Keen to book a staycation? Meet Birch, the buzzy creative hotspot just forty minutes from London.
If you’re an avid Instagram user, you’ve likely heard of Birch by now. The latest must-try hotel-meets-community space on the block, it’s a countryside haven set up kind of like a high-end Glastonbury – there’s reams to do, from glass-blowing, to gong baths, to terrazzo workshops.
Hop on the train, and you can be there in about forty minutes from London Liverpool Street. On the more active side? It’s only about fifteen miles from central, so you can cycle there, too – they’ve got ample bike storage on site.
Birch is, shall we say, very London; what was once a traditional country house hotel is now decorated in a chaotic-yet-chic fashion, with most of the interior up-cycled by the designers at Red Deer. Imagine glorious spiral staircases juxtaposed with flaking wallpaper, bare wooden floors and a different colour scheme in every room and you’re on the right tracks.
Jumping on the bandwagon of rustic-meets-woke Air BnB style staycations, it’s a far cry from more traditional hotels, but offers ample distraction to make up for it. There’s a lido, wellness space, pottery studio, interactive bakery, art studio, screening room, music room and arcade – so you can see why the founders (a chef, baker, trainer, designer, entrepreneur, and gardener, FYI) call it an adult playground.
It might just be the next go-to weekend destination for busy London-based creatives keen to switch off – so we headed along, in the name of journalism, to see what all the fuss is about.
Birch hotel review: A creative’s paradise with gong baths, terrazzo workshops and more
The location
Forty minutes or so from Liverpool Street, Birch is located in Hertfordshire, just off the M25. Don’t go expecting a traditional country house or a nature-immersed switch-off; instead, expect a buzzy, creative atmosphere in an old Georgian building with large grounds.
The rooms
With 140 rooms, there’s plenty of space at Birch, and while they are quirky in their design, the main overtone is simplicity. I’m told that up-cycling was the focus for the most part, to keep the refurbishment both sustainable and affordable.
Our double room had a bed, wardrobe, side table and chair, and pastel-pink bathroom, to boot. My only bug-bear was the lack of tea or coffee making facilities in the room – call me old fashioned, but at £150 a night, it’d be nice to enjoy a cup of tea in bed in the morning.
The food
The food by Robin Gill is the star of the show – aptly located in the old stables, each course at The Zebra Riding Club was sublime. It’s namesake is the former owner, who it’s believed kept pet ‘zebras’ (most likely painted horses) to pull her carriage.
Gill is best known for his Clapham-based restaurant, The Dairy, where you could get one of the best and most affordable tasting menus in London before it shut last year. Now, with this new venture, he’s channelling what he does best: simple, organic, local produce that champions a farm-to-table ethos and doesn’t scrimp on the flavour, either.
The rest of the food at Birch is average, in comparison. But do make sure not to miss the walk-in bakery, if you go. Located in the main house, they’ve called it an ‘interactive’ bakery in the hope guests will go in and observe the chefs baking. We do, and walk away with two deliciously melt-in-the-mouth pastries as good as you’d get from London’s much-loved Bread Ahead, Pophams or Flor.
The facilities
The extensive on-site facilities really do make Birch stand-out from the crowd; they have every room you can imagine for activities, a spacious gym, a newly-built lido, and a large co-working space, too.
The Hub is the perfect space to sit, read or write. Grab a fresh juice or coffee from the bar and while away the hours working on a new concept or project. It’s here that you can see that Birch really has been designed with the London creative in mind.
Don’t miss the wellness space – it’s a huge, pastel-pink space packed with all the latest gym equipment offering Cowshed-stocked shower cubicles, massages and facials, to boot.
Head outside to the back lawn and you start to see the festival vibes the founders cite as their inspiration; tipis, food trucks and wine vans line the field, while ribbons blow in the trees and fairy lights hang from branches. Pack your comfy clothes, switch your phone off for the weekend and revel in the friendly, feel-good community vibes. Just be prepared to spend a little money – one thing Birch isn’t is cheap.
The price
Rooms start at £150 per night – but do note, nothing comes included, so you have to pay for food, drink and activities via the app. Do take advantage of their weekend deal, if interested – at current, if you book Friday and Saturday evening, you get Sunday free. What with it being so close to London, why wouldn’t you?
