The Monocle Minute

On Sunday I attended the Latino Inaugural Ball in Washington – one of about 20 such events that took place in the US capital to toast Donald Trump’s inauguration. Unfortunately, I had to miss the others, including the Deplorable Ball of Maryland and the Black Tie and Boots Ball of the Texas State Society (which should have been called “Suited and Booted”). I was in a room full of proud Latinos, whose record turnout in November arguably won Trump the election. It’s a striking difference to eight years ago, when his supporter base was far more white. Latinos have swung further towards the president in those eight years than any other minority, with 46 per cent voting for Trump 2.0.

The event’s headline act? Three presidentes filed up onstage one after another, starting with Javier Milei. Ball-goers rushed the stage to catch a glimpse of the Argentine president and political rock star, who stayed long after his fiery speech calling for an international right-wing alliance. Venezuela’s opposition leader (and rightful president), Edmundo González, was almost lost in the crush. Paraguay’s conservative president, Santiago Peña, was last to speak. “We think that President Trump will have a huge impact on the world stage,” he told The Monocle Minute, citing Paraguay’s support for US foreign-policy priorities, whether in Israel or Taiwan.

The celebratory mood of Trump’s supporters, from voters and financial backers to evangelicals and conservative ideologues, cannot be overstated. They have taken over Washington, with its otherwise liberal population retreating from the city. This is Trump’s capital now. Those who have put on their dancing shoes over the past two days and placed their hopes in the 47th president should be prepared for plenty more twists and turns during his next term.

Christopher Cermak is Monocle’s senior news editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Last weekend’s edition of Milan Fashion Week Men’s had a slimmed-down schedule and fewer big-brand shows than usual. Some prominent names – such as Fendi, Gucci and JW Anderson – sat the season out, contributing to a slight dip in attendance. Those seeking sensational headlines declared Milan’s fashion scene dead but the reality on the ground suggested otherwise.

Specialist retailers committed to “Made in Italy” quality were out in force, including large delegations from Japan, while big hitters such as Prada and Zegna put on thrillingly imaginative shows. The consolidated schedule also made room for better conversations and helped attendees to discover brands beyond the runways.

Performance wear dominated the agenda. In its sleek, new showroom, London-based label Stone Island presented heat-sensitive fabrics, knitwear-dyeing techniques and wool jackets with technical polyurethane linings. Elsewhere, Italian footwear brand Santoni offered loafers and derby shoes with intricate, laser-cut details and feather-light rubber soles. “I’m a fan of innovation when it’s combined with luxury craft and tradition,” says the company’s CEO, Giuseppe Santoni. “We shouldn’t forget where we come from.”

Bau, Munich’s biennual architecture and materials trade fair, concluded last week. The conversation among the fair’s delegates often drifted to three very different places: Los Angeles, Gaza and Syria. All face the pressing question of how to rebuild in the wake of disaster. One solution spotlighted was prefabricated housing, manufactured in sections and then assembled on site. The grey concrete blocks of variable quality that were plonked down across Europe in the mid-century building boom have left this method of construction with a spotty reputation. Many of today’s versions, however, are elegant housing solutions that can take just two days to erect.

US-based companies such as Plant Prefab are already receiving dozens of enquiries from Los Angeles residents who lost their homes in the wildfires. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, companies such as Homers and Balbek Bureau have expanded their domestic offering of flat-packed homes. Though the people of Gaza and Syria face their own unique reconstruction challenges, there are plenty of transferable lessons to be learned from others who are seeking to rebuild their lives across the globe.

The second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale (IAB) opens this weekend in Jeddah. Despite its somewhat incongruous setting – it’s held in the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport – the event plays to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to be a major cultural hub. The IAB’s first edition, which took place in 2023, was a soft-power triumph that attracted some 600,000 visitors and bolstered the host country’s reputation as one of Islamic art’s spiritual homes. Running until 25 May, this year’s edition will bring together more than 500 works spanning the history of the faith, from the seventh century to the present.

Among its triumphs is the presence of 11 works loaned by the Vatican, even if the city-state doesn’t currently recognise Saudi Arabia diplomatically. Several of these works haven’t left Europe in centuries. Their arrival in Saudi signals the growing symbiosis between the country and Europe’s cultural institutions – as well as its continuing drive to diversify an economy that’s still predominantly based on fossil fuels.

Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss the best shows coming to the stage in 2025, including a new production of a West End classic, a play about the experiences of the Windrush generation and an acclaimed performance by an Olivier Award-winning actress.