Monocle Weekend
Edition: Saturday

It’s time to knock off and kick back with another weekend dispatch from Midori House. We begin with a round-up of inspiring exhibitions to visit this winter, make the case for bringing back the beret and learn the secret behind Santa’s big break. Plus: we hit the slopes in the season’s best sportswear and The Concierge takes us for a tour of The Monocle Christmas Market in Zürich. Taking the lead is Andrew Tuck on the road to warmer climes.

Bye! This morning, a little against the odds, we are driving south. Leaving London and heading back to Mallorca for a triumvirate of key dates (well, in my book anyway): my birthday, Christmas and New Year. And it’s just the three of us: me, the other half (hogging the driving as usual) and Macy the fox terrier. Diligent readers of this column may remember that back in the summer, during the August version of this trip, we realised that something was up with the dog. She would suddenly stand frozen, unable to take a single step. Within an hour of seeing an emergency vet we had the tough news: there was cancer in both her shoulder and spleen.

Back in England we were given two options: end-of-life care (perhaps another eight weeks together) or a tough operation: removal of her spleen (the easy bit) and part of her shoulder. Then there would be intravenous chemotherapy every three weeks. We went for the surgical route but, when she came home from several days in the dog hospital, I was unsure that we had made the right decision. Shorn for the op, her pink flesh was stapled together with metal pins; she looked scared and defeated. It was days before she could stand, weeks before she could walk more than a few steps – made all the trickier by a front-right leg now a tad shorter than her left one.

But her ingenuity and adaptability have proved incredible, plus she lacks any ability to feel irritated by what’s befallen her. Macy can now run down the stairs (even if it’s in the style of a rabbit) and leap onto the sofa – only occasionally misjudging the effort required. Amusingly, the truncated leg often hovers just off the ground when standing and makes her look like a DJ mixing a record, the Calvin Harris of canines. I now shout out requests for some long-forgotten classic-house track when I catch her doing this but she just gives me that superstar DJ stare – apparently, she does not take requests (not even a cheeky remix of “I Will Survive”).

Another change is how she now likes to recline on her good shoulder while in her dog bed, a pose reminiscent of Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus. It’s a look that’s also a bit Mae West come-hither-honey and I am fine with that – there’s nothing wrong with finding your inner seductress at any age.

We have been warned by the surgeon that, despite all the chemo, despite the op, the cancer will no doubt return one day. But that’s to worry about another time because today Macy West is spending the day enjoying the drive, revelling in the extra weight that she’s gained in recent weeks and dreaming of many months of scratching away with that floating DJ paw. But I have told her that no matter how va-va-voom stripper she may feel, there will be no burlesque pasties under the Christmas tree.

The humble beret is the hat for the brine-encrusted Basque fisherman and the Parisian bluestocking; the Navy Seal and the Farc rebel (writes Alexis Self). In short – and it’s all about brevity where the beret’s concerned – it is many things to many people; a symbol of both louche nonconformism and elite standard. And, when we’re looking for dependability and versatility, what better piece of headwear for the Christmas season, either as a gift or worn garment?

Of particular usefulness in this regard is what is known as the Basque beret – the original fishermen’s style that fits more snugly on the head than the stereotypically askance French version. A Basque beret lends an air of radicalism to formalwear (where a brimmed hat might push things overboard) or chic to something more dressed down (when a beanie becomes too slouchy). Outfitters such as Laulhère have been making berets for almost 200 years, while newer designers, such as AWMS, are marching the style forward into the 21st century. Why not buy one for yourself and those you love? For, as the old adage surely does not go, families that beret together, stay together.

In 1890 a New England retailer called James Edgar commissioned a bespoke Santa Claus costume (writes Henry Rees-Sheridan). Edgar’s plan was to wear it during the busy holiday period and around the department store he owned in Brockton, Massachusetts. If local children were given an opportunity to meet Santa in the flesh, Edgar wagered, nothing could stop them from dragging their parents into his shop. And once the families were through the door, there was a good chance that they could be converted into paying customers. The stunt paid off, and copycat Santas spread rapidly across the country’s malls.

