I watched the video of ISIS bride Shamima Begum and, like most people, felt angry.

But it wasn’t her I felt angry with. It was whoever taught her to act that way. Whoever it was who groomed her.

Grooming and brainwashing are complicated, thorny topics. It’s easy to say that anyone who does something you dislike or struggle to understand has been brainwashed. But in the case of Shamima I can’t help thinking it’s true.

Whether you think she should be made stateless, left to fend for herself, brought home to stand trial or forgiven entirely, you can’t deny that something must have happened to Shamima to make her that way.

Humans aren’t born feeling ambivalent to severed heads.

The most likely explanation is that she was radicalised online. Or to use the parlance applied when it’s secular: she was groomed.

If Shamima was groomed online then she’s a victim of the internet age, a victim of unregulated internet access, in just the same way that teenagers all over the world are.

We know that the internet is a dangerous place for teenagers. The death by suicide of 14 year old Molly Russell demonstrates that. I would argue that Shamima Begum is a result of the same dangerous, dark corners of the internet that killed Molly Russell and has contributed to the death or mental health problems of so many teenagers and young people.

I know this first hand, because I sought out those dark corners as a teenager.

Like most people in their mid or late twenties, I came of age in an interesting time for the internet. We as tweens and teens were discovering dark nooks and crannies faster than any adult could regulate for.

There were posters up in in the IT room which said ‘never speak to a stranger, never give any personal details, never meet anyone you’ve spoken to’. But those were rules made by adults who couldn’t even work an iPod. Why would we listen to them?

Pro anorexia and bulimia sites were all the range in the mid 00s. I ran an online diary where I detailed everything I ate and everything I threw up while other girls in Scotland, Canada and Australia commented and gave me tips.

The thing about these communities – and I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to compare extremist religious groups to extremist eating disorder groups – is that they make you feel important. It might not be a morally acceptable community, but it’s still a community.

A place where you feel welcomed and safe. When you finish a day at school where your friends don’t seem to understand you (whether that’s because of your hardline religious stance or your refusal to eat anything brown or yellow) these enclaves of the internet feel like a shelter. A safe space.

It’s no wonder that you end up becoming more and more obsessed, counting the hours until you can be back online.

After my foray into the eating disorder communities online, a toxic but self grooming community, I fell into a more sinister kind of grooming.

The official message from teachers and teen magazines was never to go on a chat room. So of course, I went onto chat rooms.

I started with the super popular Habbo Hotel, where you had a little avatar and moved around the hotel talking to other people. While the owners of the site did try to moderate it, blocking sexual and abusive language, they didn’t have much luck. It was a hotbed of cybersex and unquestionably a place where grooming happened.

Habbo Hotel spread the popularity of another chat site called PreTeenChat, theoretically a chat room for preteens and teenagers. In reality a hunting ground for men who liked talking to young girls.

I had a six month long chat relationship with a man who claimed to be in his late twenties but was probably much older. We spoke on MSN most days. It wasn’t until my mid twenties that I realised his behaviour, slowly coaxing me into trusting him, into sending him pictures and eventually trying to convince me to meet him, was classic grooming.

People like that make you feel special and different. They single you out and change your perception of yourself and the people around you. They tell you what you want to hear when you want to hear it and seduce you into trusting them.

At a time in your life when you struggle to be understood and are so often told no, it’s intoxicating to be told yes. At a time when you feel ugly it’s compelling to be called beautiful. Is it really any surprise that the NSPCC reported over 4,000 cases of grooming last year?

And even less of a wonder that in 62% of cases, the person being groomed was a girl aged between 12 and 15.

So again, while my experience was about flirting rather than religion, I can completely understand how these things happen.

For me it was exacerbating my disordered eating or sending nude pictures I wasn’t sure I wanted to send. For some young people it’s self harm or drugs. For Shamima Begum it was Islamic extremism. There’s very little that you can’t find on the internet if you’re bored, lonely and looking for it.

I often use my experience of grooming as a punchline, an amusing if slightly shocking anecdote to share after a few glasses of wine. But the stories over the last few weeks of how the internet can destroy a young woman’s mental stability have made me realised that my experiences aren’t funny.

They’re disturbing, and I’m very grateful that the attempts weren’t more successful.

Neither I nor any teenager should ever find themselves in a situation where they are being groomed online. But it is far more common than you might expect.

Shamima Begum is  an extreme example, but all over the world right now there are girls who are having their perception of the world shaped either by underground communities or even mainstream accounts on sites like Instagram and Pinterest.

According to the NSPCC the process of grooming can take just 45 minutes.

We have got to do better for these girls. We have got to find a way to regulate the internet so that even the most tech savvy teenager cannot find a sympathetic voice telling them that they have all the answers.

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It’s human nature to look at a good thing and start questioning whether it might be too good to be true.

Which is why some women experience concern that their vibrator could be addictive.

It’s not a stupid question. An experience which is pleasurable, free of charge and not unhealthy is pretty much as good as it gets. Who could blame you if you became addicted to masturbating?

In order to work out whether vibrators are potentially addictive we spoke to Dr Becky Spellman, resident sexpert for We Vibe.

Are vibrators addictive in and of themselves?

‘The short answer is no. Vibrators can be so effective in helping women to achieve orgasm that women frequently enjoy using them often—and there’s nothing wrong with that! Taking a healthy pleasure in sexual activity of any sort is not the same as addiction.

‘The unfounded rumour about vibrators being addictive may originate in some men’s anxiety that women might start to prefer their vibrator to having sex with them, or to the deep-rooted anxieties some men have in relation to their sexual performance. We all need to remember that the great thing about sexual pleasure is that it doesn’t run out; when there’s time to relax and enjoy some intimate time—with a vibrator, a partner, or both—there’s always more pleasure to be had.’

What should you do if you’re struggling to enjoy sex without a vibrator?

‘The first step is to talk to your partner in a safe and non-confrontational way. If sex between the two of you is not all you would like it to be, it’s not the vibrator’s fault. Nine times out of ten, unsatisfying sex results from inadequate communication.

‘Nobody is psychic, so you need to tell one another what you like; what turns you on, and what gets you off. Rather than seeing the vibrator as an adversary or an alternative to unsatisfying sex, it often makes more sense to integrate some play with the vibrator into your love-making.

‘Of course, the right moment to introduce this idea is not when you are already naked together but in the context of a sensitive conversation.

‘Some men will hear, “I’d like to use my vibrator when we make love,” and interpret it as a rejection of them, their body, and their love-making skills.

‘Be careful to present your suggestion as a fun, sexy idea that the two of you can enjoy together, and as something that will make your love-making even better!’

Will using a vibrator make it harder to orgasm from oral or digital sex?

‘If you find it easy to orgasm from oral sex or from being touched, your vibrator will not hamper this pleasure in any way.

‘Many couples find that oral sex is an activity that makes them feel especially close, and for many women, this is one of the most reliable routes to an orgasm.

‘It’s important to see the vibrator as just another exciting option from a vast menu of sexual possibilities and as a toy that can be integrated into your love-making sessions that won’t have any impact on the activities you already love.’

Like anything else in life, if you’re being compulsive about your vibrator then it’s time to put it in the drawer and focus on something else.

