Dictators, tyrants, despots—whatever you want to call them—don’t exactly have the best public opinion and rightfully so. Their human rights atrocities aside, they also have appalling taste; yet oddly enough, some of them have crossed into mainstream and have become almost fashion icons. Take Givenchy’s women’s Pre-Fall 2012 collection, for example and how a little [...]

Fashion and the hotel industry have long been affiliated, what with recent Maison Martin Margiela-designed La Maison Champs-Elysées, Moschino’s witty Maison Moschino, Paris’ Le Bellechasse, designed by Christian Lacroix, and of course, Palazzo Versace; however, the other end of the spectrum—young designers—are seldom represented. Enter Amsterdam’s Hotel the Exchange where each of the sixty-one rooms is designed by a [...]

If you wondered what books do when everyone else is asleep then consider this your video your enlightenment. If, however, you’re afraid of poltergeists, then I’m afraid this is your nightmare fuel. “The Joy of Books” is a a stop-motion video created by husband-and-wife team, Sean Ohlenkamp and Lisa Ohlenkamp. The couple spent their evenings at the Type bookstore [...]

Some people have way too much time on their hands, or maybe this guy’s really in love … Mr Walt Thompson, an Atlanta-based filmmaker proposed to his girlfriend of four years, Miss Nealey Dozier, in a very unconventional way. Spending 22 hours (we can only assume they were non-consecutive) and taking close to 2,600 pictures [...]

Those whose profession depends on its daily use say it—dieticians, nutritionists, personal trainers—yet they’re all wrong. It’s enough to make you want to instigate a dictatorship, enforce a law banning them from using ‘regime’ incorrectly and then buy a heck of a lot of shoes. Admittedly, totalitarianism does have its perks. In today’s Grammar 101, we [...]

Dear Agony Uncle, When ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant and the waiter asks if you wish to try some, I always decline because it seems pointless. If I like the wine, I will accept the bottle, but if I do not, I feel sheepish refusing it and will accept the bottle anyway. [...]

Here’s a proposition: Paddington Bear was a hipster. He had all the hallmarks: a duffel coat, a floppy Blossom hat, a vintage suitcase; and was found roaming Paddington Station with no recollection from where he came from or to where he was going. To me he sounds like most kids in East London after a [...]

Every gentleman of refinement must own a decent pair of house slippers; and although, for some they might seem like a relic of the past,  memories of being chased down the hallway by one’s elders for not having them on might have taken years of counselling to repress, they’re certainly worth the investment. Typically procrastinating [...]

Short and sweet, here are the pressing issues (well, some of them) for your Agony Uncle this week.  Oh, and if you like these leopard print shorts (and who wouldn’t?!) shorts, you can buy them here from ASOS. Does throwing a shoe at someone mean you’re a violent person? Anna, Twitter Ask yourself: What does the shoe [...]

Are you about to peel the plastic off your ready-made microwave dinner in preparation for a lonely night in front of the television? Don’t worry, millions of others will be lying when the telephone rings right in the middle of Neighbours to their parental figure of choice about their wellbeing, just to get them off the phone [...]