Gourd season is past us and Christmas lights are going up all across town. Saks Fifth Avenue has inaugurated its epic facade display and I’m suddenly craving hot chocolate with one giant square marshmallow in the middle. But before we enter holiday season in earnest, can we talk about Black Friday for a second?
This year, more than any other, the “shopping Super Bowl” has seemed to last an eternity, with sales extending well into last week, giving me way too much time to ponder some purchases I probably didn’t need. I did stock up on my favorite t-shirt, Alo bootcut leggings, and a Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch sweater, in case you were wondering. Speaking of, if you’re on the hunt for a gift, here are some ideas.
Well Read
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[Shameless self-promotion incoming.] For The Cut, I recently interviewed the globe-trotting gallerist Rachel Lehmann about how she gets things done. Lehmann is a pioneer in the art world: she brought American artists like David Salle and Jeff Koons to Europe and Catherine Opie to Asia. I appreciated her candor and self-assuredness, like when she described to me the balance between work and mothering:
“I have to say, and I’ll be very straightforward, that my career took priority. I don’t regret it. I really had no other choice for myself than to make it as a woman. There was little place for people like myself. I remember traveling somewhere and very clearly explaining to my 3-and-a-half year-old daughter at the time that I loved her very much, however, I had another life that I had to respect.”
It was also amazing to hear about her upbringing and how it shaped her taste and eye for art. Read the full piece here.
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In celebration of Miami Basel this week, here’s a beautiful piece by gallerist Nina Johnson about why she started her career—and stayed—in Miami.** It’s hard to pick out just one excerpt, but to give you a sense for Johnson’s perspective:
“There has always been an element of underworld runaway in Miami; I was in high school when OJ Simpson moved in around the corner from my parents’ house. Miami has also been a refuge for everyone else unwanted, discarded. A refuge for immigrants from Cuba, from Haiti, from Central America, from Europe. When my parents relocated from Detroit to Miami, my mother, originally from Guatemala, was so relieved to be in the sun and among Spanish speakers she landed in the ER with sun poisoning. She had lain in the sunshine for 12 hours, rinsing off the decade of Detroit’s gray cold, back within a three-hour flight of her family and home, in a city where her employer wouldn’t likely ask questions like, ‘Do people in Guatemala live in trees?’ It seemed inconsequential to her that this was the same year Life Magazine declared Miami ‘The Most Dangerous City in America.’”
In Miami, Johnson has found identity and community in the deepest, richest sense. And she created a space where she could operate by her own rules, showcasing “all the weirdos that don’t fit anywhere else.” Read it in full right here.
**I’ve written about some of the artists Johnson has exhibited in the past, including Cassi Namoda and Madeline Donahue.
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Lastly, for her 40th birthday, (writer? influencer?) Alexa Chung offered up 40 pearls of wisdom with Vogue. It’s a quick and light read, including tips like:
7. Men’s socks are far superior to women’s socks. Why do people think women want very short, very thin, weirdly patterned socks like we are nine years old? I now buy all of mine from the men’s department.
and
14. I used to live in fear of seeming stupid if I didn’t know something. One of the most rewarding things I have come to know is that nothing bad happens if you say, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Well Drawn
Perhaps this Dave Ostow cartoon feels particularly appropriate now, as I’ve just taken to a tray of homemade brownies using the trusted fork method. I like it because it means one less dish to clean and you never have to know how much you’ve eaten. Best consumed hovering over the kitchen counter.
Well Worn
We just returned from Argentina for my brother and sister-in-law’s beautiful and magical wedding and, though there was little time to window shop (or to shop-shop for that matter), I left with a few brands that caught my attention, below.
Curatoria Design | One of the few stores I did walk into was Curatoria, which sold beautiful silver jewelry, incredible belts, and an excellent pair of suede wide-leg pants. Prices were steep for Argentina, but I don’t exaggerate when I say I wanted every single thing in there.
Ayma | You kind of have to feel the materials here for yourself, but trust me when I tell you the quality is excellent. This place makes for special gifts you can’t really find Stateside.
JT | Okay, I did manage to buy one thing (but just the one!) during our whirlwind trip. It was a gray patchwork button-down from JT, a store my mom turned me on to. I love the geometric construction of the garments, but at the end of the day, they’re quite simple in the best way. Down the street, I saw an elegant older woman wearing a black shirtdress with metal accents on the collar; of course, when I asked her where it was from, she said it was a past-season item from JT.
Fueguia 1833 | Gabriela Hearst recently collaborated with this Patagonian perfume house, so you know it means quality (but that it is still niche enough). The brand has two stores in New York, which is worth noting because perfume really isn’t something you can purchase from afar.
Matriarca Arte Nativo | Chaguar is a local, handspun textile that is woven in traditional ways to make bags, bracelets, and ponchos. These things also pack small, which is a big plus for taking back souvenirs.
Kostume | A bit on the grungier, more design-forward end is Kostume, a brand my mom and I have been following for years. It’s usually not a visit to Buenos Aires without a visit to this Palermo shop.
Mara Zuckermann | Zuckermann’s shoes are true originals. Leather sneakers with woven elements, artisanal flats, and beaded sandals are all on my list.
That’s it for now! Signing off with this extremely relatable clip of the great Aretha Franklin sharing her biggest challenge in 2008: