Who do you think you are?

Chapter 1

Pretentiousness

Robert Bound meets Dan Fox, author of a new book called Pretentiousness: Why It Matters. Now there’s a good title – and a really good idea. Fox is talking about social mobility: how a working-class boy who appreciates the avant garde might well be improving his life. “We should encourage these people,” says Fox, “not pillory them as pretentious.”

Chapter 2

A brief history of branding at the Museum of Brands

Robert Opie, director of the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising takes reporter Lily Ames on a tour and tells us how we became aware of the brands we associate ourselves with.

Chapter 3

Shaken not stirred: What your choice of drink says about you

Some people define themselves by their favourite tipple. Are you a Tanqueray and tonic kind of guy? Perhaps you’re the straight-talking, bourbon-swilling type or maybe your poison is something pink and sweet ordered in a hushed voice at the end of the bar. We wanted to know what bartenders think of the people they serve and how a bar defines itself by the drinks it sells. We sent Monocle’s Megan Billings on a bar crawl – she ended up at Brooklyn’s Extra Fancy where she met bartender and co-owner Rob Kreuger.

Chapter 4

Writer and design aficionado Stephen Bayley

Stephen Bayley has written about social mobility but also has strong feelings about how the things we surround ourselves with signify who we really are – sometimes accidentally.