T LOunge for February 2nd, 2023

Akira Back Restaurant – Paris, France

We’re feeling the need for nighttime Parisian eleganza, darlings. It’s THURSDAY, which is as good a reason as any to seek out such things. Please enjoy our artisanally curated charcuterie board of distractions below. Do as little as possible today. It’s your time.

The True Story Behind Gunther’s Millions
Did a German countess named Karlotta Leibenstein really leave millions to a dog named Gunther? It’s not that simple.
The story goes: a German Countess named Karlotta Leibenstein (also spelled Carlotta Liebenstein) died in 1992. Upon her death, she left her entire $80 million fortune to her beloved dog, Gunther III. That money has remained with Gunther’s descendants—making Gunther the German Shepard the richest dog in the world.
“Karlotta Leibenstein was a German countess who resided in Munich,” Lucy Clarkson, head of PR for Gunther, says in episode one of Gunther’s Millions on Netflix. “And her husband was university professor who came to Germany as a refugee from Hungary. They got their fortune from his amazing pharmaceutical company, which made them so much money. In February of 1992, the Countess passed away. When she died, she had no direct relatives, no one close to her, and she gave everything to her dog, Gunther, who she loved so much. And then, the Gunther Trust was created to make sure the money stayed with Gunther and the bloodline.”

Elle Fanning Is The New Face of Paco Rabanne’s Perfume ‘Fame’
The actress talks ‘The Great,’ vodka martinis, and her go-to fragrance.
Fanning is a natural fit for Fame. On a windy January day in New York, she’s set up in the legendary Plaza Hotel, wearing a white rhinestoned Paco Rabanne dress, looking like she could appear on a red carpet or decide to get married in a lavish ceremony on a whim, if the mood struck her. The perfume is mish-mash of classic feminine scents–coconut, jasmine, mango–and spicier incense. She spoke with ELLE.com about her personal style evolution, being a tourist in Paris, and the power of a great fragrance.

Racing to Perfection
In this excerpt from Margo Jefferson’s celebrated memoir Constructing a Nervous System, the author reflects on the Black women runners who made history at the 1960 Olympics.
As the 1960s arrived, my older sister, Denise, and I were always looking for ways to insert ourselves into tales of glory and glamour, especially when they starred Negroes. Denise did Imperious better. I did Luminous better. Denise had longer, better-defined legs; I had a smaller waist and fuller breasts. Denise was statuesque. I was diminutive. We brought our uncertainties along, likewise our vanities. We told these tales through our needs.

Shaming Kids for Their Weight Isn’t Just Ineffective—It’s Cruel
Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines for evaluating and treating children and adolescents with obesity. These recommendations included instructions for doctors to refer children as young as two years old to “intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment” programs if their BMI were deemed too high. They also included guidelines around prescribing weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic (and, in severe cases, even referrals for bariatric surgery) to children ages 12 and up.
Is it a fact that approximately 14.7 million children in the US have obesity? Absolutely, and it’s a genuine health issue that warrants a response from the medical establishment.

On Marie Kondo and the Life-Changing Magic of Giving Up
I will admit that when I read the New York Post headline: “Queen of spring-cleaning has given up on being tidy: ‘My home is messy’” over a photo of Marie Kondo, it sparked joy. Not quite a Disney villain cackle of glee, but more a smug, adrenalin rush of vindication.
At first, I didn’t bother to click and read the actual article. As a mom of a two-and-a-half-year-old and a 10-month-old, it seemed perfectly obvious that the poor woman no longer has time to fold her underwear into neat rosette-studded envelopes. She’s dealing with the operatic wail of a meltdown because someone’s beloved Dino isn’t exactly where he left it, meaning the entire world will crumble. (Or maybe that’s just me.)

