Le Journal

This poignant debut about two strangers who fall in love offers a powerful portrait of the lived realities of immigrants in Britain“Love is not an easy thing … It’s both the disease and the medicine,” a character says in Manish Chauhan’s meditation on modern love. This poignant and perceptive coming-of-age story, about two strangers who become star-crossed lovers, is a powerful portrait of the lived realities of immigrants in Britain, and of love as home, hope and destiny.Newly arrived in England following an arranged marriage with British-Indian Rajiv, Mira feels increasingly out of place as she finds out that Rajiv holds secrets and loves someone else. On the eponymous Belgrave Road in Leicester, entire days go by “without sight of an English person”, and Mira feels “disappointed that England wasn’t as foreign or as mysterious as she had hoped”. She takes English classes, finds companionship in her mother-in-law and fills her days with household chores, but nothing shifts her deep loneliness. Continue reading...

Against a backdrop of rising white nationalism, the ‘global authority on colour’ has chosen white as the shade of 2026. Four experts wade in on the implications for everything from interior design choices to racial politics• Don’t get Fashion Statement delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereFor more than 25 years, Pantone, which describes itself as “the global authority for colour communication and inspiration”, has attempted to prophesy the year ahead by choosing its specific colour. For 2026, it is hedging its bets on something called cloud dancer.While it’s highly unlikely that the next 12 months can be neatly summarised by one colour before the year has even kicked off (Pantone’s announcement took place in December), it still garners headlines because, in a way, Pantone’s decision does reflect on some level what is happening in the zeitgeist – or, at least, what is expected to happen. After the economic crash in 2009 came mimosa, a “warm and engaging” shade of yellow said to represent hope and optimism (it rang true with a mimosa-coloured sofa becoming a must-have and everyone taking up daily affirmations). In 2016, there was the blending of serenity and rose quartz – AKA the ubiquitous millennial pink – while last year’s mocha mousse is the reason you are seeing brown everywhere. Continue reading...