The style set’s new colour? Mustard — plus more trends to know now

Find out what’s heating up (and cooling down) in our weekly barometer of trends from fashion to pop culture.

Cut the mustard

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Dijon or straight-up English? French’s or Maille? However you like your mustard, you can count on finding an outfit to match it this spring as the condiment cupboard emerges as style inspiration once more. A spicy little trend if ever there was, this colour really cut through during the recent round of fashion weeks, with street-stylers sidestepping lemon and primrose for a more mustardy palette. The trend has its roots on the catwalk: Burberry and Loewe played with it in their spring collections, while Tove also dabbled in the hot-dog-adjacent hue. Keen (ahem) to join the party? Head to H&M and Zara, where head-to-toe mustard is emerging as a palatable option for sharp dressers who are going all in on sweeping dresses and trouser suits in the shade. Hold the ketchup.

Hear us roar! Leopard print is back

When Réalisation Par opened its flagship on Mount Street in Mayfair last month, buzz centred not on the dresses — though those are excellent too — but the interiors. How elevated, effortless and boudoiresque it all was. How much expertly implemented animal print there was, on the inside walls of the stainless steel photo booth, on the changing room stools and the S-shaped double-seat sofa. It cements the (often divisive) pattern as the design statement du jour. “Our rule is one piece of leopard per room to keep it looking fresh,” says Tiffany Duggan, the interior designer founder of Studio Duggan. “I like to throw in a random cushion or footstool in leopard, particularly when a space is matchy-matchy or super-polished. A dash of irreverence and bad taste is often a good thing.”

Mark Anthony Fox

The Tigris rug by Nordic Knots (from £1,495) may seem daunting, but it allows you to be more minimalist elsewhere — think pared-back furniture and mellow upholstery. Meanwhile, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s Leopard Stripe wallpaper (£240 for a ten metre roll) is a great choice for downstairs loos and hallways, or for something less committed try a leopard-print cushion from Trove (£295). Go wild!

Girls on film! Midlife sex is hotting up

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Is it hot in here? If you’re a woman on TV aged over 40, then the answer is yes. Never has there been a sexier time for leading actresses approaching — or slap bang in the middle of — midlife. Currently steaming up screens is Rachel Weisz, 56, playing a college professor who becomes obsessed with her younger, sexy colleague in Vladimir, while Linda Cardellini, 50, plays Carol in HBO’s DTF St Louis — a woman having a blast exploring sexual fantasies with her husband’s best friend.

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Heading our way is the Sharon Horgan-penned HBO comedy Youth — currently filming and in which she will also star — about a 50-year-old divorcee’s search for sex and love. And, finally, Lena Dunham’s next Netflix film, Good Sex, will be released later this year starring Natalie Portman as a fortysomething couples’ therapist dipping her toes back into the dating scene. TV has never looked better.

One more thing

Photograph: Sam nicklin. edit: flossie saunders

The colour of the bottle is the first clue as to the scent inside. Juicy peach hits first, melting into creamy, lip-smacking vanilla, with a bit of jasmine to keep things fresh. It’s fleshy, fruity and floral, like a bowl of stewed peaches and cream. The ideal accompaniment to summer. Dior Addict Peachy Glow, £92 for 50ml EDP, dior.com