Monocle Weekend
Edition: Saturday

Press play on Monocle’s winter playlist, treat yourself to an early look at Giorgio Armani’s ski-focused Neve collection and check in with The Concierge, who cracks open his little black book of Paris’s top tables and shops. Plus: an ode to the appeal of foreign cash and a chat with Brazilian jazz legend Marcos Valle. Getting us off the mark, Andrew Tuck talks tourism with the Greek prime minister.

On Thursday, when I checked the messages on my phone, I saw that there was an update from the on-the-ball organisers of the Greece Talks conference. Its content was precise and clear. “Andrew, the PM will not wear a tie,” it said. I like the preparations that go into making an event sing, the small things that you have to sweat. Ensuring that the journalist – me, in this instance – doesn’t look more formal than a prime minister is, for example, a good thing to take control of.

Now, as it happens, I had packed a tie but was happy to leave it coiled and hibernating in my suitcase. The team, however, could have also warned me that Kyriakos Mitsotakis would be wearing a lightweight suit (unlike the corduroy number that I had chosen) because the weather would be sunny, the temperature a warm 19C and, onstage, almost tropical.

The conference, which took place at the Hotel Grande Bretagne on Friday, had been convened to look at what’s next for tourism in Greece, especially in the luxury sector. Other key questions included how to extend the season (that perfectly sunny Athenian day underlined the potential) and how visitors could be encouraged to look beyond Santorini and Mykonos.

While people in Greece are concerned about growing the sector with care, protecting the environment and seeing dividends for locals delivered from the growth in tourism, the country has not seen the sort of protests against the industry that Spain has witnessed. Mitsotakis is a good interviewee – articulate answers, happy to roll with the flow of the conversation – and on this issue he was specific. Not only should governments ensure that the right checks and balances are put in place but they should also have the confidence to articulate how life without visitors would be. “We need to remind people what under-tourism looks like, what happened in the coronavirus years,” he said with some passion.

Over 40 minutes we talked about his vision, bolstering infrastructure, why Greece lacks a world-class hospitality school and his belief in the value of cosmopolitanism. It’s a word that has fallen out of favour in many countries but should be revived with vigour along with all of the meanings that it carries – a desire to be international, not weighed down by local prejudices. Sophisticated.

Offstage, as his team tried to usher him away to the next appointment (he needed to attend the inauguration of Thessaloniki’s new metro line), Mitsotakis was surrounded by well-wishers and illuminated by the constant flash of cameras. He smiled, shook hands right and left – an at-ease cosmopolitan who didn’t need a tie to show that he meant business.

Following a fresh lick of paint and a few tweaks, three of our shops and cafés will soon be ready to welcome you back for a spot of Christmas shopping, a warming drink and an even warmer reception.

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From Thursday 5 December our St Moritz pop-up shop and café is back at Hotel Steffani (pictured), where it’ll be serving up tasty treats until 31 March.
Hotel Steffani, Via Traunter plazzas 6, 7500 St. Moritz

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Our London café reopens on Friday 6 December with its hours extended until 20.00. Join us for seasonal drinks and Japanese curry, a favourite from our Zürich outpost.
18 Chiltern St, London W1U 7QA

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Monocle’s shop in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district will be back from Monday 9 December. Come and say hello on reopening night for an evening of shopping and drinks.
1 St Francis Yard, Wan Chai

Despite growing up in a decidedly godless home, I have always found the clothes worn by Nordic priests striking (writes Elna Nykänen Andersson). In their black-and-white minimalism, the clerical vestments of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which most often consist of a simple black shirt or dress adorned with a white stand-up collar, are an outfit that turns heads before those same heads dutifully bow. Our political leaders, most of whom would hardly attract a glance if it weren’t for their motorcades, must surely envy the magnetism of the cloth.

The collar-up approach of Birgitta Ed – a pastor and the wife of Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson – strikes the political class as somewhat heretical. In Sweden, one of the world’s most secular countries, religion can be a controversial subject and Ed has received considerable condemnation for wearing her collar while representing the nation alongside her husband. Since becoming a pastor in January 2023, she has donned her ecclesiastical uniform every day and everywhere, whether popping to the local grocery shop or attending a meeting at the White House, a Nato summit or the prestigious Nobel Banquet. Kristersson’s political opponents argue that his wife’s clerical get-up blurs the lines between her roles and empowers the Church of Sweden and its political views during state functions. Ed, however, insists that she can’t turn her role as a priest on and off any more than she can her role as a wife. Amen to that.

