Author: Chris Mads

  • Grabbing a coffee Hiit in St Albans

    I am, and have always been, a big fan of what Agent Dale Cooper would call a “damn fine cup of coffee”. Ok, I am also a fan of a slightly dated pop culture reference. Sue me. Actually is it possible to have a dated pop culture reference? If it’s dated is it still pop…

  • Dressing for short men: Topman jeans

    Shopping for jeans can be a very testing experience, primarily because jeans are quite a personal item of clothing. If you wear jeans then, chances are, you wear them a lot. So you want a pair which are comfortable, wearing, stylish and – most of all – which fit. The latter is a problem for…

  • Styling for the shorter man

    “Dressing well is a form of good manners.” I heartily agree with this, much mis-quoted, assertion from style legend Tom Ford. But I have a problem. I am one of those people to whom the fashion world does not cater. I am 5’5″, relatively slim and boast an impressively compact 28-inch leg. Believe me when…

  • A Highland swing

    “To mountain spring, To river flows, Where the heather and the thistle grows…” I saw that on a poster a couple of years ago and never really got it. Until now. Despite Scotland being attached to England and ostensibly only a few hours north, I had never ventured up there. But last week work took…

  • 007: Mr Boyle, we’ve been expecting you

    We finally have new details for the next film in the James Bond franchise – and there is some very good news in there. Danny Boyle has been confirmed as the director for the, as yet un-titled, next Bond outing. Boyle’s credentials are well-known to most. He directed Trainspotting, won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire,…

  • A distillery opening with The Macallan

    I have just been lucky enough to witness a true once-in-a-generation moment. The nice folks at Edrington and The Macallan flew me up to join a party of about 500 others to get an exclusive first-look at their new distillery on Speyside. Unsurprisingly, there were drams galore. Obviously this one was for work – and…

  • The dos and don’ts of wedding etiquette

    Wedding season is upon us. I love weddings, particularly summer ones. What better chance to sit back and enjoy someone else’s happiness in the company of family and friends. And maybe a drink and a dance or two. Who knows? But weddings do throw up all sorts of problems with etiquette, from dress to behaviour.…

  • Royal Wedding style tips

    The Royal Wedding is in the bag and hopefully the happy couple have now settled in to enjoy the afterglow. Behave yourselves. As I write this the nation’s newspapers and bloggers are currently picking through their thoughts on the big day. But I am focusing on one simple thing: what style tips can we take…

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    Who lives and dies after Avengers 4?

    So Avengers Infinity War is in the can. By now most of us know that the film’s conclusion left quite a few of the Marvel Cinematic Universe dead or vapourised – which, for the sake of argument, I am counting as the same thing. But we know there are a raft of Marvel films still…

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    Champagne rooftop nights in Singapore

    I know Las Vegas is traditionally called the “bright light city” but I am going to put in a vote for Singapore to be, at the least, a very close second. Every year my whole industry descends on Singapore for its second biggest annual event. So last week I packed up my case with two…