The Irresistible Charm of Miniature Limoges SnuffBoxes

Keeper of blushing secrets to tobacco snuff, pins & needles to pills, the Limoges trinket box is one of France’s greatest feats of craftsmanship. The rise of Limoges porcelain traces back to a time of bygone luxury in France and its story spans across centuries. Amongst the beautiful plates, terrines, and saucers that came out…

Revisiting a Censored ‘Film Noir’ that Tackled PTSD Decades before it was Acknowledged

For so many US veterans, the real journey home begins in the head – that long, winding road to psychological stability after the traumas of service. Even today, it’s a topic not easily broached given the stigmas surrounding mental health. It wasn’t until 1980, and under much controversy, that the American Psychiatric Association added the term…

Now That’s What I Call a Bedtime Story: F*cked Up Fairytales of Yore

It’s “lights out” for boring bedtime stories. Bye bye to the tired tropes of fairytale princesses, and errant children who somehow pull off the craziest stunts unscathed – I mean, can we just point out that Hansel and Gretel were eating someone’s house? Today, we’re taking a deeper dive into some second-tier fables that didn’t…

The Underrated Haute Couture of Jacobean Needlework

There is bling, and then there is ye olde embroidery. Seventeenth century needlework was to the rich what, say, Alexander McQueen was for contemporary fashion. An injection of fairytale whimsy into every day life; needleworking unicorns on your bustle, and roses on your collar. Threading gold into your slippers, and gems into the cuff of…

If Slim Aarons Came Back as a Painter…

The only thing better than putting your feet up, is putting your feet up in the luxury of Ignasi Monreal. The Spanish-born artist has become a darling du jour of the fashion scene in recent years thanks to his work for Gucci, Vogue, the Four Seasons (which incorporated the Ritz), and others – giving us…

The Secrets of Esoteric Paris: A Spiritualist Guide

Like a moth to a très spooky flame, esoteric figures have always flocked to Paris in pursuit of deeper, mystical truths about the universe; from medieval alchemists to cult tarot card readers; mystic bent Surrealists to a long running society of Freemasons – it’s not just the way that this city protects its esoteric heritage,…

Jesus and Kitsch: The Rise of the American Megachurch

They called him Big Butter Jesus – Sweet Cream Jesus. Sometimes, Touchdown Jesus. The nicknames for the massive statue outside Monroe, Ohio’s Solid Rock Church may have varied between dairy and football allusions, but its purpose was unflinching: bring in the people. With his arms outstretched to the heavens, conveniently off Ohio’s Interstate 75, the…

Oh, Just a Paris Bumble Bee Turned Influencer

Is it just us, or does the air taste a bit sweeter today? We were browsing through Instagram as per usual, when a new Paris influencer brought our scrolling to a halt. She’s not even big enough to lift a peanut, but she’ll be damned if size stifles her dreams of strolling through Montmartre, or…

The Oldest Dutch House in NYC Is Just as Enchanting as It Was 300 Years Ago

The best adventures are often born of accident. Especially in New York City, where a re-route of your typical bodega run can lead to a time warp into colonial America. Welcome to the “Vander-Ende Onderdonk house,” a place as fun to visit as it is to say, and definitely one of the more improbable sites…

Catching Up with the Louds: America’s First Reality TV Family

It was sold it as a social experiment. A fly-on-the-wall view of a family’s life under the sun in the picturesque town of Santa Barbara, California. When An American Family premiered on US television in 1973, its subject – the Loud family – sparked America’s great love affair with reality television. Yet, it was charged…