From Technicolour Sneakers to a Smartphone Projector, Make Your Retail Therapy Count With 9 Best Buys for March
Farewell, shopper’s remorse
Words Marianna Manson

UNIQLO X Marimekko
Over the past few years, Uniqlo has absolutely smashed the collaboration game, and the brand’s latest hookup is no exception. True to form, there’s no flouncy styling or uncomfortable fabrics in sight; instead, the special edition of the current LifeWear collection, in partnership with Scandi furniture brand Marimekko, puts all the emphasis on easy-to-wear silhouettes and vibrant signature designs. It’s a sleek, sassy Finnish double-whammy, and our stand-out piece is this colourful polka tee, the perfect antidote to grey March skies (styled with a Uniqlo cashmere cardi, obviously). From £12.90

Adidas X Pharrell Sneakers
Tennis Hu, the original Pharrell and Adidas sneaker collaboration, continuous to be a (let’s be honest – inevitable) hit long after its initial release, as more and more shades flood the market. But what’s even more exciting is the impending launch of an all-new second collaboration, set to drop March 16. The NMD Hu Trail Holi nods to the Indian Festival of Colours, and true to its namesake, the ‘Flash Green’ edition comes in a striking shock of aqua and magenta tones. Their subtler sister, the NMD Hu Trail Holi ‘Black’ features on-trend ultra violet support cages set against solid black fabric. Both editions, along with others in the collection yet to be announced, will retail at around £180… once you finally get to the top of the waiting list, that is.

Dash Water
Bottled water is famous for offering more marketing than substance, but Dash’s new offering might just provide something different. Firstly, it comes in a can. Yep – canned water, locking in freshness and subtle sparkle just as nicely as your favourite fizzy soft drink. Yet Dash injects a natural lift without the sugar, fake flavours or calories, by gently infusing its waters with the fresh veg deemed too ‘wonky’ to make it into our supermarkets. The result of the shared insight of two ex-farmers who know just how much fresh produce never makes it onto our plates, Dash is filling a gap in the market for healthy sparkle and sustainable manufacturing. Want even more of a do-good glow? Dash cans are fully sealable and reusable, too. £1.29

Sunflower Bean – 22 In Blue
What is it about turning 22? Taylor Swift was feelin’ it in 2012, and now Brooklyn-based indie trio Sunflower Bean are seeing in their twenty-second birthdays in Blue. Their second studio album, 22 in Blue evokes the first stirrings of spring with bouncy instrumentals laid under thought-provoking, subtly melancholic lyrics – it’s been described as ‘Dreams-era Stevie Nicks’. The unmistakable rock roots that saw their first album, Human Ceremony, receive critical acclaim are still there, but this time round they’re fused with sonic textures and subject matter far more evolved than their 2016 offering. Successful young creatives are increasingly feeling the urge to engage with social and cultural issues in their work, and this is a welcome addition to the output inspired by our ‘politically volatile’ and ‘traumatic’ current climate. £9.99

Kevin Murphy YOUNG.AGAIN hair oil
How did we ever keep our manes under control before nourishing, lightweight hair oils took up permanent residency in our bathroom cabinets? Leave-in conditioners, heat-protecting spray… a cocktail of product in our barnets often left them lank, greasy and still, underneath it all, damaged and dry. These days there’s hundreds of treatment oils to choose from but you really do get what you pay for. Kevin Murphy’s Young Again hair oil will set you back £30, but the results of this mid-weight product speak for themselves. A leave-in treatment with immortelle, bur oil and grape seed extract to counteract the oxidation and ageing process, Kevin Murphy’s oily offering does exactly what it says on the tin (…bottle). £30

MOVI Projector phone
Call us old-fashioned, but smartphone screens steal magic from any piece of film more sophisticated than a funny goat on YouTube. Despite recent figures stating that over half of video viewing is done on a smartphone, we can’t help feeling that even old Friends episodes are underserved by these tiny frames. Thankfully, a new Android smartphone to hit the market this month, the MOVI, has found a simple but effective way to return video to its former glory. The phone comes with a built-in Pico projector that can project 720 dpi images up to 200 inches in size, diagonally. That means your bedroom ceiling is now the ultimate Netflix and chill solution, and the seat in front of you on that busy train is a personal entertainment system to turn your fellow commuters green. We can only ask – why has no one thought of this before? £450

Les Georgettes customizable jewellery
Mother’s Day can be a tricky gifting prospect, with so many options feeling predictable and/or twee. But these innovative concept pieces from French jewellery brand Les Georgettes have a fresh wonder-woman vibe. Featuring interchangeable and reversible coloured bands, set beneath intricate gold or silver framework, they can be styled to suit multiple moods and events. And in celebration of March 11 (you’re welcome), Les Georgettes have re-released two of their best selling styles from the Les Essentielles range – Girafe and Perroquet – adding an extra sparkle with cubic zirconia crystals. From £69

Ariane Labed for Chloé fragrances
Any perfumier knows that getting the right face behind a fragrance is as much a factor in its success as the smell. With a back-catalogue of endorsement from actresses-with-supermodel-looks such as Chloé Sevigny, Haley Bennet and Clemence Poesy, it’s entirely on-brand for Chloé Fragrances to appoint Ariane Labed as the muse of its March release, Nomade. Labed, currently working on Mary Magdalene opposite Joaquin Phoenix, has already established herself as art-house royalty with her performances in 2010’s Attenberg and The Lobster. According to Chloé CEO Geoffrey de la Bourdonnaye, the Greek-born star ‘combines different cultures’ and ‘loves to cross new frontiers and encounter the world.’ The perfect choice, then, for a fragrance designed to epitomise the spontaneous, strong and free-spirited Chloé woman, with its woody top notes and soft, unfurling freesia heart. From £49

Little Miss Inventor book
Like so much from our carefree youth, the bludgeoning realisation of patriarchal oppression and crippling gender stereotyping has somewhat soured our happy memories of the Mister Men and Little Miss books. Quite apart from the fact it took the original author, Rob Hargreaves, ten years to start writing the latter after the success of the former, we didn’t consid ourselves Bossy or Sunshine or Princess (the list goes on). That’s about to change though, with the arrival of Little Miss Inventor, proving that girls can be anything they want to be, just in time for International Women’s Day 2018 and British Science Week. With “a brain full of ideas, which she turns into extraordinary inventions at the bottom of her garden”, Little Miss Inventor is our new favourite role model. £3.99