Monocle Weekend
Edition: Saturday

We have all become used to the notes in hotels informing us that towels will only be replaced if you leave them on the floor or that this is a hotel that no longer allows plastic bottles on the premises – hence the metal object that you thought was an intrusive medical instrument but is in fact an artist-designed water jug. But it’s on a fleeting trip to Copenhagen this week that I see where this might all be headed.

When I get to my room, there’s a flyer on the desk featuring a picture of a smiling lady from housekeeping who I will never meet. Why? Because under her image there’s some text that tells me that to cut down on water and energy use, this hotel is “discontinuing the cleaning of rooms that do not really need cleaning – we believe this is the most sustainable choice”. It seems that you can get garbage removed but only if you call housekeeping by 23.00 the evening before. But wait, here’s another notice that puts a wrinkle in that plan. “We no longer have phones in our rooms – please use your own phone to contact the front desk.” It takes you some time to read everything that the hotel will not be doing during your stay.

The next morning, down to breakfast and you wonder whether Greta is running the kitchen. Above the coffee machine is chalked, “We believe that sustainability is the new luxury”, which could just be a wise pre-emptive warning that the coffee is really bad. There are more signs about animal welfare, the baked beans are some vegan medley and there are chia puddings (also known in my house as the devil’s sperm). Perhaps they are just trying to ensure that the Donald doesn’t come to stay when he lands in Copenhagen for the handing over of Greenland.

Look, people are happy doing their bit for the environment but you don’t want to stay in a hotel that feels like a student sit-in. Or, for that matter, a brothel (unless that’s what takes your fancy on a business trip, I am not judging here).

Because that’s the other kind of in-room hotel messaging that pushes one over the edge – the world of the coquettish double entendres. One of the worst offenders on this front is a group of hotels founded by a man who I like a great deal. Even so, who needs a pillow that has “Let’s spend the night together” printed on it?

If you are determined to go down this route, please go all in and have pillows that say things such as, “What a lovely firm bottom you have”; or “Now that’s what I call a big one!”; or, how about, “I won’t tell your wife”. Or just, “Bite me”.

Overly jolly in-room messages are also risky. That same hotel group puts up signs in its rooms declaring “Life is good”. But how does that hit if you are in town for your mother’s funeral? Though, if you are in line for a decent chunk of the inheritance, or she was a miserable sod, I guess it could work. But really, I just need a plain-white pressed pillowcase.

Anyway, when I go to check out, I’m so caught up by the hotel’s mix of austerity and hectoring that I’m taken aback when they don’t ask me to vacuum the lobby and return to the breakfast room to wash my cup and plate. However, just in case you find yourself in room 334, I promise that I made the bed, used a sock to dust all surfaces and hung up my towels to dry – they should be good for another week or two. Have fun.

To celebrate Monocle’s arrival at 16 Rue Bachaumont in Paris this week, The Concierge is taking us for a tour of our new neighbourhood. For more culinary tips in the ’hood, read tomorrow’s edition. If you’re planning to go somewhere nice and would like some advice, clickhere.

Monocle’s new Paris café, kiosk and shop is in Montorgueil, a lively neighbourhood with a village-like atmosphere in the 2nd arrondissement, close to the city’s historic market district (writes Claudia Jacob). Kick off your morning with an espresso at The Monocle Café, where you’ll also find buttery viennoiseries made by our neighbours Terroirs d’Avenir and a global selection of the best in print.

Montorgueil is a scene full of snappy dressers. For exquisite tailoring, head down to the neighbouring Rue des Petits Champs, where Nicolas Gabard at Husbands has the sartorial expertise. Or for something a little more laid-back, try Octobre, the sister brand of cult label Sézane. Think neutral merino-wool sweaters and jeans made from organic cotton for a classic silhouette that feels contemporary.

For a cultural fix, there are few grander venues than the domed 19th-century Bourse de Commerce. The city’s former grain repository is easily identifiable thanks to a prominent rotunda that was restored by Japanese architect Tadao Ando in 2021. It’s also home to the private-art collection of French luxury-goods investor François Pinault. Here, you can explore his extraordinary trove of paintings and sculptures dating from the 1960s to the present day.

On the third floor, the father-son restaurateurs behind Halle aux Grains, Michel and Sébastien Bras, have created a menu that – faithful to the building’s original use – incorporates grains in every form. Raw, cooked, steamed or grilled, the dishes spotlight more than 50 varieties, from millet and barley to flax and alfalfa. Even the wine list reminds us that grape seeds are a grain, too. Note the sweeping views of the gothic Église Saint-Eustache and Les Halles marketplace.

End the day in the Hôtel du Sentier, a cosy pied-à-terre with a gem of a bistro, cocooning interiors and distinctive tiling. Montorgueil is buzzing with activity, so if you fancy exploring our new neighbourhood, meet us at Monocle.
16 Rue Bachaumont, Paris

Fashion editor Colin McDowell, best known for his long stint at The Sunday Times, has an extensive back catalogue of sharp critique, wit and bite (writes Maria Papakleanthous). Over his many decades in the fashion industry, McDowell has also been quietly building an enviable library of vintage magazines and ephemera. But he has clearly decided that it’s high time for a clean out because part of this collection is going under the hammer from 18 to 25 February, care of London-based Kerry Taylor Auctions.