But there is no chemically addictive aspect to a vibrator, and using one regularly is not going to damage your body. So have at it!

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With bags for life, multi-coloured bins to put out each week and conscious upcycling at home, we’re doing more to protect our environment and reduce waste. But how much packaging can you actually recycle? How many times do you find yourself throwing product bottles away, because there’s not systems in place. But this all could change as the UK’s first subscription-based, household brand, has launched.

Ocean Saver is a company which sets out to reduce plastic consumption with its household solutions but can they match what’s currently on the market? We carried out a test to find out.

Picking out the multipurpose solution, we tested it out against three top supermarkets’ own brand multi purpose surface cleaners to see if it stands up to the job.

Tomato sauce is the bane of most cooks’ lives; it splats up the walls, splashes on sideboards as you’re serving up and is a stubborn crust to remove if you forget about it overnight. So that’s exactly what we did.

Using some tomato sauce, we pasted it onto white tiles next to each other and left it overnight. It might not be a Good Housekeeping Institute test, but it’s practical in a real life working kitchen. (No, I don’t cook like I’ve left a blender lid off normally).

Despite my fear that I would be left with tomato-crusted tiles for all of eternity, it actually lifted quite quickly. For each of the stains, I used a kitchen towel after one spray of each per tile giving them the same amount of time to get to work.

With two wipes with the clean kitchen paper towel on each, you can see the results.

As you can see, all four cleaning products did the job. The second one stood out as the easiest and cleanest wipe of them all. But that being said, there wasn’t much between them. Which goes to show that the Ocean Saver, placed up against the other supermarket brands can really hold its own.

Unlike the brands you buy in the supermarket which already come in their own bottles, ready made, you can dig out an old bottle (750ml) and use warm water to mix your own solution and dissolve the soluble pod, which is similar to the washing detergent capsules. I did initially try to mix with cold water, but realised my error quickly and to re-checked the instructions to use warm so I could start using it straight away. After a few moments we were back on track.

Can you guess which one it is? It was C.

Take a second to think about how many bottles sit underneath your kitchen sink. Which then leaves the question, how many do you end up throwing away? Well, you can reduce the amount you have to sling in the bin by using Ocean Saver as its designed to reduce the amount of plastic you need.

The Ocean Saver is a box of cleaning goodies in the form of concentrated, water-soluble pods that transform into liquid cleaner. The cleaning products have been designed based on that most products we use are 90 per cent water, so an innovative solution was created around this, to make life cheaper, easier and cleaner.

The Ocean Saver team believes that there is too much plastic waste in our oceans causing pollution and choking marine life, so they committed to finding solutions without comprising on quality or effectiveness.

Over 300 million tonnes of plastic is made each year, sometimes just to be used for a few seconds before ending up in the bin. If you want an idea of how much that is, it’s the equivalent to the weight of the entire adult population of the whole world, according to plasticoceans.uk. Every year, up to 12 million tonnes of that plastic ends up in our oceans, where dolphins, whales, turtles and other sea creatures are forced to live, or die, with our waste.

John Buitekant, Ocean Saver’s founder said: ‘We set out to create a brand which helps reduce our impact on the environment- it was that simple. When we built that into our mission, the rest followed naturally. That’s how we invented products that are environmentally-conscious and also economical for the consumer. We’re immensely proud to be able to launch our first product which is 100% biodegradable and gives consumers a reason not to contribute to the plastic waste clogging up our oceans and endangering marine life. We believe that small changes make big waves.’

Ocean Saver offers a subscription service, right to your front door, where the recyclable box contains pods suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, glass, multi-purpose (as tested) and floors and they come with labels too so you don’t mix up your window cleaner on your floor. So everything you would normally buy, but without the bulk and waste – which frees up valuable cupboard space.

Gone are the days of the copious half-used bottles which sit beneath your sink but instead, you’ll have an ordered system with less waste as even the box it is delivered in is 100% biodegradable as Ocean Saver is fierce over its promise to reduce unnecessary packaging. Sounds like a win-win to us.

From £6.99, you can get a subscription box each month. For more information visit https://www.ocean-saver.com/.

How should you clean your vagina?

That’s a question that’s popped up again thanks to The Sex Clinic.

Just a week after a man made people ponder why a penis might smell and what smegma actually is after admitting he never washed his penis, the Channel 4 show has shared the story of Nunu, a woman who says she sometimes forgets to wash her vagina.

Nunu came into the clinic suffering with bacterial vaginosis (BV), which caused her vagina to have a ‘fishy’ smell. She said she noticed the smell happened when she occasionally forgot to wash her vagina.

Viewers were shocked by the idea that someone could ‘forget’ to clean themselves, but there’s actually an important thing to note here: A lot of people don’t know the ins and outs of the correct way to care for the vagina and vulva.

So, first things first, you do not need to clean the vagina – meaning the internal parts of the genitals – in any way.

No douching. No detoxing. No putting anything up there, not even soap or water.

The vagina is self-cleaning, keeping bacteria levels healthy with its own natural discharge. Trying to clean internally can upset the balance, causing irritation and infection.

Discharge is not ‘dirty’, but is a natural byproduct of the vagina’s cleaning process. It’s worth keeping an eye on discharge for any changes in colour, texture, and smell, as this can be a sign of infection.

While you shouldn’t clean the vagina, what you should keep clean is the vulva – the external parts of the genitals including the labia and pubic area.

The NHS recommends avoiding perfumed soaps as these can cause irritation, and instead using plain, unfragranced cleansers or just warm water.

Don’t try to cover up your vagina’s natural scent with deodorants or scented products. Your vagina isn’t supposed to smell of roses.

If you’re worried about the way your vagina smells, talk to your GP as they can suss out if you have an infection.

Dr Narendra Pisal from London Gynaecology told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s important not to be too enthusiastic about cleaning.

‘One shower a day should be fine. It isn’t really necessary to use any specific cleaning products. Water should be enough.

‘What’s important is not to be too concerned about how it smells but be aware about out of the ordinary smells – and that can be different for different people.

Certainly if there is a strong, unpleasant smell then that could be a sign of infection. And if the discharge changes colour, or appearance or is troublesome, then could also be sign.

‘Fishy or pungent smells, and yellow, pink or even green discharge, can be indicators of a problem.’

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Britain’s first entirely vegan cheesemonger has opened up in Brixton – and it’s causing some upset with dairy farmers.

La Fauxmagerie sells artisan cheeses all made from plant-based sources. Dairy UK says that the shop shouldn’t brand the products as ‘cheese’ as it’s misleading to shoppers.

Thankfully owners Rachel Stevens, 26, and her sister Charlotte, 30, aren’t too bothered.

The sisters say La Fauxmagerie is already attracting fans, with vegans travelling just to try their dairy-free cheddar, camembert, mozzarella, and halloumi.

Rachel said: ‘It’s clear in the name of our business that we are selling dairy free products – it’s a pun.

‘Our tagline also clearly states we are a ‘plant based cheese monger’.

‘We are not misleading and the claim that we are discredits the consumers and underestimates the intelligence of our customers.

‘It all seems a little unnecessary, people are generally aware that plant based means non-dairy.

