LIFESTYLE

He put personality into boxers, collaborated with the pope (sort of) and is to thank for novelty socks. The British designer’s new book reveals there’s more to Smith than his stripes In July, the British designer Paul Smith celebrated his 80th birthday and he has now released a memoir to mark the…

Tony Benn v Ali G | Ancient knitting | Picky bits | More nominative determinism Sacha Baron Cohen may have tricked Tony Benn into thinking that Ali G was a real person, but he certainly didn’t succeed in making a fool of him ( Booyakasha! Ali G is back – but even he can’t match the absurdity of…

Can blending these popular fruits in a smoothie adversely affect the berries’ nutritional benefits? Experts weigh in This year was shaping up to be a banner year for bananas: they were lauded as “ 2026’s big viral taste ”, landed pride of place as Prada’s new lip balm flavor, and were even deemed “…

Designer mixes burnt-out velvet and shredded denim with a mythology that keeps getting more profitable The opening show of fashion’s month of catwalks was not on the official schedule, but Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo were snuggled on to celebrity-packed benches in a cathedral-sized marble hall…

We’d like to hear from people on the most unusual experience gifts they’ve received People are buying more experiences as gifts for friends and family. Whether it’s afternoon tea, skydiving or pottery classes, people are coming up with more unusual ways to treat their loved ones. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is interested in hearing from couples, partners and former lovers to talk about their sex lives How often do you have sex? The Guardian is looking for couples to talk honestly – and completely anonymously – about what they get up to in the bedroom for the Saturday…

It has become common for people to wait in long lines for cafes, bakeries and ice-cream shops. But why? And what do the owners think? At 9.45am on a warm Saturday in September, a queue snakes down the pavement in Notting Hill, west London. Stretching for 20 yards past office blocks, estate agents…

Jasper stands accused of being wasteful but feels aggrieved that Mindy says he’s being lazy. Is this a race to the bottom? You decide • Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror Opening new products when old ones aren’t empty is wasteful – and he does it to avoid cleaning up…

Repurposed railway lines make accessible and family-friendly walking and cycling routes. Here are some of the best, from Somerset to the Highlands of Scotland Start/ f inish Coombs Road in Bakewell to Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale , but there are lots of access points along the way Distance 8.5 miles…

A chocolate cake inspired by the Sacher hotel in Vienna’s trademark creation and emulated by a local Roman pasticceria This column began two years ago, almost to the day, when I made a birthday cake for a friend. “I don’t mind,” was her reply when I first asked what sort of cake she would like. But…

As weight loss drugs have risen all around the world, it has reshaped users’ relationships for better and for worse As GLP-1 use continues to rise in the US and the UK , people’s bodies are being reshaped – as are their relationships. “Relationships tend to develop a sense of equilibrium and…

Alarming warnings from industry insiders increase pressure for curbs on artificial superintelligence Does artificial superintelligence really pose a risk greater than nuclear weapons? Is there a significant chance of “a Chornobyl-sized catastrophe”. Might there even be a greater than 10% chance…

I’ve always cinched my outfits at the waist, but shifting to a looser silhouette has helped me keep my cool in more ways than one This was the summer of the Great Untuck. The long hot summer of 2026 finally taught me to do what fashion has been nagging me about for years, which is to quit tucking…

A simple, stripped-back soup that lets the freshest, sweetest corn and fluffy, floury potatoes do all the work Today’s super-simple corn chowder is inspired by one I came across on NewEngland.com that relies on an old zero-waste trick; namely, scraping the spent cobs to release the pulp and…

From face tints and self-tan to summer scents, these lightweight buys saw me through multiple heatwaves You’ll normally find me looking back on my favourite products of the past 12 months at year’s end. But this summer has been so freakishly hot and sweaty it has required its own toolkit and, by…

In Ayurvedic cooking, bitter ingredients are celebrated for their ability to refresh and rebalance. Here, the elegance of tahini and the cleanliness of grapefruit do the heavy lifting Bitterness has long had an image problem: is it delicious or disgusting? Here’s another contradiction: though…

When Phoebe Bridgers appeared at Venice international film festival with unshaven legs this weekend, it shouldn’t have made headlines – but did. What do young women make of the current expectations around depilation? In 2026, female body hair feels as if it should be the least of anyone’s concerns.…

My glamorous friend Jibby Beane, who has died aged 84, was known in London’s fashion and art worlds as an energetic and unique figure. Blessed with fabulous blond good looks, during the 1990s she appeared on the catwalk for Vivienne Westwood , was featured in countless style magazines and ran an…

The cookbook author has a shortcut method for blanching vegetables that saves on time, equipment and water Check out more Alice Zaslavsky recipes I love a burnt brassica, and there’s no better flavour than the big mama herself: the cabbage. Vegetables in the cruciferous family, like brussels…

Vivienne Truran was a civil servant and antiques dealer, who spent most of her life in the background. At 80, she realised how outgoing she was, and started a soaringly successful new career ‘It took me till I was 80 to realise that I’m quite an outgoing and loud person,” says Vivienne Truran. Now…

With the release of his new biography, the British designer talks about leaving school at 15, the real reason he won’t retire and why no one wears velvet trousers any more Go for a browse in the Paul Smith shop in Mayfair, London, on any given Saturday and you’ll likely find an older shop…

Jasmin Graham, a shark scientist and science communicator, also makes time in her day to practice her hobbies and play music bingo with friends “Sharks are not monsters, they just need better PR,” writes Jasmin Graham . And she should know: Graham is a shark scientist and science communicator.…

Despite Anna Wintour’s years-long redemption campaign on his behalf, the Dior designer’s controversial past got him booted as the 2027 Met Gala honoree When the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it was dedicating its 2027 costume exhibition to designer John Galliano, vintage dealer Johnny…

Consumers are increasingly encountering AI-generated images on food menus such as leathery meat and bread resembling reptile skin During a recent lunch break, Jill Sennett saw something so unappetizing she had to share it with her 26,000 X followers : Artificial intelligence-generated menu images…

A Dr Seuss-style story written in seconds alerted me to the power – and perils – of the technology. But how can children embrace it without forgetting core skills? When I was growing up, my dad and I often talked about a story we wanted to write together. It was called “The Day Nobody Went to…

Being able to touch and examine garments in person can be a vital source of inspiration for designers. Now a collection which does just that has relocated from Europe to Melbourne In what was once a nun’s bedroom, a long-sleeved, slate-blue Hermès dress from the 1970s hangs beside a window. Made…