Dear Santa: I Am Both Completely Unhinged and Very Cold.
Entering my flow state: delusional shopping nirvana, motivated by warmth.
Hi, how are ya? I’m writing you from my fireplace this evening. My window is cracked open so I can hear the live Christmas carols The National Arts Club does on our street every year. New York during the holidays, I tell ya! The bucolic charm, can you even stand it?
As I wind down for the year, I made the self-indulgent decision to create a gift guide for me, and me alone. These are the things I would buy (or ask for) if money (and common sense) were no object.
And I’m sure the list will only grow with the week I have ahead! I have a fun day of be-bopping planned with Noora Raj Brown on Friday (a Yaser Shaw breakfast at Attersee, a Re/See pop-up at The Carlyle (Re/See always has the best Old Celine), lunch, and a drop-in on friends (Maison d’Etto, Liffner, Heirlome) participating in AGMES’ Holiday Market.
Also this week, The Mark is having their book launch with Assouline. Malene Birger and 6397 are showing PF ‘26 pieces. A Cassandra Grey dinner is on my calendar, which always inspires shopping. And Melanie Masarin is hosting a jewelry designer friend I’m meeting on Tuesday.
After taking in all that beauty, my delulu “Dear Santa” list might be growing as fast as the Grinch’s heart. I’ll drop anything I think you might like in Chat/Notes/Stories as I come across it this week!
Massages, mimosas, fine leather goods… treat yourself, right?
A few more seasonal delights:
I don’t use everything in my skincare wardrobe year-round. One thing I reserve for the harsh winter months is Shani Darden’s triple-acid peel and Retinol Reform. Both keep things on my visage turning over (because we hate to see a face getting dullsville).
Here’s a first access link to Toteme’s private sale.
Jamie Haller has made her first foray into handbags, and this ridonkulously oversized clutch has stolen my heart.
If you looked up “festive holiday shoe” in my imaginary fashion dictionary, you would find Jimmy Choo’s Bing Mules. They also come in an exuberant red velvet, which is so on the nose they should come with a Santa hat.
If you live somewhere relegated to mostly mall gift shopping, Madewell has a sneaky good wool sweater in a piquant shade of red that wraps up nicely. Finish up at Sephora (who is running yet another sale?) to get your m.ph and then reward yourself for knocking out your holiday shopping with a soft pretzel at the food court.
If you haven’t heard, all the cool girls are doing little babushka-style head scarves this winter. The Row isn’t your only option, either. White + Warren actually makes a great one, and also have incredibly yummy scarves that double as travel wraps.
The absolute truth via Amanda Lee Burkett. A wonderful and FREE gift idea: be happy for your friends, like their social posts, leave a comment, swing by their event, send a congratulatory text! I truly appreciate and remember the friends who reach out to me about my work… and I also definitely clock the ones who don’t. It costs zero dollars and .01 seconds to smash the like button. Speaking of cool girls, downtown skincare goddess, acne whisperer and my friend, Sofie Pavitt, used to be a handbag designer. This woman and her lore! Her side quests! Anywho, it actually makes perfect sense that she designed a handbag. A lore-driven side quest, if you will. It comes with her delightful Nice Ice frozen toner in it, of course. (JESS10 for 10% off)
Beauty from Nordstrom is always a safe gift because of the store’s infamous return policy (pretty much anytime for any reason). If the recipient isn’t a shade match, no problem. Though that’s not a concern if you opt for a teen crowd-pleaser like this well-priced Chanel lip gloss set or get your Mom/BFF the best red light mask currently on the market. Or maybe this is the moment you finally get yourself a Dyson hair dryer, since it’s on sale and all.
Weezie is a brand that reminds me of my Atlanta girlfriends with Sea Island houses, who like all things girly and sweet. I imagine them dabbing their hands dry with monogrammed bath towels, and their husbands and sons opening Daddy and me bathrobes on Christmas morning before chilly beach walks. The towels perch on Waterworks hardware, draped over a trio of ivy-filled silver planters from Page House Studio, thriving from the heat of the bathroom steam. Pictures with Santa at The Cloister. Pleasant, right?
A nice thing my fiancé does for me is giving plentiful foot rubs. TMI? Oh well. This is our favorite lotion. And now you can get it in a nice set. Should I wrap one up and put it under the tree as a hint? I also got him some nice dandruff shampoo (this brand’s results are impressive) and this scalp scratcher thing that makes him close his eyes and lean in like our dogs do, lol. Hey, the winter does things to men’s skin, too!
From December 15 until January 5, I plan to wear only the softest, warmest things I own, and that begins with Negative Underwear’s whipped henley (no bra) and long underwear, cashmere socks from Lisa Yang (Quince makes an inexpensive alt, I also like them in oatmeal and ivory) with my Christen BIG BOOTIES, The Row sweatpants and sweaters, AYR’s enormous Big Feels turtleneck, French loopback terry sweatshirts, and cashmere polos. If I have to leave the house, my Phoebe Philo capoosh/very soft M.Gemi boots.
My step dad, one Leander Herschel Graves III, has no idea how to read The Love List, nor I imagine any interest in doing so since it does not cover football, fishing, or gardening, nor does it contain hints to the NYT crossword. So I feel safe disclosing that he’s getting a pair of these Bose headphones for Christmas, white ones, to live next to his arm chair, so as not to be confused with his black ones, which live on his desk.
Englebert trunk show on Moda alert!
Helmut Lang shot a campaign of New Yorkers and their pets, including a girl living my dream with her Angora house bunny. There is also a Pomeranian named Bonk. BONK! Anyway, it made me look at their clothes for the first time in a while, and I think this vest styled over a button-down with these jeans would look great.
Are we already thinking about resolutions? Figlia and Ghia for dry January? AG1 smoothies to flood my post-holiday body with nutrients? A skincare/sleep vitamin double-down? Idk. That’s a question for January. Right now, I will be drinking Cann in my soft pants because I am a grown-up and I can do what I want. You can’t stop me. Blood Orange is the best flavor.
You know what I always forget about? The Outnet! There are some major treasures on there, like tons of heavily-discounted Khaite, many, many pairs of half-off boots, and loads of Perfect Moment for the on-trend ski bunnies.
I’m going to a Banana Republic dinner this week that Antoni Prowoski is hosting, and they kindly asked me what I’d like to wear. I opted for this leather jacket, black crewneck cashmere sweater, and this perfect balaclava, and if I hadn’t told you that, you’d guess it was a much more expensive outfit.
Friendly reminder that you can always shop everything I’m finding online in real time in my edit on THE SHOP, and every single live discount code we have can always be found on our codes page — many are better than any of the discounts we saw for BF/CM week and include fast shipping upgrades for gift shoppers.
There’s that Lalique vase again…manifesting it for you!
The way I ran to subscribe! 🤗