Hiding Homosexuality on the Cover of America’s Magazines a Century Ago

One of the first things you’ll start to notice about Joe Christian Leyendecker’s work is that his women were never quite as good-looking as his men, who were devastatingly handsome. He gave us the elegance of Gatsby 20 years before F. Scott Fitzgerald had even invented him. Take a moment to observe the dashing man on the stairs,…

The Problem with America’s Only Royal Palace

At a glance, it could be a corner at Buckingham Palace, but what you’re looking at is the gilded throne room of America’s only royal residency on U.S. soil. This is the Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii, built in 1879 for the last sovereign monarchs of Hawaii. Not many people know there’s an American princess in waiting,…

For Sale: The Lost Island Kingdom of a 1920s Bad Girl

“I ran a country”, boasted the tattooed, cigar-smoking, openly gay It-girl of the 1920s, whose life reads like an unwritten book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. She built her own private island kingdom, was hailed the “fastest woman on water” as a champion motorboat racer and had her suits made on Saville Row. But Marion Barbara ‘Joe‘ Carstairs said herself, she…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCXXI)

1. Johnny Cash in Thigh-High Boots, 1960s Found on Pinterest. 2. Souvenirs from Getting Struck by Lighting They said it looked “like you threw a cannonball” through his cowboy hat. The story of how Jaime Santana was truck by lighting — and survived — is a fascinating read, from the moment he was thrown off…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCXX)

1. Janis Joplin having an Eternal Summer in Copacabana, Brazil, 1970 Just months before her untimely death, Joplin headed to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro to have a few moments of R&R on the beach. She wasn’t nearly as well known in South America as she was in the States, and the images weren’t released until many…

How to Outdo Every Halloween Costume at the Party

You don’t want to be that person at the costume party. You know, the one who’s scrawled some whiskers across their cheek to be a last minute black cat, or just turned up with a sheet over their head and declared it a costume. But we also aren’t ones for perusing overpriced, polyester outfits in a crowded…

Vintage Muse du Jour: The Greatest Diva of them All

It’s 1970, and for once, the world’s greatest soprano is silent. Interviewer David Frost has just asked her, “Who really is Maria Callas?,” la Divina takes a moment to answer. “There are actually two people in me,” she says, “There is ‘Maria’ and there is the ‘Callas’ that I have to live up to.” But which one must…

The Secret Lives of Fashion Mannequins

For a brief moment in the 1930s, one of the most famous celebrities of the day was a 100-pound mannequin named Cynthia. She had box seats at the Metropolitan Opera, received freebies from Tiffany and Cartier, graced the cover of Life magazine and was even invited to the wedding of Edward V111 and Wallis Simpson.…

Our Top 5 Paris Obsessions for La Rentrée

Paris is back in full swing for la rentrée, the annual ritual of Frenchies returning from their god-given right to a long summer holiday and starting a fresh. And that goes for us too here at the MessyNessyChic HQ. This week we’ve been on the hunt for new hidden gems and stuff to wow and inspire us…

The Marvellous Mod World of Sci-Fi Supermarionettes

The last place we’d ever think to look for design inspiration would be the bygone genre of television puppetry, but here we are, drooling over the unlikeliest jackpot for mid-century modern style. Enter “Supermarionation”, a world devised in the 1960s by British television producers, with the ability to be at once sightly creepy, yet enviously chic…