A Field Trip to Meet the 21st Century Witches of Cornwall

At a glance, it’s just another postcard perfect village in North Cornwall. But delve deeper into the misty valley of Boscastle, and you’ll find it harbours a special kind of magic. Literally. “There are legions of witches across Britain,” says Simon Costin when we ring him for a chat, “Or people who identify as witches…

Did Elvis have a Secret Fetish for Vampires?

In our usual perusal of the internet’s nethers, we kept finding trails that pointed to a darker side of the “King of Rock & Roll”, notably, to a dame of darkness named Maila Nurmi, who pioneered the campy-vampire-starlet schtick in the 1950s, paving the way for the likes of Elvira. Who, speak of the Devil,…

The Quest for the Irish Atlantis Is a Thing

Every seven years, it emerged from the mist. The isle of “Hy-Brasil,” aka the ancient Irish Atlantis bound to the whims of the sea, revered by locals as the home of their pagan gods, or else, as the outpost of a lone magician and his castle – the rumour mill never stopped churning. Nor did…

Before Disneyland Paris, there was Human Roulette and Drag Balls at the Lost “Magic City”

Dragons curled up under the bridge. Toboggans splashed Parisians in to the Seine, benches twirled, and wine flowed freely. It was a Saturday afternoon like any other at the “Magic City” of Paris, the long lost fun fair that was the nation’s very first parc d’attractions. As such, it was quite literally the gateway to…

When Sex & Kitsch Collide: A Brief Compendium of Really Good Retro Tubs

It’s time to take a breather circa 1975, courtesy of the best bygone, groovy bathrooms – which would be nothing without their larger-than-life tubs. These babies were the heart of the retro restroom. We’re talking tubs with jets, and psychedelic tiles; tubs with matching shag rugs, and enough space for everyone to unwind at your…

Why Teddy Bears Are Invading Paris

They came quietly. Massive teddy bears, popping up along Paris’ boulevard des Gobelins to cozy up in a bookshop, or relax en terrasse. Week after week, they seemed to multiply as if by magic, inciting joy and mystery in the otherwise humdrum 13th arrondissement. A little over a year later, and the nounours des Gobelins…

The ’80s are Still Alive & Well at this Totally Ace Airbnb

Jauntily hung Friends posters, VHS movies, gel pens, furniture that looks like it’s been taken straight off the set of Saved by the Bell, and nonsensical – but absolutely necessary – squiggly lines on every surface. We love the 80s and 90s more than Cher Horowitz loved her Alaia handbag, so naturally, we lost it…

A Sleeping Chateau, Untouched since the Revolution, is For Sale

We held our breath as its story unfolded. That of a curious, half-moon shaped castle unlike any other we’d seen before, tucked away in the quiet warmth of Bordeaux’s countryside. Something in our gut told us that this castle, of the many we’ve fallen for, was to be different from the rest – and we…

When Vegetarians were considered so Radical, they only Belonged in Isolated Utopian Communes

No kings. No priests. No aristocracies. Only a society whose residents believed they should “grow together — not by competition, but by united action.” It may sound like a Bob Dylan lyric, but it’s a 104-yr-old excerpt from Herland, the science fiction novel by suffragist Charlotte Perkins Gillman in which a money free, farming heavy,…

Meet the Woman Who Just Crashed the Chanel Runway

Well, that’s one hell of a way to end Paris Fashion Week! The Spring-Summer 2020 shows went out with quite a bang this year when a mystery woman seamlessly stormed the Chanel catwalk. At first, it looked like a pre-planned twist – the woman was decked out in tweedy garments and a Coco-worthy hat, after…