T LOunge for April 29th 2025

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PinUniverse Restaurant – Madrid, Spain

It’s TUESDAY. Let’s get cozy.

To Catch a Thief turns 70: take a look at how its iconic Cannes Château has been transformed for the 21st century social set
The fabulous Château de la Croix des Gardes now hosts 21st century Hollywood stars and royalty alike – after all, it was the location of a lavish masquerade ball (à la To Catch a Thief) as part of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s multi-day mega-wedding last year
Picture the scene. The camera pans over the sun-kissed pink walls of a lavish château, the backdrop an azure splash of Mediterranean sea. In the foreground, you watch Cary Grant and Grace Kelly fall in love. This summer, Alfred Hitchcock’s Silver Screen icon, To Catch a Thief, turns 70. Central to the film is the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Château de la Croix des Gardes, the location of the film’s climactic masquerade ball and jewel heist.

John Lithgow Says He ‘Absolutely’ Didn’t Expect Any J.K. Rowling Backlash After Joining HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series: ‘Why Is This a Factor?’
Lithgow added that “a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child” sent him an open letter entitled “An Open Letter to John Lithgow: Please Walk Away from Harry Potter” after he picked up the role.
“That was the canary in the coal mine,” he said. Lithgow went on to ponder why Rowling’s past comments should affect the project.
“I thought, ‘Why is this a factor at all?’ I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it,” Lithgow said. “I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her, and I’m curious to talk to her.”
When asked if the backlash has made him reconsider the role, Lithgow said, “Oh, heavens no.”

Greta Gerwig’s Netflix Narnia film is set to star Sex Education star Emma Mackey
She will play the White Witch, and the movie will go into her origin story.
Sex Education’s Emma Mackey is reportedly set to star as the White Witch in Greta Gerwig’s Netflix movie adaptation of one of CS Lewis’ much-loved Chronicles of Narnia novels. This will be a reunion for the duo after working together on 2023’s super blockbuster Barbie, with Greta due to write the script and direct.
Emma is rather in demand right now and starring in some other seriously exciting movies, including Hot Milk alongside Fiona Shaw, as well as leading December 2025 release Ella McCay with Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri and Rebecca Hall. She’s also set to star in an untitled JJ Abrams film with Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega, which will definitely be big.

These are the 11 cult designer items to invest in this season—and they’re already selling out
From the new Prada bag everyone’s obsessed with to the must-have trainers of the moment
As much as we’re firm advocates of investing in hard-working basics, and taking the time to curate a capsule wardrobe that will see you stylishly through you many years yet to come, even we can’t resist the pull of a hot new cult item every now and then.
You know the type: that one designer piece that keeps cropping up on your Instagram feed over and over again, worn by all the cool girls, and that you just can’t get out of your head. Perhaps it’s a pair of fabulous shoes that you just know you’d wear every day, a handbag with the power to elevate even the most basic of outfits, or a pair of status sunglasses that are sure to be everywhere by the end of the summer—if not all of the above…

These 5 failsafe outfit formulas will help you style wide-leg jeans for spring
Inspired by the chicest street style looks
Wide-leg jeans are a staple in any capsule wardrobe. Famously comfortable, universally flattering and decidedly cool, it’s no surprise that they are one of the biggest denim trends of 2025. And as a denim-obsessed Fashion Writer, I can confirm that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon, either.
So, I’d say it’s high time to jump on the trend and add a pair (or three) into your everyday wardrobe rotation—because, trust me, there’s a style to suit everyone. For a laid-back, effortlessly cool vibe, opt for a super-baggy silhouette and wear them low on the hip for a hint of Y2K. Or, if you prefer a smarter look, go for a higher rise, darker wash and more structured shape—or even a classic white colourway.

I was overusing (and wasting) my skincare products until a dermatologist taught me this trick
Less slathering, more targeting.
Sometimes, you learn the hard way that the seven-step skincare routine that works wonders for the skin type of your favourite influencer on #BeautyTok can wreak havoc on your skin barrier. As a beauty writer, I’ve learnt to cut out the noise and tailor my routine to my skin’s specific needs. But the latest skincare trend, skin zoning, has reminded me that not all parts of my own face are created equal, either.
It seems obvious, but it’s often overlooked: your face is a beautifully complex map, with different areas requiring different care. In other words, your oily T-zone doesn’t require the same TLC as your dry cheeks. The same goes for areas of pigmentation and signs of ageing. Skin zoning is the more intuitive alternative. It’s all about applying the right products to the right places (and, crucially, not the wrong ones).