The impressive collection is an homage to print. There are historic editions of Vogue, with one British volume dating back to 1920, and handwritten invitations to shows by Chanel and Christian Dior – including a coveted Dior paper-denim saddlebag with an invite to a new boutique from John Galliano’s tenure at the house. The offering even extends to a fax from Alexander McQueen to McDowell following a negative review of the designer’s Givenchy collection, which reads, “I am obliged to inform you that you will no longer be invited to attend my fashion shows and those I stage for Givenchy.” Ouch.

Fashion writer Samantha Tse tells The Monocle Weekend Edition that the archive charts the fashion industry’s evolution for more than half a century. “Beyond that, we are able to track how culture and social codes have changed too,” says Tse. “I’ll start the bidding.”
kerrytaylorauctions.com

“This is my kitchen, darling,” says Martin Willems, owner of Antwerp bed-and-breakfast Boulevard Leopold, in a smiling response to a question about where he cooks and eats his own meals (writes Nic Monisse). The affable Belgian is serving a plate of scrambled eggs at an immaculately set table and is inadvertently changing my perception of the term “B&B”. The label had been tainted by a holiday on the south coast of Wales in 2019 where I stayed in what can only be described as an all-out assault of doilies, cold toast and milky tea. By contrast, this five-key guesthouse in Antwerp’s Diamond District is proving that staying in a room (or suite) in someone’s home and enjoying breakfast with them can also be an elevated experience – and one that enhances your feeling of belonging in a city.

Over the course of breakfast, Willems treats us to gossip about the restaurant industry, gives tips on what galleries to visit on which days – “See the Rubens in the fine arts museum on a Monday” – and supplies his homemade granola recipe. There’s even a history lesson on the city through tales about the building, which dates to 1890 and has only ever had four owners. “It has mostly been left untouched,” says Willems. “Except for the extensions to the kitchen and the room you’re staying in above me.”

It’s a level of service and experience that can’t readily be replicated at a hotel where staff rotate through their shifts – no matter how small or boutique. There’s an intimacy to the B&B experience because you’re staying in the home of someone who functions as a concierge-cum-landlord. True to form, Willems messages me with a tip for a party on Saturday night. I’m tempted to ask whether he’ll pick me up but I fear that I might be straying into housemate territory, where eggs are no longer served.
boulevard-leopold.be

In our image-saturated world, it’s a wise idea to take a step back and appreciate the true art of photography whenever you can (writes Sophie Monaghan-Coombs). Here are three picture-perfect recommendations to help you to do just that.

Film: ‘Ernest Cole: Lost & Found’, Raoul Peck
Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck’s latest documentary focuses on South African photographer Ernest Cole. Cole was the country’s first black freelance photographer and he recorded the horrors of apartheid with little recognition for the significance of his work. This film aims to cement his legacy.
‘Ernest Cole: Lost & Found’ is released on 7 March

Book: ‘Bravo’, Felipe Romero Beltrán
Bravo by Colombian photographer Felipe Romero Beltrán is a moving new photography title focused on the US-Mexico border. Through portraits, interiors and landscapes, Beltrán powerfully brings to life both the hope and despair of migrants waiting at the crossing.
‘Bravo’ is out now and published by Loose Joints

Exhibition: ‘The Face Magazine: Culture Shift’, National Portrait Gallery
In 1980 a magazine burst onto UK shelves that shook up print media and contemporary culture. London’s National Portrait Gallery celebrates that moment – and the birth of style magazines as we know them – with a colourful new exhibition full of iconic portraits.
‘The Face Magazine: Culture Shift’ is open at the National Portrait Gallery until 18 May

Julie de Libran is a French couturier based in Paris’s Rive Gauche (writes Maria Papakleanthous). De Libran has worked at some of the world’s most revered fashion houses, including Prada and Louis Vuitton. She established her own label in 2019. Here she shares her sources of inspiration and tells us why she decided to venture out on her own.

What led you to start your own label?
I reached a point when I felt that I needed to do things my way. I was ready to establish my own business that reflected my personal taste and ideas. I’m very fortunate to be based in Paris – the epicentre of culture, fashion and craftsmanship – which constantly inspires me and fuels my creativity.

You’ve built an incredible customer base of women who truly appreciate your work. How did you manage to bring them together?
My customers appreciate craftsmanship, the quality of materials and the consideration that goes into every piece. They understand that these garments are unique and not widely worn, which makes them feel special. As the community continues to grow, I get to meet more wonderful women, especially when presenting my collections. It’s a lovely exchange that fuels my creativity and strengthens our bond.

Do you draw on specific inspirations for each season?
It’s a continuous process and I find inspiration in many different kinds of women, especially those who are active and need clothes that won’t get in their way. I tend to design couture and made-to-measure garments that are easy to wear. I don’t like clothes that feel as though they’re costumes. I always consider this when draping or selecting shapes. I enjoy experimenting with both daywear and eveningwear, as well as masculine and feminine silhouettes. At the same time, I push myself to explore new techniques, technologies and embellishments to keep evolving my work.

In his first collection as creative director of London-based menswear brand YouMustCreate (YMC), Sage Toda-Nation has teamed up with long-term partners and renowned shoemakers, Grenson.

Drawing inspiration from laceless trainers popularised in the 1990s, YMC’s modified Oxford derby has a finely wrought, seamless silhouette. Its laces are concealed behind two strips of sturdy bookbinder leather with a thick, Goodyear-welted split-rubber sole to match.

Offered in two colours, a classic black and a shade on the redder side of oxblood, the paired-back design makes this a clever clog for both the boardroom and more casual endeavours.
youmustcreate.com

For more fashionable insights and sartorial advice, subscribe to Monocle today. Have a super Saturday.