Kafkaesque
LightNews LightNews
banner
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Kafkaesque
@kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
960 followers 390 following 4.2K posts
Recovering lawyer & former historian, turned fragrance critic. #ExPostie.

Love: German shepherds; history; space; photography; art; science; TV; Star Trek; Top Chef; Camus; animals; nebulae; cooking; gastronomy; & yes, fragrances.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Kafkaesque @kafkaesque2024.bsky.social · Jun 26
Joseph Heller's Catch 22 words on the surrealist, absurdist, and Twilight Zone transformation of black into white and up into down describes the Trump administration to a T, but I'm especially struck by the "Brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice" bit today. It's Stephen Miller's mantra.
A quote from Joseph Heller's book, Catch 22, that reads: "It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character."
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
"The man who loves women" is a huge compliment to give to a #fashion designer, not all of whom care for a woman's comfort or her body unless it's a toothpick.

Alber Elbaz was diff. And brilliant beyond words! RIP

Good article on him + YSL, Tom Ford, Lanvin, Gucci:
www.wmagazine.com/fashion/albe...
The Man Who Loves Women
Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz, a designer with a wonderfully one-track mind, advances his beauty agenda with a new collaboration with Lancôme.
www.wmagazine.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:38 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
@moderation.bsky.app, this is Art, not licentiousness porn or nudity. These are artistic portraits by the legendary photographer Helmut Newton of a famous actress who is clothed in 2 of the 3 shots. The partial nude 3rd shot hides genitalia & the rest is obscured. Please remove your warning label.
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social Kafkaesque @kafkaesque2024.bsky.social · 14h
2. Helmut Newton took numerous striking photos of actress Charlotte Rampling over the course of their long friendship. These ones are my favourite bc of the sensuality on display. He explored eroticism thru hints, teases, the human form. #EastCoastKin #Fashion #Photography #CelebrityPortraits
Naked Charlotte Rampling sits naked on top a dark wooden table, one arm holding a glass of wine, her legs stretched out to a wooden chair at the table's edged. She's naked but wearing heels. An ornate gold mirror is opposite the table and a chandelier hangs overhead
November 26, 2025 at 4:38 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Helmut Newton is considered by some to be the GOAT of fashion photography. I'd debate his place vis à vis others, but he was certainly the most transgressive, sexually progressive & gender fluid of all the 20th C maestros who shot #Art, not mere clothes.

A 📷🧵 of some favs. #EastCoastKin #Fashion
Elsa Perretti dressed in black Playboy bunny ears and bustier top with black high heels and stockings and black long gloves up past her elbow, stands on a NYC roof top.
November 26, 2025 at 3:09 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Mood like no other: Helmut Newton's famous "Le Smoking" (aka, tuxedo).

Iconic shot. And revolutionary in fashion photography for the gender coding switch but also for the female tuxedo, now epitomized by Yves St. Laurent. (imo, THE greatest of the great Fr. fashion designers. Don't get me started!)
Black and white fashion photograph of a woman standing slightly to the side, at an angle, in a street in Paris. She is dressed in a stark, sharp, highly tailored tuxedo suit. The model's long legs seem to go on forever in the black tuxedo pants with satin edging. The street behind her is empty, narrow buildings on either side.
November 26, 2025 at 2:16 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Vous me manquez, Dalida. Vous n'avez pas été oublié. Si belle, si triste. 'Mourir due scene,' en effet, finalement. Si seulement tu savais à quel point cela a compté pour moi.
youtu.be/NN2mxivM8Bo?...
Dalida - Mourir sur scène [Montréal 09.04.1983]
YouTube video by Dalida International
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 12:42 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Qui se souvient de Les Rita Mitsouko et Marcia Baila? 🎶

"C'est elle la sauterelle
La sirène en mal d'amour
Le danseur dans la flanelle
Ou le carton [...]
🎶
Mais c'est la mort
Qui t'a assassinée Marcia
C'est la mort
Tu t'es consumée Marcia"

Ils me manques, le '80s #Euro.
youtu.be/1zWlnzFXcKY?...
Les Rita Mitsouko - Marcia Baïla (Clip Officiel)
YouTube video by Les Rita Mitsouko
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Missing my lost tribe, the ones who understand the feeling of an entire discotheque in Monaco or St. Tropez, united, standing on chairs, tables, or their feet, bellowing Opus' "Live is Life" in joy.

Diego Maradona got it. This workout is legendary. #80sMusic #Futbol #Soccer
youtu.be/4vashrNoXTE?...
Maradona - Live is life
YouTube video by Sportus
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 10:36 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Parfums Karmic Hues sent samples of their Blithe Flora Collection a while back. Now testing Crimson Goddess & Steel Scarlet. Both unisex extraits.

