Before moving to Singapore I'd never heard the word "kopitiam." "Kopi" is a Malay word (adopted from the Portuguese) for "coffee" and "tiam" is a Hokkien word for "shop". In Singapore, and throughout the Malacca region, the kopitiam is a gathering place to socialize and discuss the topics of the day while enjoying hand-poured coffee and sweet kaya toast. More

When it comes to the height of style in 1920's America, F. Scott Fitzgerald was the man. His writing, his relationships, his dress, and his lifestyle were all at the forefront of what the Jazz Age had to offer. Both observer and participant in the roaring days of the 1920's, Fitzgerald literally defined the times: More

Today, March 15th, is the infamous Ides of March. On this day in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate by a group of political conspirators. More than 2,000 years later, he remains the most famous Roman ruler. His story has been adapted many times — by people as varied as William Shakespeare, Hollywood screenwriters, and Las Vegas casino moguls. It's what he represents, rather than who he actually was, that we're exploring today. More

The story of the Birkin Bag offers a window into its muse's sense of style, which is equal parts elegant, scattered, and — for lack of a better word — goofy. In 1981, the English singer and actress was on an airplane when her plastic bag broke, spilling its contents all over the floor. She reportedly said to the man sitting next to her, "I wish Hèrmes would make a bag that could fit all my things." Turns out that man was Jean-Louis Dumas, head designer of Hèrmes, who took her up on her request. More

If you're as big a nerd as I am, you're anxiously awaiting the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows next month. This is the first time I've ever written about a fictional character as a style icon, but in the case of Harry Potter, I think it's a very appropriate title. More

This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Vagabond, Colette's classic novel that describes the simultaneous decadence and grittiness of Paris in 1910. The book is set against the backdrop of the music-hall dressing room, the vaudeville stage, and — probably most interesting to Apartment Therapy readers — the bohemian Parisian flat. More

Last month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences phoned Jean-Luc Godard to tell him that he would receive an Honorary Oscar at their November 13 Governors Awards event. Characteristically, the French film director (who's been known to scoff at Hollywood before) seemed not to care — so much, in fact, that he didn't return their phone call. Vanity Fair filed a "missing persons flyer" asking anyone to help locate him, and countless blogs reported that the "enfant terrible" of New Wave cinema was nowhere to be found… More