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Think boucle jackets with low-waisted jeans, silk blouses with masculine trousers, pencil skirts with wellies …It always makes me feel a tiny bit queasy when looking “ladylike”, as a trend or a vibe or whatever, comes into fashion. How does it make sense to spend our hard-earned paychecks cosplaying as women of lunches and leisure?You can’t deny these clothes are cute, though. A boucle jacket can make you feel as if the Eiffel Tower might come into view around the next corner, even though you are in the wrong country. A mini-heel lets you imagine you might be having a glass of sancerre with your lunch, when in reality a can of San Pellegrino is as exciting as it is going to get. There is an air of gentle charm, of courtesy, to lady-adjacent style that can take the edge off a tough day. Continue reading...
14 Oct 2026 13:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN
Ms Lam Montessori’s head of school reveals teachers wear a different Japanese designer after their chic clothes drew online envy“Does anyone know what the deal is Ms Lam Montessori … and why all their employees wear Issey Miyake … every day … I’m confused and a bit jealous,” asked one commenter on the Williamsburg subreddit last week, sparking a unexpected viral moment for a chain of Brooklyn Montessori preschools.The poster was responding to photos on the Montessori’s website of the teachers’ uniforms: raspberry, cobalt and apple green dresses in plissé fabric. They appeared to be from the Pleats Please line by Japanese designer Issey Miyake. It seemed an avant-garde choice for staff posing in front of the abachi and blond wood toys of their preschool classroom. Continue reading...
14 Oct 2026 11:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN
Many products claim to stop age-related thinning, but this one really worksI’m 51, perimenopausal, and somewhere between the newly distended stomach and the urge to pick fights with fellow passengers on public transport (why have people stopped wearing headphones?), came hair thinning. Brilliant.It’s not as though I could claim an abundance in the first place. However, hair-loss products were at least something I could explore professionally, so I tested and tested, figuring there must be a column in there somewhere. There wasn’t. Continue reading...
14 Oct 2026 09:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN
I was standing at the traffic lights with the weight of the world on my shoulders when a man approached. He will probably never know the impact he had on my lifeRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesMy cousin had recently died in a terrible accident and I had been the one who had to identify the body. It was one of the darkest periods of my life, on seemingly every front: I was in the midst of a divorce; it was during the global financial crisis and the company I worked for was badly struggling, making every day feel heavy with uncertainty and stress. Everything was a mess and I was emotionally exhausted.One morning during rush hour, I stood at the traffic lights waiting to cross on my way to the office. I was lost in my thoughts but must have looked like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, because something unexpected happened. Continue reading...
11 Oct 2026 14:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN
His behaviour is certainly inappropriate, but take a quiet moment to try to find out where the anger is coming fromMy partner and I have been together for 25 years and we have two sons, aged 14 and 16. Both are football crazy and have played since they were very young. My partner’s competitive nature was one of the things I initially found attractive about him (I wanted someone with drive).However, this side of him rears its ugly head when our kids play matches. He shouts, criticises and, worst of all, swears at teenagers. I’m so embarrassed by it and it’s also affecting the boys. Their teammates hear their dad and it’s creating tension. I’ve tried to speak to him about it but he brushes it off. Our boys and the coaches have spoken to him too, but to no avail. Continue reading...
11 Oct 2026 05:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN
When Sarah Maloney’s primary school crush danced back into her life, she braced for a ‘teenage whirlwind romance’. Then one night, she realised they were both all inFind more stories from the moment I knew seriesIn 2017 I was 16, went to an all-girls Catholic school in Melbourne and had zero tolerance for teenage boys and their nonsense. Instead I spent a lot of gossip time lamenting Jake, who broke my tiny heart in primary school and then moved hours away.A debutante ball was coming up. It was an expensive tradition that was fundamentally at odds with my values but I couldn’t say no to a pretty dress and dancing – I was a teenage girl, after all. Some friends asked cousins or co-workers from our part-time jobs to be partners. I got knocked back by everyone. When I complained to my mother, she let me know Jake had moved back to town, and did she want me to ask his mum if he would be willing? Continue reading...
10 Oct 2026 19:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN