Life and Art from FT Weekend

Derek Guy has become ubiquitous on X as ‘the menswear guy’. With more than a million followers, he is the go-to advice giver for men trying to find their style or figure out what to wear to a wedding. Derek also writes a blog called Die, Workwear! And today, he joins FT men’s style columnist Rob Armstrong to talk fashion history and fashion tips.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Rob’s most recent style column is here: https://on.ft.com/4dGlyLX– Rob also hosts our Unhedged podcast and writes the Unhedged newsletter: https://on.ft.com/3WWgUCm– Derek is on X as @dieworkwear, which is also the name of his blog. Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

This week, we discuss the TV show 'Love is Blind: UK'. It’s one of Netflix’s most popular reality series. The show follows singles as they flirt through a wall and fall in love without seeing each other first. They are only allowed to meet face-to-face once they are engaged. What does the show's popularity say about modern dating, and where reality TV is today? Why do we indulge in 'guilty pleasures'? Guest host Lulu Smyth is joined by HTSI deputy editor Louis Wise and the FT magazine’s food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little to find out.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Harriet’s guest host podcast about how to make the perfect martini is here.– Harriet’s recommendation is set dinners, and she recommends Quality Wines in Farringdon. – Lulu recommends a random literary pilgrimage. For John Milton fangirls, keep an eye out for Orlando Reade’s book 'What in Me is Dark: The Revolutionary Life of Paradise Lost', out in November 2024.– Harriet Fitch-Little is on Instagram @huffffle and on X @HarrietFL. – Louis Wise is on Instagram @louisquinze and on X @louismwise.-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

As a kid, FT associate editor Stephen Bush loved seeing ghoulish things: mummies, shrunken heads, supposedly magical severed hands. He credits these items with teaching him curiosity and a love for museums. So when he hears the argument that human remains do not belong on display, his answer is, unequivocally: if they weren’t stolen, they should stay. On today’s episode, Stephen defends his position to guest host Marc Filippino as they dig into questions of consent, ownership, and cultural context.   -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Stephen’s column about this is here: https://on.ft.com/4dtnTt0– Stephen is on X @stephenkb-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

If you like our food episodes, you may also like the Dinner SOS podcast from Bon Appétit.  Host Chris Morocco is joined by senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic, and the two share their hot takes on cooking in the heat (AC required, obviously) – plus what produce is overrated and what's under-celebrated. They also answer listener questions about using CSA produce, grilling, jaggery and non-dairy options for tender, juicy chicken marinades. You can find Dinner Sos wherever you get your podcasts. -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

What is it about the martini that makes it so intimidating? Even the FT’s food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little isn’t sure if she’s allowed to order one that has both an olive and a lemon twist. On today’s episode, Harriet speaks with FT contributor Alice Lascelles, whose new book Martini: The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon is coming out this autumn. What’s better: gin or vodka, shaken or stirred? And how can you make a speakeasy-quality martini at home?-------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): -- Alice’s article on the rise of the 25-pound martini is here: https://on.ft.com/3YwJblm-- Harriet is on X @HarrietFL. Alice is on Instagram @alicelascelles. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today, we’re catching Olympics fever. Paris bureau chief Leila Abboud and US sports business correspondent Sara Germano join us from the Games to talk about atmosphere, politics and sports. Was the opening ceremony truly that controversial? Will the Paris Games change the way the Olympics are produced? What should we watch and whom should we root for? -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): -Sara’s article about the potential of track and field outside the Paris Olympics: https://on.ft.com/4fqyF55-Leila and Sara cover the French swimming star Léon Marchand here: https://on.ft.com/3WwLXEf-Josh Noble’s feature on breaking, which Sara mentions: https://on.ft.com/3yd9ked– Leila is on X @labboudles. Sara is @germanotes. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Author Shahnaz Habib has lived all over the world from Kerala, India to New York City, and being at home and a visitor in so many places made her wonder: what’s the difference between a traveller and a tourist? And where did we get our ideas about the right way to travel, anyway? In her new book, Airplane Mode she asks these questions and delves into the history of travel writing, ultimately looking for a way to jumpstart our imaginations to go beyond rigid itineraries dictated by outdated guidebooks. -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Airplane Mode: an Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib is available now in the US and comes out on August 7 in the UK– Our columnist Nilanjana Roy wrote about Airplane Mode here: https://on.ft.com/4d0SsGK-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Romance is fiction’s top-selling genre. And ‘romantasy’, where romance meets fantasy, has become a literary phenomenon. That’s thanks to the novel we’re discussing today, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and its writer, Sarah J Maas. Also known as ACOTAR, this is the first novel in Maas’ five-book series. It tells the story of a human girl who is taken captive in a faerie kingdom, and falls in love with one of its aristocratic lords. Maas’s books have sold more than 38mn copies worldwide — spawning memes, tattoos and immersive fan clubs. What is its appeal, and why has ‘romantasy’ exploded in recent years? -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Madison Darbyshire’s piece, ‘Hot stuff: why readers fall in love with romance novels’ is here: https://on.ft.com/3YiLEQ1 – A profile of Sara J Maas, by Anna Nicolaou: https://on.ft.com/4deUD9h – For more summer reads, check out Laura Battle’s selection of the best summer fiction books here. – Laura is on X @battlelaura. Madison is @MADarbyshire. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

When it comes to writing, Anne Lamott’s philosophy is to take things one step at a time, keep moving, and give yourself permission to be who you are. She expressed it most famously 30 years ago in her seminal book on writing and life, Bird by Bird. But it also appears across her many non-fiction books, from parenting, to faith. Anne recently came out with her 20th book, about love, titled Somehow. She tells Lilah how she applies this philosophy to creativity, love, grief, ageing and more.-------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com