T LOunge for January 21st 2024

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PinThe Library Bar – Venice, Italy

Let’s get cozy, kittens. It’s TUESDAY and the world outside is cold and gray (both literally and metaphorically). Let’s spend the day in a LOunge where the lighting is flattering, the seats are comfy, and absolutely not one shred of evidence that the outside world even exists is anywhere in view.

The One: On the 20th anniversary of a landmark collaboration comes a re-edition of a Louis Vuitton classic
Where fashion meets art history
The wave of noughties nostalgia recently back in fashion has brought with it an arsenal of old favourites, now newly collectible and investment-worthy. On the 20th anniversary of a landmark collaboration that united the fields of art and fashion (now each something of a mainstay of one another’s industries) comes a re-edition collection of the iconic Louis Vuitton x Murakami collection. If you missed out the first time, now is your second chance.
Back in 2003, as part of the spring/summer 2003 collection, when Marc Jacobs was at the helm of the house (as its first ever ready-to-wear designer), the partnership with the contemporary Japanese artist on signature handbags and leather goods paved the way for a slew of future team-ups, both for the house itself (further artistic collaborations have included with Marc Newson, Cindy Sherman, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons to name a few), and in fashion generally. Epitomising Y2K style, the collaboration has lived on beyond its original years, particularly on resale sites.

These are the everyday jewellery pieces to invest in now and wear forever
Timeless pieces, worth the investment
When it comes to jewellery, there are, in my opinion, two distinct categories: firstly bold, statement-making pieces (be sure to check our our round up of the biggest jewellery trends for 2025) —such as the giant crystal earrings that you dust off for the Christmas party or a playful beaded anklet you wear all summer long—and then there are the everyday staples that you barely, if ever, take off.
The latter often becomes part of your personality, almost like a second skin. Think of the curated earring stack that adorns your ear day-in, day-out or a welded bracelet that feels like it’s almost part of you. These pieces that we live in are practical in our busy lives, adding an element of effortless elegance to any outfit, with very little thought involved but also become arguably more sentimental than anything else we wear. Furthermore, everyday jewellery is the epitome of the age old consideration of ‘cost-per-wear’ value, making it well worth an investment in quality.

I’ve tried hundreds of lipsticks, but these are the 10 that last the longest
From stains to liquid formulas
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with lipstick. As a beauty editor, I have hoards of the best lipsticks at my disposal but find myself rarely reaching for them. The reason? I find it tedious having to regularly check my reflection to check to see that it still looks good and hasn’t transferred across my entire face unknowingly. That’s where the best long-lasting lipsticks come in.
Although I love a balmy, glossy lip and the ease of just slapping some lip balm on, I equally love how put together and elevated a lipstick makes me feel and a transfer-proof, long-lasting liquid lipstick formula tends to be the one that I grab to help me do that without the fear of getting it everywhere. I don’t want to let these wonderful lipsticks gather dust, I want to wear them.

I’m bringing back this beauty product that I haven’t worn since school and it’s changed my make-up game
No, it’s not Dream Matte Mousse.
When discussing my best mascara tips recently with friends. Some of them were shocked by admission that I have started dabbling with clear mascara again. You remember clear mascara, the product you used in school when you weren’t allowed to wear make-up. But would you believe me if I said it’s become a staple in my everyday routine as a 20-something beauty editor? Well you better because it’s true.
Thanks to the best eyelash serums, I have fairly long lashes naturally. Because of this, I don’t always like a super intense mascara day-to-day as it can give them a bit of a spidery look. If I’m going out then of course I reach for one of my favourite jet black formulas – Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara is a current favourite – but when I’m hitting up my local coffee shop for a work sesh, I want to keep it very minimal.

I spent years learning to embrace my natural curls, so why have I started straightening my hair again?
Straight hair – like thinness – is once again the beauty standard, and I’ve fallen for it.
I’ve always wanted to be Julia Roberts. Specifically, 1997 Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding: a blazer-wearing journalist with, notably, a mane of sensational, very natural-looking curls. As I sat and rewatched the film for the millionth time, marvelling at her hair, I clocked that mine – which is not dissimilar in texture or curl pattern – was styled poker straight. Again. In fact, it’s been like this for most of the past month or so. It’s as if the two years I spent refusing to straighten my hair, between 2021 and 2023, (and the following year of straightening it a lot less) never even happened.

