Tyler Brûlé advertised himself as Fox‘s London bureau chief the first and only time I met him, at the start of the 90s. Even though one suspected that Fox might not know that he was their transatlantic representative, his confidence left no doubt that it would only take a quick phone call to reassure them that this was in fact the case, and that any confusion was entirely theirs.

Brûlé has carried his triumphant self-creation into brands and magazines. His latest outing is Monocle, and I’m probably the last person in journalism to read it.

Verdict? More to be admired than liked. Hats off to anyone starting a magazine…but. It lacked the seriousness of Prospect, the style of the New Yorker and the fun of Vanity Fair. It felt like a catalogue. So it’s back to the Economist for me. But, then I’m not target audience. Except, of course, that if I’d liked it, I’d have bought it again.