The iconic 90s lob is the chicest hairstyle for spring—and these 21 celebrities prove it
Not too short, not too long
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the bob hairstyle is the most versatile style and reigning champion of the most popular hair trend of all time. However, there’s one style that might just trump it: the lob. Just what the name suggests, it’s a long, grown-out bob, which comes in so many variations. And if Fashion Week street style and red carpet looks are anything to go by, the lob is set to be one of the the biggest hair trends for spring 2025.
Just like that favourite item of clothing of yours that can be dressed up or down, a lob can be styled for special occasions but is well-behaved enough that it’ll still look great on those lazy hair days — all you need is the right haircut and tools in your hair kit.

14 best Sephora products, tried & tested
From TikTok-trending blushes to beauty staples, here’s everything I’d add to my Sephora basket.
As someone who writes about beauty for a living (and spends most of her disposable income on it, too), Sephora is my happy place. Ever since its UK online launch in 2022 – and with stores popping up everywhere, from London to Liverpool – it has become my go-to for everything from cult skincare buys to TikTok-trending lip oils. It’s where I stock up on my staples, discover new favourites, and – let’s be real – fill baskets I probably shouldn’t.
With an ever-growing list of stocked brands like Medik8, REFY, MERIT and Charlotte Tilbury, the site has something for every beauty moment. Makeup, skincare and haircare included. And while I still browse other retailers, Sephora always feels one step ahead – thanks to buzzy exclusives, solid stock levels and surprisingly good discounts. It’s the kind of place I go to for my trusty brow gel and leave with a basket full of ‘essentials’.

Bubblegum ice cream nails are summer’s coolest nail trend
We’ll have a double scoop, please
With the warmer months (hopefully) rolling in fast, it’s time to start thinking about your go-to summer nails. Stuck for ideas? Edible manicures that look good enough to eat are always a safe bet – from cake nails to fruity nails. Or brighten up your day with technicolour rainbow nails.
Straddling the best of both worlds and hopping on the trend early, Addison Rae enticed us with a set of tasty looking talons for weekend one at Coachella. Created by celebrity nail artist Natalie Minerva using Opi Professionals in the shades Flex On The Beach, Stay Out All Bright, It’s A Boy and Makeout-Side, the playful clash of pastel colours look just like a scoop of delicious bubblegum ice cream.

13 crochet dresses to wear all summer
A true chameleon.
Nothing screams summer like crochet dresses. The ultimate warm-weather recipe? A beachy dress (and what’s more on-theme than crochet?), an Aperol in your hand and the sun on your face.
Forget what you thought you knew: they’re no longer a piece to reserve for festival season. Something of a chameleon, able to be paired with everything from sandals to cowboy boots, crochet dresses offer that undone-yet-put-together look that can transform from a poolside cover-up to a date-night outfit. And not just appropriate as a poolside cover-up the right piece is formal enough for the red carpet (with the right jewellery of course).

The 13 Best Simple Nail Designs To Get This Spring
All the inspiration for a chic, grown-up way to add interest to your manicure
From the micro French to intricate little details, simple nail designs and minimalist nail art is here to stay thanks to trendsetters such as Harriet Westmoreland, Julia Diogo and Georgia Rae. While we appreciate a showstopping maximalist design with marble accents, aura styles and chrome finishes, there’s always room for more delicate patterns and timeless colour schemes for those of us who favour something subtler.
‘I love a clean, sheer nude nail all year round but adding details dependent on the season is a great way to switch it up and have a little more fun with it,’ says Rae, who’s long mastered the art of understated and minimalist nail art.

50 Years After the Fall of Saigon, a Daughter Finds Her Inheritance in the Kitchen
F&W photo editor Doan Nguyen’s parents and sister escaped Vietnam in a fishing boat and came to America with no possessions. She made her own family heirlooms.
Before I visit my parents’ home, I always get a text message from my mother, Thi, asking me what I’d like to eat. I tell her that anything will do. I know she’ll make something nutritious, filling, and Vietnamese. She and my dad, Danh, will go grocery shopping to pick up enough food to feed a small army even if I’m coming home alone. There will be tons of fruit plates, rice, noodles, and platters of herbs. This is how my parents show their love.
Almost every story my parents tell is related to food. When times were tough, they didn’t have enough to eat. When they were happy, they celebrated with food. When they wanted to show a person that they cared, they fed them. As a child, I was always part of the “clean plate club” because my parents would recount their stories of hunger.

