T LOunge for September 13th, 2023

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PinCafé Bel Étage at Hotel Sacher – Vienna, Austria

Look, darlings! Plush booths! Who doesn’t love a plush booth? It’s WEDNESDAY. Grab one. We are thrilled that we have a ton of VMAs red carpetry to assess, but also mad at ourselves because we both scheduled appointments for today without checking the date, which means things are frantic in the T Lo International Media offices already. Much to do! Talk amongst yourselves.

MTV VMAs 2023: See All The Winners Here
The 2023 Video Music Awards, or VMAs, got off to a rocking start on Tuesday night, with larger-than-life performances from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, Karol G and Video Vanguard Award recipient Shakira – complete with knife choreography and crowdsurfing – to say nothing of the heavy lead quickly established by Taylor Swift, who was nominated for a stunning 11 VMAs total. (Swift is now tied for the most best direction awards in VMA history, NBD.)

Drew Barrymore Dropped as Awards Ceremony Host Due to Resuming Show Amid Strike
The National Book Awards rescinded the offer for Barrymore to host their 74th awards ceremony.
In another example of protest against Drew Barrymore’s decision to resume her daytime talk show, The National Book Foundation has said they’re dropping Barrymore as host of their upcoming awards ceremony. Barrymore was previously announced in July as the host of the ceremony, which takes place in New York on Nov. 15.
“The National Book Award is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture. In light of the announcement that The Drew Barrymore Show will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony. Our commitment is to ensure that the focus of the awards remains on celebrating writers and books, and we are grateful to Ms. Barrymore and her team for their understanding in this situation.”

Inside The V&A’s New Blockbuster Chanel Exhibition
“When it comes to understanding the times and what it called for, and seizing that opportunity, no one did that better than Chanel,” says Oriole Cullen. For the V&A’s latest fashion extravaganza, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto – somehow only the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the work of the legendary couturière – the curator has expanded upon the Parisian Palais Galliera’s recent retrospective of the same name, adding 120 rare items that chart the designer’s career from her first millinery boutique on Rue Cambon in 1910 to global prominence and, eventually, her final collection, presented weeks after her death in 1971.

Higher Plane: Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović has made it her life’s mission to test the limits of human endurance in the service of art. Still a creative force in her eighth decade, with ventures into opera, film and virtual reality under her belt, the performance artist is now preparing to break yet more boundaries as the first-ever woman to have a solo show in the Royal Academy’s main galleries. She tells Frances Hedges why she’ll never stop striving to be original.

How to shop for affordable, stylish interiors
Whether you’re into to a traditional or contemporary aesthetic, these are the best places to source unique homewares now
The best homeware shops used to be the preserve of London’s most expensive areas, and consist only of quiet showrooms, in which interior designers would browse for weighty fabrics and plush sofas. But no longer: in recent years, more accessible brands have emerged as truly excellent places for design-led homeware, without the astronomical price tag.

The best scented candles to burn now
From Diptyque’s first foray into refillables to the arrival of Brazil’s most beloved beauty brand, these are the candles to invest in now
Today’s luxury candles are more than a pretty centrepiece – they have the power to alter and enhance your mood. A clean, crisp fragrance will clear the air when you’re feeling foggy-headed, while a rose-tinted bouquet will bring a flicker of romance to a cosy evening in. For the exhausted, a lavender candle will encourage deeper sleep, and grounding cedarwood notes should slow an anxious mind.
But finding the best scented candle (whether for you or a lucky recipient) is more than a matter of scent, because not all are created equal in terms of materials, burn time and scent throw.

Sarah Burton to leave Alexander McQueen
The designer has headed up the label since 2010
“I am so proud of everything I’ve done and of my incredible team at Alexander McQueen,” Burton said in a statement today. “They are my family, and this has been my home for the past 26 years. I want to thank François-Henri Pinault for believing in me and offering me this amazing opportunity. Above all, I want to thank Lee Alexander McQueen. He taught me so much, and I am eternally grateful to him. I am looking forward to the future and my next chapter and will always carry this treasured time with me.”

