London estate agents are hiring French-speaking staff to prepare for a flood of well-heeled Gallic buyers

Tales From The Watercooler: The formality of eating in one of the world's top restaurants made me feel like a teenager borrowing his dad's suit

Whether you're replacing some essentials or rebuilding your wardrobe, Lee Holmes kits you out for summer

Many visitors pouring into London this summer for the Olympics will arrive at Nadia Comaneci. They'll need to travel by tube to Simon Whitfield (via Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) before changing there and heading to Michael Phelps (via Carl Lewis).

Styling: Gemma Hayward

The mastermind in Britain's biggest Ponzi fraud lived like a playboy until his scheme collapsed, leaving a trail of broken lives. Cahal Milmo spoke to one of his victims

Dutch shoppers flocked to the opening of their country's first Apple store, which opened in Amsterdam yesterday, ahead of the US company's expected launch of its new iPad 3 tablet on Wednesday. Apple chief executive Tim Cook will be making his first major product announcement since the death of founder Steve Jobs last year but the company has not confirmed whether this will be the new iPad.

Model: Alicia at Ford

The Reuben Brothers, who amassed a £6bn fortune through property and internet interests, have bought London's only licensed commercial heliport for about £25m. David and Simon Reuben bought Battersea's heliport from Andrew Davis, the former chief executive of the bust hotels group Von Essen. Mr Davis bought the heliport through the separate Von Essen Aviation company for £50m in 2007.

They arrived at the London showroom of Graff diamonds in a chauffeur-driven Bentley, wearing the tailor-made suits, chunky watches and expensive suntans of two well-heeled shoppers looking to splash serious cash.

If you ask me, which is always a mistake – darlings, what I don't know may well be the only stuff worth knowing; I'm not entirely without self-awareness – I would still like to help you achieve "The Thatcher look" which, in the light of the film The Iron Lady, is being promoted here, there and everywhere.

If you ask me...

Under pressure to get fit and feel the burn? Make sure you find the right kit for the job – and that you look as stylish as possible, says Rebecca Gonsalves

House prices fell in nearly 80 per cent of postcodes across England and Wales over this year, but the strength of the London market boosted by demand from overseas buyers prevented the overall decline from being even worse, property analyst Hometrack has said.