I Accidentally Accumulated the World’s Largest Archive of ’80s Esprit Merch

Ask any ’80s and ’90s kid at heart, and they’ll tell you: Esprit just did it right. The colour-blocking sportswear, the street-casted campaigns, the cutting-edge collaborations with designers that defined the ’80s. Even the brand’s commitment to environmentalism was so ahead of its time. “Esprit was an ethos,” says Michelle Koza, the woman behind the largest…

An Ode to what they call “Duck Architecture”

Now I know. Did you? There’s an official name for all those kitschy roadside buildings shaped like the merchandise they’re selling. Most popular in the 1920s and 30s, giant coffee pots, hot dogs, ice cream cones, beer barrels, farm animals and other eye-catching buildings sprang up along the roadside, competing for the attention of passing…

The Strange Anatomy of ABBA’s Infamous (Tax Deductible) Wardrobe

What do house cats, Euro pop, and the ingenious tax savvy have in common? Owe Sandström, that’s who. As the flamenco-dancing-zoologist-designer behind the costumes of ABBA, Sandström certainly played his part in helping the Swedish supergroup reach fame in the 1970s – where they have remained ever since. In fact, a deeper dive into the…

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

1. A 350 year old pocket watch carved from a single Colombian emerald, found hidden in a London Cellar For almost 300 years a buried treasure lay undisturbed below one of London’s busiest streets. Discovered by workmen in 1912, the Cheapside Hoard is the greatest single collection of Elizabethan and Stuart jewellery in the world.…

13 Reasons New York isn’t Dead (& Could Never Be)

No matter the circumstance, “life finds a way” in New York City, to quote the wise words of Jurassic Park. This city always had an almost reptilian talent for regeneration, from the Great Depression to the rough ‘n tumble 1980s to that fateful day on September 11th. Now, Covid-19 is the latest crisis to put…

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The Paris September Guide for La Rentrée 2020

September, which Parisians call La Rentrée, is in our opinion, one of the best months of the year. It’s when Paris comes alive again after the summer drought, everyone’s back from their holidays with a golden glow and eager to mingle. It’s more important than ever to get out into the city and support our local…

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Before Playboy, Came “La Vie Parisienne”

A pair of clandestine, gender-bending lovers are about to embrace at la brasserie. A fashionable young woman in a barely-there dress is partying the night away in the cabarets of Paris without a care (or a man) in the world to ruin her fun. A curious eye would be intrigued by the risqué illustrations of…

India’s Overlooked Concrete City of Oz

When you think of Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur, you might think of the impossibly intricate architecture, ancient folklore, explosions of colour and unstoppable energy; a welcome deluge of the senses. But there is one place that is not like the others. In the north of India, on the foothills of the Himalayan…

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

1. This statue hanging in the cellar of an abandoned castle in Italy Found & photographed by urban explorer Romeo Battini. No further information available on the location (trust me, I’ve looked). 2. Roscigno Vecchia, the Italian ghost town with only one inhabitant, Giuseppe Spagnuolo Roscigno has an old town (vecchia) and a new town.…

A Guide to Beirut’s Small Shops & Hidden Gems

It seems as if all we’ve seen of beautiful Beirut lately are images of devastation. Not so long ago, it wasn’t hard to convince people to take a glamorous vacation in Lebanon. It was a playground for movie stars like Brigitte Bardot, Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole. The Beirut harbour was host to the Queen…