This could be the end of the plastic can holder.

Global beer giant Carlsberg have announced plans to ditch the familiar four or six-pack rings, and replace them with a fully recyclable glue alternative.

From 10 September, ‘snap packs’ held together by this glue will be available in UK branches of Tesco then rolled out to Norway.

Carlsberg plans to eventually extend the snap packs across their other beers including Kronenbourg 1664, Skol and Holsten.

The new snap pack will cut down on the amount of plastic used in traditional multi-packs by up to 76%.

Carlsberg say that they decided to stop using the plastic can holders to create a better beer experience for consumers.

‘To us, that includes doing something better for the environment, and with the snap pack we can radically reduce the amount of plastic used in our multipacks, thereby helping our consumers to reduce their waste generation at their homes,’ a Carlsberg spokesman told Metro.co.uk.

‘We are not just introducing the new snap pack but also a range of other packaging innovations which will minimise the environmental impact of our beers.’

Plastic can holders, also known as yokes, are used to bind groups of cans together – usually beers or ciders.

They are widely accepted as being harmful to the environment, contributing to the 12.7 million tonnes of plastic floating in our oceans and killing wildlife.

Marine life, birds and mammals like otters are particularly at risk of becoming entangled in plastic can holders or mistaking them for food and ingesting the plastic.

The loops can get caught around muzzles, snouts and beaks, preventing creatures from being able to eat so they eventually starve to death.

If baby animals get tangled in the plastic rings, as they grow the holders will begin to cut off blood circulation and can result in the amputation of limbs.

According to Carlsberg, the change will reduce plastic waste globally by a 1,200 tonnes every year. This is the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags.

We asked Carlsberg what their new recyclable glue is made from:

‘The glue is not different from many other glues… it’s the application of the glue that is new,’ a spokesperson said.

‘It took our partner, our innovation and supply chain colleagues a very long time to make because we needed it to be very strong because of the weight of the cans but not stronger than people could snap the cans from each other easily.

‘We found the perfect balance after almost three years and more than 4,000 iterations of the glue.’

Carlsberg might be the first global brewery to think outside the box when it comes to more sustainable ways of holding cans together, but smaller beer companies have already been considering environmentally friendly options.

The Florida-based Saltwater Brewery created edible can holders back in 2016, made from natural byproducts of the beer-making process; wheat and barley waste.

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The World Surfing League have announced that male and female surfers will win equal prize money for the first time in the sports history, starting in 2019.

It also makes the WSL the first US-based global sports league to offer prize money equality for the sexes.

‘When I saw this news this morning I was stoked,’ former British surfer Laura Crane, who went on to find fame on Love Island this summer, told Metro.co.uk.

‘We put in the same training, same time and sacrifices so I think that it’s so amazing that finally we are getting paid equally for doing the same job.

‘It’s a massive day for female surfing and I’m proud of how far our industry has come and for it to be one of the leading examples.’

Surfing, one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, was confirmed to be joining the Olympic programme in Tokyo in 2020.

‘I think its an incredible time for women surfers and a pioneering move for sport in general,’ Sophie Hellyer told Metro.co.uk.

Sophie, a former English and British Champion surfer, added: ‘I think its important to acknowledge the women and men whose tireless activism has led to this change, namely The Committee for Equity in Womens Surfing, Bianca Valenti, Paige Alms, Keala Kennedy and many more.’

Lucy Campbell, who is surfing this year for Britain in the World Qualifying Series and is the current English and UK Women’s Champion, admitted however that there is a long way still to go.

‘It’s amazing news, not just for surfing but I think for all sports and I hope that others will follow suit. The women on the World tour are incredible, inspirational athletes that push themselves an their bodies just as hard as the men so its amazing they are being payed as equal.

‘There is still a way to go, I hope really hope that equal prize money is taken on board and eventually reaches the World Qualifying series and the national surfing governing bodies around the world.

‘I think it’s also incredible for the younger generation of female athletes to be able to aspire to surfing as a serious career pathway.’

Australian surfer Steph Gilmore, a six-time world champion, said that although the money was ‘fantastic’, the decision was a vote of confidence for the future of women’s surfing.

‘The prize money is fantastic, but the message means even more,’ said Gilmore.

‘I hope this serves as a model for other sports, global organisations and society as a whole.

‘My fellow women athletes and I are honoured by the confidence in us, and inspired to reward this decision with ever higher levels of surfing.’

Kelly Slater, 11-time world champion and one of the most famous faces of the sport added: ‘The women on the tour deserve this change.

‘The female WSL athletes are equally committed to their craft as the male athletes and should be paid the same.’

The equal prize money will begin from 2019 – the current series is still ongoing – and will cover the world championship tour, longboard, junior and big wave tours.

It will not include the Qualifying Series but the WSL said it will extend equal prize money to second-tier events as soon as possible.

‘We will be working with our partners at competitions where we don’t control prize money, such as certain qualifying series events, to achieve equality,’ WSL commissioner Kieren Perrow said.

The prize disparity in the WSL was heavily criticism in June after the winners of a junior surfing tournament in South Africa – Rio Waida from Indonesia and Zoe Steyn from South Africa – were pictured on the stage with oversized cheques that were widely different.

Waida’s prize money was 8000 rand (£402) but Steyn’s was only 4000 rand (£201).

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The UK’s favourite designer shoe is a pair of flats by Michael Kors, beating the likes of Valentino and Jimmy Choo in a list of the top 10 most popular designer shoes, research suggests.

According to the Daily Mail, researchers at Chester Racecourse found that around 28,000 posts a week are shared to Instagram of the Michael Kors pumps, beating the Valentino Rockstuds which manage 11,000.

What’s likely made it more popular than others is the price

At £95, these shoes are the cheapest on the list – beating a pair of £600 Saint Laurent sandals and £540 Gucci loafers.

Manolo Blahnik’s Hangisi 70 pumps, yours for only £775, came in third place.

The Michael Kors flats are also available in a range of colours and patterns, meaning there’s more to choose from.

The research is limited as it is nearly impossible to tell exactly how many pictures there are of a particular item and Instagram is a select sample rather than being a true representation of the population.

Regardless, they’re still a lot less popular than the Adidas NMDs, the most popular trainer on Instagram.

