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Madame Rêve


I’ll never stop looking for the perfect hotel in Paris, which means that on every possible occasion, I stay somewhere new. In March, that meant three nights at Madame Rêve, a charming boutique hotel located in what was once the Rue du Louvre’s much-appreciated (and, yes, rather large) post office. (It was open 24-7, and don’t worry, there’s still a branch on the ground floor.) In a city with an abundance of dusty hotels that recall a Haussmannian experience from a previous century, Madame Rêve feels very much like the future, with spacious, silent, high-tech rooms, comfortable furnishings, modern architecture, and the kind of tightly edited, high-quality gym and sauna that are all too rare in this town. The interior design, blissfully, nods to midcentury, with a few postal-themed motifs to keep things interesting. Bonus points for the sublime breakfast situation, located in its rooftop La Plume restaurant, which is flooded with unforgettable views of the Centre Pompidou and Saint-Eustache, like you’ve never seen them before. (Starting at $500 per night, madamereve.com) —Ashley Baker

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Mummy Darlings


One would imagine that, in Ireland, being the direct descendant of the founder of Guinness beer far exceeds royal status. Author and journalist Emily Hourican has likely spent more time than anyone else imagining and researching what life was like for some of the Guinness grandchildren. In 2020, she published The Glorious Guinness Girls, a historical novel that follows sisters Aileen, Maureen, and Oonagh through the complexities of courtship and life in 1930s Dublin. If you liked Bridgerton,you will breeze through Hourican’s novel; and, luckily, she’s just out with the second in the series, Mummy Darlings. The realities of married life (eight marriages between the three women) may spoil any fairy-tale narrative, but who doesn’t love a juicy divorce story? Mummy Darlings can technically be read as a stand-alone, but there’s no need to deprive yourself of any of the delicious moments with the Guinness girls. ($18.99, amazon.com) —Clara Molot

Carry

Aviteur


Patricia Gucci was once called “the most eligible girl in the world” by The New York Times. (She’s the daughter of Aldo Gucci, and the granddaughter of Gucci founder Guccio Gucci.) In 2019, Patricia started her own high-end lifestyle brand, Aviteur. A frequent traveler, Gucci was always searching for a carry-on as stylish as it was practical. Where she searched for premium designs, leather, and thoughtful finishings, Gucci found logos and plastic casings. Despite having no formal design training, the Geneva-based fashionista set out to create her own carry-on in calfskin leather with silent wheels and a patented, translucent, and buttonless handle. The case is inspired by the rattan bags that once populated 1950s summers in the South of France. Gucci has also recently expanded to matching luggage tags, weekend bags, and wallets. But we recommend snagging the carry-on before you splurge on the rest. ($7,185; airmail.news) —Elena Clavarino

Sparkle

Monica Rich Kosann


It’s been entirely too long since we’ve worn a locket. That is about to change, thanks to the bounty of irresistible ones from Monica Rich Kosann. Yes, we technically started looking at her collection as a Mother’s Day–related shopping exercise, but surely Mom shouldn’t have all the fun. There’s a little something for everyone—diamonds, sapphires, enamel, rose gold, yellow gold, even the option of two photos or four—but our favorite, at least for today, is this Catherine necklace with a 30-inch chain and a staggered diamond design. It’s the sort of personal piece that we are not likely to take off, and because Monica Rich Kosann’s Web site enables easy photo-printing at home, the images it contains can be switched out regularly. ($5,500; monicarichkosann.com) —Ashley Baker

Apply

Augustinus Bader


If we had a dollar for every retinol product that boasts of being less irritating than the competition, and a nickel for every dermatologist who urged us to use the stuff anyway, we might be as flush as Augustinus Bader himself. And he’s pretty flush. The professor’s new Retinol Serum is the latest to make that claim, and it manages to walk the tightrope of reducing lines and wrinkles without causing redness, peeling, and general misery by including hydrating and microbiome-protecting ingredients. It also has the same mysterious complex included in all the Bader products that helps skin achieve something like Nirvana. ($350, augustinusbader.com) —Linda Wells

WHIFF

Whind


Whind, Hind Sebti’s skin-care line, inspired by the sun-kissed sensibility of her native Morocco, has already charmed us with Marrakech Light, a fast-absorbing, glow-giving skin oil. Now Whind has introduced a collection of six fragrances that have been designed to inspire wanderlust (and perhaps even a last-minute ticket to Marrakech). Our current favorite is Pomello Mint Tea Leaves, which is the olfactory equivalent of drinking a cup of mint tea while lounging in the gardens of Kasbah Tamadot on a temperate spring day. ($200, whind.com) —Ashley Baker

Issue No. 197
April 22, 2023
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Issue No. 197
April 22, 2023