In the year of Monroe’s centenary, it is clear that the demand for her possessions — whether it’s a lipstick, a cheque stub, a dress or a piece of jewellery — seems to be at an all-time high.
Next month Julien’s Auctions will hold another auction of Monroe’s possessions to celebrate the centenary of her birth.
🗣️ "The star’s possessions reveal her tastes, likes, style, aspirations, work ethic, innermost feelings, close friends and physical place in time. For example, we will have a couple of bank cheques she wrote which tell us where she was on that exact day and what she was buying. Minutiae for most of us, but fascinating when it comes to someone like Marilyn Monroe," said Margaret Barrett, the head of Hollywood memorabilia at Julien’s Auctions.
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"Enabot’s Ebo Air is marketed in part as a way of checking in with your pets. A dumpy but speedy robot, it is a little like a squished Roomba. Like a Roomba — or a Dalek — its ideal habitat is a flat smooth floor. When it’s on such a surface you can control it remotely through your phone, seeing what it sees and even talking through it. It is a proxy for you. In this way, Enabot promises, you can “keep your pets engaged and secure”" | ✍️ Tom Whipple, our science correspondent
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Lalique has been making some of the world’s most beautiful glass and crystal since 1888, when the founder René Lalique started the brand in Paris. Lalique studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and later created pieces for brands such as Cartier and Boucheron as an independent designer. After starting his brand, Lalique expanded into jewellery and perfume, and spearheaded the art deco movement. Soon the glass-maker also began creating work for architectural projects like the Côte d’Azur Pullman Express, the Galerie des Champs Élysées and the glass doors for Prince Yasuhiko Asaka’s residence in Tokyo. Today, Lalique pieces are known for their craftsmanship, high-quality crystal and nature-themed iconography.
Indulge in a truly luxurious sound bath using the famed glassware and let it soothe your worried mind.
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The master fake food artist Kerry Samantha Boyes fashions elaborate and whimsical resin feasts for movie sets and stately homes from her studio in Scotland.
Visitors who walk through the door are fascinated (and sometimes disappointed) to discover that what they thought was a charming little cake emporium is in fact a thriving workshop and props store, with works of art for sale.
🗣️ “I looked at these beautiful historical coloured prints and thought, wouldn’t it be fantastic to rebuild those dishes with fake food?”
📸 Kerry S Boyes
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Question: "My father, who was largely absent for the more formative parts of my life, has recently married a woman who is — and I wish I were being dramatic — 12 years younger than me. She has immaculate teeth, some vague art consultancy, and a baffling influence over him. He’s now rewriting his will to leave everything to her: the holiday house, the art, and even my grandmother’s Schlumberger brooch. He says she “understands his legacy”. I suspect she understands his bank accounts better. I find the whole thing degrading. We had always assumed, not unreasonably, that the estate would stay in the family. Do I contest it, or does that just make me look grubby?"
How would you solve this dilemma?
🔗 Tap to read the psychotherapist Julia Samuel's advice
Interested in having a Bugatti, McLaren, Ferrari and Jaguar all under one roof but worried it might be a tight fit? Fret no more. Thanks to Amalgam Cars, supercar lovers no longer have to worry about getting all their favourite wheels into one space. The workshop has been making toy cars since 1995, when Amalgam began creating hyper-realistic miniaturised replicas from its headquarters in Bristol.
A single 1:8 scale car prototype can take over 4,000 hours to develop and a further 250-450 hours to cast, paint and build. Amalgam works closely with car brands to ensure maximum authenticity for each model. Using 3-D printing and handcrafting techniques Amalgam is able to create replicas that it says are “impossible to discern from a real car in photograph”.
Have a look for yourself, and while you’re at it, listen to the soothing sounds of one being cleaned.
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Can the YogiFi smart yoga mat improve your yoga posture?
🗣️ "Do I want a mat that judges me? No, of course I don’t. But, then, I also don’t want to hold the mountain pose for five seconds before switching to a plank (“Work that core!”). As an adult you find yourself having to do a lot of things you don’t want to. That’s the point of yoga. At least this way, before I end things with a meditation (it has to trust me to breathe all by myself), I know I’m less likely to be wasting my time while doing it."
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I’ve lived The Devil Wears Prada in real life.
From intern to editor, Kate Reardon’s career in fashion began in New York at American Vogue as a 19-year-old fashion assistant.
A single mistake on a major shoot shaped her into a relentlessly organised, disciplined and reliable professional.
Now, as an editor, she reflects on how that experience changed everything.
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Imagine spending millions on a dream car — only to find it doesn’t exist.
There have been dozens of such attempts involving UK buyers and sellers, according to James Banks, a Surrey-based broker whose company, LaSource, runs vetted, invitation-only auctions of collectible cars. Some scams are successful, with fraudsters ripping-off impatient buyers who won’t join the queue or are declined places on build lists for exclusive cars. And because there are so many buyers willing to immediately pay deposits in full and balances of six or seven figures, scammers can quickly take advantage of them and disappear with the money. Victims are often embarrassed into anonymity.
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Shuffling — when done right — is an impressive skill. Watching someone cascade cards from one hand to the other is equal parts mesmerising, seductive and envy-inducing. But, if you don’t have the dexterity for such a suave move, you can just purchase some card shark chic with a pack of Fendi playing cards.
Known less for games and more for its leather goods and fashion shows, Fendi was founded in Rome in 1925 by the Italian power couple Adele Casagrande and Edoardo Fendi. Two decades later the couple’s five daughters were brought into the company and helped to propel Fendi to the global empire it is today, selling everything from handbags to fragrances to playing cards. Not just any old playing cards either. This £750 set comes in a smart wooden box shaped like a briefcase and covered in nappa leather, stamped with the Fendi logo.
Enjoy the visual and aural stimulation offered by a pack of Fendi cards being expertly shuffled.
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🗣️ "Every month I find myself returning to a small group of beauty products. Some are longstanding classics, others are newer discoveries. This month, my favourites include the Gucci Baume à Lèvres and the Rhode peptide lip treatment, as well as the subtle definition of the Fara Homidi lip pencil that seems to pull every look together. Alongside these, I’ve been relying on the Dr Tatiana Kick Start day serum to bring a fresh, morning glow, and the Champo gummies as part of a more considered approach to hair health."
This month, for Luxx’s fashion director, it’s all about sleep and lip gloss.
🔗 Tap to read @aureliadonaldson 's beauty picks for April
