FOOD P*RN: Tiny Temptations

Welcome to another edition of Messy Nessy’s Food P*rn … with a little twist. I’ve been keeping this post in my vault for quite a while but I think it’s finally time to share. Today we’ll be gawking at some miniature food art which looks just as tempting as the real thing. The only difference…

Inside Sophia Loren’s Roman Villa, 1964

I don’t think Sophia Loren gets enough credit as a 20th century screen icon. Her curves and beauty could certainly rival that of Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, not to mention her career and lifestyle choices. While Monroe’s and Bardot’s talents were questionable outside of their looks, Sophia won 50 awards during her career including an…

When Exotic Pets were the Accessory du Jour

“The big picture is that we are intimately bound to animals and it is satisfying to take them in and tame them. Subconsciously, we are a mishmash. We don’t know who we are, and so to simplify things, we predicate our individuality on animals.” Dr. Yi-Fu Tuan, a cultural geographer at the University of…

Been there, Done that Vintage Photographs

Okay, it’s true we’ve seen this concept done before, even the photographer Guiseppe Savini admits it: This is a series of photos I took in Bologna. I thought it was a good idea … then they told me that similar work had already been done … and then I gave up everything. How sad! Because the thing is, yes we have seen similar “then & now”…

24 Films worth watching / re-watching when it’s raining.

I sat with my gal pal in the shelter of a café for lunch today as the rain battered the down outside. “It’s movie week!” she declared. With a weather report like that, I can’t say I disagree. So I got to thinking as I dodged puddles on my way home. Which movies can I…

Vintage Playmates (safe for work!)

Sorry to disappoint but there shall be no boobies in this post, although I did see more than my fair share of b**bies this morning in my quest to find these vintage 50s & 60s playmate photos. If Playboy magazine still looked like this, I would probably subscribe. Look at these fabulous women … …

Parisians vs. New Yorkers: Vintage Spring Street Style

Let’s start with the New Yorkers, photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt– most famous for that shot of the sailor kissing the girl in Times Square. The following photos are from a street style series for LIFE magazine in 1944 called ‘Beautiful Girls’… Round 1. NEW YORKERS! Round 2. PARISIANS! Modern fashion photography was born when three brothers, Parisian…

PARIS: 10 Places to have un Café

By ‘un café’. I obviously mean a mocha latte or a glass of rosé, along with a little tarte, maybe some madeleines and of course, plenty of undisturbed lounging time à la Parisien. (You won’t actually find me talking much about coffee in this blog). 1. Un café with Fashion at Carmen Ragosta Rue de la…

The Queen: Doing April Showers Like a Boss

Does anyone else constantly forget to bring an umbrella with them during April when you’re very damn-well aware that there’s a 99.9% chance it’s going to rain? The Queen however, never forgets. This could also be due to her 500 hundred or so staff that attend to her every need, but that doesn’t account for…

GIRL CRUSH DU JOUR: Killing it with Curves

You could say I have history of dismissing style bloggers that spend half their time doing photo shoots of themselves. But with this one, I’ll bend the rules a little. Is it because she’s not the typical size of a fashion blogger? Admittedly, it’s what first caught my eye, but that’s just skimming the…