‘Peanut butter doesn’t include butter and when people ask for a soy latte at Costa, they ask for soya milk – not blended soya beans.

‘We’ve not highlighted the nutritional value of our cheeses or compared it to others.

‘People in the vegan community are annoyed and some think we are an easy target because we are a small, independent and new business.’

Rachel and Charlotte quit their jobs to start their new business, with Rachel only going vegan last month.

They began plans for the cheese shop last autumn, in part to provide cheesy options to Charlotte, who’s lactose intolerant.

Rachel said: ‘I’ve dabbled in veganism for a while because I wanted to minimise the amount of cruelty caused as possible.

‘My sister has always been lactose intolerant and we started going to vegan festivals which introduced us to lots of great vegan brands.

‘Cheese was the main focus for us because that’s the thing people miss most when they go dairy free.

‘After a bit of research we realised there’s not one single place where you can buy the best dairy free cheese brands.

‘We wanted it to be easy and accessible so contacted our favourite brands to ask if they’d consider stocking their produce and we got really good feedback.

‘It was an idea which suddenly became reality when my sister bought a deli fridge – and then asked if I was ready to leave my job.’

Rachel says the cheesemonger received a letter from Dairy UK raising concerns about their use of the word ‘cheese’, but they won’t let that hold them back.

They’re now considering creating an online store so they can sell their product to even more people.

‘We just thought we were opening a little dairy free cheese shop, which is what we understood a lot of people wanted,’ said Rachel.

‘We expected some attention because we knew we’d be the first in the country, but we didn’t expect to ruffle feathers.

‘Dairy UK sent a letter to the shop.

“We are going to take things as they come.

‘It’s not overshadowed anything, we’re still having a great time and we’ve had incredible support from customers and the vegan community.

‘I understand people might be sceptical because the food culture in the UK is very meat heavy.

‘I only became fully vegan this year and my childhood favourite use to be my gran’s corn beef pie so I completely understand.

‘If people are sceptical, then they should come into the shop and try it out for themselves.

‘We make a point on our website to say we’re not pressuring people and a lot of meat eaters come into the shop to try samples and they love them.

‘We sell award winning cashew, almond, soy and brown rice-based cheeses from amazing UK based brands which are delicious in their own right.’

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Would you ever consider putting your child into residential care?

This is the decision some parents are having to make, including Loose Women star Katie Price, who recently admitted she is thinking of putting her 16 year old son Harvey, who was born with a variety of complex needs, into residential care as he is increasingly becoming a danger to himself.

I have to confess, I battled my own prejudices when I heard the news.

As someone who was born with mobility impairment osteogenesis impefecta, the thought of my mother even thinking about taking me out of the family home and putting me into a strange environment would have devastated me and left me feeling like a burden and simply unwanted.

As a disability campaigner I fight hard for the rights of the disabled community and to change perceptions and misconceptions about what it means to be disabled.

I campaign to show that people with disabilities can live full and meaningful lives and having a disabled child does not have to mean a life sentence for them and their families.

When I think of residential care I cannot help but associate them with exclusion, segregation and isolation from mainstream society and the historical parallels of the ‘asylums’ that once existed for people that were mentality ill and those who had learning disabilities.

Fortunately, ‘asylums’ were abolished in the early 1980s after a series of scandals revealed neglect and abuse and the Jay Report encouraged the ‘care in the community’ programme, a system of care and support for people with disabilities and mental illness, which believed that people with disabilities should live within the community instead of segregated.

I am in no doubt that if you support families by giving them the tools and emotional support needed to care for their child with a disability they would not have to feel like they are failing as parents.

I was very conflicted. I had to ask whether my concerns towards residential care were well founded? We are living in a very different time and attitudes towards the disabled community have come a long way after all.

Was I judging those families who have decided to seek out residential care for their loved ones too harshly?

I turned to my auntie who has had to make that exact decision for my cousin who was born with Down’s syndrome and other severe cognitive impairments. Similar to Katie’s son, Harvey, my cousin had become increasingly dangerous, not only to herself, but to others around her.

She was incredibly strong and she needed 24 hour care. My auntie and uncle, who also have two other children, struggled to give her the care she so desperately needed and deserved.

It was by no means an easy decision to make but actually my cousin flourished in residential care as she had all the resources she needed all the time.

I came to the realisation that putting a child into residential care is by no means the ‘easy-way out!’ These parents are just like any other parents who simply love their children dearly and want the best possible life for them. Making such a decision can be one of the hardest things they ever have to do.

Residential care would not be the right choice for someone like myself but I know that for some it would actually enhance their quality of life and provide them with the care and support they desperately need.

I would say that I have set aside the prejudices I previously had towards families that used residential facilities and now wholeheartedly respect and value their individual choices. We can never judge someone’s decisions when we don’t live their lives and do not have their shared experiences.

Nevertheless, I do still feel as though we as a society need to support families and individuals who have disabilities so that residential care isn’t left as the only way parents feel they can ensure their children have the best care.

Research by the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) found that 97 per cent of parents with a disabled child say that the public do not understand the challenges they face every day. The DCP also identified a £1.5m funding gap for disabled children’s health and social care.

Stephen Kingdom, Campaign Manager for the Disabled Children’s Partnership, said:

‘The number of disabled children in this country is on the rise. It’s therefore vital that the number of support services keeps pace, making help available to the children and young people and their families who need extra support.

‘We often hear that parents battle with a sense of guilt about not being able to meet their child’s needs and that they are continually fighting for extra help. Services like short respite breaks can help to reduce some of the pressure and anxiety that can build within a family when caring for a child with a disability.’

The charity disability charity Scope also recognises this shortfall of services to support disabled children and their families, stating in their Now is The Time report that £433 million extra is needed for social care. The funding needed would plug the gap in services such as specialist equipment, speech therapy and short breaks.

I am in no doubt that if you support families by giving them the tools and emotional support needed to care for their child with a disability they would not have to feel like they are failing as parents.

I wonder if the full support was given to these families whether they would reconsider residential care for their children?

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Trying to live alone in London is tough.

Rents are high, and if you’re looking to rent a one-bedroom flat you’re faced with the option of a tiny studio with a toilet in the kitchen or massively overspending just for the sake of privacy.

It’s tricky – either you find some housemates, sharpish, and put up with the annoyance of a flat-share, or you spend a lot of money going it alone. Or you move out of London.

What I Rent is our weekly series exploring what it’s like to rent in London, and this week we’re hanging out with Ellie.

Ellie lives alone in Wood Green, Haringey. Like many solo renters, she’s paying quite a bit for a studio flat.

Hi Ellie! How much are you paying to live here?

I currently pay £800 pcm.

My rent includes council tax, water and gas bill, so I only have to pay for electricity, internet and TV licence on top. On average my bills come to about £65 per month.

What’s the set-up of your flat?

It is a studio flat so there is only one room – excluding my cosy (tiny) little bathroom – but I’ve separated it into four sides, so I have my ‘bedroom’, my ‘living room’, ‘kitchen’ and ‘dining area’.

How did you find this flat?

I have lived here a little over 8 months. I found this flat via Spareroom, it was advertised by an agency on the landlord’s behalf.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Surprisingly, yes.

