The Fake Intellectual is an online collection of articles and essays written and curated by writer & photographer Thomas W Coombs, published bi-annually.

Once you have read the issue, see the Curated Articles of Note section for some great words from elsewhere on the sartorial web, along with the portfolio page for other works.

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Issue 48; Editorial, 30th December, 2024 - The Winter Edition

Winter is here, the air is cold, we spend more time looking at the thermostat and loading logs on the fire than any other time. And we are so hungover from the dark days of the year that only more red wine will help.  However, to lighten the mood and to give you some time to think about something else, I give you Issue 48 of, the newly titled, The Fake Intellectual.

It has been a crazy year so this is really a close out of 2024 and a complete off load from me to you, aren’t you all so lucky.  With weddings a plenty, some time to spare, along with too much time on my hands, not without adding time to my day, it seems this is what big publications may call the Time issue.  But as I am my own man of the year, every year, and the name is taken The Fake Intellectual or The FI for short is what you get.

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TWC


Issue 48; The First Slow Luxury

Take a minute. Take another, take a few more minutes away from that side hustle, your day job, your life.  Just stop.  Take a seat and watch the world just happen around you.  With a coffee, a book or just watch people running around within their busy lives.  The most precious thing we own is our time and the ultimate slow luxury is to take some of it and do absolutely nothing with it.

Issue 48; The Year of Weddings

I had taken a deep breath and slowly let it out, all my friends who were going to be, were married, I was married, I was done with weddings.  Then something happened I was not expecting, there were some people hiding in the cracks, real couples I had not thought of, whom I thought would never or wouldn’t.  So here I was in 2024 with four weddings to attend, so obviously I went and bought a new suit.

Issue 48; The Day In the Life Of

It is a strange feeling suddenly having nothing to do.  Going from being busy every day with work then all other tasks with the family at the weekends, no matter how small my family is, the dog takes up time.  I have always been busy and then I wasn’t, when out of the blue (even though it was seen coming, you believe it was just you) the company I worked for went belly up and I was made redundant after a couple of weeks of twiddling my thumbs “working” for administrators. Then my calendar emptied for the week and coming weeks for the foreseeable future, instantly.  What the hell was I supposed to do?

Issue 48; The Accidental Morning Person

When did I become that guy? I have started to rise before the Sun has even hit the horizon, the moon and stars illuminating the path before me as I walk the dog.  I then set off to the gym, getting in a thirty minute work out of either weights or cardio before home, to shower, then relax with a book, breakfast and a coffee.  By the time I sit down at my desk, I have been up for what feels like hours.