Magic, Might, and Mockery: A Brief History of Conical Hats
Tall conical hats have been fashionably worn as symbols of power and magic. Elsewhere and at a different time, these hats have been used as a method o
‘Don’t call me Mommie’: The Celebration of Joan Crawford
To watch a Joan Crawford movie is still an Event with a capital E, a heart-stopping experience...
London’s Burning: Our Red-Hot Tradition
For a city so often associated with grey skies and rain, London sure burns easy. You don’t know just how easy until you start looking at the facts..
Shakespeare to Spoken Word: A Brief History of East London Poets
The East was once the stomping ground of our greatest poets, canons of English Literature and rowdy bards...
Goddess Sanctuary: Where Hollywood Came to Rest
In the aftermath of Hollywood’s Golden Age, in cities all around the world, movie goddesses hid away from the preying eyes in what appeared to be an
Court Jesters to Jimmy Carr: A Brief History of Comedians
The notion of a ‘comedian’ as we understand it only began to emerge with the appearance of court jesters or minstrels, a capricious form of comedy
War & Alchemy: The Story of Prussian Blue
The blue shade was synthesized accidentally in German scientist Johann Dippel’s laboratory, after he failed to alchemize gold...
Ruin to Revival: London’s Complicated Relationship with Gin
London and gin have serious history. Back in the 1730s, the rate of gin consumption was so extreme it reached the level of a full-blown epidemic...
Japanese Folklore to Anne Frank: A Brief History of Diaries
You see, fellow reader, I too was a diary writer. And what images that conjures up! The lone man, tweed, tobacco-stained fingertips, driving rain outs
Thatcher and the Glitterati: A Brief History of London Fashion Week
Whenever LFW has threatened to plateau into a conservative celebration, a designer, model or The British Fashion Council themselves throw a curveball,
