Gardens, waterfalls, parks… what is happening to our airports?

From Beijing to Istanbul, exotic new airports are symbols of prestige for strongman leaders. But the environmental cost is massive…

‘Death of an icon’: the downfall of Barneys New York

What was once New York’s premier fashion store is entering its last days before closing – but luxury lives on elsewhere

Karl Lagerfeld remembered by Carine Roitfeld

10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019
The French fashion editor remembers a passionate man of ideas who always remembered the small details

• Mary Warnock remembered by Onora O’Neill
• Read the Observer’s obituaries of 2019 in full

The best perfumes for Christmas

Gorgeous scents don’t just come in bottles – try gel, body oil or hair mist for an alternative gift

Twenty tech trends for 2020

From new gaming consoles to activism at Apple, we predict the things you will – or won’t – see in tech this year

A cinema, a pool, a bar: inside the post-apocalyptic underground future

A missile silo converted into a 15-storey luxury subterranean apartment complex could be a taste of what lies in store in cities around the world