33 Indian Recipes From Maneet Chauhan, Madhur Jaffrey, Chintan Pandya, and More Experts
Banish the bland from your meal rotation with these deeply flavorful Indian delights.
The world of Indian cuisine is so vast that even some of the most accomplished Indian chefs haven’t scratched the surface of foods the country has to offer. But don’t let that overwhelm you. Whether you regularly seek out Indian fare or are just getting acquainted with the flavors of Indian cuisine, there will always be more deliciousness to explore. From the rich curries of the north to the coconut-based dishes of the south and the incredible street food offered in cities throughout, this selection of Indian recipes is a terrific place to discover new favorites or rediscover beloved classics.

How Long Do Spices Last?
Experts weigh in on shelf life, proper storage, and how to bring old spices back to life.
If you’ve ever been puzzled by the taste of your final dish — muted, barely-there flavors instead of a punchy, party-in-your-mouth kind of experience — stale spices might be to blame.
Spices are pantry powerhouses that have the potential to take your culinary creations from one-note to wow-worthy. But using fresh, potent spices is the key to building depth and complexity of flavor. From whole and ground spices to dried herbs and fragrant spice blends like ras el hanout and za’atar, keeping your collection up-to-date is a must for successful cooking.
So exactly how long do spices last, and when is it time to toss the long-forgotten jar buried in your drawer (that you used for that one recipe from who-knows-when)? We asked three experts all your most pressing questions about proper spice storage.

From Natural Wineries to Boutique Bungalows, San Miguel de Allende Is a Next-Generation Creative Capital
It’s just after sunset in San Miguel de Allende, and a delightful desert chill is already descending on the colorful cobbled town. Here, in the heart of Mexico’s central highlands, I’ve arrived at the home studio of the Sonora-born hat designer Alejandra “Suki” Armendariz. After sharing cocktails across the street at the rooftop bar, Bekeb—helmed by her partner, the famed mixologist Fabiola Padilla—my friends and I stumbled our way uphill to her workshop, only a few blocks away. Winded, we passed through a thick wooden door of an unassuming façade to arrive at the studio, a subterranean room lined with well-worn cowboy saddles, geometric-patterned flannel tops, and antique silver and turquoise metal belts. Norteño music blasts from the speaker as Armendariz grabs beers from the refrigerator. She pops the cap off a bottle with her dusty leather boots and hands it to me; a smile sweeps her face at her trick as congratulatory applause ricochets throughout the room.

How “The Great Gatsby” Took Over High School
In the spring of 1940, F. Scott Fitzgerald was worried about “The Great Gatsby.” It had been fifteen years since the novel was published, and the author had little to show for it. “My God I am a forgotten man,” Fitzgerald wrote to his wife, Zelda. “Gatsby had to be taken out of the Modern Library because it didn’t sell, which was a blow.” Two months later, in a letter to Maxwell Perkins, his longtime editor at Scribner’s, Fitzgerald wondered whether a cheap paperback reprint might “keep Gatsby in the public eye” and “make it a favorite with class rooms, profs, lovers of English prose—anybody.” Still, his hopes were dim. “Or is the book unpopular?” he asked Perkins. “Has it had its chance?” Seven months later, Fitzgerald was dead. “Gatsby,” it turned out, was not.

Where Can I Find a Cheap Broadway Ticket?
If you are determined to see a celebrity in a popular show on a busy night, you may be out of luck, but with flexibility and persistence, you can cut some costs.
First, a reality check: Yes, it’s true that many seats at this season’s “Othello,” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, are priced at $921. But it’s also true that that show is an outlier — the average ticket price on Broadway this season has been $129, and about one-quarter of the 40 shows now running on Broadway have an average ticket price below $100.
That said, ticket prices are indeed higher than they once were, and a subject of concern for the industry, widely acknowledged and little addressed.

Bella Ramsey and Kit Harington on the Psychic Toll of Stardom
At 11, with zero experience and nothing to lose, Bella Ramsey stormed onto Game of Thrones and stole every scene they were in. As Lyanna Mormont, they left us all asking: Who is this kid? A decade later, they’re not a kid anymore—they’re leading HBO’s latest juggernaut, The Last of Us, as Ellie, a sharp-tongued survivor with the fate of humanity on her shoulders. Kit Harington knows Ramsey’s power firsthand, but when he called up his former Thrones costar, work was just the beginning of their conversation.

