Why you need a status washstand — and more trends to know

What do we want in our bathrooms now? Hot and cold running mod cons, sure, but please make them look like something from a period drama. A wonder of 19th-century plumbing, combining sink, towel rails and often a handy shelf, the washstand is set to become the new bathroom must-have. An antidote to the matchy-matchy white bathroom, the status washstand will break up the monotony of a run of fitted cupboards.
However, faux period plumbing doesn’t come cheap: top of the list for design fans is Balineum’s glorious Gotham washstand, which costs from £1,996, or, on a (slightly) lesser budget, Neptune’s Edinburgh will set you back £1,615. See also, the “Victorian washstand” launched this year by deVOL, a snip at £4,000. Let that sink in.
If the scissor-happy celeb crowd is anything to go by, bangs are back with a, er, bang. Kaia Gerber debuted the style of the season at the Paris Olympics this month, while Daisy Edgar-Jones has taken a somewhat curtained approach on the press tour for Twisters. Josh Hartnett, meanwhile — no, this trend does not discriminate — has gone full-steam Nineties boy band. Indeed, there is no brief, no pin-up to take a picture of to your hairdresser: just think natural rather than severe. “We’re in an era of minimal styling,” says Victoria Beckham’s mane man, Luke Hersheson, “so the key is embracing your natural texture, so it falls and frames the face without too much product and heat.” Chop, chop!
For further proof that illustration and murals are going nowhere in the interiors world, see 34-year-old Sam Wood, who is fast becoming the hottest painting ticket in town. In the playful, Charleston-esque trompe l’oeil that mimics panelling in the private dining room at Claridge’s, London, and in the flowers, fruits and frills scribbled in rainbow-bright chunky marker pens at Rixo’s Marylebone High Street store, Wood’s work explores how nature intersects with city life. The Gloucestershire-born Central Saint Martins graduate also takes private commissions, should you have a naked wall and be in the market for some culture cred.
As we get ready to embrace The Devil Wears Prada musical (coming in October) and bulk buy Bolly ahead of the upcoming new Ab Fab show on UK Gold, we have to admit that fashion makes for the best pop culture. You want high drama, awful people and terrifyingly beautiful things? You got it! And the good news is, there’s more to come. First up is The Coin, Yasmin Zaher’s chic-surreal novel about a Birkin bag pyramid scheme and a life that goes horribly wrong (out now). Then there’s La Maison, a ten-part French TV epic about two duelling atelier families in Paris — think Succession with a fashion twist — which starts on Apple TV on September 20. Finally, something to look forward to is The Philosophy of Dress, a film that has been described as “The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho”. It’s a satire, starring Sydney Lemmon, (Tár) about fashion designer frenemies, currently filming in New York. It’s fashion, sweetie, look it up!
For a hot moment in the 1990s, Baywatch became the most watched TV show in the world. Strangely alluring for both teens and their parents, the series about California lifeguards made a star of Pamela Anderson and an icon of the red swimsuit (see recently: Sabrina Carpenter on her holidays) . Now a new documentary, After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, will explore what happened once the show ended in 2001, featuring interviews with the Hoff, Yasmine Bleeth, Carmen Electra and more. But hold on to your budgie smugglers because also heading our way is a TV reboot that will feature “daring ocean rescues, pristine beaches and iconic red bathing suits”. Nothing’s changed, then.
Forget tall, regular or large portions: we are living in the era of super-size food. After taking Bristol by storm with its XXL sarnies, Sandwich Sandwich has opened a shop in London, with equally massive queues snaking around the block each lunchtime. In fact, the shop was so popular that the local council got in touch before it opened, concerned about possible disturbances. Once you’ve got your chops around its popular southern-fried chicken sarnie, try tackling the XXL-size cheese toastie at the Wigmore — it’s £13 and more than a foot long. Or head to the Secret Sandwich Shop in Notting Hill, which counts Dua Lipa among its fans, though be warned: its sandwiches are so crammed full of filling, it takes 20 minutes to eat one. Feeling brave? Head to the Lever & Bloom coffee shop and bakery in Bloomsbury and order the extra-large cinnamon bun: so big it’s more like a pizza than a pastry. Be sure to wear your XXL stretchy trousers.
Magic slippers? Yes please. The ballet shoe trend collides with all things metallic for autumn, resulting in the perfect pair of cocktail pumps. Too good for special occasions, this is a duo you’ll want to wear all season long.
Additional words: Hannah Evans, Phoebe McDowell and Katrina Burroughs