Here’s the problem with the Vampire’s Wife: it’s ubiquitous, on stylish royals and plebeians alike. It breaks my heart to say this, but whenever your Air Mail style correspondent is tempted to invest in a lamé ruffled something or other, reality reminds me that these dresses’ ability to shock is somewhat diminished by their popularity. However, designer Susie Cave’s basic styles are more appealing than ever, especially this Mini Fortune Teller number. It has Cave’s signatures: a faultless fit, dramatic shape, and unabashed attitude. The sumptuous black velvet can be worn in numerous ways, for many years—and perhaps even decades—to come. It may feel early in the season for velvet, but come holiday time, when the rest of the world is scrambling for something to wear to cocktail party No. 415, you’ll be ready. ($1,575; matchesfashion.com) —Ashley Baker

In 1966, Joan Archibald, a housewife living with her husband and two kids on Long Island, walked out her front door and never returned. She changed her name to Kali and moved to Malibu to start photographing Californians. (She dried the prints in the sun on her pool deck, which gave them a psychedelic sheen.) Kali’s work, which was never widely recognized during her lifetime, has recently developed a cult following. Last week, “L.A. Woman,” the first-ever museum exhibition of her photos, opened at the Columbus Museum of Art, in Ohio. If you can’t travel to Middle America, Kali Ltd Ed., a monograph of her photos compiled by her former son-in-law, photographer Len Prince, was released last year. Documentarian Matt Tyrnauer writes the foreword. ($250, simonandschuster.com) —Clara Molot

It’s easy to miss Seventh House. Architect Frank Gehry likely intended that when he designed it in 1965, early in his career, on commission by the Danziger family. It’s an understated little jewel in Los Angeles’s Hancock Park: two high-walled, offset Bauhausian cubes, with just a few windows, all facing Melrose Avenue. In the 60s, it was an announcement of the beauty that would pour forth from Gehry, then an emerging 36-year-old Canadian. For years, no one except the family could view this touchstone of his early period. Now, Galerie Half, the very, very high-end vintage-and-antique-furniture showroom, uses it as an annex for its wares. You can take in the wonder of the building—all while deciding whether or not to drop $35K on a reupholstered Pierre Jeanneret chair. (seventhhouse.la) —Michael Hainey

It’s Instagram’s fault. In a previous era, dishes, flatware, and drinking glasses didn’t need to be ready for prime time, but now every meal is a photo opportunity. Too many of us have made due with whatever sad little plates were purchased at Crate & Barrel back during our post-collegiate period. But no more! Thanks to Fable, glorious table-scapes can be achieved with the purchase of just a single bundle. The label’s sustainably produced ceramic dinnerware (speckled white or dove pink?), cutlery (polished silver or matte gold?), and slim but sturdy drinking glasses look—and feel—like tableware one would procure at an overpriced home-goods store but come at a much friendlier price. After finding a following in the U.S., Fable is now shipping to the U.K. and Canada, ensuring that the optics of mealtime will improve all over the globe. The ceramic-dinnerware set makes an ideal gift for anyone in the process of feathering a nest. ($238, us.fable.com) —Ashley Baker

Dark Winds—a six-episode adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s best-selling, psychological cop thriller—was already renewed for a second season before the first one had even wrapped. The speed was an anomaly for the project, which had been stuck in development for decades. (Robert Redford, the show’s executive producer, optioned the book more than 35 years ago.) Filmed among the piñon trees and tan-colored sand of New Mexico, Dark Winds was written, directed, and acted largely by Native Americans—and driven by a standout performance from Zahn McClarnon. Set in the 1970s on a Navajo reservation, it’s part murder mystery and part character study, with a touch of the supernatural. Together, it makes for a distinct and compelling combination. (amc.com) —Bridget Arsenault

In the fall of 1972, Karen Carpenter’s voice was inescapable. Released that summer, A Song for You, the Carpenters’ fourth studio album, featured some of the brother-sister duo’s biggest hits: “Top of the World,” “Goodbye to Love,” and “Hurting Each Other.” Richard, the band’s pianist, lyricist, and composer, later called it “arguably our finest album.” While they were already superstars, their image and sound was considered too wholesome, especially compared with those of their contemporaries: the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie. A Song for You revamped that image. Sure, the love ballads were still saccharine, but now they were slightly ominous, with heartbreak looming. If you haven’t listened to the album in a while, let its 50th anniversary be an occasion to turn it on. (spotify.com) —Jensen Davis