Hiking an Ancient Japanese Pilgrimage Route With the Last Monk of Hongu
Departing our guest room at the Akizuno Garten before sunrise, my friend Diana and I arrived for our morning appointment at the Senko-Ji temple, a sanctuary located on the outskirts of Tanabe City in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan. Trekking up a curved slope and climbing a series of stone steps, we found ourselves near a graveyard from which we could hear Iwahashi Zenichi, a Buddhist priest, already at work. Wearing a navy kimono and a set of wooden juzu prayer beads around his neck, he knelt on a bright silver and crimson pillow before an altar. I watched as he played a set of Tibetan-style black bowls while using a mallet to thrum a mokugyo, a wooden drum in the shape of a fish, in preparation for his daily routine: a Zazen meditation.

A 6-Year-Old Ran Up a $1,000 GrubHub Bill on His Dad’s Phone
All Mason wanted was a pizza…and some chicken shawarmas…and a bunch of other stuff.
We’d bet that every parent has passed their phone to their kid at least once, whether to distract them during a dinner out, to keep them busy on a car ride, or just to have five uninterrupted minutes to do…literally anything. But let this serve as a warning: A Michigan dad handed his phone to his 6-year-old on Saturday night, and 30 minutes later, he was facing $1,000 in unexpected Grubhub charges.

Doja Cat’s ‘Balls to the Wall’ New Era: The Grammy Winner on Rapping More, Her Viral Fashion Looks and Being a ‘Messy Bitch’
Most cats only get nine lives, but Doja Cat already seems to have enjoyed about 90.
Looking back on the ways she’s grabbed the attention of pop culture as a hitmaker and sly fashionista since she broke through as a star with the No. 1 hit “Say So” just three years ago, it can almost feel as if she’s had as many looks and sounds in that short period as Madonna or Lady Gaga have in their entire careers. That’s illusory, of course, for someone with a mere three albums. But 27-year-old Doja Cat has been impactful enough as a musician as well as style icon to rack up 16 Grammy nominations — five of which she’s carrying heading into the 2023 ceremony, including a record of the year nod for “Woman” and rap-category attention for her “Elvis” soundtrack song, “Vegas.”

Being Emma Corrin
How do you go from anonymity to being one of the UK’s most-watched stars in the span of three whirlwind years? Kenya Hunt discovers an actor unafraid to challenge convention, on the screen or stage.
Corrin’s career exploded when they portrayed Princess Diana in the enormously successful Netflix drama, The Crown, a role that earned them a GoldenGlobe award and Emmy nomination. Corrin then took on a series of critically acclaimed parts spanning buzzy, period pieces on screen and stage, such as My Policeman, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Orlando. A close friendship with stylist Harry Lambert, who helped craft a cool, audacious, intelligent look for Corrin, sealed the actor’s status as a beloved red-carpet standout and fashion rebel (with Cartier and Miu Miu contracts to prove it) – a tabloid obsession and one of Britain’s most bankable new stars. ‘Harry and I go way back – we’re really good friends. Everything that we collaborate on is always very authentically me because he knows me. He’s always wanting to advocate for young British designers, which we have a lot of fun with,’ they say. Corrin has been wearing a lot of Stefan Cooke and SS Daley lately and describes the designer Harris Reed as a close friend. ‘Wearing people who are homegrown, there’s a real power in that.’

13 Times Farrah Fawcett Was A Natural Beauty
One of the leading ladies of the ’70s and ’80s, Farrah Fawcett shot to fame playing Jill Munroe in the original Charlie’s Angels television show. The definition of an all-American girl, she was rarely without a dazzling smile on her face. One of her biggest beauty legacies is her voluminous hair and, more specifically, her curtain bangs, which are often referenced in hair salons today, some 50 years later. Gravity defying and full of movement, that signature fluffy texture has also made its return to popularity in recent years, too.
On what would have been her birthday, Vogue takes a look at some of her most memorable beauty moments.

The Right Way to Wash Every Type of Vegetable, According to Food Safety Experts
It’s one of the most important steps in food prep.
Learning how to properly wash vegetables might very well be one of the most important parts of meal prep. After all, if produce is washed incorrectly—or not washed at all—it can present a food safety hazard. This can put a damper on your homemade dish, no matter how delicious it may be.
Washing vegetables properly isn’t difficult, but vegetables are a varied bunch and every type has slightly different requirements. This is due to factors such as water content, growing environment, and peel thickness. So how do you know the appropriate technique? The following guide breaks down the best washing practices by type of vegetable, according to experts.

