T LOunge for February 14th, 2023

Poesia Restaurant – Bucharest, Romania

We love ourselves a LOunge that feels like a dinner party thrown by someone who owns an unusual amount of glassware and china. Let’s all settle in for a day of cozy convos and gossip, shall we?

Why Is Marie Antoinette Everywhere Again?
From a Sotheby’s auction of her furniture to a new show on PBS, 2023 is turning into quite a year for the legendary French queen.
“Marie Antoinette has always been and will always remain timeless and enduring. It’s hard to think of a comparable figure in today’s society who dictates taste to the level that she did in French society,” says Mario Tavella, president of Sotheby’s France and chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, who will give the FOMO-stricken another chance in May, when Sotheby’s Paris offers up more of Marie Antoinette’s furniture. We can also thank famed interior designer Jacques Garcia for the opportunity: In order to fund the preservation of Château du Champ-de-Bataille, the sprawling Louis le Vau-designed Normandy estate he bought in the ’90s, Garcia is parting with 75 of the masterpieces (in honor of his age) he had acquired to restore the place to its 17th-century splendor. Five of them definitely belonged to Marie Antoinette while three have been deemed by the house’s specialists to have very likely been hers too, which makes this one of the most prolific displays of treasures with M.A. provenance to be featured in a single sale.

The Gospel According to Julia Fox
With her bleached eyebrows, head-to-toe denim, and absolutely zero filter, the Queen of New York proves she was born to be famous.
Should you have missed the incessant paparazzi snaps or the viral red-carpet moments, the magazine spreads or the TikTok videos, Fox—longtime fixture of the downtown New York club scene; breakout star of the 2019 film Uncut Gems; and current obsession of a certain corner of the culture—began the year as the girlfriend of Kanye West, then ended it somewhere between West’s complete meltdown and her own meteoric rise to It Girl of the moment. (Of West’s anti-Semitism, she says: “I just feel so bad for everyone involved, to be honest. I feel bad for his family, his children. I feel bad for the Jewish people. Some of my Jewish friends are shook right now, and that fucking breaks my heart. I really, truly, would’ve never seen him taking this direction.”)

How Do You Dress for the Revolution?
Toni Cade Bambara wrote novels about how we might build a better world. But her characters always knew a good outfit could tell a great story.
Minnie Ransom is cute, okay? She’s a rootworker, a spiritual healer, a crunchy-crunchy lady whose practice transcends earthly concerns. But when we meet her at the opening of Toni Cade Bambara’s nuclear disaster prequel, The Salt Eaters, in the middle of healing a psychically broken civil rights worker, she’s wearing a flouncy red dress drawn in at the waist with kente cloth and a fringed, silky shawl that she handles like a cape. It’s a sensuous expanse of fabric enveloping her, one that makes her look like “a farmer in a Halston, a snuff dipper in a Givenchy.” There’s nothing to suggest that we shouldn’t expect her kind of woman to have on these kinds of clothes, but Bambara winks at our disconnect when a bus driver wanders past with a spot of amused interest. Kind of frisky looking, he thinks.

Forget Clickbait Clothing. The Wardrobe Is Back.
“Just clothes,” as the Proenza Schouler designers put it, are looking better than ever.
The first big story to emerge out of New York Fashion Week, which began on Friday, is something so straightforward it might sound nuts: designers are making clothes for the real world.
That might sound silly—aren’t clothes what this business is all about?—but their blazers, knit dresses, and sequin knits at Proenza Schouler’s Saturday morning show felt like a joyous relief in an era saturated with pieces that seem more like clickbait than strong, wearable, intelligent clothes.

The Best Red Nail Polishes That Never Go Out of Style
Sports car red, tomato, and classic burgundy all make for a gorgeous manicure.
While many of the best red nail polishes are getting extra shine thanks to TikTok’s viral Red Nail Theory, true beauty enthusiasts know that these timeless shades are anything but new. In between testing vibrant blues, petal pinks, and gravitating toward my holy-grail French manicure, wearing a red manicure always makes me feel like I’m That Girl.
“I love that it has a name now,” director of OPI global education design Heather Reynosa tells BAZAAR.com of the trending color theory. “In nearly 30 years of being in the nail industry, red is always a winner, and many times when a client has their partner choose a color for them, they opt for a red, more often than not. Do I think it has something to do with their mothers? Not really, but I do think there is something to a red manicure that is both sexy and conservative, flirty and strong. Confidence is attractive, and red nails are boldly confident while still very approachable to wear.”

