Fashion. The trends come and go and are often seen as belonging to the young, the trendy or edgy. From ra-ra to puffball skirts, to citrus colours, pie crust collars and boho chic, there are so many trends that have come and gone, often leaving a raft of embarrassing photographs behind. But whilst trends are transient, true style, in the form of the classics, remains. In a new book, Lauren Cochrane, senior fashion writer at The Guardian, tackles those style classics, aka ‘The Ten’, showing their history, the way we have wore them, and how relevant they are to fashion today and going forward. The Ten are, in no particular…

I got goosebumps watching the FA Cup final yesterday, on so many levels. Seeing 20,000+ fans in Wembley Stadium, cheering on their team in numbers not seen since before Covid was just joyous. Add in the continued fairy tale of Leicester City, winning for the first time, the sheer jubilation from the players, their owner and the fans, and it truly showed why football can be life affirming and beautiful. And it got me so excited for this week… My team is West Bromwich Albion. I have supported them all my life along with the rest of my family, including my twelve year old son. We now live in Wolverhampton,…

As much as I love to travel abroad, it has to be said that when it comes to holidays, the UK has so much to offer. Beautiful beaches, glorious countryside, amazing cities full of history and culture, all of this is virtually on our doorstep.  My family is lucky enough to have a static caravan in Snowdonia, but recently we have been thinking of selling this in order to get a touring caravan so that our travel is not limited to the reaches of our campsite, but could literally be anywhere. We want the option of being able to travel locally at weekends and further afield during school holidays, and…

Each new fashion season brings a whole range of new styles and new trends to tap into, but whilst, in the past, the idea of giving your wardrobe a complete overhaul each season was one to aspire for, these days, we are far more frugal, thrifty and (trying to be) more sustainable. Our wardrobes now have to earn their keep, we are more likely to buy classic pieces that last for a much longer period of time, and rather than buying into trends wholesale, we may well just look at tapping into them. Accessories are a great way to not only tap into new trends, but to give your wardrobe…

Interior décor trends change from time to time and season to season, but one of the style trends that keeps coming back is wallpapers. The earliest recorded use of wallpapers is seen in China, with the country being credited with the first use of wallpapers during the Qin Dynasty. In this culture, pasting rice papers on walls was a common decorative practice. Since then, wallpaper has seen a huge transformation. Today, affordable removable wallpaper is one of the most preferred methods of sprucing homes. DIYers who work on a tight budget yet prefer updating their home regularly use the latest designs such as tropical wallpaper for walls. Why are wallpapers…