Since Edgar’s innovation, the weeks leading up to Christmas have seen thousands of actors – overwhelmingly men of a certain age – meeting and greeting families in malls and department stores throughout the nation. So much so that they’ve become a pop-culture archetype. This is partly down to the straightforward joy that mall Santas can usually be relied upon to provide. But it also seems to have something to do with a fascinating tension between actor and role. Santa is a paragon of benign avuncular merriment. Ordinary men are less so. And perhaps especially not the kind of men who are willing to take on limited seasonal work to earn a relatively large, though not fortune-making, sum of money.

As early as 1947, the film Miracle on 34th Street took as its premise the dismissal of the presumptive Santa for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for being drunk on the job. Since then several “bad Santa” Hollywood movies (including 2003’s Bad Santa) have featured dissolute commercial Santas, a theme for which there is apparently a considerable appetite among the American public.

The decline of malls across the US in recent years has forced the profession to evolve and diversify. Economically, this has meant the development of new revenue streams, including private-video calls to individual customers, a trend accelerated by the wholesale closure of malls during the coronavirus pandemic. Mall Santas have also evolved to more closely resemble the families they serve. To complete a booking to meet Santa at Macy’s Herald Square this holiday season, customers are required to choose their “Vision of Santa” from three drop-down menu options: “Black”, “Spanish-Speaking” or “Caucasian”.

Ruthlessly mercenary, admirably adaptable and possessed of an unshakable grip on the imaginations of Americans of all ages, these Santas are set to outlast the very malls they were invented to serve.

How do you stand out on the slopes? Your prowess on skis will help but if you really want to get noticed, you’ll need skiwear with bold silhouettes and bright colours. It’s practical too, chunky, warming and light. To see our full list of recommendations, pick up a copy of our seasonal Alpino newspaper today.

Christmas markets and The Monocle Concierge were made for each other. Quite literally, in the case of those Monocle has hosted around the world for more than a decade. However, if you’re still looking for a little magic in midwinter, a trip to Zürich’s premier Christmas market, the Wienachtsdorf, should be on your to-do list before it closes on Monday. Located on the city’s Sechseläutenplatz, 120 stalls are selling food, beverages, clothes and well-designed goods beneath twinkling lights and a flurry of snow. From shucking oysters to finding new silverware, a plate of steaming mantu or a classic fondue in a communal chalet, it’s worth a visit. Monocle joined the festivities as part of our feature on Christmas markets for this year’s Alpino newspaper, where you can find a full rundown of the season’s markets from South Tyrol to Copenhagen – including our own tips on the difference between a good market and a great one.

Anders Rahr has been the CEO of Copenhagen-based menswear brand No Nationality 07 (NN.07) since 2021. The fast-growing label is known for its modern-casual pieces, which include chore jackets, overshirts and relaxed trousers. You might recognise its signature brown-and-navy checked jackets, favoured by The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White. Since its television cameo, though, the brand has kept up the momentum by expanding its range and investing in physical retail. Working with Dutch design studio Contrair Collective, NN.07 has recently opened new shops in New York and London. Monocle meets Rahr to discuss the brand’s international ambitions.

Why was physical retail such a priority for you this year?
Offline retail has always played an important role in brand-building. Consumers are periodically swayed more towards online and then back towards the physical retail experience, so we believe in building a complete distribution model. NN.07 consumers usually work in the city and we already had communities in New York and London, so [opening shops there] was only natural. We want to show the brand in its own environment.

Is there a common thread between NN.07 customers around the world?
They want to embody a modern-casual style; to wear something to work and then throughout the day. There’s an element of daily commuting that influences the way that we design our clothes. We’re not a hype brand. We are design and quality-oriented rather than fashion-oriented.

And what’s next?
Five or 10-year plans don’t work any more. Consumer behaviour is changing all the time. We try to have a vision about where we want to go and how we want to get there but you also need agility in business. [We aim for] sustainable growth and have ambition. It’s risky to go into retail in cities such as London or New York – but if there’s no risk, there’s no reward. These won’t be the last NN.07 shops that you’ll see.
nn07.com

For more in-depth features and interviews from the world of fashion, pick up a copy of Monocle’s bumperDecember/January issue, available now online and on newsstands. Have a super Saturday and a very merry Christmas.