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French Swag on Stilts

I assumed the impossible practice of walking on stilts was solely for the circus or a merry band of vagabond street performers. Alas, these ‘impossible’ contraptions were extremely valuable methods of transport to the French shepherds of Landes in the south-western farmlands. Believe it or not, until the beginning of the 20th century, stilts were actually used…

Mona (Marilyn) Monroe, the $10-an-Hour Pin-Up Model

In 1946, a nineteen year-old aspiring actress in Hollywood was in need of a job, and fast. Born Norma Jean Dougherty, destined to become Marilyn Monroe, but in between, for those not-so-squeaky-clean modelling jobs, she preferred to go by Mona– with a going rate of $10 an hour. It’s often thought that the first nude modelling Monroe did was…
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Shopping for City Relics destined for Demolition

Awesome places get demolished and modernised whether we like it or not. But have you ever wondered where some of their contents end up? In New York City, before the wrecking ball hits, a Harlem-based company called The Demolition Depot makes it their business to go in and salvage the irreplaceable pieces of a building’s…

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For Sale! Parisian Dream Home du Jour

A little fixer-upper in Paris– isn’t that what most of us dream about? It’s a common past time for me to check the local Parisian listings for property I can’t afford and once in a while, something pops up and brings out my inner Goldilocks– you know, that impulsive little girl who discovers an enchanting home in the…

New Orleans’ Hidden Seance Room

Who hasn’t played with an Ouija board trying to contact the undead?  If you ain’t afraid of no ghost (as the Ghostbusters would say), then you might be interested in little fine dining establishment in New Orleans, by the name of Muriel’s, said to be haunted by its dearly departed former owner, Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. On…
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The Secret World of After Hours Magic in New York City

One of the most magical evenings you can spend in New York City, is also one of its most secret. Imagine walking down one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, the famous Thirty Fourth Street, making your way past tens of thousands of people, who every day come to visit some of Manhattan’s most…

Pssst! You've stumbled across content that is exclusive to Nessy's Keyholders.

There’s a new way to access the really special stuff from Messy Nessy Chic …

Hidden beneath the surface layers of the internet, there’s a place where we keep our most secret addresses, untapped archives, creator’s inspiration,  collector’s guides, explorer’s manuals, obscure research and much more… And it’s made for our keyholders only!

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Time Travel to a 1930s Dance School in Paris

“Forget your troubles and dance” were the wonderful lyrics once sang by Bob Marley and he wasn’t far wrong as we stepped into an old dance school that sits quietly at the bottom of a paved courtyard in Saint Germain. (7th arr) Not to be fooled though as the seemingly quiet exterior says nothing about…

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

1. This Unreal Library It’s unimaginable to think a library like this could ever be demolished. But thankfully, the incredible Peabody Library was spared. People even get married here.   2. Books in a Bookcase in a Book Found on the Book Lover Tumblr.   3. My Cub Scout Log Book (1957) Found at an estate auction…

She Spent her Life Hunting for Lost Wallpaper

I found another thing I wish I’d been born a few decades earlier for: vintage wallpaper hunting. Suzanne Lipschutz got there before everyone else. She was the first, the original crazy bohemian lady from New York who scoured the earth, from Paris flea market stalls to hardware stores in small town middle America, in search of forgotten wall…

The Futuristic Dwelling Machine that Could Have Been

If a real estate listing described a house with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a spacious living/dining room that was self-heating, self-cooling, self-cleaning, self-powering, environmentally friendly, and priced at the cost of a Cadillac, it probably wouldn’t take very long before it was snapped up off the market. But plans for such a house exist,…
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