Liz Langley

      With Halloween breathing down our necks exactly like a good villain ought to it seems like you can’t fling a crucifix without hitting a vampire. Thanks to True Blood and Twilight (neither of which I’ve seen; it’s an elder’s privilege to ignore the pop culture of the young) vampires didn’t need Halloween to be everywhere; like coolots and facial hair they ride occasional waves of cultural approval but at this time of year it’s worth looking at why out of all the traditional story monsters the vampire is the only one who has ever enjoyed any real sex appeal. You can argue that witches have, too, but there’s barely a sultry sorceress on the books that can hold a candle to The Count for pure magnetism.        One part of the answers is pretty easy and pretty obvious: the vampire is just a dark version of Prince Charming, sweeping onto the scene in with more charm, money and fashion sense than anyone else and who is out for one thing: penetration. The bite is an obvious symbol of

       It’s no secret that when sizzle goes out of sexy time that human beings are prone to stepping out – but out of our species?        Svante Paabo is the director of genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology is quite sure there was a historic hook-up or two, but what he wants to know is did we get anything out of it? Here he is in the Times Online UK:  :        “What I’m really interested in is, did we have children back then and did those children contribute to our variation today?” he said. “I’m sure that they had sex, but did it give offspring that contributed to us? We will be able to answer quite rigorously with the new [Neanderthal genome] sequence.”        The Neanderthals were not as primitive as they were once thought to be, “giving their dead complex burials, and making tools and jewelry...” said Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, and presumably overdoing the cologne, acting like they know something about real estate

        A few weeks ago I did a post mentioning Steampunk , an aesthetic combining Victorian, Edwardian, goth, burlesque, fetish, punk, the 1920’s and the Old West – actually, just ask yourself “Would Tim Burton dig it?” and if he would, it’s likely to be Steampunk. The most immediate example I can think of might be Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane in Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” in his 1899 clothing sometimes accessorized with bizarre and fascinating detection devices he’s made himself (Steampunk also involves a lot of DIY and blending high tech with turn-of-the-18 th -century style).        Steampunk has become a fascination of mine and while casting about for Steampunk fashion photos I came across this spectacular corset which I think epitomizes the genre. Corsetry is a staple of the look and this piece is the most inventive example of that most alluring weapon in the fashion arsenal. It reminds me of something the macabre and elegant Edward Gorey   might draw and while the skeletal image

        As expressions of love and the desire to keep another near go, this is not the strangest, not by a long shot. There’s no violence involved, no mom-in-the-fruit-cellar, nothing headline provoking. It’s quite benign. And I’m hesitant to quibble about any expression of love in a world that needs many, many, many more of them. It’s just that this one, while its heart is in the right place, feels like it should be being introduced to you by Cryptkeeper.        The company is Cremation Solutions  and when your loved one has gone on to glory they will, with the use of a few good pictures, make a replica of that person’s head for you to keep the ashes in. A full size head will run you $2600; a smaller, keepsake size only $600 (it's on the website under Personal Urns).        I feel compelled to say tout suite that Cremation Solutions also has some of the loveliest and most surprising  ways I’ve ever seen of keeping the departed nearby - mixed into glass or jewelry made of cr

        Yes! It’s finally here! That snap in the air! That crisp scent! The realization that you just walked out of your house and weren’t dripping with sweat and defeat after three minutes! It’s October!        Well, at least it felt like it yesterday and I’m going to accept it as the kick off of the holiday season: costumes, candy, parties, presents, TV specials, boots, houndstooth, closed-toed shoes, pie and a reason to wear stockings outside of the house.        And the best of the holidays is the first, Halloween, best because you get to wear the most outrageous outfits and no one can say Boo. It’s the time of year everyone can pretend to be something they’re not – so, as a wise person once said, it’s the same as the rest of the year, but with more candy.                      Fairvilla   Megastore is already packed to the rafters with amazing costumes – here are a few pics from the Cocoa Beach store of the fuschia geisha, the lay-der-hosen girl, the belly dancer and the Eg