Behind the scenes with Monocle in Paris and beyond
There are many ways to start the week but how often does yours involve spinning on a dancefloor beneath the snowy streets of an Austrian ski resort?
Lech
I had just finished a lovely dinner at the Almhof Schneider and was all set to don my jammies and jump into a comfy bed when a message popped up from my colleagues: “We’re about to get into a taxi. See you at the club?” As it was just past 22.00, I consulted my other dinner partners to see if anyone else was game and after a few mumbles I believe someone said they would meet me in the lobby and we’d slide down the hill to Margo’s (see 2 February’s Weekend Edition for more on this fine space below Arlberg Club House).
I met my vineyard-owning dinner partner downstairs soon after but he said he was going to call it an evening and I was on my own. Out into the night I went and three minutes later I was with my colleagues in a cosy banquette and we were watching the young-ish crowd flirting and frolicking as if it was a Saturday during the Christmas break. Over the course of 90 minutes I was introduced to a few Austrian dancefloor fillers, a cocktail called a Mexican Strudel and some funky steps by a young chap in red Tecnica moon boots. Somehow bottles of Ruinart kept appearing and before long it was nearing 01.00. Knowing I had a 07.00 wake-up and a two-and -a-half hour drive back to Zürich ahead, I went back up to the Schneider, had a very good sleep and woke up to a rather revealing short film and photo from a colleague.
The 11-second clip showed an Australian colleague “owning” the dancefloor, complete with swaying bartenders and sparklers. While the photo revealed what happens when you get too ambitious with high-kicks in trousers that have little in the way of stretch. How do you say “wardrobe malfunction” in Vorarlbergerisch?
Zürich
We just appointed a new PR team in Paris and invited them to our Zürich HQ for a little induction session and family dinner. After a meet-and-greet at the office we took the tram to Kronenhalle and settled in for an evening of Swiss wines and classic dishes. During the main course someone in the group spots the designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. He’s darting in and out to take phone calls (rather un-Kronenhalle it must be said) and as we were leaving we overhear: “I’m so, so happy, this is the best news of my life.” Was he on the phone to LVMH? Was he dining with his bankers and cutting a deal? The news on Friday revealed all. He had just signed a deal with L’Oréal for the group to take a 10% stake in his business.
Lisbon
For the past six months I’ve been working on a renovation project in the Portuguese capital in the form of a perfectly proportioned pied-à-terre for my mom to use during the winter months; and for me to pop down whenever I need a hit of sunshine, a counter lunch at Galeto and late evenings at my new favourite bar. On Wednesday, the contractors officially wrapped up their work (there are a couple of tiny adjustments) and the result is properly handsome. If you’re in need of a good contractor in Lisbon, I can highly recommend the firm that I employed. Drop me a note for more details.
Paris
I just walked back from 16 Rue Bachaumont and can report that the contractors, carpenters and architects are doing some fine work for monocle’s new outpost. Yes, it has taken a bit longer than planned but it’s getting properly exciting and feels very, very grown-up. Tomorrow we’re doing a test run of our new studio for a special edition of monocle on Sunday, so please tune in and have a listen. Our editors Natalie Theodosi and Simon Bouvier will be on hand along with CNN’s Melissa Bell and the French writer-director Audrey Diwan. All going to plan, we throw open the doors on 17 February – but we’ll send out official word in a newsletter over the coming week.