A Guide to Collecting Vintage Pyrex—Plus, How Much It’s Worth
Vintage Pyrex has more than 270 million views and counting on TikTok, but the collectable cookware has been beloved since 1915.
Vintage Pyrex pieces are hardly a rarity. Until recently, old Pyrex was purchased mainly by longtime devotees unable to find replacements for a broken coffee pot or chipped mixing bowl. But in the past few years, old Pyrex has attracted new admirers. While those who grew up with it are familiar with its durability, vintage Pyrex is now catching on with younger generations who appreciate the beauty of these throwback pieces. Although a nostalgic collector might buy a mixing-bowl set because it stirs memories or complements their mid-century modern design aesthetic, Pyrex is functional and almost demands to be used.

Is a heart-shaped pendant found buried in a field a symbol of Henry VIII’s romantic side?
The Tudor artefact, inscribed with Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s initials, was uncovered in Warwickshire
When cafe worker Charlie Clarke heard a frantic beeping sound from his metal detector in a lonely Warwickshire field in 2019, he assumed it would be just another piece of scrap. An old coin trampled into the mud, perhaps – or even just a bottle top – nothing out of the ordinary.

A millennial couple in Austin transformed an old dirty Airstream from 1971 into a modern tiny home. Take a look at how they did it.
A millennial couple in Austin, Texas, bought an empty 1971 Airstream in October 2018 and turned it into a tiny home.
Interior designer Rose Ballard and architect Paul Suttles spent 18 months converting the 27-foot-long vehicle.
The couple say that moving into the Airstream has “given them more flexibility in life.”

Tatler’s tiara of the month: the tragically romantic history of the Greek royal family’s Khedive of Egypt diadem
As the world mourns King Constantine II of Greece, a look back at one of the dynasty’s prized treasures
Glittering with diamonds and steeped in a century of royal history, there is so much to love about the Khedive of Egypt Tiara. It is now a prized possession of the defunct Greek royal family, who remain in mourning following the death of the former King Constantine II, but its story starts more than a century ago, in a country hundreds of miles away.
The diadem – high set and featuring laurel spirals, each supporting a floating gem encircled by a matching diamond garland formation – was commissioned from Cartier by Abbas II, the last Khedive (an Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt, at the turn of the 20th century.

Kerry Condon: ‘I Don’t Think Anything Has Ever Come Easy to Me’
An ardent animal lover, the supporting actress Oscar nominee for “The Banshees of Inisherin” channeled grief from her dog’s death into her performance.
Though Condon grew up in the country town of Tipperary, she was always keen to make her mark in Hollywood: When she was just 10, she even wrote an unanswered letter to the well-known agent Mike Ovitz, asking him to represent her. (It didn’t work, but you’ve got to admire the chutzpah.) After graduating from the equivalent of high school, Condon worked in theater and could be seen in supporting parts on dramas like “Rome,” “Luck” and “Better Caul Saul,” but the major screen role that would kick her career into a higher gear had been hard to come by until now.

Wallpaper Everywhere All at Once
The current maximalist movement does not spare the ceiling.
When Ryia Jose decorated her daughters’ bedroom, she felt there was only one way to approach a room with a slanted ceiling: Cover it in wallpaper, the ceiling included.
Doing so helped “with all the weird angles,” said Ms. Jose, a D.I.Y.-er and interior decorator in Houston. “It adds to the quirkiness of it.”
Ms. Jose, 38, designed a custom pattern through the removable wallpaper brand Loomwell. It has a blush and green floral block print reminiscent of the patterns she grew up with in India.
Wallpaper has made its way back into homes in recent years as consumers continue eschew minimalist aesthetics in favor of maximalist décor. And now, wallpaper is climbing its way up to the ceiling not only in kids’ bedrooms but in home libraries and boutique hotel rooms, too.

[Photo Credit: akirabackparis.com, blacksheep.uk.com, marriott.co.uk]

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