Welcome to our monthly need-to-know dispatch of the latest and greatest releases that should be on your radar for the month ahead.
With a full-time job, busy social life, and social media accounts to update, it’s challenging to keep up with all the shiny newness out there.
But you don’t have to. Here at ES Best, we’ve got our ears to the ground and our noses pressed against digital shop fronts, always looking for the newest fashion, events, and food and drink - so you don’t have to. From sell-out collections to limited edition collaborations, with exclusive events, fresh launches and new store unveilings in between, we’ve got you covered so you don’t miss out on a thing.
Autumn is here, starting with the great September reset. Half-empty offices refill with tanned colleagues back from their holidays, kids get their pencil cases (and the rest) for a fresh year of learning and everyone starts digging out long-forgotten scarves and jumpers in anticipation of the impending chill.
September may herald back to school, but it's also back to the catwalk as London Fashion Week kicks off in our fair city (from September 13 - 17). While we see what SS25 has in store, end-of-summer sales are going strong for those looking to replenish depleted wardrobes.
And of course, there’s the usual smorgasbord of glittering new launches, exciting collabs and epic shopping drops to make this month shine.
If you’re ever at a loss for something to do at the weekend or want to scratch the retail therapy itch, we’ll keep this page updated all month long; it’s best to bookmark it so you’ve got the insider’s guide right at your fingertips.
Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter version of this Shortlist for a weekly digest covering everything from fashion and furniture to tech and travel.
Ready, set, shop
Textile artist Kate Jenkins to bring her knitted fish counter to Soho
Food and art - is there anything better? Crack out your piggybank and make a beeline for Soho this summer where Brighton-based textile artist Kate Jenkins is opening her brilliant (and slightly bonkers) fish counter.
Expect sequinned anchovies, knitted prawns, embroidered oysters, whelks and mussels with a garnish of knitted lemon and parsley, all ready to be plated up and adorned on the walls. Every limited edition piece will be signed by the artist - who will be manning the counter herself, natch - with prices starting at a very affordable £100.
Find her and the fashionable fish at Air Contemporary Gallery, Ham Yard, Soho from September 20 to October 5.
Buy now, Ham Yard Hotel
Pret New Menu
Bringing variety to your on-the-go snacking, Pret has mixed up its autumn menu. Of course, there will always be space for its fan favourites like the tuna baguette but as the temperatures begin to drop, you can satisfy your early bird food cravings with the Triple Sausage Ciabatta (with three British outdoor-bred pork sausages in a crusty roll), adding bacon or swapping out for veggies for a meat-free alternative.
When it comes to lunch, the Mushroom Florentine Toastie pairs Italian cheese with roasted chestnut mushrooms in a seeded bloomer, while the Chipotle Chicken & Feta Toastie should solve 1pm indecision. Soup season is back and the Butternut & Sage or Lasagne Soup stand out from the norm. Flatbreads are also getting a shawarma spiced, Mediterranean-style tuna or falafel upgrade.
Buy now, Deliveroo
Diptyque Office Accessories
Working from home can be a less than glamorous affair with unsupportive chairs and makeshift desks but Diptyque is on hand to change that with its stationery essentials. The French fragrance house has expanded its lifestyle offering to include office accessories, from beautifully illustrated pen pots to notebooks adorned with the brand’s signature oval logo.
From £33.
Buy now, Diptyque
White Claw Vodka
A festival season staple, White Claw’s hard seltzers are ubiquitous in parks across the country but now the brand is making a play for your drinks cabinet too with its entry into the vodka category. Already hugely popular in the US, the spirit launches on UK soil with four variations; Premium (unflavoured), Black Cherry, Pineapple and our personal favourite, Mango. It was created with a trademarked Triple Wave Filtered production process that harnesses the power of three 30-foot waves during distillation for purity and crucially, far less sugar.
Buy now, Amazon
Gigi Hadid x Million Gold For Her
Supermodel Gigi Hadid faces a new fragrance by the noses at Rabanne. The brand behind the instantly recognisable One Million has unveiled Million Gold For Her, a powerful fragrance with notes of rose, lavender and a salty mineral musk undertone. Hadid explains, “I think that a lot of my personality has masculine tinges to it, so I Iike the mix of feminine and masculine elements in a fragrance."
Buy now £95.00, The Fragrance Shop
NET-A-PORTER and The King’s Foundation Capsule Collection
The third iteration of luxury retailer Net-A-Porter and The King’s Foundation’s The Modern Artisan initiative has arrived and the 13-piece capsule collection extends to loungewear and knitwear that was created by six fashion graduates using sustainably minded processes and eco-conscious fabrics by hand.
The design inspiration comes from Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s watercolours of the Scottish Highlands. Look to the oversized scarf made from wool sourced at The King’s Foundation’s HQ in Dumfries House, a bias cut vest made from deadstock fabric or the smocked sleeve dress with sleeves bordered with a traditional Romanian smocking pattern.
Buy now, NET-A-PORTER
Just in Thyme for Christmas
Le Creuset has expanded its iconic colour palette once again, this time with a wonderfully herbaceous hue which has been crafted to bring earthly elegance and tranquillity to the home. Sophisticated yet striking, the ‘Thyme’ collection is available in a range of Le Creuset’s signature enamelled cast iron cookware, oven-to-table stoneware and various additional accessories to complete your interior aesthetic. The Thyme collection starts from £15 and is available at John Lewis, Le Creuset stores and online.
Buy now, Le Creuset
EE’s annual Game Day is back for a second year
EE is once again transforming the entirety of the UK into the world’s biggest gaming arcade, allowing players to win fabulous prizes for 24 hours only on September 7.
Iconic locations across the country such as Brighton Pier and Wembley Stadium will be ‘gamified’ with the help of online and mixed-reality gaming experiences.
Sidemen Josh, Tobi and Ethan will be livestreaming the EE Game Chest Hunt via Twitch at 5pm from EE’s Fortnite Island, which itself is set to be home to a special prize treasure hunt. Players participating in each of the EE Game Day gaming experiences will score points which can be converted into EE Chest Codes and used to unlock prizes via the EE Game Store.
Find QR codes on local advertisements to participate, or head over to TikTok and use their dedicated Game Day Effect.
Buy now £0.00, EE
John Lewis x Collagerie
Transform your home into a colourful, countryside-inspired paradise with the help of John Lewis and Collagerie’s exclusive homeware collaboration, launching on September 9.
The impressive 86-piece collection of lighting, tableware, wallpaper, bedlinen, cushions and nightwear is filled to the brim with everything you could possibly need to give your interiors a makeover. Founders of Collagerie, Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood, delved into John Lewis’ design archive to choose a selection of striking prints from over 35,000 options collated over the last 150 years. Shop the re-imagined vintage patterns online before it sells out.
Buy now, John Lewis
Coca-Cola and OREO are officially besties
The unexpected collaboration between two icons of the sweet treat industry has resulted in the launch of Coca-Cola OREO Zero Sugar Limited Edition. Available nationwide from the beginning of September, the strange sparkling celebration is sure to tickle the taste buds.
Buy now, Coca-Cola and OREO
