Before publishing his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, in 1982, Kazuo Ishiguro wrote lyrics instead of prose. While he calls the hundred songs he composed during his mid-20s “mostly ghastly,” he credits them with shaping his now signature pared-down writing style. Decades later, Ishiguro returned to songwriting at the request of the American jazz singer Stacey Kent. A new volume, The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain, compiles 13 songs he wrote for her between 2007 and today. Accompanied by anime-style illustrations by the Italian artist Bianca Bagnarelli, each song becomes a breathtaking story in miniature. ($22, penguinrandomhouse.com) —Paulina Prosnitz

Mauro Colagreco, the chef behind the Michelin-starred Le Mirazur, on the French Riviera, has opened a new restaurant, and it has the culinary world buzzing. Cycle, on the ground floor of a gleaming new office tower in Tokyo’s Otemachi neighborhood, has a tasting-menu affair that riffs on the cycles of the season and roughly hews to the themes of leaves, roots, flowers, and fruits—a concept that could easily turn tiresome but, in the hands of Colagreco and his talented chef de cuisine, Yuhei Miyamoto, goes from strength to strength. The restaurant’s combination of choreography and creativity is straight out of a fine-dining scene from Drops of God. The non-alcoholic-beverage pairing (largely teas and kombuchas, all delicious and unusual) is an argument for sobriety. (cyclerestaurant.com) —Ashley Baker

Stylish afternoon teas are all the rage in London, and now—thanks to a new collaboration between the Lowell’s Majorelle restaurant and Dior—they will be in New York too. The French fashion house has taken this all very seriously, masterminding every element of its lily-of-the-valley-themed experience, from the tableware (Limoges porcelain decorated with the flower in question) to the chicken-curry sandwiches and madeleines. A lemon-curd confection known as Happiness Pink pays homage to Christian Dior’s favorite shade, while his signature green hue appears in the table linens. The tea itself is called Jardin Bleu, which has notes of wild strawberry and rhubarb. Served from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, it’s destined to be all over Instagram. But isn’t that part of the fun? (lowellhotel.com) —Ashley Baker

Suspenders—or braces, as they’re known across the pond—tend to be associated with the likes of Gordon Gekko, from 1987’s Wall Street, and have always seemed a bit out of reach for me. A few weeks ago, however, I traded my engine-turned belt buckle for this pair of Turnbull & Asser polka-dot braces, and I’ve seen the light. Before, I was constantly pulling up my trousers and tightening the side tabs, giving myself a minor stomachache and wrinkling my shirts in the process. Now it’s as if my trousers simply float around me. My pant cuffs perfectly graze my loafers with only the slightest break. I even stand up straighter. Corporate raiders be damned—there is simply no sharper or more comfortable solution to keeping your pants up. ($230, turnbullandasser.com) —Michael Pescuma

Italian brothers Ettore and Giansevero Fila established their own textile operation in 1911. A little more than a decade later, Fila, a purveyor primarily of undergarments, was born. The brand eventually pivoted to sportswear and found a poster boy in Björn Borg, the 11-time Grand Slam–winning tennis player, who wore their classic pin-striped collared shirt at Wimbledon. But Fila went beyond tennis—explorer Reinhold Messner wore their jackets, and N.B.A. player Grant Hill used their shoes both on and off the court. Fila Timelapse, an archival book punctuated by striking photographs, recounts the brand’s origin story. ($64.96, amazon.com) —Jack Sullivan

Mesmerized by California’s golden light, interior designers Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe set up shop in Los Angeles in 2008. Nicky Kehoe, their design studio and boutique, sells bespoke and vintage furniture, lighting, wallpaper, textiles, housewares, fine art, and a line of perfumes and oils called Bernard. Their collections are a curated mix of Scandinavian, British, and Californian styles. Deftly pairing the minimalist with the ornate, Nickey Kehoe sells the sorts of items that people brag about thrifting at flea markets. But isn’t it nice to have the antique hunting done for you? (nickeykehoe.com) —Jeanne Malle