Happy Thanksgiving!
One of my favorite things about Europe is how insanely far reaching America’s influence is — they do Black Friday and Cyber Monday here, if you can believe it. It’s become a dedicated tradition, the same way it is in the US, only it’s a completely meaningless title devoted purely to the pursuit of capitalism. There’s no Thanksgiving here. They didn’t even bother to somewhat co-opt it and hold some kind of a “Giving Thanks Thursday” — a la the American Giving Tuesday. They just launched straight into it.
So in the name of sales, and in the spirit of unfettered imperialism, I thought I’d continue with the Gift Guide I started in Dinner at Sera’s, vol. 30 and do a roundup of all my favorite things (fashion, home decor, art, etc) on the internet right now. And of course — this week’s thoughts on achieving your dream life.
Sera’s Holiday Gift Guide (week 2)
For the cool guy in your life: This is a bit subjective (how cool can men really be! ha ha!) but there are few things more intoxicating than a really good art book. If you’re based in Berlin, Apartamento Magazine is doing a pop up until December 22nd, with plenty of signed special editions and sold-out books. If you’re looking for something a bit more universally accessible, might I recommend BAO — the cookbook of the eponymous London restaurant. Even if they’re not particularly skilled in the kitchen, it’s one very chic book.
For the cool girl in your life: You already know what I’m going to say. The CBK coffee table book. I only recently found out (on TikTok, of course) that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy almost never wore jewelry, a fact which is well documented in the book.
For the fashion lover: When I lived in New York City, I used to have Rent the Runway’s monthly unlimited subscription (life changing) and I rented this Alexis top so often, that I eventually ended up purchasing it. It was expensive ($350ish) but well worth it in terms of ROI. I’ve worn it pretty much every single weekend for the last five years. If you’re looking to make an investment that will last, I love the Dozza skirt (and its accompanying Pierce top).
For those in need of deinfluencing: Sézane was kind enough to gift me a few items a few months back and one of the pieces I chose was the viral Gaspard Cardigan in red. It’s beautiful (albeit a bit itchy), but I unfortunately did not read the notes on the item when choosing my size, and instead (foolishly?!) assumed that ordering from a French brand would mean the clothes would run small. I ordered what is normally my true size, a medium, and it fits significantly larger than anticipated. I would have definitely preferred a small, maybe even an extra small, to get a tighter fit. I have a video of me wearing it here and as you can pretty clearly see, it really does nothing for me. I wore it out of the house exactly one time and a male friend of mine asked me why I looked “so much frumpier” than usual so take that with a grain of salt.
Living intentionally
My philosophy is that, at any given moment, you’re only about three-to-five small changes away from living your dream life in your dream home.
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