Rosebuds & Black Doves

Talking about pastry cigarettes and dandelion lights and ice cream wine bars and Courtney Love and bagel branding

Hello from idyllic (but cloudy and slightly chilly) Sitges, where Kyle and I have been spending the last few days in celebration of his birthday. It’s been a minute since I sent a new edition of The Fox Is Black, sorry about that, though I’ve had a few good reasons. First, was a vacation to see my mom for her 70th birthday, which occupied a fun couple of weeks. Then after that, I developed a sinus infection which I couldn’t get rid of, that was paired, perhaps, with some bad allergies. I forget how aggravating it is so be sick.

And my final excuse is that I have been working on the new website version of The Fox Is Black! Creating a new version of old friend has been pretty fun, though this time around there’s a bit more strategy to how and why I do things. The things you learn after more than a decade in marketing 🤗 The site will be simple at first, then start to grow and evolve in August. I’m trying to be mindful of what is necessary and what is nice to have.

Current mock-up of the new website 🤩

So many of the choices I’ve made with the look and feel of my Substack will be rolled into the website. I have a lot more control of my site though, so you’ll see a lot of subtle character and small details. My hopes is that the design doesn’t overpower the text and imagery. And I have an amazing developer who’s been able to bring to life some features that will really make everything feel so polished, I’m so excited.

Hope everything is good in your world! Lately, Kyle and I have been trying to figure out where we’re going for the summer. Trying to avoid the humidity (and tourists) in Barcelona but there are so many options, it’s a bit overwhelming. We may have to buy a map of Europe and some darts and let fate take it’s course, haha.. Here’s to having a great week 💙

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🚬 — Pastry Cigarettes by Alina Prokopenko

Totally obsessed with Ukrainian pastry artist Alina Prokopenko and her pastry cigarettes. The ashtray is made of a chocolate tarte with lemon and black sesame, and the cigarettes are meringue and muscovado sugar, which gives them a smoky flavor. It’s so “wrong” that’s it’s quite brilliant. If you’re in Paris, stop by Mātēr and try this for yourself.

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🎛️ — teenage engineering TP-7 Field Recorder

Ya’ll, teenage engineering is so wild. They literally dropped this new field recorder, the TP-7, and I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to convince Kyle that it’s ok to drop €1 499 on it! It’s such a beautiful piece of design that I know I would never really ever use but I want it to so badly. I literally went down a path in my brain where I was going to start interviewing people and recording bird sounds for mixtapes and… like, that’s not reality! haha… Well done teenage engineering, now make a phone, please.

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💡 — Dandelight by Studio Drift

Studio Drift has managed to turn the most ordinary, common weed and transformed it into a magical light. The Dandelight is made of real dandelion seeds that are handpicked during the spring season in the Netherlands. These seeds are connected to the LEDs seed by seed and form a subtle and tasteful light. It’s a bit of commentary on throw away culture that’s also lovely.

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🍨 — Folderol, An Ice Cream Parlor Meets Wine Bar

My TikTok lately has been nothing but people visiting Folderol, an ice cream parlor in Paris that’s been combined with a wine bar. Couple Jess Yang and Robert Compagnon opened the spot back in December 2020, and they serve a fantastic array of flavors like spicy watermelon, rhubarb sugar tart, sesame brownie, hibiscus nectarine, fig shortcake, and many more. And if you’re not craving something cold, then snag a glass of wine, drink on the street, and make some new friends.

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💭 — An Interview with Courtney Love

I remember the one time I stayed at the Mercer in New York, and as I’m checking out, I see Courtney Love checking in. She wore a white blouse with a thin, black pencil skirt, I assume it was Chanel, it was very much that time. And after growing up with Nirvana and Hole and all that, it felt like such an iconic moment, because, she was, and will always be iconic. Financial Times interviewed her at her home in London, and I enjoyed every word of this delectable chat.

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🏠 — Ett Hem, A Series of Homes That Make a Hotel

I came across Ett Hem, effectively a series of townhouses turned into a hotel, and immediately started to work out how I can take a trip to Stockholm this summer. The space was designed by Ilse Crawford, who does some of the most wonderful interiors in the world. As Stephen Whitlock remarked, “The whole concept of Ett Hem is that it’s a home, so it has a kitchen you can stroll into anytime … If you want lunch or dinner, the chef will whip something up for you from scratch.” A boy can dream…

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🙆 — Photos by Brooke DiDonato

I have been a long time admirer of Brooke DiDonato’s photography, this image and this image having been wallpapers on my computers for years. I love in her work how she explores the relationship between our bodies and the world around us, sometimes more literally, and oftentimes quite conceptually. She has uncanny mind that thinks far outside the box, and is somehow then able to capture those moments through photography.

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🥯 — Mark’s Off Madison by Young Jerks

In my opinion, food branding is the best kind of branding. Creating a visual representation of something you eat is so fun. The folks at Young Jerks have knocked it out of the park with their work for Mark’s Off Madison, a new restaurant from acclaimed Chef Mark Strausman, formerly of Freds at Barneys and Campagna restaurants. I like that the branding feels iconic and timeless, like an old classic you can rely upon. And it’s got that air of charm and whimsy! Being fun is important and this ticks off all the boxes.

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The Trend Report™

by my partner, Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick, is a sharp and insightful take on culture from around the world. Arrives every Sunday to your inbox. Highly recommended, obviously.