. A bewildered looking woman on the platform was shown to the correct carriage and her enormous suitcase was carried onto the train. A disoriented bunch of Belgians were told not to pass through the dining car with their bags but to exit, walk down to carriages along the platform and then board. Tickets were inspected with efficiency, a polite nod and just the right amount of sunny chatter. Perfection.
