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New and Noteworthy: January 2023

by habituallychic

01 . 11 . 23

I can’t believe it’s January 10th already. Time flies when trying to get back on track after the holidays. The one time I don’t mind climate change is when it’s warm and mild in January in New York. It makes getting out and doing things a lot easier but if you live in one of the areas with rain and bad weather, I’ve got some things for you to watch while you are hunkered down at home.

I had heard of the Los Angeles based restaurant Gjelina but I had never eaten there but now I can in their newly opened space on Bond Street in New York. They are not accepting reservations at the moment to expect to wait in line to experience their popular “locally-sourced, produce-forward” dishes and pizza.

The Neue Galerie is a hidden gem museum on the Upper East Side. It was conceived by art dealer and museum exhibition organizer Serge Sabarsky and businessman, philanthropist, and art collector Ronald S. Lauder and devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design, displayed on two exhibition floors. Currently on view through February 13, 2023 is the The Ronald S. Lauder, “a major exhibition featuring approximately 500 works from the collection of the museum’s co-founder and President, many of which have never been on public display. The exhibition provides unique insight into one of the finest private collections in the world and introduces visitors to the mindset of a passionate lifelong connoisseur of art, whose forward-thinking vision laid the groundwork for the museum.” See the show and then stop for a meal or sweet treat at Cafe Sabarsky downstairs which inspired by “the great Viennese cafés that served as important centers of intellectual and artistic life at the turn of the century”.

Mark your calendars because Beyond the Light: Identity and Place in Nineteenth-Century Danish Art will open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on January 26, 2023 and will run through April 16, 2023. “Denmark in the nineteenth century experienced the disastrous fallout of the Napoleonic Wars, the devastating bombardment of Copenhagen, bankruptcy, and mounting antagonism with Germany. Yet, this sociopolitical and economic tumult also gave rise to a vibrant cultural and philosophical environment for nineteenth-century Danish artists. Beyond the Light places the drawings, oil sketches, and paintings created by these artists firmly in this period, one that witnessed the transformation of a once-powerful Denmark into a small, somewhat marginalized country at the edge of Europe. Danish artists forged a close-knit community during this time, and the artworks they created explore notions of place, identity and belonging, and what it means to travel and return home.”

The Winter Show, formerly known as The Winter Antique Show, kicks off the winter event season each year and will run from January 20-29, 2023 at the Park Avenue Armory. The “breadth of works spanning 5,000 years will be presented by over 65 internationally renowned dealers” and will benefit the East Side House Settlement through ticket sales. There are also special events during the show including the Young Collector’s Night and Connoisseurs Night.

One of the best new films I’ve watched recently is The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix. It stars Christian Bale as a retired detective who recruits an astute West Point cadet named Edgar Allan Poe to help him solve a grisly murder mystery at the U.S. Military Academy. Do yourself a favor and watch it without Googling anything else because the ending will blow you away. I thought the acting was superb and Harry Melling doesn’t so much play Edgar Allen Poe as channel him.

If you want a fun escape or to watch a show that might inspire you to up your reps at the gym, I highly recommend Vikings: Valhalla season two which starts airing on Netflix on Thursday, January 12th. I enjoyed season one or at least looking at the buff body of Leo Suter, previously of Sanditon, who plays Harald Sigurdsson against Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson in Scandinavia.

The third season of Miss Scarlett and The Duke was available online around Thanksgiving but it’s not airing on PBS and I hope you’ll give it a try. I really love this show and will always sing the praises of the “will they or won’t they” chemistry between Miss Scarlett, a female private investigator in Victorian London, and her friend Scotland Yard Detective Inspector William Wellington, known as The Duke. It’s a delightfully charming show.

I posted The Menu last month but just watched it when it became available on HBOMax. The black comedy won’t be for everyone but if you’ve ever eaten at molecular gastronomy restaurant or Blue Hill at Stone Barns, you will appreciate the ridiculous and humor as well as the morality play feeling.

I set a calendar reminder to order online tickets to Living in one of the film festivals and still missed out so I’m excited to see the film that is now out in theaters. It stars Bill Nighy as a veteran civil servant in post World War II London who receives a medical diagnosis that inspires him to move to the south coast and cram some fun into his remaining days. He meets a sunny young female colleague who seems to have the pep that had previously escaped him.”

The new book, The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World is getting rave reviews and even though I told myself that I’m not allowed to buy any more new books this year until I read the ones I already own, I many have to give in. “Historian Paul Fisher offers a vivid life of the buttoned-up artist and his unbuttoned work. Sargent’s nervy, edgy portraits exposed illicit or dark feelings in himself and his sitters―feelings that high society on both sides of the Atlantic found fascinating and off-putting. Fisher traces Singer’s life from his wandering trans-European childhood to the salons of Paris, and the scandals and enthusiasms he caused, and on to London. There he mixed with eccentrics and aristocrats, and the likes of Henry James and Oscar Wilde, while at the same time forming a close relationship with a lightweight boxer who became his model, valet, and traveling partner. In later years, Sargent met up with his friend and patron Isabella Stewart Gardner around the world and devoted himself to a new model, the African American elevator operator and part-time contortionist Thomas McKeller, who would become the subject of some of Sargent’s most daring and powerful work.”

In addition to reading new books, I’m also going back to the classics. I’m currently reading A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter which is set in France and came highly recommended for the descriptive writing style.

My favorite pair of jeans are on their last legs, no pun intended. I haven’t liked anything I’ve bought to replace them so far but I just ordered these Limited Edition Point Sur Pintuck Flare Jeans. I love the dark color but will keep you posted on the fit after they arrive. They are currently on pre-order with an estimated delivery date of January 24, 2023.

I’ve used my Khaite Osa Tote twice on flights to Paris. I love the burgundy color of mine but the vertical shape makes it a little awkward for travel. I wanted a more traditional tote and while a lot of people use the large Goyard Saint Louis GM Tote, I didn’t want to spend that much or stand in line to buy it in Paris. I took a chance on this Rue de Verneuil Traversee Large Flannel Cruise Tote in navy. I debated about getting the camel color since it would have perfectly matched my Hartmann luggage but I didn’t think I wanted to be so matchy-matchy. The size is perfect but you can also snap the sides to make it smaller if you don’t overpack like me.

I said I would report back with my review of my new Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer and I can say that it lived up to the hype. I have very thick and full hair and so I don’t think it cuts down on my drying time that much but it definitely makes it a whole lot easier. I no longer have to fight and pull my hair to smooth it out during drying. The best part though is that it just heats up to dry my hair and doesn’t heat up my entire bathroom so I’m no longer sweater when I finish drying my hair. I resisted for a long time but it was worth every penny.

The 2023 Award Season began last night with the Golden Globes and I have to say that it’s fun to have them back again in their regular format. I loved seeing what everyone was wearing but I was most taken with the glowing skin of Michelle Williams. Her makeup artist Andrea Levin posted all the Chanel products she used so of course I ordered them all. She prepped the skin with No.1 de Chanel Rich Revitalizing Cream that a follower said she loved. She also used the Baume Essential Multi-Use Glow Stick in Rosée and another follower said she likes the Transparent shade when she travels to give her skin and under eye area a lift. Andrea didn’t give the exact shade of Rouge Allure Velvet Lip Colour she used so I ordered Rapturiste. I also ordered the Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Cassis and Le Blanc Crème Healthy Light Creator. A third follow said the No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Eye Cream is amazing too.