Rachel Syme on Reviving the Lost Art of Letter Writing
The creator of a pen pal project that has drawn tens of thousands of participants across the globe chats about her new book, Syme’s Letter Writer, and the joy and connective power of snail mail.
Is there anything quite as intimate as receiving a good letter—or reading someone else’s? And yet it’s an endangered pleasure in our era of the ephemeral phone call, the thrown-off text. New Yorker writer Rachel Syme was in the stir-crazy early months of the pandemic, scribbling notes to friends and family, when she put out an open call on social media: Was anyone interested in a pen pal? Yes, some 15,000 people. Four years later, when we speak, Syme’s ring finger is stained Lamy Turquoise, the splotch a product of one of her prized fountain pens, the Pilot Custom 823, and she has just received a package of macarons from one of her correspondents, this one in France.

Why It’s Time To Consider Argan Oil In Your Skincare Routine
Here’s how the nourishing ingredient can help with parched winter skin
Face oils are big news, especially for those prone to very parched skin and anyone dealing with the onset winter dryness. You’ll often see squalane listed in the ingredient list of a good face oil, but as it turn out, a sleeper hit that’s worth knowing is none other than argan oil.
Argan oil is particularly popular in haircare products like hair oils; so much so that there’s even brands that solely focus on the ingredient (looking at you, Moroccanoil). But given its hydrating and nourishing prowess for our hair, we can’t help but question: is our skin missing out on the benefits of argan oil? Could this be another unsung skincare hero that deserves prime spot on our bathroom shelves?

How Do You Find Your Personal Style?
From Gen Alpha to an almost-centenarian, we asked six stylish people to share how they discovered their formula for getting dressed.
In an era of ultrafast fashion and rinse-and-repeat trends that all sort of feel the same, there seems to be a shortage of true personal style. The kind of distinct wardrobe that feels original and inspired. Something fresh.
Not that it’s easy to find one’s sense of style. How do I want to dress? It’s a surprisingly complicated question. Internet micro-trends might seem like cheat codes, but TikTok’s-core du jour often says more about your algorithm than anything specific to you. Even when you do manage to develop a fashion identity, it’s always subject to change; life events—motherhood, a career pivot, a loss—can sever your connection to clothes and require a re-thinking of how you dress. And just like that, you’re muddling through fashion influencer feeds and newsletters and trying to figure it all out again.

Brief History of First Ladies and Their Hats
American first ladies beginning with Martha Washington in the late 1700s up until the mid-twentieth-century wore hats as a form of public protocol. Fashion conventions (and tastes) began to change—and by the 1960s, it was no longer necessary for women to wear hats in public as a means of being “socially acceptable.” […]
Since Kennedy, first ladies including Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton have all accessorized with hats for key public events, which historians say is a result of their British counterparts’ influence. “The royal family, who are constantly wearing hats, have a big impact on first ladies, especially since Kate Middleton came onto the scene,” Chrisman-Campbell notes. “American First Ladies don’t have to wear hats, but what the royal family wears factors in.”

This Is the Up-and-Coming Italian Region You Should Visit This Summer
If you think of southern Italy as a boot—Puglia the heel, Calabria the toe, and Sicily the misshapen football being kicked into the Mediterranean Sea—then Basilicata, the region that houses Matera, occupies the slightly less glamorous position of its instep. Yet that also means it contains a little bit of everything, from dramatic mountain ranges and lush national parks to charming beach towns and ancient cities. And when I describe Matera as ancient, I mean ancient.

These Are the Most and Least Processed Foods at Your Grocery Store
Some just may surprise you.
Ultra-processed foods are linked to a host of serious health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, making them products most people want to avoid. However, because these foods are found in so many products at the grocery store, it can be tough — and incredibly confusing — to determine which items fall into this category.

14 Design Mistakes That Are Making Your Home Look Less Than Dreamy
Not loving your space? These pros can help.
Your home is where you enjoy family time, entertain friends and rest and recharge, so it’s only right that it looks its best. But if you’ve struggled to find the right mix of budget-friendly decorating choices for your space — be it a bedroom retreat, kitchen or living room — we’re here to help.
Regardless of whether you’d consider yourself a proud minimalist or longtime maximalist, there are some common design mistakes that make your home look bad or tacky. That’s why we took the liberty of checking in with some professional interior designers to find out about these pitfalls (brace yourself because they didn’t hold back). Use their honest advice below to choose the best furniture, decor and color palette for every room in your home. You might even spot an organizing tip or two!

I care a lot about climate change. Does that mean I can never ever fly?
My extreme self-sacrifice is making me resent my friends who fly all the time.
I’ve tried to take the approach of flying less frequently and staying for longer periods of time, but I feel resentful toward the carefree way I see friends around me approaching this issue, like flying out every month to watch a game. I feel like I’m torturing myself with guilt over something that no one cares about, and that the good I do by avoiding the one roundtrip I would take on a vacation per year is erased by the behaviour of my peers.
On the other hand, the contribution my annual flight would make, in terms of global emissions and demand in the airline industry, is minuscule.

