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SURANNE JONES in VIGIL (2021), directed by ISABELLE SIEB and JAMES STRONG. Credit: SURANNE JONES in VIGIL (2021), directed by ISABELLE SIEB and JAMES STRONG.
Watch

Vigil


There are people who don’t love submarine thrillers—but that’s probably because they haven’t seen Das Boot or The Cruel Sea or The Hunt for Red October. A new British thriller can satisfy even those who prefer their crime series above water. Vigil takes place mostly on a British nuclear submarine, but it’s actually a murder mystery. After a sailor dies suspiciously while Vigil is submerged off the coast of Scotland, homicide detective Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is helicoptered on board to catch the killer. As befits a contemporary crime series, there are many twists and all kinds of obstacles, including environmental activists, corrupt nationalist politicians, M.I.5, and Russian and American spies. There’s a reason Vigil was the BBC’s most viewed series of the year, and the answer lies many leagues under the sea. (peacocktv.com) —Alessandra Stanley

Shop

Mast Books


If you want to give someone a beautiful coffee-table or art book—one that doesn’t seem like a last resort after other presents fell through—visit Mast Books. Opened in 2010, the East Village shop sells well-curated rare and out-of-print titles. Their selection ranges from fashion—they currently have a copy of Glen Luchford’s hard-to-find Prada 9698—to feminist theory and film. They also offer a few first editions of now beloved novels, such as Jack Kerouac’s Doctor Sax, which can be yours for $600. (mastbooks.com) —Jensen Davis

Lounge

Homebody


Beverley Calvert and Susannah Manning, British friends and business partners, started Homebody more than 20 years ago—long before it was socially acceptable to attend a brunch date in leggings or yoga pants. Since launching their company, the pair has manufactured their collections in the U.K., an utter rarity in an industry that tends instead to prioritize low-cost production lines. The prints and fits work just as well as casual nightwear as they do cozy, all-day loungewear. Best of all: the fabric’s thermostatic properties. Spun out of wood pulp from beechwood chips, the breathable fibers don’t trap perspiration. This means a much more comfortable night’s sleep. (homebody.co.uk) —Bridget Arsenault

Listen

Eclipsed


During the summer of 1969, Cathy Wayne, an 18-year-old Australian pop star, sang for troops fighting in the Vietnam War. On July 20, while performing at an American base in Da Nang, she was shot dead by one of the Marines watching the show. A few hours before Wayne’s death, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on the moon; Wayne’s murder didn’t make the news. The writer Bijan Stephen tells this story in the first three episodes of Eclipsed, a new podcast from Campside Media that looks at big events overshadowed by even bigger events. Stephen calls in the people who remember July 20, 1969, as, first and foremost, the day Wayne died, such as a cousin of hers and the other singers entertaining those Marines that day. Her murder remains half remembered and half solved—for now. (podcasts.apple.com) —Jensen Davis

Walk

Aquazzura


On a recent trip to London, only moments before a fancy dinner, I broke the heel of my shoe in an ill-fated encounter with a cobblestone. Desperate, I ran into Harrods and bought the first basic black pump I could walk in: Aquazzura’s Bow Tie heel. It turned out to be the smartest shoe purchase I’ve made in years. They feel like Aerosoles but look like the footwear equivalent of Bianca Jagger’s tuxedos. Seductive but not tarty, they’re equally suited to daytime and evening affairs. I managed to clock 2,642 steps around Mayfair without wincing once. It’s not the newest or flashiest Aquazzura offering, but it’s the brand’s mainstay for very good reason. ($750, net-a-porter.com) —Ashley Baker

Wear

Taller Marmo


Going out or staying in—who cares? Just wearing this spectacular fringed caftan is an occasion in and of itself. From the Italian brand Taller Marmo, which specializes in flowy garments, the piece is called the Mrs. Ross, in an homage to Diana. If you think it looks intriguing in a photo, just wait until you see it in motion. The antique rose crêpe is offset with pomegranate-colored fringe, and the cut ensures that no Skims or (heaven forbid) Spanx are necessary. It’s a comfortable and comforting way to dress up—way up—for an evening. ($1,220; net-a-porter.com) —Ashley Baker

Issue No. 127
December 18, 2021
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Issue No. 127
December 18, 2021