Kate’s “Farrah Fringe” Is The New Way To Update Your Hair
If further proof were needed of the ubiquitousness of this season’s hottest hair trend, then look no further than the Princess of Wales. Snapped on royal duties yesterday, Kate looked chic in a navy trouser suit by Alexander McQueen, however it was her tousled chestnut hair that caught everyone’s attention. Unlike recent purveyors of the trend (think Amal Clooney and Victoria Beckham), Kate updated her long locks with the addition of the sweeping “Farrah fringe.”

Christie’s to Auction Rare Rothschild Jewelry
Come October, a selection of pendants and jewels dating all the way back to the 16th century will be auctioned at Christie’s New York.
Are there limits to achieving beauty? The question may come off as comical to any member of the Rothschild family, who possessed the largest private fortune in the world during the 19th century. With their massive wealth came an insatiable aesthetic appetite, and in 1955, Baron James Mayer de Rothschild even once wrote that “no price is too high for the acquisition of true masterpieces.”
Come October, collectors of all sorts will see if they agree with this sentiment, as the collections of Baron James de Rothschild, his wife Betty, and their sons Baron Alphonse and Baron Gustave will head to auction at Christie’s Rockefeller Center.

Inside a New Exhibition Celebrating 30 Years of Newgen—And the Irrepressible Energy of London Fashion
Given London’s reputation as a breeding ground for multiple generations of cutting-edge design talent, it’s hard to imagine that just three decades ago, its fashion industry was in crisis. “As usual at collection time,” began a 1993 article about the then unknown designer Alexander McQueen, “British fashion editors have been dismissing London as a fashion wasteland.” That article is plastered to the wall in one of the opening rooms of “Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion,” a new exhibition opening this Saturday at London’s Design Museum, as if to prove how far the city has come. That same year the British Fashion Council launched the sponsorship initiative that would become Newgen, a program supporting emerging fashion talent that kick-started the careers of everyone from Kim Jones to Jonathan Anderson, Simone Rocha to Grace Wales Bonner—and the rest is, well, history.

In Mickalene Thomas’s ‘Je t’adore,’ an Examination of Self and Sensuality
To create the works in her latest solo exhibition, “Je t’adore,” at Yancey Richardson in New York, Mickalene Thomas turned to research—and her own upbringing—to reimagine the Black female form. For more than a decade, Thomas’s mixed-media practice has examined the subjects of Blackness and identity, and this show is no different.
During her childhood in New Jersey, Thomas’s parents were avid collectors of the Black publication Jet magazine, an archive that Thomas has retained to this day. It became a focal point of “Je t’adore.”

7 Reasons Why Sicily Should Be Your Next Italian Holiday Destination
If you had to sum up Sicily in just a few words, it’s an island of extremes. Rocky volcanic coastlines give way to white sandy beaches. Crumbling architectural treasures of the ancient world sit next to some of the most theatrical and perfectly preserved paintings of the Baroque. Menus feature hearty pasta dishes next to the freshest raw seafood, while the grandest of five-star luxury accommodations are found alongside meticulously designed boutique hotels and charming farm stays. It’s a cliche, but in Sicily, there’s truly something for everyone.

31 Extra Long-Aged Bottles of Bourbon, Rye, and Scotch for the Whiskey Super-Fan In Your Life
If you like more than just a little age in your glass, these are the special bottles you’ll want to look for.
There is a stubborn assumption when it comes to whiskey, that older is always better. But the truth is a lot more complicated than that. Though bottles with older age statements on the label certainly tend to cost more than their younger counterparts, an important balance has to be struck between the spirit itself and the influence of that vessel, lest each sip taste like little more than the liquid equivalent of oak.

Impress Your Guests With Snack and Cocktail Pairings That Take 15 Minutes to Make
Who knew a Paloma really needed a side of pretzels?
As a serial dinner party thrower who has hosted everything from a friend’s twinkly backyard wedding to a eating-pizza-on-packed-boxes moving day party, I can say with confidence there is one thing that separates a successful party from a bummer: snacks and drinks upon arrival.
Perhaps your guests have endured two hours of sitting in traffic after a doctor’s appointment or a long, boring meeting; maybe they just woke up from a lengthy nap. Whatever the circumstance, most people will welcome having something to munch on while you put the finishing touches on dinner.