Dress rental sites have never been more popular, and there’s no better time to start using them than Secondhand September. Why? Because they’re a great way to practice sustainable fashion, as well as saving money – especially if you tend to buy a dress for a special occasion without wearing it again.
You’d be surprised how much we spend on clothes every month – which contributes to the estimated £140 million of clothing that ends up in landfill in the UK (Oxfam estimates this to be 13m items a week).
The pandemic meant that not only were there fewer occasions to dress up, but we became more conscious of how our lifestyle choices impacted our planet.
Shika, founder of luxury rental site FRONT ROW, says, ‘Fashion has always been about the new, but that needs to change and the industry has a major role to play in creating a circular economy. As consumers we have power, increased demand and support for circular fashion models, has already directly resulted in more brands offering take-back programs, using sustainable materials. It’s important for us to ask ourselves some hard questions before shopping, am I going to wear this again? If not, then would it be better to rent it or can I resell it? The future is no longer in front of us. It’s circular.’
Luckily, as dress rental has increased in popularity, so has the clothing selection. Sites like HURR, where I actually rent out my own wardrobe, are editor-curated for the best dress edit, with of-the-moment brands such as RIXO, Ganni, STAUD and more. You can for example borrow a Rixo dress for a week for around £50 instead of buying it new for £200+.
Other sites allow you to borrow that designer handbag you’ve always wanted but can’t quite justify buying. Whichever item you’re after, here are the best dress rental sites to pick from.
1. HURR
https://ift.tt/3DGKh12
About: This peer-to-peer dress rental service (you can also hire accessories and bags) has its finger on the fashion pulse, ensuring you get the latest trends delivered to your doorstep, but where it really hits the mark is the technology it uses. Founders Victoria and Matthew recognise the urgency of a dressing crisis, so they’ve served up a real-time ID verification, geo-tagging and AI-powered fashion stylists to ensure HURR is the most secure and trusted way to share your wardrobe.
Brands: Rixo, Sleeper, Ganni, Victoria Beckham, STAUD, Dior, Rejina Pyo and more.
How it works: This is a peer to peer service, so lenders are responsible for posting their own clothes, unless you choose to use HURR’s concierge service, which does it all for you, but you’ll get a lower commission. Plus you need to get approved before you start lending or renting, ensuring a legit service for everyone.
If you’re renting, you can search by category (dresses, accessories etc), occasion (brunch, out out etc) or designer. Then narrow down your search by date, size. HURR also has a permanent space in Selfridges, should you want to try out the items in store.
How much? It depends on the item, but usually around 20% of the RRP, and the shortest rental is for 7 days. For both renters and lenders, HURR takes a 15% commission. Try it now at the HURR Collective.
3. HIRESTREET
About: Ensuring style and sustainability is inclusive and relatable, the brand prides itself on its research and response to customer feedback. Owning all the product available for rental – pieces are selected six months ahead from brand look books and bought at wholesale, using data-backed processes to determine popular pieces.
Brands: Cult Aussie brands such as Winona, Bardot & Talulah and influencer favourite Spanish brand, Panambi as well as consumer favourites including Ghost, Whistles, French Connection, Rixo, Bec & Bridge and ASOS.
How it works: A different model to other fashion rental platforms, Hirestreet works on a consignment basis with no subscription, to make rental accessible to all. With rental costs starting from £7 for four days, there are four time slots available for flexibility (4, 8, 12, & 16 day slots) and cleaning/repairs are covered in the cost.
About: The platform launched in 2016 and now stocks hundreds of items from over 50 international luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, many of which are not available from other rental platforms in the U.K. They also provide access to new season and cult fashion pieces hot off the runway.
Brands: As well as global high end designers like Jacquemus, Chanel, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Burberry, they also have a great collection of Indian evening wear from some of the best Indian designers such as Manish Arora.
How it works: Choose a style, book an appointment at the Mayfair showroom or online to ‘try it on’ and rent it out for 5 or 5 days. Once you’re done wearing it, use the prepaid label to return it via UPS collection or drop-off.
