The Revue, December 2020

On a steady march towards the festive season and the start of a brand-new year, we’re wrapping things up with some much-needed distractions from last minute shopping sessions and tricky tree light unravelling. This month’s collection gets to grips with the best from small-scale wine producers, takes a peek inside the studio of an Italian design icon and finally heads to Ronnie Scott’s for a performance from a jazz great. Step inside.

read: Inside Enzo Mari’s Milan Studio, Apartamento

Apartamento magazine rewind all the way back to 2009, revisiting a landmark interview with legendary Italian industrial designer Enzo Mari, who died last month at the age of 88. A modernist who believed passionately in the beauty of useful, well-made objects, and elevating the artisans who created them. For Mari, design had to be meaningful, from an object’s creation to its use. His most iconic pieces reflected a belief in simplicity, from his apple print for Italian company Danese to the self-assembly Sedia 1 chair, no-frills icons that have stood the test of time. Have a look around his Milanese studio.

read: An Anthology of French Workwear, Avant 

Launched in 2018, biannual magazine Avant takes a deep dive into the world of vintage clothing, featuring “stories and interviews narrated by a core of passionate, creative contributors who stand for the same values: craftsmanship, lifestyle and heritage.” Their third issue hits shelves this month: An Anthology of French Workwear explores the world of bleu de travail, investigating everyday clothing worn by workers, from incredible indigo cloths to timeless cuts including, of course, the ubiquitous work jacket. Expect interviews with expert and collector Tom Gruat, and curator in chief of Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs Denis Bruna, as well as stories on the timeless breton, and Japan’s long standing love affair with 19th and 20th century French clothing.

watch: Aalto, Virpi Suutari

A film by Finnish documentary maker Virpi Suutari, Aalto reflects on the life and work of beloved design couple Aino and Alvar Aalto. Suutari’s personal interest in the duo began with after-school trips to Rovaniemi City Library, a beautiful municipal building completed in 1965, designed by Alvar and furnished with pieces from the couple’s company, Artek. Both architects by trade, Aalto places focus on the pair’s hugely successful working relationship, sharply focused on the balance between exterior form and interior decoration, and how everything they created connected deeply to the natural world. 

drink: Wine from Another Galaxy, Noble Rot

Demystifying the complex world of wine, Noble Rot magazine’s Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew release Wine from Another Galaxy, “the definitive guide to tasting, ordering in restaurants, talking about wine (without sounding like a wine bore) and building your own collection.” With a popular triannual magazine and two restaurants under their belts, the duo pours years of first-hand knowledge and experience into this 352-page volume, shining a light on wine’s small producers and hidden gems in accessible style.

listen: Ella Fitzgerald at Ronnie Scott’s, 1974

Part of a season celebrating historic Soho jazz venue Ronnie Scott’s, BBC iPlayer is currently home to an incredible 1974 performance from Ella Fitzgerald and the Tommy Flanagan quartet. In the later stages of her career, Fitzgerald revisits old classics and crowd-pleasers with plenty of charming chit-chat in between. Press play on one of the greatest vocalists of all time.

product: Navy Wool Double-Breasted Peacoat

A perfect piece of outerwear on multiple levels, the classic peacoat has never gone out of style, and likely never will. The Drake’s take on the style keeps things simple: made in Italy with heavyweight, soft-to-the-touch wool and finished with embossed brass buttons for that high-seas feel. Handwarmer pockets and high collar ensure cold weather protection while a tailored, shaped silhouette makes this ideal for pretty much any occasion.