The backlash against Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, explained
Character letters can be an important part of criminal sentencing. These Danny Masterson letters missed the point.
Over the weekend, the celebrity couple issued a video concerning letters they wrote to a judge vouching for their friend and former That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson’s character. In May 2023, Masterson was convicted for plying two women with drugs and raping them in the early aughts. In their character letters, Kunis and Kutcher describe Masterson as an older brother figure, a father, and a staunchly anti-drug presence who has only been a positive influence in their lives.

A Bathtub in the Kitchen? Not a Problem for New Yorkers.
The appliances might be miniature and the floor plans eccentric, but these home cooks make it work.
Many New York City renters will recognize this scenario: You’re on your fourth apartment tour of the day when a broker unlocks the front door and ushers you into the kitchen. The layout seems unremarkable at first glance, until your eyes dart to the corner. Wait, is that a bathtub?
Often used as an example of what New Yorkers must endure, navigating an eccentric kitchen has become an experience that unites lifelong residents and uninitiated transplants. Some verge on outlandish, like shoe-box kitchens with showers built into the walls, while others sport anachronistic details, like a ceremonious 20th-century oven.

After the Earthquake in Morocco, Tourists Grapple With the Ethics of Travel
Last week’s disaster raises questions that also emerged in Maui, Greece and other hard-hit places. Is the presence of tourists a hindrance? Or can visitors, and the revenue they bring in, help?
Some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations — Turkey, Greece, Hawaii and, now, Morocco — have been ravaged by disaster this year, with earthquakes, wildfires and floods razing entire towns and villages, killing residents, and destroying or damaging cultural monuments. The series of catastrophic events has left many tourists in a conundrum over how to respond.

Stolen Van Gogh Painting Is Returned in Ikea Bag
A tipster handed the work over to a Dutch art crimes detective who had been investigating the theft together with the police.
A Vincent van Gogh painting stolen from a Dutch museum in March 2020 was returned on Monday by a tipster, who delivered it encased in Bubble Wrap and tucked in an Ikea bag to the home of a private Dutch art crimes detective.
The detective, Arthur Brand, had been investigating the theft of “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring,” one of van Gogh’s early works, painted in 1884. The painting was stolen while it was part of a temporary exhibition at the Singer Laren Museum, about 20 miles southeast of Amsterdam, where it had been on loan from the Groninger Museum in the northern part of the country.

Why Honey Crystallizes—and How to Stop It From Happening
Plus, how to fix crystallized honey and bring it back to its original smooth state.
From a slice of toast and a cup of tea to marbled ham and all kinds of baked goods, so many foods taste better with honey. It’s sweet, sticky, and wonderfully versatile…unless it’s turned into a crystallized mess, that is. Sound familiar? We reached out to a beekeeper and a chef and picked up some simple solutions. Yes, you can bring back crystallized honey—and even prevent it from overtaking your honey jar in the future.

7 Ways to Make Your Laundry Smell Fresh
Give your linens a scent boost with these laundry tips.
Few scents compare to the smell of fresh laundry. For many people, it’s a signal that their garments have been adequately cleaned. But if your laundry comes out of the washing machine smelling mildewy or has no smell at all, you may be wondering how you can achieve that fresh linen scent. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can enhance the smell of your garments. From cleaning your washing machine to changing your laundry routine, these tips will have your clothes smelling incredible in no time.

How to Plan a Perfect Trip to Amsterdam
Discover the best hotels, restaurants, and things to do with this highly curated Amsterdam travel guide.
Iconic canals, centuries-old townhomes, cobblestone lanes, and flower-adorned bridges. Amsterdam is as pretty as a postcard with charm in spades. It’s also one of the rare places that attracts history buffs, luxury-minded travelers, couples seeking romance, and backpackers alike.
Besides cultural attractions like the Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum, the Dutch capital has leafy parks, hip shops, and an enduring sense of the past that thankfully never fades. With world-class museums, bicycle tours, and a thriving arts scene, it’s really just a matter of culling it down to a select few activities. Since wandering around the city’s quaint streets and sitting outside at a sidewalk cafe is so appealing, you won’t want to cram too much into your daytime itinerary.

[Photo Credit: sacher.com, bwm.at]

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