By Cindy Martin and Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – It was on everyone’s lips at London Fashion Week: Who will make the dress that transports Kate Middleton from regular gal to real-life royalty?

The paparazzi have camped out on the doorstep of veteran designer Bruce Oldfield, but some fashion insiders say Middleton may have discovered her own unknown, much like her prince’s mother did when the shy Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral three decades ago.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Young Britons have taken to a new television and social media trend which could have far-reaching consequences for the worlds of broadcasting and advertising, according to a new study.

Specialist digital marketing agency Digital Clarity (www.digital-clarity.com) on Tuesday published a survey of 1,300 British mobile internet users below the age of 25 which showed that most use a mobile device to talk to friends about the show they are watching.

By Cindy Martin and Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – It was on everyone’s lips at London Fashion Week: Who will make the dress that transports Kate Middleton from regular gal to real-life royalty?

The paparazzi have camped out on the doorstep of veteran British designer Bruce Oldfield, but some fashion insiders say Middleton may have discovered her own unknown, much like her prince’s mother did when the shy Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral three decades ago.

LONDON (Reuters) – Over-sized boyfriend cardigans, vibrantly colored knits, 1960s-inspired collections and speculation over who is making Kate Middleton’s wedding dress set the autumn/winter 2011 tone at London Fashion Week.

Veteran London designer Paul Smith said he went back to his menswear roots for his latest women’s collection, showing an updated Annie Hall-like style twinning oversized coats and cardigans with sharply cut trousers that ended above the ankles.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Middle-aged people searching for a new relationship are the most likely to look for love online, according to a Valentine’s Day survey.

The poll of 12,000 couples from 18 countries by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford found that of people aged 40-69 looking to start new relationships, 36 percent revealed they had found their current partner online.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Three-star Michelin chef Heston Blumenthal opened a new restaurant in London this week focused on the revival and modernization of British recipes.

Simply called “Dinner,” the restaurant is tucked inside the five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel near Hyde Park in the upmarket Knightsbridge neighborhood.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters Life!) – The most perfect virtual
bowler, the most swearing in a videogame and the most popular
game on Facebook are just some of the records listed in the 2011
gamer’s bible of wacky achievements from Guinness World Records.

The new “Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition”
published on Thursday features an array of record holders from
pensioners to schoolchildren, demonstrating the extent to which
people from all walks of life have embraced videogames.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Michelin has awarded 14 new stars to British and Irish restaurants but stripped 11 stars from others in its 100th regional edition.

Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Burr said the centenary of the British and Irish guide underlined the rich diversity of restaurants despite tighter budgets and the Irish economy’s rapid slide.

By Paul Casciato

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – International glamour outstripped Hollywood and hometown favorites at the top of the 2011 best-dressed list for men’s magazine GQ.

Film star Javier Bardem was chosen by GQ’s British edition as its top best-dressed man internationally, followed by Indian-born Sikh jewelry designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia and Alexander Skarsgard, Swedish star of the hit U.S. television vampire show “True Blood.”