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Monica Lewinsky calmly walked off stage during an interview and it made international news.

Headlines tried to frame it otherwise – as a loss of temper or storming off – but the fact was she had simply had enough.

The interview was taking place at a panel about the positives and the dangers of the internet. Lewinsky had warned in advance that she would not be answering any questions about Bill Clinton.

Pretty reasonable, you would think, given the unrelated subject, but the interviewer ploughed on regardless, wondering if Lewinsky still expected an apology from Clinton.

Lewinsky left the stage after politely apologising, refusing to engage in the conversation which has defined her whole adult life.

Some argue that her public platform exists only because of her association with the Clintons. But however you look at it, isn’t holding a woman ransom 20 years on for something that boils down to a naïve 22-year-old subjected to an abuse of power (even though it was consensual) just wrong?

It ruined her life. She tried hiding, she tried finding a normal job. Both were made impossible by the attention she had never sought.

Eventually she returned to public life, focusing on campaigns against cyber bullying, trying to change the narrative.

It’s not a lot to ask, after 20 years, that a woman should be able to define her life without reference to one sexual affair. But nor is it surprising, really, that she isn’t allowed to.

Women are so often defined by their relationships with men. Not just people in the public eye like Lewinsky, but all of us, young and old, single and married.

Think of how men are implored to resist and oppose sexually predatory behaviour by imagining it was their own sisters, daughters or wives at risk.

Shouldn’t they be able to conceptualise us with enough humanity of our own? Shouldn’t we be allowed to simply be ‘women’ rather than ‘somebody’s daughter, somebody’s wife’?

Women can be guilty of defining themselves in this way too, of making relationships with men the underpinning of our whole lives.

From the time we’re pre-adolescent we are taught that love is the purpose of life. Fairytales end with marriage, pop songs celebrate the crush.

Boy band members are strategically styled with smooth chests, puppy dog eyes and dimples to appeal to little girls in a non-threatening manner, to let them practice fancying and idealising boys before they’re old enough to feel real desire.

Meanwhile, boys are allowed to be children, creating and destroying things, climbing, inventing, adventuring. We might tease them about girls and girlfriends, but rarely do we expect them to centre their developing consciousness around romance.

They’ve got their own selves to be concerned with, after all.

This goes on into adulthood when we are divided into singles (bit off-putting by a certain age, unpredictable) and not-singles (safe, contained).

This distinction is so marked that women who are single for more than a year or two have a certain social type foisted on them by the culture, your Bridget Jones, your dizzy hapless romcom queens.

A man single for a year is seen as, at best, independent and career-focused or, at worst, a f*ckboy.

But a woman being without a man isn’t a personality. It doesn’t make you into anything you wouldn’t otherwise be.

And then, of course, when you are with a man, especially if he is a particularly successful or a public figure, you can so easily be absorbed by his spotlight.

Women are quite likely to date men who are older than them, men who have had time to gather achievements and cultural capital.

You become the plus one, the unnamed guest in the photograph, the one left holding his coat while the real people talk.

A woman studying for her PhD in the same university as her husband, a lecturer, reports going to staff parties with him and being roundly ignored by people she had previously worked with and spoken to, because of whose arm she was on.

He was the superior, so she was instantly relegated to a status so low she didn’t even merit a greeting.

It’s been years since I broke up with a charismatic ex but I still find myself measuring my achievements by what he would make of them. I held him up in my head as the barometer of success.

I still can’t quite break the habit of considering myself in relation to him.

Monica Lewinsky is still lampooned in popular culture, jokes made about the iconic stained blue dress, the cigar.

Even Beyoncé has chipped in, using her name as a verb for ejaculating (as Monica correctly pointed out, surely it should have been ‘Bill Clinton’d all on my gown’). Two decades on, she’s still the butt of the joke.

But Clinton was allowed to leave his transgressions more or less behind him and go on to do what he wants: writing books, making prestigious speeches, coming closest to being First Man anyone ever has.

He hasn’t been defined by his sexual behaviour. He was allowed to transition into elder statesman (not elder enough not to check out Ariana though).

Women are seen as irreversibly stained by their sexual history, condemned to be mired in the muddy past forever.

Meanwhile, men are viewed as whole, autonomous human beings – rather than accessories, or one half of something. When a man has a sexual history we don’t tend to judge him by it, or fixate on his exes, using them as a lens through which to view him.

Men get to start again, because they are real people. Not like women – somebody’s daughter, somebody’s wife.

One Sunday spent holding hands with someone I was dating ended with me bumping into a mutual friend of mine and my ex-boyfriend’s.

Our mutual friend seemed genuinely taken aback that I wasn’t ashamed to be seen by him flaunting – as he saw it – my new fling.

When I asked later why he had been so weird, he apologised and admitted it would take him some time not to consider me just my ex’s girlfriend.

It came as news to me that he had ever considered me in that way; I had assumed all along that I was just myself.

Martha Gelhorn was another woman who, like Monica, refused to speak in interviews about her most famous ex.

Gelhorn was a pioneering foreign correspondent, documenting the Great Depression, the Spanish civil war and the rise of Hitler.

She was also briefly married to a writer named Ernest Hemingway: they separated when he complained about her travelling so often

She would not discuss him when asked, because she didn’t want to be a ‘footnote in somebody else’s life’.

Is it any wonder women get sick sometimes of not being the lead character in their own lives?

That they become frustrated when they aren’t allowed to change the narrative and move on?

Sometimes, there’s nothing left to do but to walk offstage until the spotlight’s been adjusted, once and for all.

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A grandma says strangers always mistake her and her daughters for sisters when really she’s 45 and they’re in their 20s.

They also tend to think Cindy Fernandez is her three-year-old granddaughter’s mum.

‘I don’t want to just let myself go,’ she said.

‘On one hand, I’d rather not age, but I also know every year is a blessing.

‘But while a lot of young grandmothers don’t like being called a grandma, I love it. To me, being a grandma is a privilege, so I am happy for Avery to use that word.’

Cindy, of Houston, Texas, US, has been married to her 49-year-old husband Miguel for 27 years.

Though being told she looks 20 years younger is meant as a compliment, Cindy says she does get negative reactions.