How much? The rental price is between 10 – 25% of the retail price. The site charges a flat rate of £15 for delivery and also take a £50 block until the item is returned. The £50 is a requirement from insurers and will be released when the item is returned back in its original condition. Try it now.
5. BAUKJEN
About: Encouraging customers to ‘go greener’ and eliminate the effects of fast fashion, Baukjen offers its customers the option to rent its clothing, including statement dresses, leather jackets and key essentials for a period of 2 weeks, before returning free of charge. The programme is part of the ethical and responsible brands Recommerce initiative, seeking ways to prolong the lifecycle of garments.
How it works: Rent it, receive it and wear it for two weeks before returning it for free to Baukjen.
How much? The price varies per item, starting at £15 for a blouse. Try it now.
6. ONLOAN
https://ift.tt/3mVJ3Jb
About: The dress rental subscription platform works directly with brands on a wholesale basis with current and past season stock, they are not peer to peer. They positioned their subscription model purposefully because they want to support the industry and its designers, allowing them to gain value from the ongoing longevity of a garments life cycle.
Brands: Sustainable leaders like Rejina Pyo, Mother of Pearl, Maggie Marilyn, Stine Goya, Shrimps etc.
How it works: This is a monthly rental service, so you can get the most wear out of your chosen items as you’d like. You return them at the end of the month and choose something for the following one.
How much? £69 per month for two items (total items worth on average £500), £99 per month for four items (total items worth on average £1000). Try it now.
7. ROTARO
About: Backed by a team of industry insiders and co-founded by former WGSN trend forecaster, Georgie Hyatt and partner Charlie Knowles created ROTARO from the belief that the future of fashion is to buy good basics and rent good fun. ROTARO renters can find their favourite styles from contemporary luxury designers to refresh their wardrobe or as a platform to discover new brands.
Brands: Rixo, Ganni, Reformation, Cult Gaia, Vampires Wife, Zimmerman, Jacquemus, Cecilie Bahnsen and Stine Goya, offering a variety of sizes (UK6 – UK16) and styles that strive to be body inclusive and positive.
How it works: Find your style, then select how long you want to rent it out for, Rotaro offers next day delivery.
How much? You can rent dresses from as little as £15 on Rotaro.
About: Endless Wardrobe works differently to peer-to-peer sites so rather than anyone being able to list their wardrobe, they buy the garments direct from partner brands, like De La Vali and Alexa Chung. There’s also a new feature that lets customers shop each style in three ways; rent, buy new and buy good as new.
Brands: Alexa Chung, De La Vali, Free People, Whistles and more. This is great for premium high-street rentals.
How it works: As the range is curated by the brand, there are multiple sizes in almost all items, and as they own the stock, they control all the logistics. Customers can book their rental up to three months in advance right up until the day before. They can choose from a 4, 10 or 16-day rental period, with a slight price increase for longer rental periods – holidays for example. Price includes delivery and dry-cleaning. Customers can order an extra size or style and return this unworn for a refund.
How much? Around 10-20% of the retail price. See more at Endless Wardrobe.
9. BY ROTATION
About: Founded by expat investment banker Eshita Kabra-Davies, By Rotation is a dress rental platform based on inclusivity, with the aim to democratise quality fashion and make it accessible to all. It’s all controlled by the community rather than the other way round making it truly peer-to-peer. It also does not buy any inventory – so it is entirely sustainable.
Brands: Dior, Jacquemus, Vetements, Chanel, Zimmermann and more.
How it works:Download the free app and start browsing, there is no waiting list. The item can either be exchanged in person, via Royal Mail Tracked or via delivery partner Peyk. The lender is in charge of cleaning and cleaning solutions are offered by partner Clothes Doctor.
How much? Around 5% of the retail price. The minimum rental period for any clothing or item can be as low as 1 day, and the app charges a 15% commission.Download the ByRotation app.
10. MY WARDROBE HQ
https://ift.tt/3t7C7tH
About: My Wardrobe HQ is a member’s only dress rental online platform, with a focus on sustainable fashion and making it possible for anyone to achieve an a-list wardrobe. Some items have been supplied by celebrities such as Poppy Delevingne, Arizona Muse, Roxie Nafousi and Olivia Buckingham.
Brands: Henry Holland, Alice Temperley, Vilshenko, Vivienne Westwood, Chinti & Parker, Gucci and more.