For Monocle’s December/January issue, senior radio correspondent Fernando Augusto Pacheco picked 50 songs to listen to as the nights in the northern hemisphere draw in. From cosy evenings spent indoors to the perfect playlist to welcome 2025 with, he covers all the bases.

For the winter’s morning sun
“Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)” by Lisa
A member of K-pop group Blackpink, Thai singer Lisa shines on this track that riffs on Sixpence None the Richer’s 1990s classic “Kiss Me”.

For a walk in the park
“Si Antes te Hubiera Conocido” by Karol G
The Colombian singer’s bouncy track dominated this year’s charts.

For aperitivo hour
“Veridis Quo” by Daft Punk
Italian film director Luca Guadagnino selected this track for his new Chanel No 5 ad.

To check out the full list of songs, pick up a copy of Monocle’sDecember/January issue, or listen to the playlist onSpotifyorYouTube.

Like many travellers, I have become accustomed to sauntering around overseas blithely assuming that credit cards will rise to any occasion (writes Andrew Mueller). Arriving in Belgrade, however, I found that airport taxi drivers preferred cash. I walked back inside to an ATM and acquired some.

I was reminded of what used to be one of my favourite things about being in a foreign country: having a fistful of unfamiliar wonga, adorned with strange dead people. Pre-internet, I used to ask strangers to explain who they were, with admittedly mixed results. Nevertheless, money tells a national story (the Eurozone should always have allowed member states to maintain this on their banknotes, as with their coins).

Serbia’s current banknotes are entrancingly old school (right down, regrettably, to the gender imbalance: artist and First World War hero Nadežda Petrović is the only woman to feature, on the 200 dinar bill). They are beautiful things of classic grainy portraiture and splendid facial hair. Of the seven moustaches that appear, at least three have waxed ends. More importantly, they teach us something. I was previously unaware of the work of Milutin Milanković (star of the 2,000 dinar note), the unusually clean-shaven astronomer who investigated the climates of our neighbouring planets.

There is no reason to be nostalgic for the inconvenience of queuing at the post office to buy currency or for the larcenous commissions charged by airport bureaux de change. It is good when things become easier. But the well-designed banknote remains a powerful calling card for a country and an engaging history lesson for its visitors.

Giorgio Armani unveiled its latest ski-focused autumn/winter collection, Neve, with a series of immersive dining experiences overlooking the snowcapped Alps (writes Maria Papakleanthous). The collection includes slope-ready outfits and accessories including cashmere hats, helmets, visors, skis and snowboards.

The womenswear pieces feature cool, pearly tones, while the menswear comes in navy blue, brown and ivory hues.

The Neve collection will be available online and at the label’s shops in St Moritz and Megève. You can also enjoy cocktails and velvety chocolates on the Armani-themed terraces of Alpina Hütte in the former resort and Ideal 1850 at the latter.
armani.com

Brazilian bossa and jazz legend Marcos Valle has been at the top of his game for more than 60 years. His compulsion to reinvent himself and create new music has been key to his longevity. Now in his eighties, Valle continues to inspire the next generation. Here, he sits down with Monocle to discuss his new album, Túnel Acústico, and his favourite composers for life’s quieter moments.

What are you listening to currently?
When I’m on the road, I listen to playlists that I’ve made. I’m also listening to Céu’s new album, Novela, which is very beautiful. She wrote lyrics for a song on my album, which I love. And to tell you the truth, in the quiet moments, I listen to Ravel and Debussy.

What are your plans for 2025?
I recently released a new album, Túnel Acústico, so I’ll continue touring it in Brazil, Europe and the US. We’re also planning to tour in China. Another project that I’ve been working on is a music series by the late French composer Henri Salvador, which I artistically directed, produced and did arrangements for. It’s becoming an album and will also be turned into a show. Beyond that, I don’t know. I can only wait and see what happens.

Do you have any New Year’s traditions?
I like to stay at home with my wife, Patricia, and our little dog, Merlot. If I’m performing on New Year’s Eve, it’s got to be something very special. Otherwise, I like to relax. That’s the way to prepare for a new year.

For more coverage from the world of culture, check out Monocle's bumperDecember/January issue. Or, better still,subscribeso that you never miss a beat. Have a super Saturday.