Anyone who is actively hunting for a new job in the current market probably has more emotional scars than Ser Duncan the Tall following his trial by combat in The Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms. It’s brutal out there. The days when you could rock up to a building, CV in hand and hear the words “you’re hired” sound like something from a fantasy novel. There are so many hurdles. First, you need to AI filter-proof your CV, but silly you if you don’t actually use AI to fortify your CV in the first place. Then there are the tests, first- and second-round telephone interviews and, of course, the tasks. I once saw a job post asking candidates to create a TikTok-style video explaining why they were a good fit for the role, “the more creative the better”. Like I said, brutal.

The thing about stripes is that they come in all, well, stripes. Big thick ones. Little skinny ones. Up and down or side to side. And this season, they’re across everything. Handily, this particular pattern also happens to be one of menswear’s most accessible. Not to mention the easiest way to add a pop of colour. But the vertical that we really want to focus on here is the horizontal stripe. And it’s not just the pattern with the most potential for broad appeal, it will broaden your chest, too.

In an age of constant chaos and always-on digital culture, the most persistent advice to fight the machine has been surprisingly analogue: go touch grass. Fashion has taken note, and after more than a decade dominated by hype, the sneaker is beginning to soften. Step forward a new wave of footwear. Slimmer silhouettes in suede, satin and nylon, led by luxury brands such as LOEWE, LEMAIRE and Dries Van Noten – alongside Jacquemus’ recent collaboration with Nike.

Where will this summer find you? At first glance, this feels like a question to approach at a leisurely pace, as befits the season itself. The vernal equinox was just here the other week and there is still blossom in the trees, after all. Yet time waits for no man. The hotter months will be here before you know it, and you don’t want to be caught short. At least not without swim shorts.

Anyone who is actively hunting for a new job in the current market probably has more emotional scars than Ser Duncan the Tall following his trial by combat in The Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms. It’s brutal out there. The days when you could rock up to a building, CV in hand and hear the words “you’re hired” sound like something from a fantasy novel. There are so many hurdles. First, you need to AI filter-proof your CV, but silly you if you don’t actually use AI to fortify your CV in the first place. Then there are the tests, first- and second-round telephone interviews and, of course, the tasks. I once saw a job post asking candidates to create a TikTok-style video explaining why they were a good fit for the role, “the more creative the better”. Like I said, brutal.

The thing about stripes is that they come in all, well, stripes. Big thick ones. Little skinny ones. Up and down or side to side. And this season, they’re across everything. Handily, this particular pattern also happens to be one of menswear’s most accessible. Not to mention the easiest way to add a pop of colour. But the vertical that we really want to focus on here is the horizontal stripe. And it’s not just the pattern with the most potential for broad appeal, it will broaden your chest, too.