EVERYONE FROM Mother Nature to cutthroat Hollywood marketers invests heavily in new beginnings come spring, which makes it a fitting time to formulate a to-do list. Interested? We’re here to help. And to help you aim high.
Now, we’re not suggesting you take time out of your busy schedule to give birth to a legendary artistic genius (both Raphael and Shakespeare were born in April). Nor that you break new ground as a Supreme Court justice, as Sandra Day O’Connor did on April 3, 1995, when she became the first woman to preside over the Court, while Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was out of town. By “aim high,” we don’t mean you should literally launch a space shuttle—which NASA did with Endeavour, on May 7, 1992, as part of its spring to-do list—though that would really beef up your résumé. Or that you transform the way people communicate by ingeniously drafting ponies (see: the Pony Express, launched on April 3, 1860.)
What we have in mind, while still ambitious, is less onerous and more fun, which is not to denigrate the fun inherent in a swift, 19th-century pony. We’re thinking Mexican vacations that let you loll on beaches and irreverent fashions that let you subvert preppy style. Our strong suggestions include: Turn your bathroom into a spa; take a bike ride in the rain; score travel deals in cutting-edge, Bitcoin-fueled ways. And much more.
It doesn’t cost a fortune to look as dapper as these guys did at fashion trade show Pitti Uomo in Florence in 2019.
Photo: Getty Images
Find a Great Suit for Under $1,000
Our men’s fashion editor says the question he gets most often is: “Where can I get a good suit for cheap?” The asker usually spews this query in a panic: He has a wedding coming up, or a job interview looming, and he has nothing to wear. Fortunately, the market for modestly priced suits of more reliable quality has ballooned in the past decade. Here, our top three picks.
Cala Mitjana beach on Menorca, Spain.
Photo: Getty Images
Stay Ahead of the Travel Curve
Travel habits continue to morph these days: leisure travelers are setting off more often, staying longer and combining work with vacation. Logistics can still be challenging and world events are beyond nerve-racking. Still, “to travel is to live,” said Hans Christian Andersen. Here are seven destinations worth our precious time.
These easy, elegant meals make the most of spring produce with minimal effort.
Photo: Emily Eisen/The Wall Street Journal
Eat More Vegetables, Deliciously
Spring is a wonderful time to eat, and its abundant leaves, stalks, bulbs and shoots, in peak season and at their most flavorful, require very little fussing in the kitchen. When the ingredients are this lovely, a smart cook simply gets out of the way and lets the harvest speak for itself. Here’s how.
Removable murals like the ‘Damask Rose’ (from $135, Eazywallz.com) make a fresh backdrop to Zoom calls.
Springify Your Home, Quickly
At the cusp of what feels like the first genuine spring in three years, who can wait for the trees to leaf out before seizing on the change of season? Here are a few switches that not only “springify” your space but are easily reversed once the weather cools again.
San Pancho is long and quiet, with plenty of surf breaks. But the real draw are the cultural attractions in the pueblo.
Photo: Alamy Stock Photo
Discover Mexico’s Best Beaches
Mexico has beaches backed by ancient ruins and shores packed with modern resort towers. There are stretches of sugar-white sand, beaches for fishing and snorkeling and kicking back in a hammock. We asked local experts for their favorite Mexican beaches, including some lesser-known spots to add to your wish list.
Revamped prep looks from the spring 2022 runways.
Photo Illustration: Getty Images
Nail a Neo-Preppy Wardrobe
The preppy look is undergoing a vibe revamp. Designers remixed the style on the spring runways, and on-the-pulse teens show off their own prep mashups on TikTok. Today’s reinterpretations adhere to a more daring set of guiding principles than those prescribed by the irreverent 1980 bible “The Official Preppy Handbook.” Here, five refreshed staples—and how to ace them.
Making your sommelier cringe is no way to get the wine you want.
Illustration: Jacob Stead
Improve Your Wine Smarts
Sommeliers are accustomed to answering the same questions over and over again. Can you recommend a good Pinot Noir? A wine under $50? While they’re generally happy to field any inquiry, some are thornier than others. Our wine columnist asked seven top sommeliers to share the questions they most dread hearing—and how they turn a potentially problematic encounter into a happy event.
The valentine-shaped leaves of Alocasia plumbea ‘Nigra,’ shown here in landscape designer Nick McCullough’s garden in Columbus, Ohio, can grow to 36 inches outdoors.
Photo: Nick McCullough
Bring Those Indoor Plants Outside
“House plant” is at best a euphemism. Since all plants are outdoor plants by temperament, “hostage plant” is a more accurate description. And although yours may appear to tolerate captivity indoors, some yearn for a jailbreak. If you put them outside in warm weather, they will reward you by thriving in surprising ways. With that in mind, here are five house plants to buy now and how exactly they’ll transform when you put them outdoors.
Rihanna at a Fenty Beauty event this year.
Photo: Getty Images
Find Worthy Celeb Beauty Products
Skeptical customers generally avoid celebrity beauty lines. Beyond a sense that such products are intrinsically tacky, there is the question of efficacy: Could a face wash conceived by a YouTuber ever compete with one developed by a dermatologist? But as such brands multiply, they become harder to ignore. Here are five celebrity products with the right amount of sparkle and substance.
The Ring Road (Route 1) in East Iceland, a scenic coastal highway that winds along a steep-sloped fjord, the Berufjordur.
Photo: Alamy
Drive the (Most) Scenic Routes
Dan Neil, WSJ’s exhaustively well-traveled car authority, rounded up five islands ideal for driving. “In my experience, the Venn diagram containing the sets “island” and “fun roads” produces a pretty short list,” he notes. “Yes to Ireland. No to Borneo, Malta, Barbados, Sri Lanka.” Whether you take coastal or inland routes, these scenic destinations offer some of the finest recreational motoring on the planet.
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