The Secret to the Best Vinaigrette Is a Mason Jar
Your sad desk salad deserves this easy upgrade.
My mom almost always has a mason jar of vinaigrette sitting in the refrigerator door. Watching her shake it up before spooning the dressing over side salads to go with our dinner, or being told to add the usual suspects to an empty jar once I’d learned how to make vinaigrette myself were regular parts of my childhood — and when I fly home to Texas now, I can generally count on a jarto be sitting in the fridge. For me, a jar vinaigrette evokes a sense of nostalgia; but that’s not the only reason I love this simple system for making salad dressing. With or without a personal attachment, a jar vinaigrette is the best vinaigrette, because it’s family friendly, easy to prep and store, and no recipe is required.

Move Over, Tuscany: Why Croatia’s Wine Regions Should Be on Your Radar
When you think of Croatia, wine might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet beyond the turquoise beaches and historic cities that have made it a go-to summer destination, the Adriatic nation’s agrarian riches include acres of centuries-old vineyards and olive groves covering steep slopes and verdant valleys. Last year, Croatia took home a record haul of three platinum and 16 gold medals at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards, prompting even more interest in its small-batch wines (most of which aren’t exported). Now, with a growing international spotlight on its 130 indigenous grape varietals, the country is finally getting its due as a destination for wine lovers.

Friendships are our greatest asset, so why do we not celebrate them more?
Friendships are the balustrades of our existence. Our friends form the rich tapestries of our good days and hold our hands through our worst. They plug the deficits in our lives; giving us a love that may be missing, or simply different, from that of our families and romantic partners. They are not expected to expire, the way amorous connections might (although, of course, sometimes they do). They are a family you choose for yourself – and that act of choosing is what makes them so special. A community you build from common interests, shared values and a connecting rod of experience is vital. So many of these friends have been with you for so many chapters in the story of your life that often, they know you better than your family, your partner or even yourself.

‘Batgirl’ Star Leslie Grace Rejects Studio’s Claim the Axed Film Was Unreleasable: The Cut I Saw Was ‘Incredible’
In her first major interview since ‘Batgirl’ was shelved, Leslie Grace opens up how she found out about the cancellation, possibly returning to DC and Brendan Fraser’s ‘really sweet’ wrap gift
When “Batgirl” completed its seven-month production in Scotland, star Leslie Grace received a wrap gift from Brendan Fraser, who played her nemesis, Firefly, in the DC movie — a gold necklace that included two charms, a little bell and a pair of dice.
“The card said a lot of really sweet things, but he basically said, ‘I give you this necklace because in this business you gotta have a little luck. So ring your bell and never stop,’” Grace says. “It was just like, Whoa. And after all this, it’s had so much meaning.”

How to Build a Salsa Board, an Easy, Colorful Appetizer Perfect for Sharing
Move over butter and charcuterie—there’s a spicy, zesty new board option in town.
For your next gathering, go beyond a bag of chips and a jar of salsa. A more Martha approach to hosting that requires only slightly more effort is a chips and salsa board. Inspired by the cheese board, the charcuterie board, and yes, the butter board, this casual appetizer is made for sharing. So, pull out your favorite charcuterie board and get ready to create. Your board will play host to an array of salsas, chips, and other toppings that you can arrange and assemble in endless delicious combinations.

Cate Blanchett Plays Herself
The star of “Tár” reunites with her opening-scene partner for a conversation about listening to music, going before audiences, and the art of acting in life and in the movies.
I was struck not by Blanchett’s self-evident virtuosity but by her professionalism, which, of course, is the pragmatic form that virtuosity takes. Take after take, she found new things in our very discursive material that somehow added to the whole without ever breaking the continuity of the past take’s work. Meanwhile, in the predictably endless pauses between takes, we conducted a long sotto-voce conversation about Samuel Beckett, Australian theatre, eating in Berlin, and, above all, our children (she has four) and the pleasures and predicaments of raising them.

