FEBRUary CULTURE EDIT

Hibernation season is over! Here are this month’s exhibitions, restaurants, fashion collabs, and films you need on your radar…

FASHION

LONDON FASHION WEEK 2020

With New York Fashion Week facing crisis point (most high-profile names are choosing to showcase their collections outside of the capital), it’s up to London to take up the mantel. After Extinction Rebellion’s attempted shutdown of LFW last season, expect sustainability to be front and centre of the Autumn/Winter 20 collections. 14-18 February.

KIMONO: KYOTO TO CATWALK, V&A

Discover the secrets of Japan's traditional garment at Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk. The V&As latest exhibition showcases rare kimonos dating as far back as the 17th century, while charting their influence on past and current fashion trends. Usually reflective of a person’s social class and identity, the kimono is an iconic garment known for its elegant cut and intricate patterns. One for Kimmy K. 29 February.

LOUIS VUITTON CAFE, OSAKA

Louis Vuitton opens the doors to its very first cafe/restaurant this month — the luxury brand’s first foray into hospitality. Dubbed Le Café V, it’s located on the top floor of Vuitton’s new store in Osaka with a menu designed by acclaimed Japanese chef Yosuke Suga. 15 February.

THE TIFFANY BLUE BOX CAFE

Fancy having breakfast at Tiffany’s? Modern-day Holly Golightlys can head to Tiffany’s new Blue Box Café in Harrods. For those who like their croissants with a side of carats… 14 February.

FOOD

PADELLA, SHOREDITCH

Since the OG Padella opened in Borough Market back in 2016, it’s had queues snaked out the door. Punters cannot get enough of their famous pici cacio e pepe and 8-hour beef shin ragu. So when it was announced that Padella would be launching a new East End outpost, it instantly became one of the most hyped openings of the year. 1 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS

DOMINIQUE ANSEL TREEHOUSE

From the man who brought you the legendary Cronut (part croissant, part donut, part magic)… Dominique Ansel opens his new cafe/restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden — decked out like a treehouse with its trunk going up through every floor of the building. Head for their Pissaladière with Onion Marmalade or homemade vol au vents. Yes, you heard it here first: the 80s vol au vent is back. 7 February. 24 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DP

BOOKS

THE WATER DANCER

A New York Times bestseller, The Water Dancer is the debut novel of American author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Set on a Virginia plantation, the novel recalls popular slave narratives of the late 19th century — it’s a coming-of-age story that traces the protagonist’s journey from servitude to freedom. 6 February.

HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST: HISTORY, SCIENCE, RACE AND REALITY

Adam Rutherford’s vital manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation, and a timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry. 6 February.

THE INSECURE GIRL’S CLUB

From imposter syndrome to unwelcome waves of self-doubt, Olivia Purvis’s debut book offers tips, coping mechanisms and small pearls of wisdom to guide you through those feelings that hold you back and empower you to make a change. 6 February.

EXHIBITIONS

STEVE MCQUEEN

Tate Modern presents the first major exhibition of Steve McQueen’s artwork since he won the Turner Prize in 1999. It features 14 major works spanning film, photography and sculpture, including his first film shot on a Super 8 camera. The exhibition coincides with Steve McQueen: Year 3 at Tate Britain. 13 February.

GRAYSON PERRY: THE PRE-THERAPY YEARS

Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years looks at the works he made between 1982-1994 — from when he graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic to his first big solo exhibition in Mayfair. Last year the Holburne Museum in Bath asked members of the public who owned Perry’s earlier pieces to come forward. They did, in their dozens — and the result is a display of 70 pieces, mostly ceramics but also a few sketchbooks and early video performances. Great Pulteney St, Bath BA2 4DB. Now until 25 May.

HOCKNEY: DRAWING FROM LIFE

The first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney’s drawings in over twenty years, David Hockney: Drawing from Life, explores his career in portraits. From his muse Celia Birtwell to his mother, the display includes around 150 portraits spanning five decades. Highlights include pencil drawings created in Paris during the 1970s and composite Polaroid portraits from the 1980s. 27 February.

FILM & TV

BIRDS OF PREY 

Marvel’s superhero blockbusters may have won the box office, but DC’s recent films are earning critical clout — case in point: DC’s Joker has been nominated for 11 Oscars. Now we have Birds of Prey, a spin off from 2016’s Suicide Squad. As the first film about a team of superheroines rather than superheroes, Margot Robbie is back as Harley Quinn alongside Gotham City anti-hero Black Mask played by Ewan McGregor. 7 February.

PARASITE

If you haven’t yet heard of this film, you will soon. Up for a total of six Oscars, Parasite was the first South Korean film to be awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. In a nutshell, Kim Ki-teak’s family are all unemployed and living in a squalid basement. When his son gets a tutoring job at the lavish home of the wealthy family, the Kim family’s luck changes. One by one, they gradually infiltrate the opulent home, attempting to take over their affluent lifestyle. A dark comedy about wealth, greed and class discrimination in modern Korea. 7 February.

EMMA

Jane Austen’s Emma returns to the big screen in this new adaptation starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse, alongside Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor, Bill Nighy and Miranda Hart. Interiors inspiration abound. 14 February.

TO ALL THE BOYS: P.S I STILL LOVE YOU

It’s fair to say Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was an unexpected hit. Just in time for Valentine’s Day— the sequel To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You sees Lara Jean (Lana Condor) facing a romantic triangle, torn between her boyfriend Peter (Noah Centineo) and an old crush who’s back in the picture. Textbook rom-com stuff. Netflix 12 February.

PALE HORSE

Based on Agatha Christie’s 1961 novel The Pale Horse, Sarah Phelps’ upcoming BBC adaptation centres around the character of Mark Easterbrook, a man whose name appears on a mysterious list found inside the shoe of a dead woman. Easterbrook begins an investigation into how and why his name came to appear on the list, and is drawn to The Pale Horse, the home of three rumoured witches in a tiny village called Much Deeping. Starring Rufus Sewell and Skins alum Kaya Scodelario.