PAUSE Hotlist: Our Favourite Things This Month

Welcome to the August edition of Our Favourite Things This Month, your go-to cultural compass for what to see, read, eat, and explore. Each month, PAUSE will gather the most exciting tech accessories, must-read books, buzzing restaurants, standout art exhibitions, and cultural curiosities, all curated for our style-conscious, experience-driven readers.

Sleek, lightweight, and endlessly customisable with interchangeable bands. The Whoop 5.0 is more than a fitness tracker, it’s a lifestyle monitor. Built around recovery, sleep, and strain tracking, it helps you understand not just how hard you train, but how well you recover.

The Smart Garden 3 is a compact hydroponic garden that lets you grow fresh herbs or small vegetables with zero fuss. Using a soil-free system and built-in LED lights, it automates watering and nutrients, making it ideal for beginners or those short on space.

A collector’s dream, bridging retro culture with modern tech, the Analogue Pocket is designed for those nostalgic about Game Boy classics but unwilling to compromise on design or performance.

This book dives into how clothing shapes personal and cultural identity. It explores fashion’s role in everything from politics to self-expression, making it an essential read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of society and style.

Mapping the evolution of menswear over the last few decades, charting the rise of sportswear, streetwear, and high-fashion crossovers, Bowstead’s book is part cultural critique, part fashion history, and perfect for readers who want to understand why the men’s fashion landscape feels so different now than even ten years ago.

Dana Thomas offers a vivid account of two of the industry’s most influential designers, chronicling their meteoric rise, creative genius, and eventual downfall.

An effortless approach to dining. Bone’s menu is built around comfort done well, from short ribs that fall apart at the touch of a fork to crispy fries that feel endless.

Tattu brings contemporary Chinese cuisine into a design-led space that feels like a work of art. Boasting interiors inspired by traditional Chinese courtyard houses, expect innovative plates that balance artistry and flavour, making it one of London’s most immersive dining experiences.

Delivering a slice of American comfort food right in Kensington, at Eve the pies are huge, with just the right balance of chewy base and bold toppings.

Transforming the gallery into an immersive landscape of wood fragments, sculpted and eroded to mimic the impact of time and natural forces,  Drew’s work feels alive, drawing visitors into a meditation on chaos, order, and the cycles of creation and destruction.

Referencing nursery rhymes and fables, this exhibition reframes familiar stories through the lens of money, debt, and power. Using play, pun, and language to unpack how finance and corporate culture intersect with everyday life, Freudian Typo is witty, critical, and invites viewers to think about language in unexpected ways.

This expansive exhibition explores the enduring influence of flowers in art and culture. From large-scale installations to archival fashion pieces, it presents flowers as both beauty and metaphor that inspires creativity across disciplines.

With a delicate fragrance that fills a room without overwhelming, Diptyque’s Roses candle is the perfect blend of elegance and atmosphere.

Sound is everything when it comes to film and music at home, and the Sonos Arc delivers immersive quality with minimal fuss. Its technology expands sound across a room, bringing cinema-level audio into everyday living spaces.

The Lola marble bookends are both functional and decorative. Their clean design and sculptural quality make them the kind of detail that elevates any book shelf, blending utility with quiet luxury.

^{That’s a wrap for this month’s picks. Stay tuned for next month’s highlights with more gear, more culture, and more to obsess over.}