Move Over Champagne and Prosecco: Cava Is the Approachable, Affordable Sparkling Wine You Should Start Sipping
This Spanish bubbly is easy to like, food-friendly, and priced just right.
Sparkling wine can make any day feel like a celebration—pop a bottle of bubbly and it’s a party. You have plenty of options. Champagne is the best-known, but carries a hefty price tag. Prosecco and Crémant d’Alsace have their fans, too, but one we think is worth exploring is cava. This Spanish sparkler is food-friendly and easy to drink—and sommeliers say it’s a great value.
“If you like sparkling wine and would prefer to spend $20 instead of $50, try a bottle of cava,” says Catherine Smalls, master sommelier at wine club Bright Cellars. The approachable price tag, however, is not the only reason to consider cava. It was once dismissed as a budget wine not on par with Champagne—but cava makers are placing a premium on quality and making a play for consumers who love bubbly and want to drink it more often. They’re also producing aged cava that might be set to compete with Champagne.

50 Classic Valentine’s Movies Gallery: From ‘Amelie’ And ‘In The Mood For Love’ To ‘Paris,Texas’ And ‘Breathless’
As we tangoed and groaned our way out of the 80s with Dirty Dancing and When Harry Met Sally, the 90s exploded with romcom fever as Julia Robert solidified herself as the darling of romance with Pretty Woman and Notting Hill. Classic films include Chasing Amy; Ghost; 10 Things I Hate About You; Titanic; The Bodyguard; Boomerang, Cry-Baby and the marvelous Muriel’s Wedding.
Today, film studios have become more progressive, opening the doors to queer films such as Portrait of a Lady on Fire; Brokeback Mountain and Call Me By Your Name. Scroll through our picks for Deadlines’ top 50 classic Valentine’s films.

How to Fold Your Socks the Right Way—and Why You Shouldn’t Bundle Them
There are a handful of folding methods that will make your socks easier to access, while simultaneously saving space in your drawer.
There’s no denying that socks are a necessity, but they are so easy to lose—they seem to up and run when they aren’t put away properly. If you’re consistently finding stray socks without their matching counterparts, or if they’re taking up too much storage space in your drawers, it may be time to optimize your folding methods.
There are a handful of ways to fold your socks and the method you choose will depend on the type of sock you’re folding, as well as which technique you find the most efficient for your space.

What you learn about beauty and grief as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
After his brother’s death, Patrick Bringley took a job at the grandest place he could find.
After Patrick Bringley lost his older brother in 2008, he decided to take the most straightforward job he could think of in the most beautiful place he knew. He left his job at the New Yorker’s events department and spent the next 10 years as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bringley’s new memoir, All the Beauty in the World, tells the story of his time at the Met. It’s full of satisfyingly inside-baseball facts: the secret routines of the guards, the basement galleries where the Met’s earliest collections linger, the backstories of stolen art. It’s also a story of art appreciation. Bringley makes a strong case that nothing teaches you to understand a work of art better than standing in a room with it for eight hours at a time, with little to occupy you but the art and your own responses to it.

‘Ghosting,’ ‘Orbiting,’ ‘Rizz’: A Guide to Modern Dating Terms
The way we talk about relationships has drastically changed in recent years. Here is a glossary of some of the most popular words and phrases you should know.
Picture this: You’re currently single and “cobwebbing” in the aftermath of your previous failed relationship. The attractive person you thought had “rizz” is starting to exhibit “beige flags,” so you turn to your ongoing “situationship” for attention, but deep down you hope to meet someone worth “soft-launching” on Instagram. Can you relate?
To describe yourself as single and in search of a relationship is almost too simple of a label in 2023. The way we seek romantic connections, especially with the influence of social media and dating apps, has naturally altered our behaviors and language around dating.

Is That the Enticing Smell of Spaghetti Cooking? Nope, It’s a Candle.
A pantry’s worth of savory food scents, from burgers to croissants to latkes, are finding their way into luxury candles.
Food scented candles may conjure up images of the retail giant Yankee Candle and its sugary offerings, like spiced pumpkin or vanilla cupcake. But these new ones are different: Their aromas are savory, they’re sleekly packaged and they’re formulated to appeal to the kind of people who splurge on fancy candles and expensive olive oil.
Sales of high end candles in the United States have grown by 53 percent since 2019, according to the NPD group. Thanks to that surge, the proliferation of food and restaurant merchandise and an increasingly knowledgeable dining public, the food candles have taken off.

[Photo Credit: picktwo.ro, poesia.ro]

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