Newsletter #65: 19 February 2025
the latest in cocktail trends, my best of february, child influencer labor laws, and more.
Hello everyone,
I hope you are doing well. Happy Sunday.
Something good was in the air this week! Maybe it was sunlight. Whatever the case, I feel energized and ready to keep reading and Quizlet-ing.
And now, letter time.
5 Not Headlines
Thanks to unfavorable weather and a government-mandated reduction in the size of vineyards to curb overproduction, Bordeaux saw its lowest harvest since 1991 last year. This information comes after local bodies reported on the 2024 crop last week. As if the threat of Trump tariffs wasn’t enough pressure on producers.
In March, a capsule shoe collection by Christian Louboutin and Maison Margiela will be released. Some of the pieces will even marry both houses’ iconography: Red soles and the (controversial) divided toe look.
In a move to attract new audiences, The Metropolitan Opera is embracing contemporary operas and by putting on new stagings of the classics.
Wouldn’t it track that in such a sober-friendly world, there would be more options for people who want to reign their alcohol consumption in without abstaining altogether? Something like offering the option to half the alcohol in a $21 cocktail? I hadn’t seen it on menus in Boston, New York, or Paris, not that I was consistently looking, though.. But I’m happy to report that such a solution does, in fact, exist. Of course, it’s the British who have devised a delicious little solution for this pickle: The mini cocktail. Apparently the martini in particular apparently lends itself to such Lilliput-ification, as a small serving ensures it remains ice cold as you sip.
I have been enamored of the photos I have seen from the Harris Reed show at London Fashion Week, specifically the beauty that complemented the ready to wear collection. From hand-sewn buns to exaggerated false lashes, everything about the look was sleek, luxurious drama.
Paris Notes
I have a photo from Friday of myself in red tights, in front of the Eiffel Tower. Something about them makes me want to strike a pose. The good weather and the glass of wine I had at dinner have that effect as well, I suppose.
Unfortunately, I don’t have so much to report about my Paris this week. I can, however, tell you I’ve found my favorite steak tartare I’ve had since I moved. There’s something about the caper/dijon:steak ratio that Les Marches in the 16e has mastered. I cannot think about it too much or I will find myself there for every lunch and dinner possible.
Monthly Roundup
I am always shocked when it’s time to write one of these roundups because it’s the last Sunday of the month. But I do enjoy writing them, even though I never feel ready to bid the month farewell.
This February, these are the three things I enjoyed:
Hyacinths at home. I love having flowers around. Flowers that smell as much like spring itself are even better. The light pink ones are my favorite, and they kind of remind me of my (terribly neglected, probably weed-infested) Animal Crossing island, West Egg.
Blue skies. From the sunshine in Provence to the recent cloudless days in Paris, it’s been a joy to have been reminded that the gray is not forever.
Mismatched dinnerware. I’ve seen it at a couple of restaurants here and feel it’s the perfect touch to a certain type of cozy meal. A table set with plates of different floral patterns challenges the transient atmosphere a restaurant can often have, offering instead a welcoming tone suggestive of a dinner party or a relative’s home.
Weekly WRAP
Watching: The Pitt, which I would describe as strange and off-putting, but somehow ultimately comforting.
Reading: Lapin Malin, Eloïse’s thoughtful and calming new Substack.
Admonishing: The family influencers leaving California after Newsom signed a law which affects their earnings but protects their children.
Pondering: How many coffees is too many.
XO,
Natasha
And now, the last word: WORK