If I could add any more space it would be an extra kitchen counter as I love cooking and only have the one counter which can be quite a challenge when I’m making a big meal or batch cooking. But I make it work.

Are you happy where you live?

Very happy. A studio flat isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it is perfect.

I’m a writer and the solitude is really helpful, but I also like having people over for dinner parties or drinks.

I feel like I have more control over my social life and how people view me by living on my own – there’s a lot less space to keep tidy as well!

I used to live in a flatshare with my best friend and her boyfriend but found that after sharing living spaces practically my whole life I was ready to move into my own place.

How have you made the flat feel like home?

I like to utilise the space as much as I can and my landlord is really great when it comes to decoration and holes in the wall. He’s very laidback and says I can do what I like so long as when I leave I fill in any holes, so I’ve hung a lot of things up!

The kitchen was my favourite space to ‘hack’ and I’ve used all of the wall space, and YouTubed a lot of Home DIY videos for fun and unique ways to store things with limited room.

But I’ve also added a lot of my ‘favourites’ to the space, with my books, favourite artwork and perfumes on display.

Are there any major issues with the flat you have to put up with?

I live at the front of the building which is on a road often used by car ‘racers’, so there is a lot of noise at night of speeding cars, or car radios turned up to the max volume. I have to wear earplugs in order to sleep but I’ve gotten used to it with time.

Are you planning to move again? 

Not any time soon. I like my space and it is within my price range, near enough shops, my friends and the local tube station. It’s perfect for now.

Have you considered buying a place?

I would love to buy a place outside of London one day, but I’m a long way off moving out of the city. I feel like I’ve only just got here!

What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am. Check back next week to have a nose around another rented property in London.

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We millennials are probably the last generation to remember what it was like to use VHS players, cassettes, and develop photographs.

Though the old methods of retaining memories saw a resurgence by hipsters feeling nostalgic in the past few years, they are largely unused nowadays.

But we probably have a few tapes knocking about at home, unable to play them. One 86-year-old who kept a lot of memories of their life, their family, and retirement party on a tape wanted to relive them all.

Like many of us though, they didn’t own a VHS player to play back the memories. So the pensioner took to the one place where you can find almost anything – eBay.

After struggling to get the tapes to work at first, they finally managed to watch back collections of sweet moments shared with the family.

The 86-year-old decided to write a letter to the VHS seller to thank them for selling the device so promptly and enabling such fond memories.

‘Thank you so much for your care, your efforts, and your promptness,’ they wrote.

‘I watched tapes of my retirement party from 25 years ago which I’d never seen before. Jeez, we were young.

‘Then a tape of my wedding with all the family and friends, many of whom are no longer around. Then skiing trips, kids growing up, travels, and most importantly the gentle maturing of my family. Each one more fun than the last.

‘All thanks to your generous selling of the VHS player. I thought you would appreciate how much someone enjoyed your offer.’

The touching letter was shared on Twitter where it amassed almost 300,000 likes. People also shared similar kind acts they shared with strangers.

Writer Damien Facobbre wrote: ‘I put some action figures on eBay, a mum bought two but not the other 28 I had. She messaged to say her autistic son was excited to get them. She wished she could have bought more. I sent her all 30 of them, got a phone call, she thanked me and cried. We’re all friends to this day.’

We need more kind strangers like these on the internet.

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Great fashion brings some drama to any occasion, whether it’s date night, the workplace, or just nipping out on Sunday night to put out the bins.

For the latter category, ASOS may have the perfect outfit option.

Yes, even better than your trackie bottoms and whatever shoes are nearest the door.

You see, this outfit is on theme. It fits the occasion to a tee.

This is because it’s a dress… that looks quite a bit like a bin bag (at least according to people on Twitter).

The dress, currently on sale for £26, is made of high-shine black vinyl in a tight fit. It looks quite high fashion and we can definitely picture Kim Kardashian wearing it, but that doesn’t stop it looking like a refuse sack.

The good news here? If you fancy trying the look out at home you can recreate it by digging through the cupboards under the sink. Grab a bin bag for your body, paint some washing up gloves black for your sleeves, and you’re done. Simple.

If you don’t fancy wearing such a glam outfit for your Sunday night errands, we reckon the dress (either the ASOS one or your makeshift version) would look just as snazzy for a night out.

Be warned, though, that the average bystander is unlikely to truly appreciate your style.

You know how your dad asks if you’ve fallen over when you wear ripped jeans? Prepare for similar comments from your mates, who may ask if you got lost on your way to the dump or if you’ve sorted the recycling.

We’ve got in touch with ASOS for their advise on styling a bin bag, but they haven’t got back to us yet.

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Karl Lagerfeld, the iconic designer behind Chanel, has died, according to reports.

The designer was 85 years old.

It’s reported that Lagerfeld passed away on Tuesday 19 February.

The designer has been an icon of fashion since designing his first collection for Chanel in 1983.

He was absent from Chanel’s shows in January, prompting health concerns. In a statement following the second show without an appearance from Lagerfeld, Chanel stated that the designer was ‘feeling tired’ and ‘asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him.’

January was the first time Karl had ever missed an end-of-catwalk bow at one of his shows.

Paris Match reports that Karl was hospitalised on Monday night and passed on Tuesday morning.

More to follow.

While I don’t remember eating my first ever Yorkshire pudding, I do remember the first time I made one.

I was about four years old, and was helping my mum. It was hard work using a hand held whisk and my arms ached.

Yorkshires were a fundamental part of my childhood. Sometimes we would have the Yorkshire puddings as a starter with lashings of onion gravy.

The batter was always made in good time before Sunday dinner was served. Once mixed it stood in the fridge for a few hours before more whisking just prior to pouring it into the baking tray.

While Yorkshire puddings have always been present at home, it took a while for me to realise they were my professional calling. When I left school at 17 I first got into fish.

I grew up in Hull, within the heartland of the fishing industry. The industry was abundant in the 60s and 70s and I followed in the steps of many teenagers working in ‘fish houses.’

Later in my career I was moved to a fish factory that I would have to pass the Yorkshire pudding factory to get to. I could see the factory growing year after year, and I knew I was meant to be part of it.

I was raised up on Yorkshires. It felt like fate – but it actually took me applying three times to get accepted for the job.

What made the difference on the third attempt? Well, when I was asked why I wanted to join the company, I thought back to my childhood and answered, ‘I just love Yorkshire puddings.’

In my role as a Yorkshire pudding guru I share the research of food scientists, and the best manufacturing techniques with the wider production teams to make sure every pudding is perfect.

I work very closely with the operations team. Daily forages in to the bakery are a must as we keep a watchful eye on our sea of Yorkshire puddings.

Close relationships with the suppliers of the key ingredients is now a way of life. It’s like visiting family and it’s reciprocated.

Data collection and analysis plays a big part and is a necessity of my role. I’ve been monitoring raw material characteristics for over 14 years and their affect during mixing, depositing the batter, through baking and freezing.

It’s an intriguing science and one which I can say is now understandable, explainable and incredibly fascinating, (as any guru will tell you)!

What do they say? ‘Give a man a Yorkshire pudding and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to bake them and you feed him for a lifetime.’ That’s the famous saying, right?

