You have probably noticed by their clothes: this summer, men just want to have fun. Crop tops, short shorts and even kilts and skirts are in. Long sleeves, and long inseams, are out. Today, two of the FT’s men’s fashion experts, Robert Armstrong and Eric Platt, join us to discuss how and why this happened, and what the rise of skimpy menswear tells us about masculinity today.

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Will you take our survey, for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Rob’s latest style column is here: https://on.ft.com/3xWm8pa

– Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng. Eric is on X @EricGPlatt

– Here’s the GQ piece we mentioned, called “Why is everyone on steroids now?” https://www.gq.com/story/why-is-everyone-on-steroids-now

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Today, we’re talking about the “femininomenon” that is pop girl summer. This season's music scene has been dominated by unfiltered female sensations, including Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. How did these artists become so popular? How does this scene compare with that of the pop girls of the early 2000s? And what is a ‘brat’ summer? Lilah is joined by music writer Arwa Haider and US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou to chat through it.

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Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– You can listen to our curation of pop girl summer hits in this Spotify playlist, or by searching “Pop Girl Summer 2024: Life and Art”. You can thank our producer Lulu Smyth

– The FT’s 4 star review of Brat is here: https://on.ft.com/4cvSTIQ

– Arwa Haider is on X @ArwaHaider. Anna Nicolaou is @annaknicolaou

– Lilah recommends Miranda July’s novel All Fours

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we’re bringing you an episode from our archives: Molly Roden Winter was a frustrated mom of two in Brooklyn when she and her husband decided that they should open up their marriage. What followed was a 10-year journey of self-exploration that took her not only into some seedy hotel rooms but also to therapy, back to work, and into other activities that added up to a more fulfilling life. Today Molly is on the show to talk about her memoir More in which she details her journey. She also tells Lilah what polyamory could teach monogamous couples.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Molly’s book More is out now

– The FT’s review of More, by Rana Foroohar, is here: https://on.ft.com/3UmsdUF

– Molly is on X @mollyrwinter

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season three of FX’s “The Bear” is here, and today we discuss it with our top food writers! The Financial Times’s food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little and restaurant critic Tim Hayward, who also owns a cafe in Cambridge, join Lilah to share their takes. How well does the show reflect the restaurant world? What itch is it scratching? And how does this season hold up?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– The FT’S 5 star review of “The Bear” season 3 is here: https://on.ft.com/4eQixtq

– A recent column by Tim Hayward: ‘Why the best seat in any restaurant is out by the back of the bins’. He is the author of Steak: The Whole Story, available now in all good bookshops

– Our episode on ‘The Taste of Things’ featuring Tim and Harriet is here. Tim has also spoken with us about gluttony, and Harriet about throwing dinner parties. You can search wherever you listen

– Tim is on X @timhayward. Harriet is @HarrietFL

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What should you read on the beach this summer? What about if you’re stuck indoors, or if you need a break from kids? Each June, our literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle put together the FT’s summer books special, and today they give us their recommendations, each with a different summer activity in mind. Their overall top picks are James by Percival Everett and Knife by Salman Rushdie.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– A few categories Fred and Laura drew on from the best books special:

Best fiction: https://on.ft.com/3VH3Wrn

Best literary non-fiction: https://on.ft.com/3VI1kt9

Best audio book: https://on.ft.com/3VM1W0U

– Here are the other recommendations mentioned: More by Molly Roden Winter, Long Island by Colm Tóibín, Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst, Beirut Station by Paul Vidich, You Are Here by David Nicholls, Memoir of My Former Self by Hilary Mantel, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen, and Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini. Fred and Laura also recommend This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud on audiobook, narrated by Cassandra Campbell.

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk about the very disturbing new film ‘Kinds of Kindness’. It is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, known for surreal movies such as ‘Poor Things’, ‘The Favourite’, and ‘The Lobster’. This film marks a return to dark, inaccessible weirdness for the Greek New Wave director. Is it grotesque in a bad or a good way? And do we like the ‘Lanthimos vibe’? Lilah is joined by film critic Nicolas Rapold and the FT’s Topher Forhecz to discuss.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Here’s the FT’s review of Kinds of Kindness, by Raphael Abraham: https://on.ft.com/3xBo4De

– An interview with Yorgos Lanthimos (2015), about ‘The Lobster’: https://on.ft.com/3VG7J8g

– Nicolas Rapold is on X @NicolasRapold. Follow him and his podcast ‘The Last Thing I Saw’, here: https://rapold.substack.com/

– Our episode ‘Is Poor Things A Feminist Film?’ is available here or wherever you listen.

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a big year for voting! There are national elections in 64 countries, affecting more than half the world. And many of us are anxious about an uncertain future. FT Weekend columnist Nilanjana Roy had a good idea in the midst of her own election fever: to find perspective, she turned to literature. Today, Nila shares what she came away with, and recommends books that can help reframe how we think about elections, no matter where we live.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Nilanjana’s column on literature and elections: https://on.ft.com/3z9whiy

– The books that she recommends in this episode:

• Raag Darbari by Shrilal Sukla

• A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

• Modi’s India by Christophe Jaffrelot

• Quarterlife by Devika Rege

• Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor

• The Age of the Strongman by our own Gideon Rachman

• Another England by Caroline Lucas

• Infomocracy by Malka Older

– Nilanjana is on Instagram @nilanjanasroy and on X @nilanjanaroy

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Roger Federer is one of the world’s greatest tennis players – but is he dramatic enough for a full film? Today we discuss the new Federer documentary, just released on Amazon Prime. It’s called Federer: Twelve Final Days, and follows the tennis star in the run-up to his retirement. Does the film fully reflect his legacy well? Is Federer boring? And how do we feel about the next batch of tennis stars? Chief features writer Henry Mance and deputy arts editor Raphael Abraham join Lilah to discuss.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Raph’s interview with 22-year-old Italian Grand Slam winner Jannik Sinner: https://on.ft.com/4etUAro

– Henry’s interview with tennis star Boris Becker on his money, marriages and what he learned in prison: https://on.ft.com/3VPUMKy

– Henry is on X @henrymance.

More or less:

– Raph recommends the Julio Torres film Problemista. You can check out his stand-up comedy here

– Henry recommends Creation Lake, the upcoming novel by Rachel Kushner publishing in September

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.