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Hello, Monday! Hello second day of spring! I know I’ve been basking in the Miami warmth for a few months now, but suddenly, I’m ready—I’m excited—for summer. It only took these 28 pictures of Princess Diana’s summer style to do the trick, but I’m there. Let the countdown begin. I’m a bit all over the place this week, with an Internet deep-dive on napkins and an ode to Tiffany jewelry of the aughts. I guess if you take anything away from this email, let it be this:
Krispy Kreme announced today that anyone who presents their COVID vaccination card gets a free Original Glazed Doughnut. The offer is valid through 2021—and doesn’t stop at just one doughnut. You can keep going back with your vaccination card and redeem a free one each time. Good for society, good for the soul!
Onto the rest:
Well Said
“People are forgotten so fast. I want to survive.” –Elsa Peretti
The Italian jewelry designer died last week at the age of 80. And if you don’t know her name, you certainly know her work, which accounts for 10% of Tiffany & Co.’s global net sales. My own entrance into womanhood was marked by her designs. In middle school, all the girls had the classic open heart necklace. They also had the silver heart tag—the one that read “Please Return to Tiffany & Co.”—but I was after the other one. It was delicate and cheeky, and so I was elated to get one for my bat mitzvah. There was probably nothing in the world I wanted more. I felt so elegant.
Years later, my parents gifted me the Sevillana ring, an open O-shape that, until now, I wear daily. It’s sturdy, a bold contrast of black and silver. I was in college and starting to feel like a serious lady. The ring helped. I love all the teeny scratches on the underside; they remind me of how jewelry becomes a part of us. And then, just a few months ago, my husband Coby gave me the bone cuff (the bone cuff!) for our first wedding anniversary. The one worn by Liza Minelli and Catherine Deneuve. It felt like an introduction to a club; the bone cuff club. While this global pandemic has us somewhat confined, I can’t wait for all the places I will go, one day, soon, cuff on hand. In writing this, I’m tempted to dust off that little open heart and wear it again. A testament to the timelessness of her work and the notion that, in so many ways, Elsa Peretti can never be forgotten.
Well Read
My current TV obsession is Call My Agent!, a French Netflix show about the ups and downs of life at a Parisian talent agency, now in its fourth season. I love the show-biz humor and the star cameos (Isabelle Huppert 💖) and the streets and balconies of Paris, which I miss so much. I love hearing the slang I remember from studying abroad and being transported back to the Festival de Cannes. The show also feels like the perfect antidote for Emily in Paris (which I also devoured, unwillingly), if only because its charm comes from a place of authenticity and imperfection. This is most evident in the character of Arlette, an agent played by Liliane Rovère, now 88. For The Cut, Sarah Miller writes about her admiration for Rovère’s approach to life and work. “The way she plays Arlette makes me yearn to be old the way most actors make me yearn to be gorgeous. Arlette is not the boss, but the doyenne, the seasoned agent, the one who was there from the beginning, and whose eyes smolder with the lessons of the past and blaze with a hard-earned sixth sense for the future,” she writes. The actor’s story, and comfort in the life she’s lived, are inspiring. You can find the piece here.
Well Fed
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What makes a bagel the best? Some might say the water. Others the lightness, or the crust. But more often than not, it comes down to a sense of hometown pride. That seems to be what’s driving much of the recent bagel debate between New York and California. For two of Miami’s best bagel makers, the question feels irrelevant. You can make a great bagel anywhere! Last week, I spoke with El Bagel’s Matteson Koche and Zak Stern of Wynwood’s Zak the Baker for The Infatuation about this. Turns out, making a bagel involves really simple ingredients, but a lot can go wrong. Much respect for these guys—and anyone else out there making bagels from scratch.
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This month, for two nights, Resy brought its fine-dining drive-thru concept to Miami. My mom and I partook in the experience, which involved driving up to various tents, each representing a different Miami restaurant—places like Planta, Mandolin, and Carbone—and sampling their fare from the car. At the beginning, we were assigned a waiter, who walked from station to station, bringing us dishes and mocktails. There were musicians playing drums and trumpets, as well as some whimsical blow-up sculptures of meatballs and other delicacies. But nothing quite topped the doughnut tunnel at the end. Overall, it was a genius idea and extremely well-executed: We were given reusable trays to set on our laps (as well as nice cutlery, hand sani, and an apron) and there was always help on-hand. Plus, we never felt rushed. The only downsides were the amount of plastic waste generated with each dish and the lack of a theme for the meal. After consuming tuna ceviche, plant-based sushi, Indian chicken, foie gras, and Italian meatballs, I realized why people go to one restaurant for an entire meal. Cohesiveness of flavor is important for both the palette and the tummy.
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As a general rule, I don’t like to give in to hype, or marketing, but most of the time I’m a sucker, so I’ll just air out all my conflicting feelings here. Today, it’s alternative milks (mylks?). After spending years committed to almond milk, in about 2017, I turned to the oat variety for its creaminess and flavor (and fine, the marketing). But even Oatly’s genius branding couldn’t hold me down forever. I’ve since moved on to Milkademia, which I found to be even creamier. (Am I just looking for standard creamer? Could be.) I now alternate between Oatly and this because I can’t quit the former so easily. The packaging is too damn catchy. This week, I find that I’m a perfect target for Táche, a new milk alternative made from pistachios, and I can’t tell if this is all just going too far. Of course, I will try it and report back. Someone has to. Until then, here is my constantly evolving mylk ranking for no one who asked:
Oatly Original
Milkademia Latte Da – and Latte Da only. Not sure what it means, but it’s very frothy.
Califia Farms Almondmilk – the curvy bottle is my favorite of them all.
Silk Unsweetened Soy Milk – the OG! Always reliable and always at your local Starbucks.
Well Made
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I thought I could find just about everything on the Internet, and usually at a lower price, but I have to admit that, today, I am stumped. After getting a request to track down these thick paper Amen Wardy™ napkins (similar here), Coby and I called up Amen Wardy, a home goods store in Aspen, to find out who their supplier is. Turns out, Amen is the one who places the orders, so the gentleman on the phone couldn’t offer any details on the product. We quickly learned that Amen died but a month ago. And it’s possible the secret of the perfect disposable dinner napkin died with him. The quest continues.
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Jenna Lyons can do no wrong. In the last few months, the former head of J.Crew has launched a line of false eyelashes, an HBO Max reality show, and a consultancy where she’ll (I imagine) bestow upon clients her brand of cool. Last fall, in concert with her new show, she launched an Instagram pop-up shop, where she partnered with local New York makers to sell unique and thoughtful things, from vintage lamps to mirrors to skincare to embroidered shirts. I made off with a bright pink jumpsuit, and I do still think about the lamp. Well, popup(ish) is back and, although I don’t want anyone to know, I want you to know! Follow along here.
I hope you have a great week! Thank you for being here.
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Weekly links and musings from my little corner of the Internet