It certainly applies to me at least. I’m about to attempt to calculate how many Yorkshires I’ve eaten.

I learnt how to make them at four, and I’m now 62. In my early years I’d maybe eat a couple for Sunday dinner and leftovers as dessert with golden syrup (Oh yes, there’s a whole chapter to be written about sweet Yorkshires).

That’s an average of three puddings a week for 23 years. I then married and my wife is a very traditional British cook.

We eat Yorkshires with meals like cottage pie, shepherd’s pie, meat pie, bangers and mash. I guess the rate of Yorkshire pudding consumption just escalated to an average of four a week for 39 years.

We also see a step change in 1994 when I joined Aunt Bessie’s. As my career progressed, I got more opportunities to sample my favourite food.

I doubled my weekly intake from around four to eight (and that’s only the ones I’ll admit to).

So, in total, I’ve probably consumed somewhere in the region of 18,000 Yorkshire puddings to date and I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.

People often ask me if it’s acceptable to eat Yorkshires with Christmas dinner. As a guru I can tell you it is not only acceptable, but encouraged.

It boils down to the equation: gravy with a meal = Yorkshire puddings on the plate.

Yorkshire puddings are versatile – canapes, starters, mains and puddings – they are perfect for any meal or any occasion.

The world is full of Yorkshire pudding experts and each one will have their own recipe or secret as to what makes on great.

Undoubtedly there is a whole science behind what makes a good Yorkshire pudding, and although I’d love to share that with you, you might find that after several hours of listening to my passionate ramblings you’d be ready to just accept that the proof is in the pudding.

The main thing is that the texture and structure should be crisp on the top edge, have softer bready side walls that lead to a little soggy bottom.

Just think of it like sliding into a lovely warm bubble bath and of course it has to hold my puddle of gravy inside.

When asked what my favourite way to serve a Yorkshire pudding is, I’m torn. It’s equivalent to asking which of your children is your favourite.

I still find myself stuck between the roast, toad in the hole, or my childhood favourite of syrupy Yorkshires.

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Iconic fashion designer and Creative Director of Chanel Karl Otto Lagerfeld has died after weeks of ill health.

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After an illustrious career spanning decades, here we take a look at Karl’s time at Chanel and his success at the fashion house.

How long was Karl Lagerfeld the Creative Director at Chanel?

Karl Lagerfeld, born in Germany in 1933, was the Creative Director at the luxury French fashion house of Chanel since 1983, for over 25 years.

He was also the Creative Director of Fendi, a fashion house specialising in Italian fur and leather, in addition to his own fashion label which was named after him.

Karl began his career as a design assistant for Pierre Balmain. After, he moved on to Fendi and Chloe during the 60s.

What is Karl Lagerfeld’s net worth?

According to celebritynetworth.com, Lagerfeld was worth $200 million (almost £155 million).

This presumably includes the reported £2.6 million that his cat Choupette earned in modeling fees in 2014.

This staggering net worth figure comes as little surprise after a career as long and as successful as his, however $200 million apparently wasn’t enough even to get him among the top 25 richest people in the fashion industry.

That honour goes to the likes of Ralph Loren and Giorgio Armani, while the person at the top of the list as of last year is Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH (a French company which specialises in luxury goods), with a net worth of $70.7 billion (close to £56 billion) according to Esquire.

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Karl Lagerfeld’s name is synonymous with french fashion house Chanel, with the late designer having worked there for nearly four decades.

Founded in 1909, this year marks its 110th birthday.

But it also now marks the passing of its most legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died on 19 February following weeks of ill health.

A number of famous faces have paid tribute to the German designer, who is often confused with being the owner of Chanel due to his close ties with the label.

Here, we take a look at what Karl’s role was at the fashion house and who really owns it.

Does Karl Lagerfeld own Chanel?

No, Karl Lagerfled does not own Chanel.

Karl was made the chief designer for Chanel in 1983 and worked their ever since, later taking on the roll of creative director.

Who owns Chanel then?

The private company is owned by brothers Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer.

They are the grandsons of Pierre Wertheimer. Pierre was an early business partner of Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, French fashion designer and the namesake for the brand. She is better known as Coco Chanel.

In the early 1900s, Gabrielle opened a clothing store at 160 Boulevard Malesherbes in the ground floor of a Parisian flat.

She would go on to sell hats and women’s clothing with a military influence, given the timing with the First World War.

It was in 1922, after successfully designing sought-after clothes for women, such as the famous Chanel suit, that she decided to venture into perfumery and tasked Parisian perfumer Ernest Beaux to crate a scent for the House of Chanel.

Chanel No.5 was then born, its name originating as it was the fifth tester Gabrielle tried that she liked the most.

In the late 1920s, Gabrielle wanted to expand her perfume business but, realising she needed help, approached Theophile Bader, who introduced her to Pierre.

This lead to the formation of Parfums Chanel, with Pierre owning 70%. Bader 20% and Chanel herself just 10%.

As the years went on and the business continued to grow, a restless Gabrielle felt she had been exploited for her business know-how and design brain by Pierre and she wanted more of the share of profits. But Pierre had always managed to push back.

That is until 1947 when Chanel decided she would start a rival perfumery and, realising what was at stake, given he didn’t own exclusivity of the name Chanel, Pierre struck a deal.

Gabrielle was given the wartime profits of the sale of Chanel No.5, which amounted to $400,000 in cash (£309,000), a 2% royalty of all sales of the No. 5 perfume and given more money to cover her expenses for expansion.

She later closes her own perfumery and sold the rights, as well as the rights to the name Coco Chanel, back to Parfums Chanel.

Eventually, Pierre bought Bader’s 20%, resulting in him having 90% of the share and as the House of Chanel grew and he continued to help financially, he was given the commercial rights to all Chanel-branded products.

Pierre’s son Jacques took over in 1965, with his son Alain gaining control in 1974.

In the mid-70s, Chanel No.5 was not selling well so Alain revamped the business by making the stock more exclusive and stocking the bottles in fewer shops, as well as investing in elaborate advertising campaigns for the brand. Celebrities including Audrey Tautou and Marilyn Monroe endorsed the perfume, too.

It was Alain who, in 1983, persuaded Lagerfeld to end his contract with rival fashion house Chloe to join Chanel as the chief designer.

Alain and Gerard chose to stay out of the limelight, instead using Karl as the face of their company.

‘We’re a very discreet family, we never talk,’ Gerard once told the New York Times in a February 2002 interview. ‘It’s about Coco Chanel. It’s about Karl. It’s about everyone who works and creates at Chanel. It’s not about the Wertheimers.’

In 2018 Chanel revealed it is a $10billion (£7.7bn) company.

Its chief financial officer Philippe Blondiaux said in a statement: ‘The report was put together to emphasise the strength of our balance sheet.

‘We are a $10 billion dollar company, we have 11 per cent organic growth. We have no debt. We have $1.6 billion cash. All this is important. It provides us the ammunition to remain who we are: private and independent.’

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It’s a new dawn, a new day, and we’re feeling unnerved. That’s because another thing on the internet has us questioning the way we do things.

