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Tim Duggan is someone who I met when he was a Sydney nightclub promoter and who went on to become a successful media-company co-owner (he has since sold the business). Our paths have crossed again in recent years because he now lives with his husband in Palma de Mallorca, so we get to hang out. He has also recently been on Monocle Radio’s The Entrepreneurs as he has taken to writing books. His newest one, Work Backwards, is about how and why we work, looking at the latest research on everything from flexible working to four-day weeks. (Duggan says that he manages to write books, give workshops and help companies experiment with how they operate in just three days a week. I know, it’s annoying.)

On Wednesday I went to hear him talk about his theory – essentially, you start by thinking about the life you want to lead. He’s a sunny Aussie who speaks from the heart and the audience also had good perspectives to offer. One woman talked about taking time out of work to have a baby and how this version of flexible working had set her career back, while another talked about how being brave and quitting her job to travel had led to a better work pattern. There were so many ideas at play about how the world of work works.

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It has also been a week in which I have seen again and again how, in the right place, surrounded by great people, work can be rich in meaning. Lunch with architects Fergus Feilden and Edmund Fowles at their studio – busy, alive, full of ideas – and talking to the new creative director at Georg Jensen, Paula Gerbase, about how she works with her team (including the company’s cool archivist) were inspiring. And then, of course, there’s Monocle.

There is no single model of working that fits every business but some of the stances taken by both staff and employers leave little hope of ever creating workspaces where any collaboration or meaning can be found. I work in an industry where, thankfully, people need to come together (and where we do ask potential employees what they think). I don’t believe in a world stripped of human interaction. Experiment as much as you like but make space for people to flourish – even in a bar or takeaway food shop.

US brands are offering retro headwear aplenty, from Free People’s knitted bonnet with extra-long ends (which you can tie into a little bow) and Reformation’s countrified cotton headscarf to New York-based label Sandy Liang’s decidedly Dutch Golden Age headdresses. Even French luxury house Celine is putting out a crochet-cotton bandana.

Why the shift towards these romantically rural looks? Is it down to cold-weather induced atavism, an end to headwear’s historical hibernation? Perhaps it’s aesthetic evidence of the “trad-wife” trend? Or a sartorial companion to recently popular homely hobbies such as foraging, bread-making and pickling? Whatever the answer, it looks much more graceful – especially paired with a warm woollen coat – than the stodgy beanie-and-puffer-jacket alternative. If, like me, you prefer to leave the pickling to the professionals but still long for quainter times, consider ditching the passé hat and slipping on a headscarf.

When Andreas Kokkino and Stathis Mitropoulos (pictured) opened Hyper Hypo in Athens’ Monastiraki neighbourhood in 2021, they were trying to create the kind of space that they wanted to see in the area. “Somebody had to do it,” says Kokkino. Since then, the art and design bookshop has been a hit with residents and tourists alike. From the latest graphic novels and cutting-edge photography titles, to classic and contemporary theoretical texts and art tomes, the razor-sharp selection strikes a balance between playful and profound. On the shelves you’ll also find popular publications about the country. “If the word ‘Greece’ is in the title, it will sell,” adds Kokkino.

Among the most eagerly sought-after books are the pocket-sized editions by small imprint Kyklàda. Each explores a different subject ranging from the aesthetics of Greek sculpture to the architecture of Cycladic holiday homes. Hyper Hypo is a space that has all the cosiness of your favourite bookshop while also doubling as a salon for the city’s flourishing art and design scene.
hyperhypo.gr

Yes, Pitti Immagine Uomo, the Florentine menswear fair, was in full swing. With it came the parade of peacocks – those flamboyant style obsessives who descend every January and June upon the city’s imposing Fortezza da Basso to revel in the new season’s menswear offerings and, more importantly, to flaunt their own. In years gone by, I would have found the peacocks amusing for about an hour before they began to grate. The endless posturing and posing, not only at the fair but throughout the city, would inevitably have come to feel more tiresome than charming. But this season, for the first time in a long while, I found myself captivated.

I didn’t even flinch when I stumbled upon a rather large man snapping selfies outside my hotel (the excellent, design-led Casa G Firenze, which I recommend), dressed in a blindingly bright orange puffer jacket and tweed plus-fours. Instead, I smiled indulgently, wished him a hearty buongiorno and continued on my way in search of cappuccino (pre-11.00, certo). Perhaps my new-found affection for the peacocks stems from the fact that, of late, we’ve had to endure the tyranny of “quiet luxury” – the dreary reign of beige double-faced cashmere and muted, joyless minimalism. The exuberance, playfulness and experimentation embodied by these dazzlingly dressed men felt not only refreshing but somehow entirely necessary.

You have been part of Singapore’s art scene for a long time. What are the biggest changes that you have seen?
The community has become more tight-knit, among both collectors and gallerists. Previously, people preferred to keep to themselves. Now we are much more open in terms of sharing ideas and resources. There’s also greater engagement from the younger generation. This shift is a positive sign that more Singaporeans are becoming aware of the role of art in their lives.

What do you hope that audiences will take away from your exhibition?
You don’t need external validation to do what you want and like. Art collecting is often associated with certain stereotypes, such as focusing only on famous names. But I want to show that it can be personal, allowing us to be the authors of our own story.

In recent years once-reclusive art collectors have begun to step into the limelight. Why?
As more people appreciate art, collectors feel empowered to share their collection or step forward as a supporting voice. Unless a piece is loaned to an institution, it will never be seen by the public beyond that brief moment in the gallery. In a showcase of a private collection, artists, in particular, can more readily share their work with others.

What should we check out during Singapore Art Week?
Teo Eng Seng: We’re Happy. Are You Happy? at the National Gallery Singapore. Seng’s practice is driven by creative spontaneity, which was unusual when he started out. The works have a delightful craziness, using humour and kitsch to reflect everyday complexities.

For more insights and analysis from the world of art, subscribe to Monocle so that you never miss an issue. Have a super Saturday.