Boarding School

Another gift guide, what to do in Connecticut, a dream come true

Today, I’m going to a private sample sale, something I’ve never done before. I was supposed to be part of a reading on Thursday and can no longer make it, in case you saw the flyer and were planning to see me there. Should I activate the chat function for Selling Out? Now that Miranda July, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Mary Gaitskill blog here, too, a certain social media light has gone from red to green, for better and for worse. Maybe you’ve noticed. No matter what, any addition to this account would be paywalled. To be horribly honest, because you-know-what is taking over copywriting/ad jobs, money must be made more inventively (selling out).

Another thing: maybe don’t reply to these emails, because those often get sent to the junk folder I forget to check. DM me instead? I can’t believe I’m requesting that. DM me good things. Speaking of, since Mario Sorrenti himself has posted the image on Instagram, I’m allowed to repeat that getting my portrait taken by him (for Holiday magazine’s New York issue) and being styled by the one and only Camilla Nickerson was a real high point in this so-called career.

Explainer for the kids: Sorrenti is responsible for Calvin Klein’s 1993 Obsession ads, starring his girlfriend at the time, Kate Moss (for the men’s fragrance, she photographed him). Nickerson styled George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video (1990), starring all the supermodels and featuring Sorrenti. She was on the cover of Vogue Italia’s February 1993 issue, photographed by Steven Miesel. So, legends.

A possible reason I don’t really partake in Christmas gifting is the holiday’s proximity to the birthday I share with my twin. It’s next week. Throwing a party is contentious because everyone is overbooked or out of town, and so sometimes I say I’ll do something in January instead but never do. Even if the seasonal spirit of giving doesn’t strike me, I like the guides in the same way I like end-of-year best-of lists. For Camille Sojit Pejcha’s, I’ve recommended a bouquet subscription (nonspecific, I don’t know what kinds of flowers your loved ones like) and some other ideas, throughout the post. I’ve also added recs to my Perfectly Imperfect profile (none of them gifts).

A few weeks ago, I was bused up to the Mayflower Inn & Spa dressed in a Markarian party dress for a dinner toasting the brand’s designer, Alexandra O’Neil’s holiday decorations for the hotel. Waiting for our ride, a woman who I assumed was on the publicity team ate from a Sugarfish to-go box the size of an advent calendar while sitting on the sidewalk, saying she didn’t want to scent the sprinter van with sushi.