Monocle's Tyler Brulé goes gaga for Brazil in his FT column

Funny how life is full of coincidences... Take, for example, Tyler Brulé, the very well-known London-based editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine and founder of Wallpaper, where he worked previously. The high-profile newsman listed in his latest Financial Times column the many reasons why Brazil is by far his fave of the BRICs. To name but a few: Trancoso, havaianas flip flops and Bebel Gilberto.

This brought a smile to my face because it served as yet another reminder of how small the world really is. It turns out Tyler, in a previous incarnation, lived in a small Quebec town called Hudson, just West of Montreal, and was friends with one of my oldest childhood friends.

Now I live in Montreal and vacation in Trancoso (in my havaianas...) while mr. globetrotting media magnate Tyler left his Montreal 'burb faaaar behind and is just back from my home turf: São Paulo. So it all connects, in a strange way.

Of course Tyler loves the Fasano hotel (so do his Wallpaper buddies and all minimally cool foreign journalists, for that matter). Of course Tyler was whisked away to the Shopping Cidade Jardim and came away thoroughly impressed. Of course he loves architects-du-jour Marcio Kogan and Isay Weinfeld - so does Wallpaper. Of course it's no coincidence that Weinfeld is the man behind the Fasano hotel that so pleases mr Brulé.


"Much of this has to do with the meticulous planning executed by the hotel’s founder Rogerio Fasano and his architect sparring partner Isay Weinfeld. The former is the man behind one of Brazil’s most respected hospitality powerhouses, and Weinfeld is the man who virtually every Brazilian billionaire wants to commission to build their beach houses and city compounds."

Don't get me wrong: I, too, love the Fasano (and its eponymous restaurant, where I've had family dinners since childhood), the Cidade Jardim (although the boutiques are outrageously expensive), and also the beautifully sleek houses and boutiques designed by Marcio Kogan and Isay Weinfeld. But I just think that it's time that these magazine editors who fly in and out started looking beyond the obvious (or obviously cool) and venturing further, instead of always marching to the same drumbeat. God knows they're in Brazil often enough for that - it's just a matter of willing to do a bit of that ol'fashioned thing called.... reporting.

Here, the link to Tyler Brulé's column about "brand Brazil" in the Financial Times. 

Click here for more posts about Wallpaper magazine on this blog.

Rio guide, this month in übercool Monocle magazine

By Alexandra Forbes

The world's coolest magazines are V, Wallpaper and Monocle. In my opinion, of course.

So this month Monocle did a Rio guide, and launched it with a party at the Fasano Rio rooftop pool lounge.

They got most of it right: Roberta Sudbrack is indeed a great spot for dinner à deux, and Bar do Copa is the hottest bar for late drinks, for example.

However, they also recommend a couple of places that... I certainly would NOT.

Marina All Suites is a "dependable chain" of hotels, they say. I say no way in hell, my good friend Karin had a nightmare experience there over New Year's, leaking toilets, horrible service, no umbrellas offered despite incessant rain, slow-to-arrive breakfast, etc.

Daniela, another good friend, also had a terrible experience at the Marina.
I myself have stayed there and... the rooms are small, the tall windows don't take advantage of the gorgeous views, the décor is on the tacky side...

Anyways, that's just an example. Overall, though, great tips for those traveling to Rio, and they even offer a PDF version of it on their site so you can download and print all the addresses.

Check them out clicking on this link.