A list of intriguing things

One: Say goodbye to boring ‘rich people’ trends like quiet luxury and stealth fashion—and embrace your inner ‘mob wife’. Groove it like Carmela Soprano with “massive fur coats, glossy leather, animal prints, coiffed hair and stacks of gold jewellery.” You can compare and contrast the ‘Succession’ vs 'The Sopranos' look below:

As one expert puts it: 

“There is so much performance involved in being a mafia wife,” says [author Clare] Longrigg, who points out how clothing is used as a signifier of power. “You can’t show any weakness. It’s brash and it’s bold and it’s all part of keeping up a front.”

Even ‘Godfather’ director Francis Ford Coppola with this humble-brag: A pic of mob wives Diane Keaton and Connie Corleone—whose wardrobe was inspired by his mom and sister. 

The Guardian has lots more on the aesthetic. Our fave is this art collection of the OG mob wives—okay, wives of rich merchants—who embraced excess centuries ago.

Two: Imagine playing badminton with your feet! That’s what the Chinese sport of jianzi is all about—keeping a special type of shuttlecock in the air using only your feet. Here’s what the shuttlecock—which can even be made at home, DIY stye—looks like:

And this shows how this game is played:

Jianzi can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)—and evolved from something called cuju 蹴鞠 —which was often played by soldiers in their time off. A related cool fact: There is an International Shuttlecock Association—founded in 1999—which organises an annual World Shuttlecock Championships. Members include England, Finland, Germany, Indonesia—and India! This British Library blog offers an excellent introduction to the sport—and its historical roots.

Three: Moon bridges are semicircular pedestrian bridges with an exaggerated arch. The first glimpse of the design dates back to an 11th century Chinese scroll painting (Northern Song Dynasty) of a ‘Rainbow Bridge’:

Their name comes from the delightful effect of a bridge’s reflection in the water—which forms a full moon. Like this magical one in Taipei:

These bridges are also typical of Japanese tea gardens—as you can see in the lovely photo of the Kameido Shrine in Tokyo. If you want more, Science Direct has serious nerdy details about its architectural origins.