The Real-Life House of Oz

You could say Kat Wise has been to Oz and back– several times. Her story so far makes for an extraordinary tale of adventure and bizarre life events that sound almost like a modern-day sequel to Dorothy’s odyssey down the yellow brick road. In no particular order: she’s worked for Mother Teresa, trained as a baker,…

Backstage at the Underwear Show, 1940s

So we’re fresh off Valentine’s Day, and I’m feeling a little bombarded by the underwear industry at present, trying to convince me that I need a five-piece lingerie set for this one night of the year, garter belt and all. Can’t I just be left in peace to pick up my 3-for-2 cotton briefs from…

Metro Makeovers for the Abandoned Stations of Paris

Anyone who wants to make a swimming pool out of an abandoned metro station neglected for 75 years, has definitely got my attention. The ghosts of the Parisian underground could soon be resurrected if city voters play their cards right in the upcoming mayoral elections. Promising candidate, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who would become the first female to…

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

1. Miradors It all started with a vision. A man was standing on the top of the tree shaped like an UFO, in Mexico city. Three years later, during his residence, photographer Erwan Frichou decided to turn this memory into an art project called “Miradors”. Erwan worked with gardeners to create interesting shapes and invited…

The Ghosts of a Parisian Apartment Frozen in Time

It looks like the Fitzgeralds have been round for dinner. But they’ve commandeered the soirée, taken the hostess hostage and disappeared with her into the Parisian underworld. A trail of half-empty champagne glasses have been left on almost every surface, a copious feast abandoned mid-meal, entertainment flyers and calling cards are strewn around on a…

Interview with the Vintage Guru of Namibia

This is why I love the internet. Today I got to chat with Loux the Vintage Guru based in Namibia, Africa, whose Tumblr site I recently discovered and fell instantly under its spell. The budding fashion designer and all-round exquisitely-dressed dude is making waves with a collective of twenty-something like-minded style innovators to promote the…

Two Girls, One Trailer and the Great American Road Trip

According to my Google analytics page, approximately 76% of you are reading from the U.S. of A (sorry to make you a statistic there). And from what I’ve gathered, a lot of you dream of coming to Paris. Well, back at ya … to America, that is. This summer, Messy Nessy is coming to America…

Shoot & Stay: Turn your Vacation into a Photoshoot

While the rest of us might go straight to AirBnB as soon as we schedule our vacation days in search of accommodation, there’s a well-kept little secret of industry insiders that you might not have considered… JJ Locations is a boutique location agency based out of Shoreditch, London, that scouts some of the most interesting,…

Inside the Mansfield Mansion

It just doesn’t get much more kitsch (or pink) than screen siren Jayne Mansfield’s Sunset Boulevard home circa 1960. Floor to ceiling shag carpets, heart-shaped swimming pool, fireplaces and bathtubs, gold-plated fixtures a plenty, and of course, pink f**king everything. Photographed by LIFE photographer Allan Grant in 1960, the mid 20th century sex symbol shows…

The Little Latino Brownstone Bookstore

Tucked under the stairs of a brownstone in Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio, is a place where locals and Frida Kahlo disciples alike can feel right at home. La Casa Azul Bookstore is the only independent literature hub of this vibrant Latin American neighbourhood, the first in New York with an emphasis on Latino…