Unusual, creative note lists. Ex: mixing narcissus w/ linden, incense, oakmoss & davana. Or: grapefruit w yuzu, tea, geranium, rose, hay etc. #Fragrance
Photo of two fragrance sample vials in a tin container, both pure parfums in concentration. The top part of the tin contains a black card with the name and fragrance notes of the two fragrances. "Blithe Flora collection Crimson Goddess: Red Champaca Absolute, Davana, Narcissus, Linden Blossom, Elemi, Vanilla, Frankincense, Myrrh, Moss, Sandalwood Steel Scarlet: Rose Absolute, Geranium, Black Tea, Clementine, Grapefruit ,Yuzu, Magnolia,Cyclamen, Birch Leaf Absolute, Hay Absolute, Amber, Musk, Sandalwood"
November 25, 2025 at 12:43 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Highly recommend Central Market's Wicked Triple Ginger cookies!

If you love gingerbread for the holidays, if the #BakeOff has left you drooling, and/or if you're are highly suggestible to food prompts (like me) & crave candied ginger during the show-stoppers, this has 3 types. Great burst of flavor
Cover of the cookie bag states: Central Market Wicked Thin Triple Ginger cookies Made with triple the ginger, these Central Market Wicked Thin Cookies are crispy, wispy and packed with flavor. They're a trio of ground ginger, candied ginger pulp and crystallized ginger.
November 25, 2025 at 12:14 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
The ethereal, delicate beauty of a dragonfly's wings, captured w Janus-like polarity & duality, both light & dark by award-winning #macro photographer, Javier Rupérez.

Plz click each to see the stunning stained-glass window effect up close. #Nature #Photography #EastCoastKin #MacroMonday #Insects
Extreme close-up of an Australian dragonfly that shows each cell of its wing, looking like cut crystal. The wings are transparent or translucent white but the insect's head, body, and tail are an orange red. Extreme close-up of an Australian dragonfly that shows each cell of its wing, looking like cut crystal. The wings are transparent or translucent but they look black and brown in this shot because they've picked up the dark colour of the photo's black-brown background. The insect's head, body, and tail are an orange red. Everything in the photo is coloured dark brown-black, a coppery red orange, or various shades of brown from light to dark.
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Aliens are here, amongst us! Or they're just Australian, cleverly disguised as funky insects. 😆

Photo: Incredible Javier Rupérez, one of my fav. #Macro 📷 pioneers. He turns insects & spiders into eerie, cool beauties or abstract #Art. So talented! #Photography #MacroMonday #EastCoastKin #Nature
A knobby shape in burgundy is actually an extreme macro shot of a dragonfly from its multidimensional eyes to its scabby, beetle like carapace.
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by Kafkaesque
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
"Put them up! I dare you! Yes, Mother Nature gave me boxing gloves at the end of my limbs! Fight me!"

Award-winning photographer Javier Rupérez captures the unexpected coolness of #insects thru extreme macro #photography. Like this combative Red Palm Weevil. #MacroPhotography #EastCoastKin #Nature
The upper part of a red palm weevil is captured in extreme macro closeup. It has a long thin snout or nose in shades of ochre and black. A thick grove of orange hairs grows along the bottom third of his nose/snout. His two front legs (or antenna??) stick out in a boxer's pose. The limbs are black and skinny; at their end are something fuzzy, orange, and bulbously round, almost like boxing gloves. The weevil's body is jet black, fringed with more orange filaments or hairs. The background to this incredibly striking composition of reds, ochres, oranges, and black is a graduated melange of all the shades in one.
September 2, 2025 at 11:09 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Speaking of #fashion, '70s style of oversized shag overcoats are back in #style, only now they're shorter, oversized, ultra shaggy faux fur.

I picked one up on sale to go w/ (faux) leather leggings & (faux) suede moto boots, all in chocolate brown. An outfit for when I'm free. #Vegan #RetailTherapy
November 24, 2025 at 12:48 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
It's been rough here. My late father's bday was a few days ago; my mother's dementia is ⤴️ & she went to war for 4 days, refusing to take her meds or change her diapers.

I continue to squash my grief by buying boots. #RetailTherapy is a thing. Also, big sales + vegan materials = no guilt. #Fashion
Dark chocolate brown suede moto style motorcycle boots with metal clasp and buckles. Burgundy riding boots
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
A friend wanted to learn about leather fragrances, & asked if it's true that there are diff. olfactory types & if Chanel used Cossack techniques in her Cuir de Russie.

I shared this 👇 bc it explains how the scent of "leather" is created in perfumery. If interested
kafkaesqueblog.com/2022/09/01/o...
Oriza L. Legrand Peau d'Espagne 1872 & Leather In Perfumery – Kafkaesque
Peau d'Espagne 1872 is the most recent addition to Oriza L. Legrand's collection of leather fragrances. It's supposed to center on Spanish Leather,
kafkaesqueblog.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
"Hello from Apollo!