How it works: Customers sign up to a subscription service for just £9.99 a month and in return are given a bespoke service to fulfill all their high-end dressing requirements. Subscription also includes a home visit from a MWHQ stylist to discuss plans for what they want to achieve being a member of this exclusive fashion club. You choose an item to rent and it’s with you from our wardrobe warehouse within two hours in London.
How much? £9.99 a month subscription, plus rental fees. As a rule of thumb, past-season items are listed at 10% of their RRP, while current season items are priced at between 10-30%. Sale prices are set by the owner and will vary. Rent at My Wardrobe HQ.
11. GIRL MEETS DRESS
About: One of the original dress rental services, Girl Meets Dress stocks over 200 designers and 4,000 dresses, so you’re pretty much sorted for any occasion.
Brands: A mix of high street and designer brands such as Ghost, Needle & Thread, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu and more.
How it works: You can rent up to three months in advance and as little as three days before your event, though the earlier you search, the more choice you’ll have. Anyone can rent on the site, and you simply need to return the dress via the post office once you’re done.
How much? Rent at Girl Meets Dress. You can hire dresses for 2 or 7 nights at a time, with prices starting from £19. If you’re a frequent renter, there is a £99 per month membership which lets you borrow three dresses at a time, free delivery and dry cleaning and extra discounts.
Designer bag rental
COCOON
https://ift.tt/3DGKi56
About: Launched in 2019, COCOON is a London-based monthly subscription service for lovers of designer handbags.
Brands: From vintage to new season, there are style from all the biggest designers, from Fendi to Vuitton, Chanel to Bottega.
How it works: For a £99 monthly membership you can choose a bag from the collection of the most sought-after new season, pre-owned and limited-edition styles.
In the wild, animals with spotted markings blend into their surroundings. But on us humans, brown splotches on the upper lip, forehead and cheekbones draw attention to an underlying issue: pigmentation. Which is why hyperpigmentation treatment is so high on the skincare agenda.
While not dangerous, pigmentation is stubborn to treat. You used to have to book a clinic-only hyperpigmentation treatment, which came with a hefty price tag. But that’s all changed now. Thanks to advances in science, we’re seeing more over-the-counter brands giving the professionals a run for their money.
What causes skin pigmentation and what’s the best hyperpigmentation treatment?
Experts think skin pigmentation is the result of melanocytes (the colour-making cells in your skin) going into overdrive.
‘Your body produces melanin to protect you from the sun – an over production shows up as brown spots and hyperpigmentation,’ says dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross.
The melanocytes then dump the dark pigment known as melanin into the deeper layers of skin, a bit like tattoo ink.
Melasma vs hyperpigmentation – what’s the difference?
Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation is an umbrella term that refers to any discolouration on the skin. ‘It’s a catchall term that covers a number of different complaints. But the top three that I see in clinic are melasma, post-acne marks and sun damage,’ explains skin expert Dr Sam Bunting.
Acne scarring is a form of post-inflammatory pigmentation. It occurs as a result of trauma to the skin. Darker skin tones are more prone to this type of pigmentation because of increased levels of melanin in the skin. Any injury like a picked spot makes those melanocytes jump into action.
Aside from causing freckles to blow up into large sunspots, unprotected sun exposure can exacerbate other skin conditions, too.
‘Any inflammatory process in the skin leads to pigmentation. It could be acne, it could be eczema or even psoriasis, and all will tend to worsen when exposed to the sun,’ adds Bunting.
Melasma
Melasma is another type of hyperpigmentation. Often referred to as ‘the mask of pregnancy,’ it frequently appears as symmetric darkened patches on the face during pregnancy. There are pregnancy beauty products, designed to help if you are expecting.
Hormonal changes is considered to be a big cause. Which is why melasma can also be triggered by oral contraceptives. Again sun exposure can make it look more pronounced.
‘Once inside the skin, pollution can cause chronic inflammation,’ says Dr Tom Mammone, Vice President of Skin Physiology and Pharmacology at Clinique. ‘This stimulates melanocytes, giving you unwanted pigmentation.’
