kate moss by bert stern

the scent of friedrichstrasse

From Chandler Burr's column in the New York Times T Magazine comes word of a scent exhibit - possibly the first of its kind: ‘‘If There Ever Was: An Exhibition of Extinct and Impossible Smells,’’ at The Reg Vardy Gallery in Sunderland, England.

Among the headspinning creations:

• Lethal Peruvian arsenic deposits
• Hiroshima
• A 16thC spell for eternal beauty (contents: murdered raven, almond oil)

and

• the scent of Berlin-Friedrichstrasse train station, the only connection to West Germany in the GDR.

SPLAT

Nice, slightly mental clothes from Marc Jacobs in NYC for these dour times. Looks like Stephen Sprouse...history's repeating, again and again and...

Genius for hire, apparently

Heard today that The Village Voice has canned Lynn Yaeger along with other staff that have worked there for decades. A braver mag better grab her as her droll, clever and uncompromising fashion column is the rare sort of voice we need MORE, not less of in these homogenized times.

edited to add: Smart people at New York magazine snapped her up.

personas

Illamasqua is a drool-y, theatrical new makeup line in the UK. Alex Box is the incredible makeup artist who is their artistic director. God knows when we'll get it in N. America, but the stuff looks sensational and the products have marvellous names like Salacious, Test, and Daemon, so ask your friend who's next going to London to get it at Selfridges!

Watch Alex Box's tutorial on the smoky eye. A northern accent makes '...Sex' even more-so.

The Site

I unearthed a great ratty paperback a couple of months back. "The Site" by Melisand March had an era-appropriate (1989) metallic-embossed cover of a fanged and bloody face bursting out of a glass and steel building. I grabbed it because I do so love a modern haunting and was in the mood for some 80s horror.
It was very well-written - complex, with deep characterisation. Obviously her first book but the writing of it sprang from a series of coincidences and a natural passion for buildings which demanded the story be recorded.
She's disappeared from the world of writing (and perhaps the world in general)...but the buildings were real. Here's the site itself - where terrible things occur - 277 Park Avenue, New York City.

Too much for Italy...

...which has banned the new print ad for Tom Ford eyewear. My only argument is its lack of subtlety - which may be what TF was going for...