Karen Dacre

2 weeks ago | thetimes.com | Karen Dacre

What was your first memorable purchase? When I was about 12 or 13 my godfather took me shopping in Jenners, Edinburgh, where he bought me a pair of grey herringbone trousers. They were rough tweed, possibly Harris, with a little mitred coin pocket with a flap. I adored them and was still wearing them a few years later on the night I lost my virginity. I’d wear them with an oversized jacket, as was the style at the time. I wore those trousers all over. I definitely wore them at Coasters Roller Disco.

3 weeks ago | thetimes.com | Karen Dacre

This summer’s most desirable pair of sandals is barely worth writing home about. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Free from jazz hands and the sort of bells and whistles one commonly associates with a new-fangled fashion trend, the point of this shoe is, delightfully, that it is designed to blend beautifully into the rich tapestry that is your life.

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Martin Hemming |Karen Dacre

* The best barbecues and grills to buy for summer 2025The comedy apron ("Burnt sausage? No, it's just the way my shorts ruck up") no longer cuts it. If you're not padded up like a police dog trainer, with your eyes protected by meth lab goggles, your barbecue is too tepid and you're not taking it seriously enough. "Not burnt" is no longer the high-water mark. Are you even barbecuing in 2025 if your gurnard isn't en papillote?

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Karen Dacre

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Karen Dacre

What was the first thing you bought with your own money? The first memorable purchase was a pair of Converse sneakers. They were a bit expensive. And my father told me I had to earn my own money to buy them if I wanted them. I did. And then I bought a pair of Levi's to wear with them. That was the look of the moment when I was in high school - if you were fortunate enough, maybe you would get some sort of a leather bomber or a varsity jacket to go with.