The January Specials: Chalets, the Ballet, and a Perfect Trench Coat

Plus, a book report and a birthday

Welcome to January’s Specials. As I mentioned the other week, I’m restructuring the way I do these newsletters a bit, and one of the changes I’m making is to absorb my Sample Platter newsletters (those monthly “what’s on my wishlist,” “a house I wish I lived in,” etc. round ups) into my monthly Specials, which were previously just lists of links to articles and things I wanted to show you. I don’t think you’ll even notice a difference but in case someone out there is a die-hard Sample Platter reader…

A HOUSE I WISH WAS MINE

Images via Mattia Aquila.

I should say “houses,” specifically the houses featured in the book The Queen of the Dolomites: Living in Cortina d’Ampezzo by Servane Giol, with photographs by Mattia Aquila. The book features the homes of several residents of Cortina d’Ampezzo, an alpine town in northern Italy known for its chalets, mountain views, and many ski runs. File this book under “On the Wish List,” too, because I need to know more about whoever’s behind these rooms.

BOOK REPORT

In the last 30 days I’ve read six books, mostly thanks to the holiday break:

1. The Plot and The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz: I really liked The Plot and had high hopes for its follow-up, but I don’t think I liked The Sequel quite as much. Both are a fun, twisty story about a writer who uses the plot of a deceased former student’s novel as inspiration for his own, which goes on to be a bestseller. Chaos and paranoia ensue. Read them—they’re fun!

2. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors: I’m a total sucker for a sister story, and Coco Mellors wrote one that broke my heart every which way. The story is about three estranged sisters and the ways they grieve their fourth sister’s death, both individually and as a family. I kept putting this one off because I felt like it would wreck me, but it turned out to be my favorite book of 2024.

3. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: This book is long—500-ish pages—but it will fly by. The God of the Woods is a thriller about a teenage girl who goes missing at a summer camp in the ‘70s and the secrets that begin to unfold around the family who owns the camp. I finished it in 24 hours—it’s great.

4. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali: The first book I read by Marjan Kamali, The Stationery Shop, is one of my favorites of all time, so I was eager to read The Lion Women of Tehran. It’s a story of the friendship between two women in 1950s Tehran and the trust, betrayal, and sisterhood between them, told over the course of many decades. Kamali’s writing is lovely—I’ll read anything she writes.

5. Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff: January 2025 has been one of my least favorite months of all time, so this quick rom-com-y read was just what I needed to get my mind off of *waves around* all this. Big Fan tells the story of a political strategist who, after a painful divorce, crosses paths with a former boy band member who she just so happens to have been obsessed with since youth. I really appreciated the lack of superfluous plot here—in just 162 zippy pages, this story packs a lot of heart.

Next up: I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue.

A RECENT PURCHASE

I just got the Carter Jacket from Sezane and it’s already my favorite trench/jacket (trenchet?) in my ever-growing “easy outerwear” collection. The silhouette is great—it’s sort of oversized and swing coat-esque, but in an unfussy, throw-it-over-anything way. Full transparency, this was gifted to me… but when have I ever lied to you? You’ll love it too.

A RANDOM ETSY FIND

I’ve never been much of a watch person, but I’ve been perusing Etsy in search of a vintage watch lately. Really, I’m just biding my time until I can buy myself a gold Cartier Baignoire someday, but we’re looking at a 20 to 30 year timeline on that purchase, so something like this 1980s Courrèges watch will be the move for now.

THREE THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE

1. Does this look familiar? Artist Polly Schindler painted Sally’s bedroom from When Harry Met Sally. I need this to be a series.

   

2. Did you see this oak table that Objet Vagabond posted the other day? It was originally a giant jewelers’ bench, but it would make for a pretty stunning dining table.

   

3. I’m so mad I didn’t know about the pointe shoe room at the newly reopened Royal Opera and Ballet before my trip to London in the fall. You can arrange a behind-the-scenes tour of the house’s backstage areas and peek into the room where shoes are repaired, dyed, and stored for the company’s dancers yourself.

   

   

AND FINALLY, A MOOD ASSESSMENT

evanrosskatz

A post shared by @evanrosskatz

Re: the inauguration, the fires in LA, the whole TikTok thing, some personal stuff, and Dorinda’s time on Traitors. Everything, really. I hope you’re hanging in there.

x

Ali

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