CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

For years, fragrance has been viewed as the finishing touch reserved for special occasions. Today, however, men’s grooming habits are evolving, with more consumers treating scent as an everyday essential rather than a luxury.

As body mists continue to grow in popularity, they offer a lighter, more versatile alternative to traditional fragrances, making them ideal for everything from post-workout refreshes to commuting, travelling or simply staying fresh throughout the day.

One brand embracing this shift is Bespoke London Men, whose latest collection of body mists delivers premium-inspired fragrance profiles at an accessible price point.

Available exclusively through Superdrug, the collection has been created for men looking to build fragrance into their daily routine without the commitment or cost often associated with traditional eau de parfums.

Rather than relying on one signature scent, the range encourages wearers to choose a fragrance that suits both the occasion and their mood. Fresh citrus blends provide an energising start to the day, while aromatic herbs and warm tonka bean create an easy everyday option. Elsewhere, suede-inspired accords, rich woods, warming spices and creamy sandalwood offer deeper, more sophisticated scent profiles that transition effortlessly into the evening.

It’s part of a wider movement within men’s grooming, where accessibility and versatility have become just as important as luxury credentials. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that fit seamlessly into busy lifestyles, whether that’s a quick refresh after the gym, a fragrance kept in a work bag or a lightweight scent for weekends away.

The appeal lies in their simplicity. Easy to wear, easy to reapply and designed to complement rather than overpower, body mists are becoming an increasingly popular addition to the modern grooming routine.

With its latest collection, Bespoke London Men demonstrates that everyday fragrance doesn’t need to come with a premium price tag. Instead, it offers a range of contemporary scent profiles that make smelling good an effortless part of everyday life.

Some watches are inspired by adventure. Others by aviation, diving or motorsport. Very few are inspired by the moment humanity changed the way it communicated forever. That’s precisely the story behind the Ollech & Wajs Early Bird, one of the Swiss watchmaker’s rarest and most intriguing timepieces, now returning to mark the brand’s 70th anniversary.

For most watch enthusiasts, the appeal of a vintage reissue lies in nostalgia. But the Early Bird isn’t simply revisiting a design from the past. It’s celebrating a technological breakthrough that transformed everyday life long before smartphones, Wi-Fi or video calls became part of our vocabulary.

To understand the watch, you first need to understand the satellite.

In 1965, Intelsat I, better known as Early Bird, became the world’s first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite. Suspended high above the Earth, it dramatically altered the relationship between Europe and North America, allowing near-instantaneous communication across the Atlantic.

For the first time, continents felt genuinely connected.

The satellite carried live television broadcasts that would become part of history, from the splashdown of Gemini 6 and the Apollo 11 Moon landing to The Beatles performing All You Need Is Love for an estimated global audience of 700 million people.

Before Early Bird, the world relied on cables stretching beneath the ocean.

After Early Bird, it communicated through space.

It’s difficult to overstate how revolutionary that was.

Albert Wajs recognised the significance immediately.

Rather than simply admire the achievement, he chose to commemorate it with a watch.

Released in the same year as the satellite’s launch, the original Early Bird was unlike almost anything else on the market. Its distinctive 24-hour dial mirrored the satellite’s orbit around the Earth, while its striking blue and red bezel echoed the colours of the spacecraft itself.

Despite the space-age inspiration, the watch wasn’t designed for astronauts.

It was built for professionals much closer to home.

Military pilots, radio operators and those working across multiple time zones found the unusual 24-hour display invaluable, allowing them to read military time instantly while keeping track of operations around the clock.

Most buyers ordered theirs directly from Zurich after spotting small black-and-white advertisements in military publications such as Army Times. When the watches arrived, owners were pleasantly surprised to discover the colourful bezel that the monochrome adverts had completely failed to capture.

Today, that original Early Bird has become one of the rarest pieces ever to carry the Ollech & Wajs name, with fewer than 500 examples believed to have been produced.

Perhaps fittingly, it also remained Albert Wajs’s personal favourite.

Now, to celebrate the company’s platinum anniversary, the watch returns as the EB-24, faithfully preserving the spirit of the original while benefiting from modern mechanical engineering.

Unlike a conventional watch, its automatic 24-hour movement completes just one full rotation each day, allowing wearers to see the entire day’s cycle at a glance while simultaneously tracking a second time zone.

It’s a complication that feels surprisingly relevant in today’s globally connected world. Whether you’re crossing continents, managing international business or simply fascinated by traditional watchmaking, the concept remains every bit as practical as it was six decades ago.

What’s perhaps most impressive, however, isn’t the movement.

It’s the restraint.

At a time when many anniversary editions arrive weighed down with oversized cases, elaborate complications and marketing fanfare, Ollech & Wajs has instead chosen to honour one of its most significant creations by respecting exactly what made it special in the first place.

In doing so, the Early Bird becomes more than another heritage reissue.

It’s a reminder of a remarkable moment in history—when a satellite no larger than a family car quietly changed the way the world communicated, and a small Swiss watchmaker decided that achievement deserved to be worn on the wrist.

Seventy years on, that’s a story well worth telling.

Every fashion season seems to arrive with the same promise. More colour. More trends. More collaborations. More reasons to replace perfectly good clothes with something that’s supposedly newer, fresher and more desirable. Peace has other ideas. Founded by two of British menswear’s most respected names—James Shaw, the founder of Albam, and Simon Jobson, whose career has included leadership roles at Dr. Martens and Aquascutum—the new label isn’t interested in building the biggest wardrobe.

