Consider this a timely reminder: Mother’s Day (in the US, at least) falls this Sunday, 9 March, and if you haven’t made arrangements already, there’s no time like the present. Speaking of presents, is there any better way of showing your affection than with flowers?

I’m half Egyptian, quarter Indian and a quarter Irish. My mum celebrates Christmas, and my dad celebrates Ramadan, so I get the best of both worlds. Doing Ramadan while based in London allows me to feel closer to my family and friends in Cairo and the Middle East. It’s a time of connecting to that identity and way of life. Ramadan represents a testing four-week period – gifts are a thoughtful and special way to mark the end of this rewarding time. This is the first Ramadan after a pandemic so it holds a lot of weight; people haven’t seen their families for a while. I have chosen five things with that in mind – something for pretty much every man in your life.

There’s an old joke told in Texas about the difference between the state’s three major cities. “Austin has the music; Dallas has the TV show… and Houston has the problem.” More than 50 years since astronaut Mr Jim Lovell radioed mission control to report that infamous “problem” with Apollo 13 – and 25 years since Mr Tom Hanks echoed his words on the silver screen – Houston is still inextricably linked with Nasa in the minds of many. Take a closer look at “Space City”, however, and you’ll find a vibrant southern metropolis bursting with creative energy and artistic flair – and showcasing some heavyweight food credentials as a result.

The first time Mr Douglas Friedman came to Marfa, Texas, it was under less than ideal circumstances. The newest member of the MR PORTER Style Council was there on a romantic getaway, but the chemistry was fizzling. The July weather was scorching, the air humid. The days he dropped in, Monday and Tuesday, are when most everything in the sleepy, high desert settlement is closed. “All things considered, it wasn’t great,” Friedman says. Despite all that, the trip touched something deep within him: a love of adventure, nature, and wide-open spaces, and the romance and mystique of the desert.

Consider this a timely reminder: Mother’s Day (in the US, at least) falls this Sunday, 9 March, and if you haven’t made arrangements already, there’s no time like the present. Speaking of presents, is there any better way of showing your affection than with flowers?

I’m half Egyptian, quarter Indian and a quarter Irish. My mum celebrates Christmas, and my dad celebrates Ramadan, so I get the best of both worlds. Doing Ramadan while based in London allows me to feel closer to my family and friends in Cairo and the Middle East. It’s a time of connecting to that identity and way of life. Ramadan represents a testing four-week period – gifts are a thoughtful and special way to mark the end of this rewarding time. This is the first Ramadan after a pandemic so it holds a lot of weight; people haven’t seen their families for a while. I have chosen five things with that in mind – something for pretty much every man in your life.