OK, first things first: I am not a regular (or even semi-regular) reader of Monocle. Why? Because while I've found it to be a smart, well-designed magazine on the few occasions that I've perused it, the publication features an abudundance of pretentious articles printed in a teensy weensy typeface and, well, I've got better things to do with my time. Like watch my cat snooze. Or pick lint out of my bellybutton. Or see how many Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownies I can consume without barfing. I'm just kidding. I don't own a cat. But my ambivalence about Monocle the magazine hasn't prevented me from enjoying Monocle the candle, which I discovered when visiting their West Village outpost (because all magazines need to be retailers now, too, or haven't you heard?). I'm partial to Monocle Scented Candle One: Hinoki, which was developed by the good folks at Comme des Garcons, is packaged in a matte black glass container and smells like a rich, woodsy mix of moss and cedar and cypress and pine (or as the Monocle site puts it "a perfectly still, slightly chilly spring morning spent soaking in an indoor/outdoor tub at the Tawaraya in Kyoto") with hints of incense, thyme and vetiver. Yes, it's overpriced at $85. Yes, it's pretentious for a magazine to have a signature scent. And yes, their description of it prompts a wicked case of the retarded tingles. But I don't care. It smells divine and makes me swoon with delight every time I put match to wick. Subscription not required.
graphic design by K Sarna