If we’re not grating cheese all wrong, or pooing incorrectly, we’re tying our shoelaces the wrong way.

But one aspect of our home lives that has been previously unquestioned is how many towels we own. While the answer might be obvious to you, it seems there is no frame of reference for the correct number.

Some people say 10, others feel 40 and some people are running to their nearest homeware store to grab some new linens.

The conversation broke out on the place where we oft have existential crises – Twitter – when ‘world’s biggest towel influencer’ Abdul Dremali asked the public how many we own.

‘What is the correct amount of towels to own?’ he asked. ‘We have zero frame of reference on the appropriate amount of towels in a household of two.’

The thing is, neither do we. So we did some digging to see what the acceptable number of towels actually is.

Photographer Abdul’s tweet inspired many subthreads with people making all kind of indulgent claims (50, really?). Though a conclusive answer wasn’t reached, people started debating over the types of towels and their purpose, adding further confusion to the whole chat.

Writer Yashar Ali replied with his recommendation as well a handy breakdown of what a bath sheet, bath towel, hand and face towel look like.

Designer Sue Parkinson from her eponymous brand told Metro.co.uk: ‘How many towels you should own depends on how many people live in your house.

‘As a general rule, we suggest five per person. Two for showers/ baths (so you can have one you’re using and one in the wash), one for your hair, one for washing hands and a spare for guests.

‘This does mean bigger families (with four+ members) could have around 20 – maybe more if you have young children or pets! It also depends on the type of person. Some people would never consider using less than a bath towel to dry themselves with, while other are happy to use a hand towel.

Molly Freshwater, co-founder Secret Linen Store told Metro.co.uk we’re going about it all wrong.

‘It’s not about the quantity of towels that you own,’ she said. ‘It’s more about the quality and having the right towels for the right occasion! There is nothing like getting out of a relaxing long bath, on a Friday evening and wrapping yourself in a fluffy towel…but it’s not the right towel to be dashing out of the shower at the gym.

‘Fluffy big towels are great for the odd occasion, but thinner, light weight towels are best for quick drying, and much easier to fold and take around to gym, beach etc.

‘There are also many differing sizes, so we would always say to have more small towels, and one or two larger ones. Smaller hand towels are easier to wash, dry and store and if your home is warm there isn’t much need for an enormous towel to wash and dry.’

Linen company Boll & Branch say that studies estimate that most people use just 20% of the towels they own so they encourage buying better than buying more.

‘This is why we subscribe to the rule of three when it comes to linen closet organisation,’ they said. ‘Yes, that’s it: Three sets of sheets per bed, plus three sets of towels per person, and you’re good.

‘The idea is that one set goes on the bed (or towel rack), one stays in the closet, and one can go in the hamper. If you’re super-tidy and tend to do laundry frequently, you may even be able to get away with two.

‘Alternately, you may find that owning additional washcloths or pillowcases works better with your routine. But when in doubt, three sets hit the sweet spot.’

Having three per person in a household also ensures one spare when the other gets dirty.

If you’re fancy and entertain a lot of guests, you might want to invest in a set of two per guest.

So don’t worry too much about stocking up a wardrobe full of 40+ towels (as if you’d use all of them) if you’re living solo.

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A man has married a woman he accidentally texted after saving his wife’s number with one digit wrong.

46-year-old Peter Mctaggart met his current wife Mary, 60, in 2003 after repeatedly texting her number thinking it was his wife’s.

After receiving three texts from the stranger, Mary, who was also married to someone else at the time, responded to let Peter know he must have the wrong number.

But they continued texting and the pair ended up confiding in each other about their failing relationships, and eventually, Peter travelled from Bolton to stay with Mary and her then-husband.

When Peter’s wife found out about their friendship and Mary eventually split from her own partner, the pair realised that ‘fate had brought them together’.

Despite the unusual method of meeting and the 14-year age gap, the couple claim their shared sense of humour ensures they are well matched.

Mary, from Newcastle, said: ‘It was fate that brought us together.

‘When I first received Peter’s messages, I just ignored them – I had no idea who they were from.

‘I was receiving messages in the early hours of the morning because Peter worked at a similar time to me and thought he was texting his wife.

‘Then one day I had the courage to say ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are’ and he apologised.

‘But we kept in touch on and off about our days after realising we both worked similar hours.

‘We chatted about what was going on in our lives and eventually got round to talking about our relationships at the time.

‘It turned out Peter was having the same problems in his relationship too and we used each other as a backbone really.’

After over a year of texting and talking on the phone as just friends, Peter had an argument with his wife and came to stay with Mary and her then-husband.

Mary said: ‘Peter came up for a couple of days after an argument with his wife and he stayed at my house with me and my husband.

‘Before he came to Newcastle he’d only sent me one photograph of himself and his son at his wedding – that’s all I’d seen.

‘But I knew he was in need and after talking to my ex-husband, he suggested he came and stayed with us. There was nothing romantic at that point.

‘He tried to get his head together while I just got on with my normal routine.’

After Peter went back to his hometown of Bolton in March 2004, he left his wife a couple of weeks later and went to stay with a friend.

In July, Mary left her husband and went to stay with her sister, while Peter decided to move up to Newcastle to be near her – although they insist they were only friends at this point.

It wasn’t until later that year that the couple’s friendship evolved into something more as they helped each other through divorces and decided to take a trip to Blackpool.

On their return, they finally gave their relationship a go.

Mary said: ‘We didn’t decide what was going on until we went to Blackpool just to see if we could work as a couple.

‘At first I thought the age difference would be an issue but it wasn’t.

‘We had a lot in common, the same sense of humour and most importantly I trusted him to keep me safe.

‘It’s been a lucky escape to a better place.

‘People are always so shocked when we tell them how we met. There’s a girl at work this week who asked Peter – she couldn’t believe it.’

In 2017, after 13 years together, Mary and Peter finally married at a low-key ceremony surrounded by close friends and family.

Mary said: ‘Everything was lovely.

‘I didn’t have a new dress – I had a dress that had been made for me previously.

‘Peter had a kilt from his first wedding so we had that all dismantled.

‘I made the flowers myself and all the button holes for the men. I also made my own wedding cake.

‘Our wedding song goes back to the time we actually met – it was Daniel Bedingfield’s ‘I Will Never Leave Your Side’.’

Peter, who now works at the same supermarket as Mary in Newcastle, split up with his wife after she reportedly became jealous of their friendship.

Peter said: ‘I’d just bought a new phone so was saving my ex-wife’s number, but must have typed in the wrong digit.

‘There was one number different between my wife at the time and Mary’s numbers.

‘I’d sent a few messages and Mary eventually messaged back explaining I’d got the wrong number.

‘She explained who she was but I didn’t mention it to my wife because we were going through a bad patch.

‘From the same day we started talking to each other. It was a case of messaging back and forth then.

‘Eventually, my wife found out about Mary but I was still keeping in touch and ringing her.

‘She didn’t like that – you can understand why.

‘One day it just got too much and I left. I had to find somewhere to live.

‘I had to sleep on my friend’s sofas for a couple of months until I could move up to Newcastle.

‘I soon had a job lined up though and in July 2004 I moved up there.

