Tiny Nineties shades? Woven wicker clutches? Those mildly menacing Labubu charms that glare out from the handle of your bag, clenching their pointy plastic teeth? Forget them. From the fields of Glastonbury to the stands at Royal Ascot to the subterranean inferno of the Central line, there’s one standout accessory that has taken this summer by storm.
I’m referring, of course, to the humble battery-powered portable fan, the little device that has become ubiquitous over the past month or so, as sweaty Brits try desperately to deal with high temperatures that our infrastructure just wasn’t built to withstand. It’s small enough to stash in a tote as you rush out of the house in the morning, and it emits the sort of weirdly comforting white noise that helps you ascend to another level of zen during your commute.