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against damaging free radicals caused by pollution. Other things to remember are: keep your skin’s moisture barrier in tact with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid. ‘We’ve been able to prove that pollution tears tiny holes in the skin’s barrier, causing moisture loss, so this is a good ingredient to have in your arsenal,’ says Dr Mammone.
Ingredients that form a film over the skin’s surface will also help with that. ‘Alteromonas ferment, from marine bacteria, is brilliant at preventing pollution particles from adhering to the skin,’ says dermatologist Dr Barbara Sturm, who has made it a hero ingredient in her Pollution Drops.
Hyperpigmentation treatment
‘Suncreen and antioxidants are your best bet for preventing future hyperpigmentation,’ says Dr Bunting. ‘In addition to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C is also known to inhibit the production of melanin in your skin. Bakuchiol is another key antioxidant. It also suppresses the activity of the melanocytes so is a useful new ingredient to have in your skin pigmentation toolkit.’
Other good brightening agents include kojic acid and azelaic acid, a yeast that deactivates the enzyme tyrosinase, which helps to produce melanin.
Just be patient – most hyperpigmentation treatment take at least two months of diligent use for the real fading to begin.
If you have melasma due to pregnancy or taking birth control pills, it may go away once you’re no longer pregnant or using that kind of hormonal contraception.
But it’s worth saying that the deeper the pigment, the tougher it is to treat. So if a section of skin is consistently left unprotected in the sun, you should look at in-clinic hyperpigmentation treatments to brighten.
‘Professional chemical peels, like my in-office Alpha Beta Peel, are commonly used to treat hyperpigmentation,’ Dr Gross tells us.
IPL (intense pulsed light) is another option for sunspots, he continues. ‘It involves light-based energy pulsed onto the skin while simultaneously targeting blood vessels. The light seeks out the discoloration in the skin to lift it up and out.’
Here’s our roundup of the best hyperpigmentation treatment products:
Three Married At First Sight UK contestants have been on TV before
We’re three days into the all-new series of Married At First Sight UK, and it’s already as addictive as we’d hoped. The television show, which is in its sixth series in the UK but has revamped itself to be bigger than ever this year, sees eight couples ‘marry’ (unofficially) a complete stranger in front of friends and family.
So far, we’ve seen four couples meet on their wedding day – Nikita & Ant, Megan & Bob, Dan & Matt, and Luke & Morag. But some viewers have noticed that a few of the MAFS UK participants are somewhat familiar to the world of TV.
“I’m sure I’ve seenMoragonTake Me Out?” tweeted one fan of the show. And she’s not wrong; Morag from Essex did indeed feature in the 2018 series of the popular Paddy McGuinness-fronted show. Unfortunately for veterinary nurse Morag, she was on Take Me Out for seven weeks without landing a date to the Isle of Fernando’s, but it clearly didn’t deter her from taking part in another TV dating programme.
But Morag isn’t the only Married At First Sight UK star to have had some experience in the TV world – both Nikita and her new husband Ant have both featured separately on Comedy Central’s Your Face Or Mine. Small world, eh? At least it’s something they can bond over, when they’re not fighting.
The game show invites contestants on to predict how handsome or ugly people think they really are, and Nikita took part in the show twice alongside her ex-boyfriend Billy. In the clip, from her second appearance on the show in 2019, Nikita shares that she’s notoriously loyal in relationships. “I’ve never cheated on anyone in my life, ever” the now-26-year-old tells host Kathryn Ryan. “Any of my ex-boyfriends would admit that.”
Ant’s stint on Your Face Or Mine with his ex-girlfriend Dhechen, was decidedly more awkward, however. After his ex ‘joked’ that she fancied his brother Andrew more, the conversation turned to a mysterious silk dressing gown tie that Dhechen once discovered in Ant’s bed.
“It was my dad’s! From when I used to live with him, the tie had got boxed up with some of my stuff when I moved out,” insisted Ant, before it was clarified that he’d moved almost a year before the dressing gown tie was found. Yup, the less said about this tense exchange, the better.
While some viewers are loving the realisation that some of the Married At First Sight UK contestants are vaguely familiar, others are cynical about their intentions. “They aren’t on this for love, they are on it for fame,” wrote one person.
Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish residence, is a holiday destination for all royal family members over the summer months, and Kate Middleton has been visiting the estate since the early days of her relationship with Prince William (this year she was even granted a rare Balmoral privilege).
Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously started their honeymoon there after their wedding in 1981, and it has been the location of many happy holidays for the entire family.
It’s famously a time for them to wind down, and take a break from royal engagements. And of course, downtime means a more casual approach to dressing.
During the summer break, the Queen and her children and grandchildren love going for walks, horse rides and hosting BBQs, so you wouldn’t want to don your finest rags for this.
In fact, there is one accessory in particular everyone would (unofficially) be expected to wear: the Barbour jacket.
The label, originally known for its hunting and fishing jackets, has close ties with the royal family. In 1974, Prince Phillip granted the company its first Royal Warrant, and in 1981, The queen also gave them the honour, while Prince Charles gave a third one in 1987.
So if you see pictures of the royals roaming the grounds of the estate, you’ll likely see them wearing a jacket by the brand, as well as a pair of trusted Hunter wellies – a favourite with Kate Middleton.
Of course, these are the royals, so don’t expect to see them kicking back in tracksuits when they’re at home either. The holiday also includes formal dinners and lunches, for which Kate et al would be expected to dress up. It’s said that some days include as many as five outfit changes.
In Royal news today, it’s been claimed that Princess Diana was planning on moving herself and her two children to the US in 1997.
According to a friend of the princess, she was keen to make it in Hollywood, not as an actress, but as a producer or director. Her main aim was always to promote her charitable work.
Stewart Pearce, who was Diana’s voice coach, claims that she ‘planned meetings with top film executives in Autumn of 1997’ and ‘believed a move to Malibu would help her escape the establishment and class system in the UK’.
Whether or not she would logistically have been allowed to move Harry and William to America remains unknown.
Speaking to The Daily Mail to mark the 24th anniversary of Diana’s death, Pearce also commented on Diana’s relationship with boyfriend Dodi Fayed.
He denied that she had been pregnant with Fayed’s child at her time of death and further that she had plans to marry Fayed, despite their ‘whirlwind summer romance.’
Pearce says that despite ‘having an amazing time with the inexorable gentleman’ and ‘enjoying each other’s bodies’, that they had no intention of marrying as far as he had been made aware.
On her pending Hollywood career, Pearce also said that, while she was hesitant to appear on camera, she was keen to ‘explore her creative power’.
He said: “There were a number of major projects brewing in her consciousness through offers that had been offered to her.”
“One of the major opportunities that she wanted to create, was to start developing documentaries about three charitable interests that would then be assimilated into major movie pictures. She was planning on spending a lot of time in Hollywood.”
Paul Burrell, who was Diana’s butler, has also said before that the Princess expressed wishes to move the children abroad. Speaking to ABC News in 2007, he said Diana had spoken about relocating them to Fayed’s Malibu home.
He said: “She said, ‘This is our new life, just won’t it be great, think of the lifestyle the boys — nobody’s judgmental here in America, you don’t have the class system, you don’t have the establishment.'”
He appeared via video link at last night's GQ Men of the Year awards.
Prince Harry made a surprise guest appearance at the GQ Men of the Year awards last night.
Appearing via live stream from California – where he joked about being dressed up in a tuxedo at 3pm in the afternoon – he congratulated the winners and spent the majority of his time on stage tearing down anti-vaxxers.
Slamming those who refuse to get their Covid-19 vaccinations, he said that the ‘mass-scale misinformation that creates vaccine hesitancy’ is causing those most in need to miss out on the medicine that could save their lives.
He said that those individuals are ‘peddling lies and fear’ as he presented an award to the brains behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Warning viewers that Covid-19 is still very much at large, the Prince also urged Governments to offer jabs to poorer countries, highlighting that 98% of people in developing countries are yet to be offered the vaccine.
According to the Prince, five billion vaccines have been injected globally. While this is over a third of the population, he believes more needs to be done to ensure everyone is protected.
Celebrities including Piers Morgan, Laura Whitmore and Winnie Harlow were in the audience at the event.
He said: “It sounds like a major accomplishment and in many ways it is, but there is a huge disparity between who can and cannot access the vaccine.”
