Looking back at 2015: Our top moments in Culture

2015 is nearly over and to celebrate the year gone by, we look back at our top moments within our Culture section. Having undergone a restyle September, our Lifestyle page was transformed into our Culture site. Each month, we bring you a wide selection of events and articles for you to read and enjoy: alongside relevant debates, reviews and opinion pieces. Explore anything and everything from travel, film, food, style and beauty and much more – all in one place, so you can find them with ease.

The year has resulted in some great articles and interesting features from interviews with celebrities, to film premieres, to hotly anticipated book reviews and stylish debates. We have chosen our favourites from each section for you to enjoy once again.

Film, TV & Music:

In October, WATC received an exclusive ticket to see a preview of the highly anticipated film, Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep. Since the release of the film, Mulligan has won accolades at the Hollywood Film Awards, as well as nominations alongside Bonham Carter and Anne-Marie Duff at the British Independant Film Awards.  The film also prompted celebrities, women and men alike to once again talk about the issues our ancestors faced and how far we have come but still have to go with gender equality.

Read about our night at the movies and Suffragette here

Theatre and the Arts:

In August, our resident blogger Jennifer Reischel was lucky enough to interview the Queen of Northern Soul, Gloria Jones. Jones is perhaps best well-known for singing the original 1964 version of Tainted Love, later covered by the British duo, Soft Cell; and for working for and being romantically involved with Marc Bolan of the glam rock band, T. Rex. Here Jones speaks to Reischel about her life after Marc, her humanitarian work and her musical career.

Read the interview here

Books:

The world went crazy for literature in September, due particularly to the release of Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman. Lee’s critically acclaimed sequel to the American classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, was the only other literary offering from the author – so it came as no surprise when it flew of the shelves.

Read our thoughts on Go Set A Watchman here

Style and Beauty:

The androgynous style has been around for a while, with many catwalk shows and high street stores such as Topshop featuring clothes fit for either gender. Indeed, this style is nothing new – since the 60s, many celebrities (think David Bowie and Mick Jagger) have pushed the boundaries of ‘gender strict’ clothes. In recent years, Givenchy, Saint Laurent and Gucci have walked models of both sexes down the catwalk in capes, skirts, suits and ties. In their January show, Gucci even walked female models in the men’s show.

But, we ask, should fashion be genderless?

You can read the full article here

Travel:

We are all for encouraging our readers to take advantage of what Britain has to offer and it was no different in October this year. Our Discover Britain article showcased the weird and wonderful hotels across the UK that can make your holiday or short break that little bit different.

Find out which hotels made the cut here

Technology & Gadgets:

With our daily lives getting busier and with only so many hours in the day (despite our wishful thinking), more and more of us are turning to apps to help organise and simplify our lives. And why not? We have our phones constantly glued to ourselves, so why not use them to their full advantage? Here at WATC, we rounded up the best apps that you need to download!

Find out our favourite apps here

Food:

October saw the introduction of our new resident foodie blog, City Eats, which once a month will be bringing us a taste of the hottest restaurants in town.

Read the first review of Brasserie Blanc Threadneedle Street here