How a Monument to Women Finally Won a Place on the National Mall
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument, which will be the Mall’s first dedicated to women’s history, overcame congressional and other roadblocks.
When completed, the Women’s Suffrage National Monument will be the first on the Mall honoring women and their history. But it could also very well be the last, given a 2003 law banning new monuments there.
The site of the suffrage memorial has yet to be determined. And there is no design yet. But that its backers won a rare exception illustrates the complexities of navigating the intricate politics surrounding the most symbolically freighted patch of civic real estate in America.

Bob Dylan’s Draft of Lyrics, Once Tossed in Trash, Sells for $500,000
Two pages of lyrics, written in the kitchen of a pioneering rock ‘n’ roll journalist, offer glimpses into the Nobel Prize-winning musician’s writing process.
Two sheets of yellowed stationery are crumpled but intact, with typewritten lyrics and scribbled changes that offer a rare glimpse into the creative process of their famed author as he penned one of the best-known songs of the 1960s.
The early drafts of Bob Dylan’s 1965 chart-topper “Mr. Tambourine Man” sold this weekend for more than $500,000, according to Julien’s Auctions, the California-based house that facilitated the sale.

A Woman, on Full Show
In “The Last Showgirl,” Jamie Lee Curtis upends a host of cinematic clichés about women.
As a veteran of ’80s Hollywood, Ms. Curtis knows something about the limitations of “sexpot” roles, and her history adds depth to her performance here. Initially known for her statuesque figure and gamine looks, she found early fame playing “sexy” — as a “scream queen” in horror movies, a leotard-clad aerobics instructor in “Perfect,” or a tragic Playboy model in “Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story.”
In recent years, Ms. Curtis has spoken often about resisting all the dieting and cosmetic interventions expected of actresses. (She has blamed plastic surgery for “wiping out generations of beauty.”) “This word ‘anti-aging’ has to be struck,” she said in an interview. “I am pro aging. I want to age with intelligence, and grace, and dignity, and verve, and energy. I don’t want to hide from it.”

26 Recipes With Beets, Including Soups, Salads, Cakes, and More
These recipes make the most of this nutritious, vibrant vegetable.
Although they may look intimidating at the grocery store, beets offer a delicious way to add color and nutrients to your meals. You can pickle, roast, boil, or enjoy them raw. Their earthy, sweet flavor pairs well with other vegetables and even plays nicely in desserts. Its vibrant hue adds beautiful color to any dish, making it an even more impressive addition. There are countless ways to incorporate beets into your weekly meals. Ahead, we’re sharing some of our favorite recipes with beets.

6 Paint Colors That Make Your Living Room Look Smaller, According to Interior Designers
These bold hues can still work in a space—but use them carefully.
White and pastel hues have long been trusted for making spaces feel open and airy. On the other end of the spectrum, darker, more dramatic hues often shrink a room, making it feel small. That’s not always a bad thing—sometimes this can create a more grounded, defined atmosphere—but often it can make a space feel moody and cramped.
This dilemma is especially apparent in the living room, which is an area that most will want to feel open, spacious, and welcoming to guests. We spoke to interior designers about the six colors that will make your living room look small—and that you may want to use sparingly, depending on the scenario.

This Fairytale Castle Is in the Middle of an Underrated UK City — and It Hosts Movie Nights, Concerts, and Festive Markets
Though it’s almost 2,000 years old, Cardiff Castle is a vibrant pop-culture hub in the city center.
Imagine living in a city with a fairytale castle at its center where royalty, politics, and pop culture mingle. That’s what the 300,000 inhabitants of Cardiff — the capital of Wales and just a short train ride from London — get from the young city’s historic castle. This exquisite and eclectic destination hides an ever-changing cast behind its Romanesque walls.

Greece’s Most Underrated Site Is a 2,500-year-old Monument Most Tourists Don’t See — but This Cruise Line Takes You There
Abercrombie & Kent’s Adriatic Voyage takes passengers through the heart of the Corinth Canal.
Commonly referred to as the cradle of Western civilization, Greece is rich with archaeological treasures, from the marble columns of the Parthenon to the Oracle of Delphi. Many of these attractions are so popular, though, that the country recently adopted measures to thin out the high-season crowds. But one hidden gem remains largely overlooked by most travelers: the Corinth Canal.

This Medieval City Was a Viking Fortress, a Wool-trading Center, and a Railway Hub — and Now It’s the Perfect History-focused Getaway
Discover 2,000 years of history amid the picturesque streets of York.
A Roman fortress, then a Viking stronghold, followed by a Medieval wool-trading center, then an Industrial railway hub, and finally, a confectionary capital. In the centuries since its founding in 71 AD, the walled city of York has reinvented itself many times and, in doing so, has become inextricably woven into the rich tapestry of English history.

[Photo Credit: nolinskivenezia.com]

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