Search for the 235 Anonymous Souls of Studio “Foto Americain”

Ernst Lalleman doesn’t make friends like the rest of us. “I was mesmerized by the quality, as if I could hear the voices of these people talking to me from the past,” he told us about the collection of 235 portrait negatives he found so many years ago, and have been his silent companions ever…

The Revolutionary ’70s Girl Group That Swept Bowie off His Feet

“They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time,” David Bowie told Rolling Stone magazine in 1999. They were called “Fanny,” and they were a breath of fresh air in an industry where few women, let alone all-girl groups, were given the space to rock out. Fanny saw that space, and claimed…

Taking Cash Out (and Proud) at the World’s Gayest Bank

There’s a certain anatomy to a makeover scene, but it always promises a drab to glam transformation – which is why the initiative of one Australian bank is going down as one of the most fabulous in history. “The things that matter to [us] are the same things that matter to our customers and our…

Take a Brain Break with Errol Le Cain’s Fantasy Illustrations

Errol Le Cain is the perfect example of the magic that happens when cultures collide. Growing up in Singapore, India, and London, the British illustrator started inventing his fantasy worlds as early as early as age 11, weaving in elements of Moorish symmetry, Indonesian shadow puppets, and Baroque fantasy. Above all, he took the art…

Why China Keeps Its Pyramids a Secret

It’s 1945, and US Airforce pilot James Gaussman is just trying to focus. He’s flying a leg of his journey between India and China, when suddenly, a glimmer catches his eye. Emerging from the plains of China’s heartland, he spots it: a tremendous pyramid that would put Giza’s to shame. “It was pure white on…

Remembering Lee, Jackie O’s Naughty Kid Sister

A few words of advice: at a dinner party, always sit next to a snob instead of a bore if given the choice. Chances are, you’ll at least have a laugh. When decorating a room, always start with a rug; never over-dress, and, most of all, to get outta dodge, hit the road with the…

Saving a Slice of America’s Mansions

Your eyes do not deceive you. These homes have indeed been cut down the middle like a knife through a buttercream cake, but in lieu of confetti sprinkles, the insides spill out water damage, rot, and everything that’s wrong with our throw-away society. It’s the greatest triumph, and tragedy of America’s 100-yr-old homes: when they…

Oh, Just a New York Hippie Castle with Elephants

We thought we’d seen it all when it comes to unusual and unique hotels. Then, we found Wing’s Castle of New York. This storybook cottage had us rubbing our eyes– are those elephants? The castle began, as so many magical things did, as a 1969 reverie… We did a bit of digging on Wing’s history and current state,…

Our Glorious, Gaudy Dinner Date at America’s Kitschiest Restaurant

Free for a dinner date tonight? We’ll cosy up under the palm trees, beneath the eyes of Grecian statues and the bubbling of waterfalls; we’ll stroll amongst Medici-inspired gardens and socialise with 200-and-something other guests who’ve ordered a Delmonico steak, or triple-decker monte cristo sammie. Because this is the grande dame of fabulously kitsch American…

Can We Talk About Dali’s Amazing Sell-Out Era?

“Then the Alka Seltzer shoots into the stomach!” are words you might not expect to hear from Salvador Dali from the comfort of your own living room. Yet, for anyone with a television in the 1960s and ’70s, the Surrealist legend also became a staple of the small screen, sharing his abounding, rehearsed excitement for…