It’s interested in building the right one. Launched last month, Peace arrives with a philosophy that feels almost radical in today’s fashion landscape: buy less, choose well and wear it often.

It’s an approach that speaks to anyone who’s ever stood in front of an overflowing wardrobe and still felt they had nothing to wear. Rather than unveiling a sprawling debut collection, Peace introduces what its founders simply describe as a “uniform.” Just five pieces. A perfectly cut pair of denim jeans. A white T-shirt. A handcrafted loafer. A deerskin jacket. A considered piece of jewellery. Nothing more. At first glance, it almost feels incomplete. Then you realise that’s entirely the point.

While much of the fashion industry is built around encouraging constant consumption, Peace is asking a different question: what if the essentials were enough?

The answer lies not in novelty but in permanence. Each piece is produced in small batches in Portugal, where Shaw relocated to establish the brand closer to the people making the clothes. It’s a decision that says as much about the company’s values as the garments themselves.

As Shaw explains, moving wasn’t about escaping to a slower lifestyle—it was about creating one. Being close to the factories, the craftspeople and the production process allows every decision to be more considered. Fewer compromises. Better conversations. Better products. It’s a reminder that craftsmanship isn’t something that happens in marketing campaigns. It happens on factory floors, in workshops and through relationships built over time.

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Peace is what happens after a product sells out. Nothing. Or rather, everything stays exactly the same. There are no limited-edition colourways designed to fuel hype. No unnecessary redesigns to justify another campaign. When a piece is gone, it returns just as it was, made with the same attention to detail and the same commitment to quality. In an industry that often mistakes constant change for progress, there’s something quietly confident about refusing to reinvent what already works.

Simon Jobson describes the concept as “a gentle act of rebellious care.” It’s a phrase that lingers. A uniform, he suggests, removes unnecessary decisions from daily life, allowing us to focus on the things that matter rather than the endless pursuit of something new.

Some of the world’s most stylish men have always dressed this way, relying on a consistent wardrobe rather than chasing trends. Steve McQueen had it. Giorgio Armani built an empire on it. Even today, the most effortlessly dressed people rarely appear to be trying very hard. Peace taps into that same philosophy.

This opening chapter is only the beginning. Future releases will expand naturally into knitwear, leather footwear, outerwear, fleece and sterling silver jewellery, but the guiding principles won’t change. No seasonal collections. No trend-driven detours. No unnecessary excess.

Just a wardrobe that grows thoughtfully over time. At its heart, Peace is built around three values: craft, connection and restraint. They’re not words commonly associated with modern fashion, yet perhaps they should be.

In an era dominated by endless scrolling, flash sales and weekly drops, there’s something quietly refreshing about a brand prepared to slow everything down.

Because real style has never been about owning the most clothes. It’s about owning the right ones.And Peace is making a compelling case that five might just be enough to start with.

www.peace-begins-within.com

There comes a point every summer when the heavier winter fragrances are quietly pushed to the back of the shelf. Not because they’ve suddenly become bad. Simply because sunshine demands something different.

A good summer fragrance shouldn’t arrive before you do. It should drift rather than announce itself, catching the breeze as much as it catches attention. Think effortless linen over heavy tailoring, an Aperol Spritz over an Old Fashioned.

Fortunately, some of the world’s biggest fragrance houses have delivered exactly that this season.

Tom Ford Soleil Blanc

If summer had a dress code, Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc would probably write it.

Still one of the standout warm-weather fragrances in the Estée Lauder stable, it effortlessly blends creamy coconut, bergamot, pistachio, ylang-ylang and amber into something that feels less like a beach holiday and more like a private villa overlooking the Mediterranean.

It’s luxurious without becoming ostentatious and remains one of the finest examples of how a solar fragrance should be done.

Jo Malone London Raspberry Ripple Cologne

Limited editions often feel like marketing exercises.This one doesn’t.

Inspired by the nostalgic British ice cream flavour, Raspberry Ripple balances juicy raspberry with delicate white musk and redcurrant to create something playful yet unmistakably refined. It feels like an English seaside escape viewed through a luxury lens—fresh, optimistic and surprisingly versatile.

Perfect for those who prefer their summer fragrances to have personality rather than simply smelling of citrus.

Burberry Hero Parfum Intense

Burberry continues to evolve its Hero collection, and the latest, more intense interpretation proves that summer fragrances don’t always have to be light to feel appropriate.

Rich cedarwood remains at its heart, supported by warm spices and resinous notes that make it particularly effective as temperatures begin to cool after sunset.

It’s an excellent reminder that summer evenings deserve their own fragrance wardrobe.

BOSS Bottled Beyond

Hugo Boss has spent years refining the modern masculine signature scent, and Bottled Beyond continues that evolution.

Fresh opening notes quickly settle into warm woods and sophisticated aromatics, making it one of those rare fragrances that works equally well in the office, at dinner or during a weekend away.

Sometimes versatility is the greatest luxury.

Davidoff Cool Water Elixir Safran

There are very few fragrances with the cultural legacy of Cool Water.

Rather than attempting to recreate the original, Davidoff has taken it in an intriguing new direction with Elixir Safran, combining saffron, green apple and cedarwood into a composition that feels familiar enough to honour its heritage while offering something noticeably richer and more contemporary.

Choosing a summer fragrance has never really been about following trends. It’s about finding something that matches the pace of the season.

Whether that’s the Riviera glamour of Tom Ford, the easy-going optimism of Jo Malone London or the enduring freshness of Davidoff, the best fragrances of Summer 2026 all share one important quality.  They don’t try too hard.

And, as with the best-dressed men, that’s usually what makes them memorable.