Cross one state line and the word in your beach bag changes Drive from Wodonga into Albury — two towns that all but touch across the Murray River — and the thing you packed for the pool quietly changes its name. On the Victorian side it is your bathers. Cross the bridge into New South Wales and the same garment is your …

What should you actually look for in a pair of girls togs? In New Zealand, "togs" simply means swimwear — and for a girl, that single word covers everything from a school-lesson one-piece to a beach two-piece to a full sun-suit for a long day at the lake. The word is so embedded that Kiwi kids grow up with "don't …

Kitting a boy out for an Australian summer Buying boys togs in Australia usually starts with a specific job to do: a new school swimming term, a club nipper season, a beach holiday, or simply replacing a pair that no longer fits a fast-growing kid. Each of those jobs points to a slightly different garment, which is why …

The one tog rating most UK homes never need to look past For a centrally heated British home, a 10.5 tog duvet is the rating that quietly does the job for most of the year. It is warm enough for spring and autumn, comfortable through a mild winter with the heating on, and only really struggles at the two extremes — a …

What a tog rating actually tells you The first frost of the year is usually when the question arrives. The heating clicks off overnight, the bedroom drops a few degrees, and a duvet that felt perfectly comfortable in October suddenly leaves a cold gap along one shoulder. The instinct is to reach for "something warmer" …

One word, two completely different beaches On a Sydney morning, "grab your togs" means dig the swimsuit out of the drawer before heading to Bondi. On a Bradford evening, "what tog is it?" means checking the warmth rating printed on a duvet before deciding whether the bed will be warm enough for winter. Same four …

Two Sydney labels at opposite ends of the rack Seafolly and Zimmermann both grew out of Sydney, both built their reputations on Australian beach culture, and both sell swimwear most of the country recognises on sight — yet a Seafolly one-piece and a Zimmermann one-piece can be separated by several hundred dollars. That …

Picking a 13.5 tog duvet for a genuinely cold bedroom The decision usually comes down to one thing: a bedroom that gets cold overnight once the heating goes off. A 13.5 tog duvet is the standard UK winter weight, and for most people in an unheated or poorly insulated room it is the right call. But "13.5 tog" only fixes …

Buying at City Beach: the sale rack versus the new-season wall The same pair of togs at City Beach can carry two very different price tags depending on when you walk in. A current-season Billabong or Roxy bikini at full price sits at one number; the same style, a few months later on the sale rack, can be a third off or …