Diane Ackerman 
It’s officially peak season in the Hamptons, the East-end enclave where fashionable New Yorkers flock to escape the city and have some fun in the sun. The Hamptons is known for everything from beaches to art museums to hedges that grow higher than summertime temperatures. Geographically speaking, it spans from Southampton to Long Island’s tip, … Read more
Ask yourself what you need from your clothes. Is it a beach or city break? Do you need a smarter outfit or is that just-in-case evening dress really taking up valuable space and can be left behind? Prioritise things that offer dual function: a plain swimsuit can double as a top with a skirt or … Read more
.jpg "The Shoe of the Summer? It’s a 0 The Row Flip-Flop")
Think flip-flops are only for frolicking around in at the beach or for a post-pedicure jaunt? Think again. According to stylish celebrities, the shoe of the summer is a luxe flip-flop that’s meant to be dressed up. And get this, the trending pair will cost you a cool $650. (Yes, really.) The investment flip-flops in … Read more
As someone who likes to be prepared for anything, I typically travel with a full purse. I fill my tote bag with a spare sweater in case I get cold, a large water bottle so I’m never thirsty, sunscreen for reapplying, a makeup bag for touch-ups, plus all the usual suspects including my wallet, sunglasses, … Read more
Julie’s, 135 Portland Road, London W11 4LW (020 7229 8331). Starters £6-£19, mains £12-£40, desserts £8-£10, wines from £30 It’s very tempting to discuss Julie’s in London’s Holland Park without ever mentioning the food. That would be a thing, wouldn’t it: a restaurant review that went big on the plump furnishings and the clientele, but … Read more
“A visit to the Dior spa that has just opened on board the Eastern & Oriental Express is now high up on my bucket list, but in the meantime, I have been known to squeeze in a bit of self-care on the Eurostar. Two hours and 15 minutes is ample time to pop on 111Skin’s … Read more
The question I am a woman in my 50s and I have recently fallen deeply in love with someone I’ve known for many years. Beyond the strong physical attraction between us, we seem to have in common several emotional and intellectual attributes and, for the first time, I feel I am perfectly compatible with a … Read more
Hair type: My hair is incredibly thick, wavy, pouf-prone, Middle Eastern hair. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray Ever since Travis Speck instinctively gave me a French girl bob at Suite Caroline last spring, I found out my hair flips at the ends if I just push it in that direction, which I like. Sometimes I’ll go … Read more
Unlike other crops grown for global consumption, cocoa production doesn’t take place on large-scale plantations. Instead, 95% of the world’s cocoa comes from smallholder farms just two to five hectares in size, with 70% produced across western Africa in countries including Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. “Cocoa is traditionally a low-yield crop,” says Darrell High, head … Read more
“It was a miserable, hot summer day, which was the 14th miserable, hot summer day in a row.” So speaks Carrie Bradshaw via voiceover in an episode of Sex and the City as Samantha walks down the street fanning herself desperately but to no avail. It’s simply too hot in the city, and all she’s … Read more