‘I was in the flat for about 18 months until 2006 when Mary and I got a house together.

‘We’ve got the same sense of humour and in the early days we could talk about the things that were going on in our lives. That’s how we grew closer.’

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As an adult, we’re well aware of when to go to the toilet, and obviously have the knowledge to know we don’t enjoy sitting in our own filth.

We don’t normally ascribe that level of consciousness to babies; mainly because they can’t hold their head up properly.

An age-old technique that puts a lot more faith in babies’ capabilities is making a resurgence here in the West, and it’s called elimination communication.

Parents who practice this may use no nappies at all, and start toilet training their kids right from birth. Here’s how it works.

What is elimination communication and does it work?

Although it’s making its way onto the Insta feeds of new age parenting bloggers, elimination communication (or EC) has actually been around pretty much since babies have.

Parents in less industrialised countries have carried their babies without nappies for centuries, and have found ways to ensure a minimum of ‘accidents’.

There are a number of ways to do this, but they essentially centre around working out the cues your child has for needing to use the loo, and taking them there when you think it’s time.

It also involves teaching your baby to tell you that they need to go via signing, sounds, and eventually words.

You can start from birth, and completely forgo nappies, or start at a later date and gradually reduce their need for nappies until full potty training is received.

Pros and cons of elimination communication

The pros of EC are first and foremost that you’ll use fewer nappies – both saving money and helping the environment – and that it’ll be easier to fully toilet train as your child gets older.

It can also help avoid nappy rash and even (by supporting your baby in a certain position over the toilet or potty) reduce constipation.

The most obvious con is that it might not fit in with your lifestyle. You need to be personally present most of the time to interpret your baby, which isn’t compatible with a number of childcare situations.

It can take a lot of time to start off, and also could be messy at the very beginning, so you’ll need to ensure you haven’t got white carpets.

How do you get started?

Proponents of EC recommend starting off by leaving your baby without a nappy for a while when they’re sitting on a baby mat to gauge their timings.

Newborns often pee every 10 to 20 minutes, and poo after feeding and before waking up. From there, the timings may change, so you’ll need to get used to your own child’s rhythms.

Interestingly, many babies won’t automatically go to the toilet if they’re held close (such as in a sling), and will signal through crying or noises that they wish to, prompting you to take them to the potty.

Cueing is another technique you may choose further down the line, which involves you making a ‘psss’ or ‘shhh’ noise as your child goes to the loo, effectively signalling to them that this should be associated with it.

Some parents use visual cues like sign language instead of noises.

EC is not for everyone, and there’s nothing wrong with not having the time, patience, or want to do it.

A number of these parenting trends might seem silly, and EC is certainly one which might make you double-take.

However, what’s worked for centuries can’t be completely wrong, even if it has been co-opted by parents whose lives seem pretty unattainable.

It’ll take work, and it may take a lot of cleaning, but if it’s something you wish to do, conquer that elimination.

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Nicole Farhi has released a new sculpture collection called Folds, depicting curvy female bodies.

Founder of her eponymous fashion brand, Nicole turned to full time sculpting seven years ago and said she never felt the same way about fashion as she does about sculpting.

Her latest work looks at the female form and the ‘powerful sexual energy curvaceous women have’, with each piece showing off the torso.

It is her largest solo exhibition, with 20 pieces being showcased at Beaux Arts in London, and celebrates human bodies in a way we don’t often get to see: rolls, folds, and uneven breasts.

‘I wanted to show real women, I always found flesh more appealing than bones,’ she said in a press release.

The sculptures are modelled after two of her friends who sat in for portraits – Sue Tilley, former muse of painter Lucian Freud, and Paola Barone.

Nicole cast areas of their bodies in plaster, creating life-size replicas of their curves, before casting the sculptures in Jesmonite and bronze.

‘The human form and the emotions it elicits has been an enduring theme in my sculptural work,’ she said.

‘Following my last exhibition focusing on the human hand, I wanted to continue looking at parts of the human body; this time exploring the powerful beauty of flesh, curves and the sexual energy large women have.’

Patricia Singh, Director of Beaux Arts, added: ‘When we first met Nicole Farhi at her studio, we were blown away by the beauty and originality of her sculptures.

‘Her exquisite portrayals of the female form – which are very different to those cast by the fashion industry – are both relevant and thought-provoking, and we feel very strongly that she has something new to say.

‘We are delighted to be presenting Nicole’s new series at Beaux Arts for the first time.’

Folds will be on display at Beaux Arts, 48 Maddox Street, from 31 January to 2 March 2019.

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What does it mean to be non-binary or genderqueer?

In purely definitive terms, identifying as nonbinary means someone doesn’t fit into the binary of male or female.

But what does that identity look like in practice? What does it feel like?

It’s complicated, and the confusion around genderqueer identity can cause a lack of understanding, which then leads to prejudice.

To tackle this, photographer Chloe Aftel created Outside and In Between, a photo series exploring non-binary identity.

Chloe tells Metro.co.uk she was inspired to create the project after meeting someone genderqueer: ‘I had met a partner of a friend who identified as genderqueer back in 2012 and I was so moved and inspired by how comfortable they were with existing in that space in between that I wanted to visually explore what that meant.’

She set about finding people who were open to sharing their gender identity to photograph them as they are.

At first it was difficult to find people who wanted to be involved.

Then news of Sasha Fleischman – an agender teenager who was set on fire on a bus for wearing a skirt – gave the community a push to start challenging hate towards genderqueer people.

‘People began to want to stand up a bit more and force the world to understand and accept people living outside of the binary,’ says Chloe. ‘After that, subjects became a lot more easy to find, but it still took a lot of work making sure that I found the right people to represent the community.

‘I used every tool I had, the internet, friends, work of mouth, community organizations, you name it.’

Soon Chloe had a collection of subjects who were ready to be open about who they are.

She photographed each person in private, intimate spaces so she could get a real connection with each one.

‘It was incredible,’ said Chloe. ‘This has been such a rewarding and unexpected experience.

‘It was just a small personal project when I began, I didn’t know what shape it would take.

‘Some people up for nervous and some people were excited, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be invited into peoples private and intimate space and get to shoot them as their real selves, I know it sounds corny but I felt very lucky to have these experiences with them.’

The experience has made Chloe feel freer in her own gender identity.

She tells us: ‘What struck me so much about it from the beginning was that my subjects were comfortable occupying the space that wasn’t definite, it wasn’t this or that, but rather experimenting and being open in how they view themselves and also present themselves.

It was something that […] always made a lot of sense as I think most people, when they’re being honest, have felt attracted to someone of the same sex or someone who is queerer or trans, as well as not always wanting to present himself in a way that follows a gender binary.

‘I believe we are more fluid creatures. These people are just very open and unafraid of being themselves, which I was moved by.’

The photographer hopes that by sharing her photos, now available in a book with written pieces further exploring ideas of gender, she’ll foster a culture of greater understanding and acceptance of those who don’t fit the restrictions of the gender binary.

‘Given what’s going on in America right now, part of me just hopes that people can try and see others, who are different from them, as human beings worthy of respect and rights,’ Chloe explains.

