Plan your summer vacation
David Sedaris wrote a balmy essay in the New Yorker in November about the pitfalls of travel and vacation. (“Our dinners on the island were well thought out and prepared. Everyone but me was a terrific cook, and after eating we spent hours around the table, talking about America the way people in a play might.”) I appreciate that he goes out of his way to make it clear, in every essay he writes, that he has a hot husband.
I’m in Ireland thinking about sweaters. My knitwear from The Row has not stood the test of time. (And by test of time, I mean since I bought a sweater in August at The Row a.k.a. the old Tiina store, and now it’s pilled to hell.) I’m thinking about Tiina Laakkonen because Lauren Sherman, in an ingenious move, had her on the pod this week. I didn’t know Tiina was on instagram. Her husband is, too. (Theirs is a love story.) The New York Times helpfully listed some of Tiina’s favorite “obscure” brands: Toogood, Arts & Science, Arpenteur, Dosa, Bergfabel, Wommelsdorff, Daniela Gregis.
Speaking of stores, I was delighted to see this photo of an old Katherine Hamnett store. Bring back fishtanks!! If you have a tall, thin, preeny, artsy boyfriend, Constant Practice has great Katherine Hamnett stuff for a shirtless vacation in Italy (size 30 waist).
Since I’m in Ireland, I’d like to recommend a custom An Púcán sweater exactly to your specifications. Laura Reilly tipped me off that you can actually send them a photograph of an old sweater from your childhood, and they will remake anything.
It’s worth checking out all the goods on Old Stone Trade. I noticed they are selling lingerie from one of the best lingerie shops in Florence: Loretta Caponi. Her couture lingerie is my favorite, but you can also get a great barefoot on vacation with a baby look going. Likewise, if you’re doing a homespun Fourth of July this year, try this.
Random links
Watch the most important Ukrainian film: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964). A beautiful love story.
I’m a board game fanatic. One of my husband’s best friends is on the way now with Kingmaker, a game I have never played.
There’s a wonderful thread on the “Chat” section of Gift Guide about wall calendars. A reader tipped me off to the Central Park Conservancy wall calendar for 2025.
I think every child should have a canopy bed. My husband suggests the (semi-obscure?) World War 2 film Night of the Generals. Omar Sharif plays a Gestapo policeman trying to track down a general who has been murdering prostitutes across Europe. Peter O’Toole is in it, too.
I noticed that Andie Dinkin has all inquires directed to his own email: andiedinkin@gmail.com. That might mean you can get a good deal on a painting or commission, since there’s no gallery go-between. Give it a shot, I love these debauched scenes:
I am slightly obsessed with John Wheeldon’s complicated flower vases!
Look at these wonderful tiles. What happened to color?!
Vacations
It’s time to start planning your summer vacation.