“Less than 2% of people in the developing world have received a single dose at this point. And many of the healthcare workers are still not vaccinated.”
“We cannot move forward together unless we address this imbalance as one. At the same time, families around the world are being overwhelmed by mass-scale misinformation across news media and social media, where those who peddle in lies and fear are creating vaccine hesitancy, which in turn leads to divided communities and eroding trust.”
“This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome Covid-19 and the risk of new variants.”
He continued: “Until every community can access the vaccine and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk.”
As he congratulated Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert and Professor Catherine Green, the inventors of the vaccine, the Duke called them ‘our nation’s pride’ and added: “We are deeply indebted to their service. For the rest of us, including global governments, pharmaceutical leaders and heads of business, we have to keep doing our part.”
“That must include sharing vaccine science and supporting and empowering developing countries with more flexibility. Where you are born should not affect your ability to survive when the drugs and know-how exist to keep you alive and well.”
The wait is finally over: the Toga Archives x H&M collaboration has launched, and it’s selling like hot cakes in store and online, so you’d better hurry if you want a piece of the undeniably cool line.
Tokyo-based independent luxury label TOGA, founded in 1997 by Yasuko Furuta, has gained critical acclaim and a devoted international fanbase for its experimental takes on wardrobe classics, defined by a genderless, fiercely individual approach to fashion.
This ethos can be seen throughout the collection, which re-imagines some of the label’s archival hits for men and women, including hybrid trench coats, deconstructed striped shirts and dresses with clever cut-outs.
At the time of the announcement, Yasuko said, ‘Fashion is a great way to express your interests immediately and non-verbally. It’s much faster than a conversation about the artwork you are interested in, or the music or books that you like. When I first launched TOGA, I wanted to make clothes for people who are filled with curiosity and who are unafraid of change. With this collection for H&M, I am excited that a broader range of people will be able to discover and enjoy TOGA designs.’
This can be seen in the clever and unexpected designs, which include cut-out t-shirts, scarf print zip trousers and accessories that will elevate any look.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced a number of new ventures over the last 18 months – including lucrative Netflix and book deals – but it was news of Harry’s upcoming memoir that has proved increasingly controversial.
During a tell-all interview with US chat show host Oprah in the Spring, the couple revealed they are ‘thriving’ after waving goodbye to the monarchy, and in his new autobiography the Duke revealed he was writing ‘not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become.’
He said: ‘I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope that in telling my story – the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned – I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.
‘I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.’
However, Paul Burrell, former servant of the British Royal Household, has claimed that the Queen may be forced to ‘fight back’.
He told Closer magazine: ‘The Queen lawyering up is totally unprecedented – it’s her way of saying, “Enough is enough now”.
‘The Queen is a warm, fair, loyal, forgiving, compassionate woman – but if you cross her more than once, or tell her lies, you lose her respect. And it seems things have gone too far – Harry and Meghan show no signs of stopping the missiles.
‘Back in the day, the ‘never complain, never explain’ rule could work, and it added to the mystery and privacy of the royals. Nowadays, with how quickly news travels and social media, it simply can’t work, especially given Harry and Meghan’s allegations.’
The former royal employee also claimed that the Queen is ‘apprehensive about what could come next’, adding: ‘This constant drip of information from across the Atlantic, which seems never-ending, has the potential to do an awful lot of damage to both the monarchy and her family.’
A huge 51% of Brits report feeling exhausted - here, an expert shares how to fix.
Suffering from constant brain fog, debilitating headaches or aching limbs and constantly find yourself searching how to get to sleep? It might be worth reading up on the symptoms of exhaustion, because believe it or not, it’s more common than you might think.
While we’ve already bought you an extensive expert-led guide to insomnia treatment, you may not know the difference between being super tired and actually exhausted. Because when the kid/dog/anxiety keeps you up all night, it’s pretty exhausting.. but likely doesn’t count as genuine exhaustion.
Keep reading for your need-to-knows.
What is the definition of exhaustion?
Doctor Audrey Tang, a positive psychologist, mental health and wellness expert and author of The Leaders Guide to Resilience, explains that exhaustion is the physiological state the body falls into after a period of chronic stress.
“Unfortunately, as much as we may want to believe we are invincible, we all have a level of stress up to which we can tolerate. Beyond that the mind may just about be willing, but the body is not.”
“Think of it like an elastic band – continue to stretch it and at some point it may snap or go flaccid and cease to function as an elastic band. This is known as exhaustion,” she explains.
Exhaustion symptoms: 11 to watch out for
There are a number of potential indicators which suggest that your general wellbeing is suffering. They may present in psychological, social or biological ways, which include:
A change in eating habits – eating or drinking more or less than usual- and if eating more – often of high calorie items
Refusing invitations, or alternatively going to all of them and perhaps over indulging in a noticeable manner (that differs from their usual behaviour)
Susceptibility to illness, often because of a depression of the immune system
A lapse in personal grooming
A slower pace of life generally.
All of these signs may be indicators of other issues but are also commonly exhaustion symptoms, the psychologist explains.
Exhaustion treatment: how to cure yours
So you’ve read up on the exhaustion symptoms, but how do you get rid of it if you think it might be affecting you? Unfortunately it can get to the stage where you need professional intervention. “Going to speak to your GP will likely be the best start,” says Tang.
However, one of the simplest ways of treating low-level exhaustion is by trying to prevent it from reaching the point of crisis in the first place. This can mean making subtle, but consistent changes in your life, like the following.
1. Eat well and exercise
Simply, but seriously important, stresses the psychologist. “Remembering that your physical health affects your mental wellbeing. Make sure you’re eating well, sleeping lots and exercising, too – getting the blood pumping can help clear your mind,” she shares.
2. Get enough sunshine
Getting outside can help you get more Vitamin D, which can increase feelings of happiness and counter things such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, explains Tang. “Fresh air is good for us – just make sure you’re dressed suitably for the weather,” she stresses.
3. Create a positive living environment
You know – decorate your space with photos of the people you love, or things that provoke feelings of comfort.
“This can help you feel good when you are having time alone,” the psychologist explains. “Now may be the time to indulge in a bit of DIY, or at least making the area you spend time in inviting through plants, colours or textures.”
4. Meet like-minded people
Another exhaustion treatment-slash-prevention that’ll improve your quality of life? Try branching outside of our immediate group of friends and family – you’ll likely find some friends who share the same interests. Not sure how? Try the following:
Join a class or a club – something you always wanted to try, or something you always enjoyed. There you may meet like-minded people where you know it will be possible to connect on some topics of conversation. Our guides to the best gym classes and yoga classes might help.
Volunteer somewhere – this may also allow you to feel fulfilled at being able to give a little time back to the community.
“As a coach, I would never schedule clients directly one after the other – whether online or in my office – because it is extremely exhausting to give your full attention to one person and switch to the next,” she shares. Someone will lose out, and that someone is most likely you, she explains.
Aim for a 30 minute gap in between meetings, where possible – “you owe it to yourself, your team and your business to be fully present when discussing the issues important enough to meet over,” she stresses.
6. Ensure offline time
This one’s important for avoiding burnout.
“Switch off, go out into the garden, or at least open a window. Get some time away from the glare of the screen and take a moment to be informally mindful. Listen to the birds, feel the warmth of the sun and breathe deeply,” Tang advises.
Just because, in principle, being online means you don’t have to move, doesn’t mean you’re not expending mental energy, she stresses.
7. Work out your ying and yangs
“This is one of my favourite tips,” shares Tang. It works in three stages:
Recognise when you are enjoying something.
Decide if that activity energises (yang) or relaxes (yin) you.
Decide what you need – and pick from the list of things you know you enjoy.
“The secret to this is that if you are feeling stressed, then something that relaxes us is going to be far more effective at relaxing us than something that energises us,” explains the psychologist. “If we are feeling down or apathetic, then an energiser may be more useful than a relaxant.”
8. Build your positivity reservoir
Last but by no means least, if you’re prone to feeling exhausted, honing back in on the things in life that make you happy, and the times when your life was a little more balanced, could just help you get the all-important shut eye and mental switch off you need.
Tang suggests trying the following:
Having photos of moments you love in a screen shot album to remind you you’ve made a difference
Checking in regularly with good friends
Laughing – a lot (there’s no harm in cat videos, as long as you don’t spend all day watching them)