Wuthering Heights casting director defends Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi choices amid backlash: ‘It’s just a book’
Kharmel Cochrane also warned that “some English lit fans” won’t be happy about Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of the 1847 novel.
From the moment news broke that Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie would be starring in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights from director Emerald Fennell, some fans have questioned whether they’re the right actors for the roles.
Now the project’s casting director is offering some insight into Fennell’s vision and hinting that the filmmakers are looking to put their own spin the source material.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail cast 50 years later: Here’s what became of the iconic comedy troupe
The endlessly quotable film premiered in April 1975.
In 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail transformed the titular British sketch troupe from TV comedy icons to genuine movie stars. The film hit the ground running with its instantly quotable opening credits and spent the next 90 minutes indulging the demented, the absurd, and the flat-out silly, redefining comedy as we know it.
The movie was a grand showcase for all six Monty Python members and their equally hilarious collaborators, who combined their skills to create a sketch comedy film for the ages.
It’s hard to believe Holy Grail came out half a century ago. Care to find out what the cast is up to after all this time? Don’t worry, you won’t have to solve any riddles, wrangle any rabbits, or chop limbs off any delusional knights. Just keep scrolling to see what happened to the Holy Grail cast.

How to Eat a Grapefruit—the Citrus That Will Brighten Every Meal of the Day
From vibrant salads to tart desserts, this underappreciated fruit deserves a place in your citrus rotation.
Grapefruit deserves more love. It’s a perfect balance between sweet oranges and tart lemons, providing a sugary yet bright flavor with a hint of bitterness in each bite. But how to eat grapefruit? It is most often enjoyed raw, and its versatile flavor profile makes it a perfect match for so many other ingredients, from boozy liquors and fresh vegetables to rich seafood and red meat. We spoke with a citrus grower to learn more about this underrated fruit. Plus, we’re sharing some of our favorite ways to use grapefruit.

How to Eat Paneer, the Indian Cheese That’s a Blank Canvas for Sauces, Grilling, and More
Don’t overlook this versatile, protein-packed food.
When considering the great cheeses of the world, countries such as France, Italy, and Switzerland might be the first that come to mind. Not to be overlooked, however, is India, the home of one of the most unique cheeses around: paneer. If you’re wondering what paneer is and what’s special about it, read on to find out about this fresh, mild cheese that is used all across South Asian cuisine, and particularly in Indian cooking. Our guide is chef Clare Malifitano of Murray’s Cheese, a renowned artisanal cheese and specialty foods retailer and wholesaler.

How to Eat Tamarind, a Sweet-Tangy Ingredient You Should Always Have on Hand
Its sweet, pungent flavor enhances everything from chutney, rice, and marinades to baked goods and candy.
Tamarind is a beguiling tropical fruit shaped like a winged bean pod, which makes perfect sense when you consider that it’s also a legume. (All will be explained below.) Its unique taste veers from sweet to sour, and also defies easy categorization. We caught up with a chef and a produce expert to better understand the different types of tamarind and how to enjoy it in sundry sweet and savory applications.

5 Ways to Use Toilet Paper Rolls in the Garden, From Plant Collars to Seed Starters
These cardboard tubes have plenty of applications beyond the bathroom.
Toilet paper rolls aren’t just for the bathroom. It may come as a surprise, but these round, flexible pieces of cardboard are also great gardening tools, and can be used as seed starters, compost materials, and much more.
Looking to repurpose these old tubes? Here, we gathered some creative, expert-approved ideas that will take your garden to the next level.

This Scenic Train With Panoramic Windows Is One of the Most Beautiful Ways to Travel Through Switzerland
The Treno Gottardo runs from three cities in the north to the sunny city of Locarno in the south—crossing the Alps along the way.
One of the best ways to see Switzerland—to truly see its diversity of landscape and architecture—is to travel by train. The country is 15,940-square-miles in size and has an estimated 3,200 miles of rails, making it easy to travel from one point to another without having to rent a car or navigate highway signs in the country’s four official languages: French, German, Italian, and Romansh.
The Treno Gottardo is considered to be “the most beautiful connection between north and south.” It is a great choice if you want to see the shifting landscape of Switzerland—from the cities and cultural hubs of northern Switzerland to the sunny, mountainous south, where it feels almost Mediterranean.

[Photo Credit: brachmadrid.com, starck.com]

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