‘People can be cruel and call me materialistic or vain,’ she said.

‘It’s almost like we never left school. You’d hope people would mature as they age but mean girls will always follow you throughout life.

‘I’ve had people give me very back-handed compliments, like “underneath all that makeup is a good person”.

don’t understand what makeup has to do with it. I post plenty of bare-faced pictures, too, but I feel better in myself to be glammed up.

‘I try not to listen to the negativity. I do this for myself, not other people and if I’m not hurting anyone, then why not? I don’t want to just give in to ageing.’

Growing up, Cindy, who has two daughters, Kassandra, 25, and Michelle, 24, always wanted to be a young mother.

She explained: ‘My own mum, who passed away nine years ago, had me at 45.

‘Being an older mum meant she couldn’t do an awful lot with me. There were limitations to her running around, coming to sporting events and so on.

‘She was fantastic and very involved when I had children of my own, but I knew I wanted to be young enough to still be active with my kids and grandkids.’

So, aged 20, Cindy had her eldest girl, Kassandra, followed by Michelle just 11 months later.

And, even though her life was hectic, juggling bringing up two babies at the same time, she always found time to get dressed up.

‘People would ask me how I maintained myself, as I’d always make sure I dressed up, put some makeup on and looked alive,’ she said.

‘It is hard and, of course, there’s nothing wrong with having your hair in a bun and wearing sweatpants.

‘But I felt it was important to still be me, and realise that it didn’t need to be the end now I was a mother.

‘I’d get people saying, ‘Don’t you ever just want a lazy day?’ But one day I won’t be able to look like this and age will catch up with me, so why not enjoy it and do the best with what I have now?’

A trained beautician, makeup and cosmetics are second nature to Cindy, who loves experimenting with different looks.

For the past four years, she has had Botox injections every six to eight months.

‘I don’t believe in drastically altering your appearance, but I’m all for enhancing what God gave you,’ she said.

‘I want to look natural, so I don’t have Botox for the sake of it – only when I need it.

‘We don’t have much in the way of resources to fight the hands of time, so why not use what we can?’

Mostly, Cindy says strangers think she is in her late 20s or early 30s, often assuming her daughters are her sisters.

But Cindy says that when she was younger, she always looked older than she was – so she was shocked when she started being told the opposite.

Cindy describes looking young as a ‘doubled-edged sword’ for her children.

She said: ‘In school, their guy friends would tease them so I imagine they soon grew tired of it.

‘They tell me they are proud of me, but being a young grandma means they do face awkward questions. They tell me they just want me to look like a normal grandmother, but I say to them that I’m very sorry, but this is me.

‘I don’t want to be put into a mould that doesn’t fit me.

‘I have always been a great believer in “each to their own”.

‘Some women prefer to age naturally with no help, and if that’s what makes them happy, that’s great – but looking like this is what makes me happy.’

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A man has been awarded a Guinness World Records title for owning £250,000 worth of Sylvanian Families toys.

Dance school owner Jacc Batch, 32, now has a collection of over 9,000 items and spends £300-a-week on everything from toy figures to magazines, and has even moved to a bigger house just because he needed extra space for the toys.

He spent a staggering £15,000 on his most treasured item, a carousel, after he first saw the item in a catalogue as a young boy.

Told it was never put into production, the prototype in an ex-toy designer’s loft just a few miles away could be resisted.

Jacc, of Kettering, Northants, who began collecting at seven, said: ‘I love toys, especially from the 1980s.

‘I choose to spend my money on them because I can afford it. I don’t go without. I own my own business, drive a nice car, have a lovely home.

‘Other people go on expensive holidays and I choose to buy Sylvanian Families.’

First created in 1985, Sylvanian Families originated in Japan and came to the UK in 1987.

Grouped into families, including rabbits, foxes, squirrels and owls, Jacc collects every character and accessory belonging to the woodland creatures, which live in the world of Sylvania.

Jacc is happy to have made it into the 2018 Guinness World Records book, winning the record for the largest collection on the planet.

However, only 3,489 items made it into the record books as duplicates – which lots of them are – don’t count.

Jacc, who is single, has bought the majority of his collection over the last 15 years, which has been valued at £250,000.

‘It’s the most money I have ever spent on anything in my whole life,’ he said.

‘But I would rather spend my money on Sylvanian Families than going out drinking all the time.

‘Luckily, I work really hard and have a successful business, so I was in a position to buy the item I had always wanted.’

Jacc currently rents a four bedroom home and two of those rooms are dedicated to his collection.

He said: ‘The rooms are packed floor to ceiling and I don’t let anyone go in there, because it is so precious to me.

‘I don’t play with any of the toys either, they stay in their boxes.’

Buying most of his items on eBay now, Jacc says he will never stop collecting.

‘It’s very doubtful this will ever end,’ he continued.

‘I plan to be an old man surrounded by Sylvanian Families in my care home, telling the nurse to pop to the post office to get my parcels.’

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Like sexuality, language is also fluid; it’s forever evolving to reflect attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions.

The Merriam Webster dictionary has now updated its words and added Latinx to its database of idioms and terms.

Latinx is a gender-neutral term to describe non-binary identifying individuals who are Latin American or have Latin American heritage.

Where you would traditionally call them Latino (for male) or Latina (for female) you can say Latinx as an alternative if they choose it or if you don’t want to assume someone’s identity.

The dictionary’s inclusion of the word shows the popularity of the label which came into speech in 2004 and has soared since 2015, according to research by Princeton writer Arlene Gamio.

The term caught the attention of the dictionary folks due to its circulation.

‘It’s important to remember that new words are added to the dictionary only when they have already been used by many people often initially by specialists or subcultures,’ a Merriam-Webster representative said.

‘Then, gradually, a word’s use spreads to the rest of us. Every word moves at its own pace; there is no average speed for a word’s acceptance into the language, the culture, and the dictionary.’

Latinx joins around 840 other new words in the dictionary.

Many people shared their delight at the news.

Communications director Antonio Arellano tweeted: ‘As we transition from a minority to a majority, we will continue to fight for visibility,’ while another was more blunt: ‘Latinx is now in the dictionary because language is fluid,’ the said.

‘Suck it, haters.’

Also included in the update are bougie (an abbreviation of the bourgeoisie), tl;dr (too long, didn’t read), hangry (angry and hungry), and bingeable (when you binge on 127 episodes of a TV show in one week).

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Attention, Baileys lovers: We’re finally in autumn, which means it’s officially okay to end your night with a glass of your favourite drink.

And you might want to accompany it with this new Baileys Freakshake Cake.

The cake is being sold from this week in Asda, and includes a layer of chocolate sponge covered in Baileys frosting and comes topped with rich brownies.

It costs £12.

Each slice has 301 calories, 33g of sugar and 15g of fat and there are said to be 18 slices so it’s definitely a treat food.

One slice is your entire recommended sugar allowance and around a quarter of your fat intake.

We’re sorry if you definitely didn’t want to know that.

The cake also includes real Baileys – so it’s definitely not for kids – and lists palm oil as an ingredient.

If you fancy going extra sweet, you could pair it with this Strawberries And Cream Baileys, described as having blended the ‘fresh, sumptuous taste of strawberries with light and creamy vanilla, together with the luxurious taste of Baileys Original Irish Cream’.

It’ll be tricky for fans of Baileys to avoid getting both.

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Where to eat and drink in London this week: Freak Scene

This week we’re talking about Freak Scene, Scott Hallsworth’s new place on Frith Street, Soho.

Aussie Scott was with Nobu for 6 years before leaving to launch his own pop-up, Kurobuta, on London’s King’s Road.

This former Nobu chef served up brilliant Japanese fusion street food from a tiny kitchen with two portable burners and a team of passionate chefs.

The dark, loud, untamed place – with New York dive bar vibes – was always heaving, wall-to-wall people crammed in on benches and trays of shots called things like Wet Pussy being passed around as fast as the unforgettable miso aubergine and tea-smoked lamb chops came out of the kitchen.

There are not many restaurants that have inspired us to join one of their cookery courses – particularly on a Saturday afternoon with a hangover.

Nor to buy the cook book and actually cook from it – trawling London to find exotic Asian ingredients, deep-frying aubergine for hours to recreate a slice of the magic.

But, Kurobuta – particularly thanks to Scott, who will agree with a laugh (as he downs a shot) that those heady days were wild – was one of them.

Scott – and his customer base – soon outgrew that atmospheric pop-up and he opened a proper grown-up restaurant a few doors down.

Two new outposts followed – at Marble Arch and Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor.

It’s churlish to complain when success leads to change but while Kurobuta’s food maintained its quality, the shiny new places never quite had the excitement of the pop-up – the feeling that you’d discovered something underground and new.

Of course, newcomers to Kurobuta never knew what they were missing and so rightly fell in love.

Then in a nutshell, business issues saw Scott lose the brand he had set up after it was sold from under him by investors. ‘We were kicking serious arse, but then it all came crashing down,’ he says. ‘You never think it’s going to happen to you.’

After that, Scott was left with nothing. What’s an ex-Nobu head chef to do when left with nothing more than a load of ideas, world-class cooking skills and determination?

Start again of course.

Scott went to Clerkenwell this time and set up Freak Scene, a pop-up with those same two burners and a tiny kitchen.

It had the same atmosphere of the early days of Kurobuta – cool without trying to be – and some of the classic dishes. People were sold.

He set up a crowdfund page to raise money to open a permanent spot for Freak Scene and, while the total wasn’t met, he has managed to move on with the next phase of the journey anyway.

Enter Freak Scene Soho, a permanent home for his comeback Asian street food.

The cool, ultra-relaxed bar-restaurant has only counter dining – you will not be forced to eat face-to-face across a table for two with your awkward Tinder date here – has graffiti pens in the loos, cool decor and a rock soundtrack that feels like you made it yourself (in a good way).

It serves food until 11.30pm then is open to all-comers as a bar – and clearly an appealing one too. With the windows open on to Frith Street on a warm evening, regulars pop their heads round the door and are welcomed like old friends, as is anyone who walks through the door: bar staff and chefs alike are warm and welcoming, as well as being unfeasibly clever cooks and cocktail makers.

Described as serving ‘curious Asian plates’, it has flavours of the old Kurobuta menu – the miso aubergine thankfully still has a place on the menu, served with candied walnuts and chilli, as do the lamb chops, smoked by hand over Earl Grey tea leaves – but there are a whole load of new dishes to try.

Miso-grilled black cod tacos (£10.50) are as good as they sound – generous, creamy chunks of miso cod in a beautifully light crispy taco shell bursting with rice, coriander and chilli.

Asian mushrooms steamed with garlic butter in foil parcels are a hit of rich umami (£10.50). Insanely good Thai sausage buns – our pick of the menu, along with the lamb chops – are pillowy soft and fragrant served with a Scotch Bonnet mayo that, unlike most ‘chilli mayos’ is actually hot.

And do not leave without trying the chicken fried chicken: meltingly tender slow-cooked chicken leg with crispy skin that should frankly be illegal.

Oh – and don’t miss the sake shot: Freak Scene’s very rowdy take on the jagerbomb that involves banging on the bar while your sake falls into your beer and Japanese chanting.

It’s the ideal accompaniment to a mochi ball pudding and a memorable finale to a freakishly good night out.

54 Frith Street, London, W1D 4SL, reservations@freakscene.london, freakscene.london

Morrisons is launching baby kiwi berries which have been grown for the very first time in Herefordshire.

The kiwi berries, which are known as the northern kiwi, are only 2cm long and about the size of a 1p coin.

Though they look like normal kiwi fruit, they are said to have a sweeter if more acidic taste.

They have smooth and edible skins so that they can be eaten whole without any preparation.

They’re traditional to northern Asia like China and Japan but the West is quickly catching on that homegrown baby kiwis could really catch on.

The berries are high in nutrients, containing more Vitamin C and Beta-carotene than the regular Kiwi.

They are also high in fibre and low in calories, which makes them ideal for school and work lunchboxes or snacks.

Waitrose has sold the berries for a while but in Morrisons, the berries will be available from now to October in all stores throughout the UK – with a 150g punnet costing £1.

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As London cools off from the blistering summer and the days grow ominously shorter, it’s easy to feel pessimistic.

But have no fear – our Instagram feed is on hand to widen your perspective and keep your spirits high.

Our Instagram feed @Metro.co.uk champions amateur photography from London and across the UK and shares your images on a daily basis to our thousands of followers.

Here are some of our best photos from the beginning of September.

A wonderfully patriotic Regent Street gleams in the late summer sun, thanks to @87sjp

Do you think you could take a picture more recognisably London than this beauty by @whattheflight?

London at night-time can produce some of the most stunning shots. Thanks to @jhinlondon for this one!

Even in its half-repaired state, Big Ben looks as wonderful as ever, as shown by @justefe

We like to look at London from every possible angle, like this fantastic perspective from @jhinlondon

There are some views you just never tire of. Thanks to @charleyroquefort for this one!

Remember to use the hashtag #MetroLDN to have your images feature on our Instagram feed and website!

Strathberry has just released an entire handbag collection with Moomins.

Strathberry, whose fans include Meghan Markle, has given us an entire range of new bags which each come decorated with the old school cartoon characters.

According to the brand, the limited edition Moomin x Strathberry range ‘brings to life the delightful illustrations of Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson’, the woman behind the Moomins.

The East/West bags are elegant cross-body style handbags which feature a structured silhouette and the signature Strathberry bar closure.

The bags are made in Spain, using genuine leather and microfibre lining with a suede-like finish.

They include two compartments with one interior pocket, Strathberry branded hardware and a gold chain shoulder strap.

There are three Moomin handbags available – a nude one, a blue and navy and a brown and cream.

The nude and blue are more expensive at £625, while the brown and cream costs costs £495.

Alongside the handbag, the collection also features £95 card holders, £85 keychains, mini bags and a super cute purse.

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It all began with a pair of jeans.

In 2014, designer Mindy Scheier’s son asked for a pair to wear to school.

Oscar Scheier has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, which meant real difficulty finding clothes that fit- especially fashionable clothes like the ones his school friends had.

Four years later and that journey has led to a show at New York Fashion Week.

‘That truly opened my eyes to the need of not only my son Oliver, but the millions of people, almost 60 million in the United States and a billion globally with a disability,’ Mindy said.

With a fashion career fashion of over 20 years behind her, Mindy was ideally placed to address the issue and decided to put her experience and passion to use.

That’s how Runway Of Dreams Foundation came to be.

The foundation exists on the basis that clothing is a basic human need for all, regardless of body type.

Now the groundbreaking non-profit organisation, which has premiered its first show at New York Fashion Week.

It develops, delivers and supports charitable initiatives to broaden the reach of adaptive clothing and promote the differently-abled community in the fashion industry.

Around 30 models with disabilities walked the runway show wearing clothing designed especially to adapt to bodies with disability, coming from designers like Target, Tommy Hilfiger and Nike.

Runway of Dreams has scholarships for young up and coming designers who want to further the field of adaptive clothing and keep innovative inclusive fashion growing.

Runway of Dreams is one of many encouraging signs that the fashion industry is finally widening its scope beyond the tall, white, thin, able body it has idealised for so long.

In February’s NY Fashion Week, 40% of the models were people of colour, compared to just 21% in 2015, and more and more trans and gender-fluid models signed by major agencies.

In July, Aaron Phillips became the first black transgender model signed to Elite Management.

Phillips also has cerebral palsy.

It makes perfect sense: clothes are the most readily adaptable thing in the world; fashion is full of wild, extravagant imaginations.

With an endless supply of different body types and abilities, there is sure to be plenty of fashionable imagination to come.

MORE: River Island has hired a seven-year-old double amputee to model its summer clothes

One of the things people get most annoyed about when it comes to women’s clothing is the lack of pockets.

And now, the internet is loving a wedding dress that comes with actual pockets, too.

Esther Kezia Thorpe shared a photo of her friend’s wedding dress to Twitter recently.

She wrote: ‘STOP EVERYTHING so one of my friends got married yesterday and she had POCKETS ON HER WEDDING DRESS which is just the best thing I have ever seen.’

The dress was designed by designer Suzanne Neville, and was worn by Natalie DiBlasio, a former journalist.

@EstherKeziaT But also, look at the moment my husband first saw me in my wedding dress and the first thing I said w… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
Natalie DiBlasio (@ndiblasio) September 04, 2018

Esther’s tweet went viral with more than 8,000 retweets and 32,000 likes – and it seems the internet just loves that stunning wedding dresses can feature pockets and still look beautiful.

In fact, the tweet turned into a thread, with lots of women showing off their own dresses, which also featured pockets:

@EstherKeziaT Mine too!!! Designed by Romona Keveza. PS is it a coincidence that most of the designers mentioned on… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
Mimi Manning Stanley (@mimimanning) September 04, 2018

@EstherKeziaT Walked down the aisle with my phone & chapstick 🙌🏾 https://t.co/ZmOfU2zRE0

—
Grindley Getaways (@LaGrindley) September 04, 2018

@EstherKeziaT Had pockets in mine back in 2010! https://t.co/CEM1JLOsw3

—
Rana Ranoosh (@Mrs_rana3) September 03, 2018

@EstherKeziaT Bride with pockets back in 2011 - had my lippy, tissues & something blue to hand at all times! When w… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
Kate Matthews (@KateFreelance) September 04, 2018

@EstherKeziaT @jgroenevelt1 Mine had pockets, too. Best thing ever. Designer is Mori Lee https://t.co/uQJsLNlXoY

—
Jory (@jorylynn23) September 03, 2018

Dara Stringham, a designer of bespoke wedding gowns, says that wedding dresses with pockets are increasingly common – even in commercial wedding gowns.

She has been a wedding designer for the past four years, but has been working in fashion for 20 years.

She says she only started being asked for dresses with pockets in 2010.

This is heavily influenced by Instagram and wedding blogs, she says, where dresses with pockets have been championed.

She explained to Metro.co.uk: ‘They provide a great way to pose for photos and add a certain nonchalance and relaxed style, never mind the practicality of being able to keep a tissue handy.’

In terms of price, Dara says wedding gowns with pockets aren’t really expensive, not more than a usual gown at least, as usually the pockets will be hidden in the seam – which is apparently the easiest type of pocket to sew.

She said: ‘But not all dress designs lend themselves to having pockets. Fuller skirts with pleats are ideal, figure skimming dresses less so.’

Dara adds pockets to around a third of her bespoke wedding dress creations, always suggesting them when the design allows.

She even personalises the pockets, should a bride wish to do so.

‘For one client I stitched her grandmother’s necklace into the pocket,’ she says.

‘She wanted to have it close, but not wear it around her neck.’

MORE: Popular high street bag that sold out in minutes has finally been restocked

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Some people dread cheek kisses.

Others grin and bear them – going a bit rigid when lips start swerving towards the side of their face – and there are those socialites who just love them.

When professional life gets drawn into it, it’s even more polarising.

A business associate or client coming to greet you with a cheek kiss at a meeting, lunch or drinks reception is daunting for many.

Is it ever appropriate to greet someone this way in a professional context or is it just too cheeky?

‘The etiquette of cheek-kiss greetings in the workplace suggests that it’s ok to greet in this way (depending on cultural norms of course) but only after you have had a non-work conversation to register a more sociable side to your relationship,’ author and body language expert Judi James tells Metro.co.uk.

‘With people when it’s strictly business or very formal, it wouldn’t be advised. But if you’ve chatted about holidays over a business lunch, the option is open to you.’

Judi believes that it would much easier if the Brits were more European.

‘It’s tricky in UK business because most people have no idea how to cheek-kiss and it can end in bumped noses as you collide after making for the wrong cheek, or that moment when you go back for a third kiss and they’re pulling away,’ she says.

With all of that fumbling, nose-bashing and jaw-clenching, if you just avoid someone’s cheek kiss entirely, are you making a professional faux pas?

There are a number of social, cultural or religious reasons for being uncomfortable with the cheek kiss but people like a mayor in France have much simpler reasons for wanting to duck the cheek kiss:

‘I have enough of giving la bise [the French term for the welcome cheek kiss] to dozens of people,’ Aude Picard-Wolff, mayor of French village Morette wrote in an email.

‘I hope that my action will contribute to making people think so that everyone can feel free to give or not give la bise as an elected official, in his or her profession or in any other situation.’

But if you duck away, what sort of first impression are you making?

Could it harm your chances or how you’re perceived professionally if you reject the cheek kiss?

‘Unless you do have cultural objections, it would look very rude to reject a cheek kiss,’ Judi says.

‘No matter how awkward you might feel it’s more polite to succumb to it with no face-pulling or going rigid.

‘In the UK it is right cheek to right cheek first, left to left and after that you put them back where you found them.’

But Judi thinks there are worse things than refusing the kiss:

‘Never convert a handshake into a cheek kiss by pulling someone in at the last minute,’ she says.

‘You should raise your hands towards the other person’s shoulders in an announcement gesture of what’s coming if you’re instigating the kiss. The host is the one who should instigate any greeting rituals.’

Kiera* finds the cheek kiss unacceptable in a professional capacity, particularly when it’s just women who are having to submit to kisses from men.

‘I’ve endured the cheek kiss in many professional situations when my male counterparts have enjoyed a handshake.

‘The cheek kiss is, bluntly, cringe-worthy. It gets worse when the person looming towards you is in control of your professional fate, creating an undeniable power imbalance.

‘The handshake is an opportunity for eye contact, and possibly a battle of strength. It’s a way to show you mean business and can be taken seriously. There are expensive courses you can take on how to master the business handshake.

‘Being kissed on the cheek is passive, removes all chance of eye contact (which is probably a good thing as mostly I’m trying desperately not to wince), and can only demonstrate that you’re able to stand still for a moment – not a key business skill.

‘But my main problem is that I don’t see a way out.

‘In most other circumstances when I’d rather not have my personal space encroached upon, I’m lucky to feel confident enough to do something about it. I’m the “militant feminist” on the tube who will ask you politely to stop man-spreading.

‘But senior colleagues who are approaching you for the first time, and have something over you professionally, aren’t people I feel able to stop in their tracks and say “actually no thanks on the cheek, a handshake is great”.

‘There is something about it being the first impression which holds so much weight in our culture, that freezes me to the spot. For the rest of the meeting or event I’m left feeling weakened. I was put in a position where I felt I had no choice and that is terribly undermining.

‘It’s worth noting that I have had more than my fair share of #MeToo moments in professional settings, and most of these have been preceded by an unwanted cheek kiss.

‘But I don’t think that the two are consciously connected and I certainly don’t believe that men who go for the cheek kiss are necessarily being malicious. I just think it’s a matter of privilege. They’ve never had to stand and be kissed so it doesn’t occur that it might not be wanted.’

One way around the sexism some feel would be to take the lead from countries with Latin American influences, where there are kisses for everyone, men and women.

The British way of social awkwardness Judi references would make that a tricky thing to imagine.

Another would be to do away with the greeting altogether, as the mayor in France argues.

Her advice?

Act ‘like men do’ and just shake hands.

*names have been changed

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As you might be aware, weddings are quite a big deal.

Which is a nice thing, because if you’re a wedding enthusiast you can cheerfully chow down on free stone baked pizza or Gelato while being grateful for the hospitality, and if you’re a big ole Grinch you can complain about the excess, still eating the free food but in a complain-y sort of way.

Anyway, because of wedding planning tools like Pinterest, it’s very common to experience wedding trends. Trends occur when one person does something really sweet, puts it on the internet and suddenly you’re not married if you didn’t have ‘Mrs New Surname’ written on the soles of your shoes.

Last year we told you that the big upcoming trends were greenery, pale flowers, copper and floral hoop arrangements, all of which came true. So, what’s going to be big next year?

Wedding Wire, an online marketplace, which connects consumers with local wedding professionals and a suite of tools that make wedding planning easier, tells us that these are going to be the big hitters for 2019. 

Orange is the new pink

We realise that Elle Woods was very clearly against this, but it’s happening anyway. Taking a cue from the runways of Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs, the key to using this bold hue is to incorporate it in subtle ways like florals and invitations. Think bold bright oranges for an autumn wedding (October is an increasingly popular month) or pale apricot for spring.

Adding some ‘pop’ to decor

Not just for kids parties — elevated balloon structures create that unique, Instagram-ready focal point. Clear balloons filled with glitter or pastel arrangements are both gorgeous.

BIG wreaths

Wreathes are the new hoops. Hoops are usually suspended from the ceiling, but wreathes are free standing. Super-sized and versatile, they can be used as a nuptial backdrop or for fun photo opps and can be repurposed for wow-worthy reception decor.

Coloured dresses 

Think Rachel Adams in About Time and go for red, or channel Sarah Jessica Parker and wear black. 26% of UK couples report wearing a color other than white for their wedding. It’s a bold move, but a super cool one which is guaranteed to have people talking. 

Dessert tables

Couples crave less formality and more interactivity, so nostalgic treats like mini pie stations and s’mores bars are showing up in a big way. Sweet bars, with loads of pick ‘n’ mix and striped paper bags have already been popular, so this is just another take on that. If you’ve got the facility to keep it cool, ice cream bars where guests can make their own sundaes could be fun.

So, if you want to be an on-trend bride you know what to select for your wedding aesthetic, and if you’re hoping to be different, you know exactly what to avoid.

MORE: Nobody seemed to know that a lot of wedding dresses come with pockets

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For the first time ever, London Fashion Week will not feature real fur in any of its shows.

If you were hoping to see PETA throwing a bucket of red paint over a fashionista, you’re out of luck, because London Fashion Week is the first major fashion week to go completely fur-free.

The British Fashion Council said it had carried out a survey among all of the designers involved in fashion week, which runs from September 14. The survey found that the majority of designers were comfortable with eschewing fur at fashion week. The BFC commented on the survey, saying that the results ‘reflect a cultural change based on ideals and choices’ by designers, brands and consumers.

Singer Paloma Faith, a long-time anti-fur campaigner, said she was delighted at the news, tweeting: ‘I am so overwhelmed and elated that fur has been banned from london fashion week! Progress!’

The news comes after luxury fashion house Burberry announced it will no longer use real fur, as well as ceasing to burn dead stock, a measure previously taken in order to preserve brand integrity.

The British brand said there will be no real fur in its collection presented in London later this month, adding that it will phase out existing fur products. Burberry’s showcase on September 17 will be the debut collection for the brand’s new chief creative officer, former Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci.

The use of real fur by Burberry has been restricted for many years to rabbit, fox, mink and Asiatic racoon. Which, tbh, is still quite a lot of animals. But minks can breathe a sigh of relief because they’re all off the Burberry cards, alongside angora which is made from rabbits (and is really itchy anyway).

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The annual celebration of retro cars and fashion is here as Goodwood Revival 2018 gets underway on Friday.

The festival, which is held near Chicester in West Sussex, attracted a sell-out crowd of 150,000 last year and similar figures are expected this time around.

It is dubbed as the ‘world’s largest’ historic motor racing festival and sees a vast array of classic cars for the huge crowds to enjoy.

Here is everything you need to know about Goodwood Revival 2018.

When is Goodwood Revival 2018?

Goodwood Revival run from Friday, 7 September to Sunday, 9 September.

Are tickets still available?

There are some tickets still available for Sunday, but weekend tickets are sold out, as are day tickets for Friday and Saturday.

The Sunday tickets are available here.

Is there a live stream of Goodwood Revival?

Yes, you can watch all the action from Goodwood Revival through their Periscope page here.

What is the weather forecast for the Goodwood Revival weekend?

Friday: Sunny intervals throughout the day with no rain forecast and the temperature at around 17°C.

Saturday: Cloudy, less sunny and with a slightly higher chance of rain, but with a similar temperature of around 17°C.

Sunday: The sunniest and warmest day with a high of 20°C.

Forecast courtesy of BBC Weather.

Goodwood Revival 2018 Timetable

Friday, 7 September

Time Activity
0700 Car parks open
0730 Gates Open
0800 AIR DISPLAY
0900 TRACK PARADE: British Transport
0945 Official Practice: Kinrara Trophy
1030 Official Practice: Fordwater Trophy
1100 Official Practice: Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
1145 Official Practice: St Mary’s Trophy – Part 1
1215 Official Practice: Goodwood Trophy
1245 TRACK PARADE: Revival Winners
1315 Official Practice: Jack Sears Memorial Trophy
1345 Official Practice: Whitsun Trophy
1415 Official Practice: Freddie March Memorial Trophy
1445 Official Practice: Chichester Cup
1515 Official Practice: Richmond & Gordon Trophies
1550 TRACK PARADE: Tribute to Rob Walker
1615 Official Practice: St Marys Trophy – Part 2
1645 Free Practice: Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration
1725 DEMONSTRATION: Eagle
1730 Official Practice: Glover Trophy
1800 Official Practice: Sussex Trophy
1845 RACE 1: Kinrara Trophy
2150 Last orders for Over the Road
2200 All bars and catering outlets Over the Road closed

Saturday, 8 September

Time Activity
0700 Car parks open
0730 Gates open
0830 AIR DISPLAY
0900 Track Blessing
0920 TRACK PARADE: British Transport
1000 RACE 2: Fordwater Trophy
1030 Bonhams Automobilia Auction – (entry by catalogue only)
1040 RACE 3: Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy – Part 1
1130 Settrington Cup Part 1
1150 OFFICIAL PRACTICE: Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration
1235 Spectator grid walk – GRRC Members only
1300 TRACK PARADE: Rob Walker Tribute
1330 Bonhams Motor Car Auction – entry by catalogue only
1330 RACE 4: St Mary’s Trophy – Part 1
1420 RACE 5: Goodwood Trophy
1455 DEMONSTRATION: Eagle
1500 Best Dressed competition presented by Mastercard
1510 RACE 6: Jack Sears Memorial Trophy
1555 TRACK PARADE: Revival Winners
1630 RACE 7: Whitsun Trophy
1720 RACE 8: Freddie March Memorial Trophy
2150 Last orders for Over the Road
2200 All bars and catering outlets Over the Road closed

Sunday, 9 September

Time Activity

0700 Car parks open
0730 Gates open
0800 Holy Communion
0830 AIR DISPLAY
0900 Track Blessing
0920 TRACK PARADE: British Transport
1000 RACE 9: Chichester Cup
1045 RACE 10: Richmond & Gordon Trophies
1130 Settrington Cup – Part 2
1150 RACE 11: Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy – Part 2
1240 RACE 12: St Mary’s Trophy – Part 2
1325 Spectator Grid Walk – GRRC 20th Anniversary Medal holders only
1345 TRACK PARADE: Revival Winners
1410 RACE 14: Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration
1500 Best Dressed competition presented by Mastercard
1530 RACE 15: Glover Trophy
1605 DEMONSTRATION: Eagle
1615 TRACK PARADE: Tribute to Rob Walker
1650 RACE 16: Sussex Trophy
1830 Prize giving (trackside at Race Control)
2050 Last orders for Over the Road
2100 All bars and catering outlets Over the Road closed

All info courtesy of Goodwood.com

MORE: London Fashion Week officially goes fur free

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A guy so eager to land a date with a Tinder match decided to email a cover letter in an attempt to win her over.

After Jessica-May Giles, 22, matched with Mitchell, he decided to take her bio of ‘Just want to find a future husband’ literally – and asked how he could apply.

Jessica told him to send his ‘best covering letter’ – but she didn’t expect him to take her seriously.

Mitchell ended up writing her an almost 300-word letter and messaged her the next day.

In the letter, he listed his skills, as being a ‘top tea maker’, a ‘good hair player’ and a ‘good cuddler’, alongside stating his name as ‘Mitchell Husband Material’. He put his address as ’69 Future Love Den’.

The pair have been messaging since so the cover letter seems like a total success. They’re even set to meet soon.

Jessica, from Lincolnshire, said: ‘I’ve had Tinder for about a month, and I’ve only used it for a bit of fun.

‘I thought putting that I was wanting to find a future husband would be a funny request and not something people would usually do on Tinder.

‘I had only put that on my profile the day before, and I knew I’d get some banter from it so jumped at the chance when Mitchell asked how they could apply.

‘I never thought he would actually send it, but when the email came through I thought it was hilarious – you’ve got to love a grafter!’

She said she ‘loved the attention to detail’ in the letter – and that Mitchell knew ‘exactly what to say’.

However, her favourite part of it was the postcode of the address – which was ‘HE4 RT’.

‘It was laid out so professionally, and I loved how he included some of my requirements in there too and even put them in italics,’ said Jessica.

And although she admitted some may find the letter desperate, Jessica thought it was hilarious and looks forward to seeing Mitchell in the flesh.

She added: ‘I’m going on holiday soon, but we’ve been chatting a bit and he seems a genuinely lovely guy.

‘He clearly has good personality and banter to send that cover letter in the first place – so he’d be a laugh in person.

‘I’m not on Tinder actively looking to date or for a relationship, and I haven’t been on a date from there.

‘I just find it funny to scroll through now and then and have chats with people – especially when they’re funny.

‘But when I’m back from holiday I don’t see any harm in potentially going on a date with him and seeing what happens.’

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A family of six who swapped their dream home for a trailer have travelled more than 100,000 miles around the US in three years after becoming ‘bored of suburbia’.

Jonathan Longnecker, 38, and his wife Ashley, 35, said their lives once revolved around mortgage payments and maintaining their four bedroom terraced home.

The couple, from Knoxville, Tennessee, were inspired to travel with their four children when Jonathan’s friend embarked on a similar adventure with his teenagers.

Jonathan, a web designer, knew he could work on the road and Ashley was already homeschooling the couple’s children, Adali, 12, Jett, 11, Jax, nine, and Ada, seven.

Looking for a change, they sold their house in April 2015, paid off their mortgage and used the $40,000 (£31,000) profit to purchase an RV.

The family travelled to Maine in May, and spent the winter in the Florida Keys before selling the RV and buying a 1972 Airstream for $13,000 (£10,000) in the summer of 2016 instead.

The couple spent six months and $30,000 (£23,000) renovating the trailer, and so far they’ve travelled to 30 states in it, and they don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

Jonathan said: ‘We were living the American dream.

‘We had a big house, I was running my own successful website development business.

‘But we were spending so much time maintaining the house and paying our mortgage.

‘We had never had an adventure.

‘That year, one of my friends started travelling full-time with his family.

‘He had two teenage kids and was working in web design like me.

‘I never realised something like that was an option for a family.’

Ashley added: ‘Once we realised that full-time travelling was something we could do because of our line of work, it wasn’t a very hard decision.

‘We sold the house and used the profit to buy an RV and tow vehicle.’

Jonathan says that inside the vehicle, there’s a table which folds into a queen sized bed and four bunk beds for the kids which turn into sofas.

Their waste is composted and they also have solar panels.

The family, who are in South Dakota right now, loosely plan their adventures and settle in each place for an average of three weeks.

Highlights from the travels include a trip to the Dry Tortugas, where they took a ferry around 70 miles of the cost of Key West to a little island in the middle of nowhere.

Ashley said: ‘We tent camped there for two nights where we practically had the island to ourselves.

‘The stars were so bright, they looked as though you could pick them from the sky. It was a magical.’

The couple say food and fuel are the family’s greatest expenses but their routine on the road is much like that of normal families.

Ashley said: ‘Most of the time our mornings consist of work, schoolwork, and reading before we head out to hike or go on some adventure.

‘There are some days when we have more projects than others so there are the occasional full days of work, but most of the time we head out in the afternoon to do something fun.’

Jonathan added: ‘Right now we are doing the 360 mile challenge. We’re trying to walk at least a mile each day.’

Although Ashley misses having her own washer and dryer, the couple say they’re confident that their way of life is having a positive impact on their children.

Ashley said: ‘Now that they’re older, we’ve seen a huge shift in the kids.

‘They spend more time outside exploring and getting creative with the things around them. Their curiosity for the world has really bloomed in the last few years.

‘I hope we’re instilling in them a sense of wonder and adventure that they’ll carry with them the rest of their lives.’

Jonathan says that something that does come up a lot is the issue of socialisation but he feels the children don’t need a rigid schedule.

‘Our children are thriving’, he said.

Ashley added: ‘We often say that we’re just mad we didn’t do it sooner.

‘We know it’s not for everyone but it’s for us.’

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