‘Beyond that, my hope honestly is that people can be honest with themselves, and realize that we are on a continuum in terms of gender, sexuality and identity and there should be a safe place to not only explore but truly understand ourselves in that capacity.’

Pidgeon

Kim and Pidgeon

Jiz

Sasha

Viola

Abby and Sasha

Trent

Jacob

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When many think of fashion, they think of Karl Lagerfeld.

He embodied a kind of elegance and cachet that you’d undoubtedly expect from the creative director of Chanel. But he also brought playfulness and excitement to the brand upon his appointment in 1983, something that seemed completely fresh for the fashion house.

With the news of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, it will be his legacy as a designer that’ll be missed as much as the iconic man himself.

From the Coco-esque twists including pearls and tweed to the more revealing and risque fabrics and features in his clothes, there was an element of futuristic classic. He always kept us on our toes.

Let’s look back at some of his best Chanel looks.

Channeling Coco Chanel in this staid yet sexy RTW collection just a year after his introduction to the house. Hemlines were brought above the knee, and shoulders were given an 80s twist, but the old-school 20s glamour remained in the pearls and stockings.

In this Tokyo showcase in 1985, you can see more of the 20s sillhouette Karl aimed to keep in his debut collections. He believed that the brand needed to be freed from its 50s image, and wanted something more svelte.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this Karl’s personal look, with the voluminous collar and plush quilting.

The vibrant gold hardware is also a tell that this is Lagerfeld’s work, as he began to branch out on Chanel’s more staid buttons and fastenings.

Texture is an important part of his tenure at Chanel, and nothing shows that off more than this structural shawl from 1987.

It’s around about this time that we see Karl start playing with the iconic boxy suit jacket that Chanel is famous for.

With punky tartan (very fitting for the time) and flirty lace, it’s all tied together.

Once again it’s ‘that’ suit, just not as we know it.

We see Lagerfeld moving away from his precious aversion to colour and going for bright neon pops.

Remember those ubiquitous pearls? What if they were blown up and placed all over the garments? Now you don’t need to imagine.

Bridal couture is often overlooked, but Claudia Schiffer and Karl Lagerfeld were always a match made in heaven.

Peep the gold detailing on the zip, and imagine any of your favourite 90s rom-com stars wearing this down the aisle.

In 1994, Chanel went for the big branding and cheeky nods to their usual detailing, on bikinis, towels, underwear.

Given that Karl was a pioneer of the back-to-back C design’s resurgence, as well as plenty of jokey touches in ready-to-wear, it definitely fits.

Parisian style is embodies here in this elegant dress worn by none other than Naomi Campbell.

Despite the demure shape and neckline, there sheer bodice keeps it young.

This is pretty much the most 2001/2002 outfit imaginable, and the touches like the helmet really bring it together. We want one.

Lagerfeld always said he preferred beige for winter dressing, as evidenced in this butter-soft combo.

Chanel’s Cruise shows saw clothes coming secondary to the insane theatrics of it all. The branding master struck again.

Many of us remember this bag from when Gia Gunn entered the Ru Paul’s Drag Race work room with it, but here is its debut back in 2013.

It’s both the most and least practical item available, and a welcome antidote to the daintiness of some designer bags.

Haute Couture was where Lagerfeld shone (despite originally saying it wasn’t quick enough for him in the 80s), as you can see from this swan lake style dress for A/W 12/13.

‘Plus ça change’ as they say. Primary colours and psychadelic shapes took to PFW under Lagerfeld’s name (and with a bit of black lace for good measure).

Who could forget the Chanel supermarket? It felt like pop art and fashion and daily life had a baby, and we loved it.

Signature Lagerfeld always meant clothes full of fun, dripping in gold, and using colour to its advantage to create a mood.

Rest in Couture Karl.

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You will get to an age when your friends will start having babies.

It will likely come out of nowhere. You will have no warning. One day you’re all in the club, shotting tequila and scream-singing Rihanna, the next thing you know – half of you are breastfeeding.

It’s a jolt when you suddenly realise the shift in to real, proper adulthood has really begun. And it can trigger all sorts of fears and insecurities for those of us who still feel very far away from the realms of motherhood.

Will our friendships survive? Why is everyone more grown up than me? Who or what is a lactation massager?

Arguably, (not arguably), it is an even bigger jolt for the new mum.

Regardless of whether the baby was planned or unexpected, having your first child is a joy unlike any other, but it is also overwhelming, completely disorientating and utterly terrifying.

New mums need supportive, helpful, understanding friends around them to let them know that they aren’t alone in this – and to remind them that their old life hasn’t disappeared, it has just changed.

If you’re that clueless pal who has never changed a nappy and is secretly scared you will drop the baby, then you might want to take note.

We spoke to two new mums to find out exactly what they needed from their friends after having their first child.

Listening to their advice could help your friendship flourish during this big life change – rather than allowing you to drift apart.

Hannah, 30, had baby Finley 13 months ago.

‘The hardest part is that it is the biggest change that you ever face and no one can prepare you for it,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Other mums won’t tell you everything because they won’t want to sh*t on your future parade, but it is bloody hard and every single aspect of your life, emotional state and body, changes.

‘It is absolutely the best thing in the world to happen to me and every single day I love Finley more, but for about the first six months, I felt lost, frightened, a failure and like I just couldn’t do it.

‘I suspect I was bordering on needing some medication because I had such horrific anxiety and I was so lucky to have amazing friends.

‘Friends who are also mummys are great because they can help with the practical stuff and you can text them during 3 am feeds. But your “old friends” help to remind you who you are.

‘To see them so excited to meet my little boy was literally the best thing. My friends from university – we call ourselves the Rutland Rangers – are like cheerleaders and definitely what I needed on my bad days!’

Helen, 29, had little Hayden just three months ago.

‘Being a mum is hands-down the best thing I have ever done, but nothing prepares you for how hard it will be. That’s where your friends come in,’ Helen tells us.

‘Pregnancy starts preparing you for the changes in your relationships. You can’t drink anymore, can’t make that 30th birthday trip to Vegas, can’t wear your little black dress, can’t eat all the cheese or have a conversation without hearing a birthing horror story.

‘When baby first came I struggled that friends hadn’t rang or couldn’t visit. Probably because they didn’t want to bother me and live miles away but it is a very isolating time and there’s only so much family you can take.

‘Your body changes, you feel anxious about going out the house and you’re absolutely knackered. Add to that the feeling that your friends now think you’re boring. Oh, and you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing!

‘You need your friends so much during this time. Especially at 3am. You never know, they might be in a club.’

‘It’s a balance of maintaining your old relationships, but acknowledging that they will change, and that you have changed. You need your friends to show a genuine interest in your child, but also to still tell you about their sex lives.

‘I’m lucky, my girlfriends are my cheerleaders. All you need is the odd “you got this momma”; an Instagram like; the offer of “if you ever want to talk”, (even though you’ll never take them up on it) and a cup of tea if they come over.’

New mums don’t need much from their friends practically, but they need to know that you’re there.

A phone call or a Whatsapp message will go a long way in helping battle against the isolation.

You can’t truly understand what it feels like until you do it – until you actually pop one out of your own. But that doesn’t mean you can’t listen and do everything in your power to try and empathise.

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