The Barometer: Summer ‘23 edition

    The Barometer: Summer ‘23 edition

    From the best new books to all the rage accessories, this is our measure of what’s hot and what’s not this season

    Words: Gentleman's Journal

    Now a regular read in our biannual print edition, in the Gentleman’s Journal Barometer we aim to cut through the clutter by rating the season’s key events, crazes, styles, books, figures, dishes and status symbols on a scale from ‘Great!’ to ‘Ghastly!’

    Controversial? Yes. But someone’s got to tell you that chilling your red wine is NOT okay. Whereas salting your melon is a must try…

    What's great?

    montage including a casio digital watch, butter, sunglasses, Cardigan, pool party magazine
    • The roast duck with chambertin sauce at Noble Rot’s new Mayfair outpost
    • Tom Straker’s excellent new butter range: “a nice little disruptor!” — and delicious, too
    • The pink linen four-poster beds at the newly-opened Hotel Corazon in Mallorca
    • Jean Pigozzi’s ‘Pool Party’ — surely the finest Riviera-swimming-pool-based coffee table book on the planet
    • The return of those Persols with the big fat arms
    • Funiculars
    • Casio watch on your wedding day
    • Salting your melon. Try it.
    • The Sicilian Breakfast: coffee granita and whipped cream
    • A Tempo Rubato’s handsome v-neck jumpers — ideal for perfecting ‘JOS’
    • The Hurlingham ‘Suggestions’ book

    What's good?

    montage including wilson grip tape, cocktail, man in a black-tie suit and a coastal landscape on the waters edge.
    • Île de Bendor, the private island haunt of the Ricard pastis heirs, which is being slowly transformed into a beautiful hotel
    • Guinness in summer
    • Sam Wood’s paintings
    • Purple tennis overgrips
    • Morning suit then black tie
    • Mont-Bell
    • Big Carrefours
    • Micheladas
    • Vicente Munoz’s beautiful ‘Ruin Courts’ photography series — a sort of ‘what if the ancient Romans competed at Roland Garros?’ whimsy

    What's so-so?

    • “Quiet luxury”
    • “Quiet quitting”
    • Hôtel du Cap engagement photos
    • Panama hats on anyone under 60
    • The emergence of ‘yacht naming consultants’, who will help billionaires/plutocrats to christen their vessels, apparently
    • Moaning about Soho House in Soho House
    • Chic sardines
    • Lime Bike’s new parking fine policy
    • Talking about being busy

    What's ghastly?

    montage including an electric bike, a pair on runners, a voice note graphic, croissants and a female robot
    • Worrying about AI
    • Thinking it’s interesting to chill your red
    • Standing desks as Zoom talking points
    • Croissant influencers
    • Vanmoof-as-personality
    • Training for a half marathon
    • Challenger sun cream
    • Complaining about your builders
    • Astro gardens
    • Voice notes longer than a minute

    Want more opinions from Gentleman’s Journal? Check out the barometer from Winter 2022…

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