Don't stress, hairless hoo-mans! We god-spelled-backwards angels are here to bestow our fur and our love upon your anxious, fretting, naked little selves.

What's that? 'Personal space'? Bah, no such thing for German bodyguards! Ve watch you, 24/7." #Dogs #GSD #GermanShepherd
Extreme close-up photo of a German Shepherd dog's face with a particular emphasis on his nose. It's front, center, shiny, and black. Grey and white hairs cover his muzzle, even though Apollo just turned 5. His mouth is open, revealing a long tongue in Pepto-Bismal pink. He looks as if he's smiling at the camera while asking for something: more food and a second dinner? Or is he checking in on you to see if you're okay?
November 23, 2025 at 9:09 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
No idea what this NDA comment is implying about me.

Unrelated to this fellow, do conservatives actually think that I'll reply when the very first things in my profile are "NO Trump voters, MAGA, or intensely devout, religious types. We won't be a good match" & politics is listed as a deal breaker?
November 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
"Fear thy neighbour;" "your paranoia is real."

Arlington Road w Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack & Hope Davis is a hugely under-appreciated '90s thriller w/ relevance to our current paranoias, political conspiracy theories, domestic terrorism, false flag operations & extremists. #film #Movies
Poster for Arlington Road shoes Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges
November 21, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by Kafkaesque
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
You may know aromatherapy, but what about psycho-aromatherapy? kafkaesqueblog.com/2015/09/02/a...

It's based on the brain's #neurological responses to diff. aromas. Ex: rosemary helps memory; citrus= energy; incense= calm.

+Aphrodisiacs & endorphins. #Fragrance #MentalHealth #Olfaction #Scent
Tisserand's psycho-aromatherapy chart showing which scents trigger which parts of the brain via neurological pathways.
November 18, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Reposted by Kafkaesque
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Fellow #TopChef fans, Buddha Lo was just awarded a #Michelin star! 🥳

Huso in NYC opened six yrs ago w/ "nothing more than an induction burner & a tabletop oven." www.instagram.com/buddha__lo?i...

I lack the words to convey the full extent of his culinary genius. #BucketList #Foodie #Gastronomy 🍽️👨‍🍳🍜
Instagram post announcement from Buddha about being awarded a Michelin star for Huso. He describes his journey over 6 years ago and describes his pride and gratitude at the highly prestigious culinary award.
November 19, 2025 at 2:09 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Further updates on the new #Stargate #SciFi #TV series from original producer & writer, Joseph Mallozzi:
www.reddit.com/r/Stargate/s...

The new series will NOT be a reboot. In fact, the writers are intent on keeping all the original traits, the humor, "rich mythology," adventure, "optimism & fun."
From the Stargate community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the Stargate community
www.reddit.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:39 AM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
The Rodin of modern photography, the late Herb Ritts whom I adore like no other - (not even Helmut Newton who my photog. sister worked for) - has the most elegant artistic nudes.

I hope Bluesky won't censor/blur his work bc here is a photo thread of some favourites. 🧵📷 #EastCoastKin #Art
November 19, 2025 at 11:34 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
📷🧵1. Herb Ritts, my fav. photographer of all-time, was a modern Rodin, treating the human form as fluid sculpture. Art with a capital A, always.

However, it's his celebrity portraits that most people know. They're ok or nice, but hardly Rodin, imo.

A few cooler ones, starting w/ Dizzie Gillespie:
Black and white photo of musician Dizzy Gillespie shows his face with puffed-out cheeks like a saxophone player, his hand over his mouth like a musical instrument.
November 19, 2025 at 10:18 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
From clean, crisp colognes to skanky leathers, luxury vetivers, fougères, unisex woody musks with spices (Guerlain's LIDGE! 💙), ambers, & more, there is something for everyone, I hope:
kafkaesqueblog.com/2015/10/09/f...

Even a lavender fragrance inspired by Casanova. #Scent #Perfume #Fragrance
Fragrance Recommendations: Leathers, Vetivers, Fougères & More
Every week, I get at least three or four emails from people seeking fragrance recommendations. The vast majority of them are men, but there are some women, too. Most of
kafkaesqueblog.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
kafkaesque2024.bsky.social
Big bold floriental favourites, an old list from yrs ago covering Tom Ford, Amouage, Neela Vermeire, Tauer, & other niche houses that I hope will help you explore the genre:
kafkaesqueblog.com/2015/01/25/f...

(Alas, Alahine at #1 is changed for the worse. Avoid it.) #Scent #Perfume #Fragrance
Florientals, Definitions & Big, Bold Favorites – Kafkaesque
What really is a Floriental or floral-oriental? It's a fantastic sub-genre of perfumery, but I don't think it's as easy to define as it might initially seem
kafkaesqueblog.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:30 PM