Bonjour Tristesse needs no introduction. But humor me, if you will. Adapted by Otto Preminger in 1958 from Françoise Sagan’s acclaimed 1954 French novella of the same name, the film is a languid romantic drama set on the French Riviera and a summer must-watch. Sagan wrote the book when she was only 18, and the slow-burn story was an instant success. Céline—played by the American darling of the French New Wave Jean Seberg—is a carefree 17-year-old, spending her summer vacation with her playboy father (David Niven) and his mistress in a villa on the seaside cliffs, swimming, tanning, and entertaining summer flings. However, when an old family friend of her late mother, Anne (Deborah Kerr), comes to visit, the group’s summer of self-involved amusement is upended. Dissatisfied with the righteous changes Anne brings to their hedonistic lifestyle, Céline plots the demise of Anne and her father’s relationship, concluding in tragedy. Love triangles, philosophy, and intrigue drive the story, which, despite its tranquil and idyllic setting, leaves the viewer to ponder youth, selfishness, and responsibility. And if, like me, you can’t get enough of Céline, Lili McInerny makes a memorable turn in the 2024 adaptation, alongside Chloë Sevigny. (apple.com) —Eve Eismann

Novels, at least the good ones, have always been the best avenue for us to understand others and thus ourselves, and to feel a kinship with those imaginary beings who have feelings and emotions that we learn are universal. In The Barbarous Feast, Sophie Gee links the reading experience with another way we connect with each other, and that’s through eating rituals. She focuses on how the way people ate and drank influenced the birth of the realist novel in Britain and beyond in the 18th century, and provocatively suggests that the Lord’s Supper, which is what the Protestants called the Eucharist, is akin to the novel in that it helped create a community and addressed our personal inwardness. She explores how The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, equates good taste in eating with good taste in reading, and Gee’s book itself is a stylish and intellectual buffet of ideas that fully satisfies. ($39,95, barnesandnoble.com) —Jim Kelly

The Queen of Pop’s 15th studio album is here to remind us all why she ever earned that sobriquet in the first place. Madonna’s Confessions II teems with Ibiza hedonism; the hour-long LP flies by in a single continuous mix, punctuated by spoken-word interludes like the dream sequences of a night out you never want to end. Alongside producer Stuart Price (and with features from the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Martin Garrix, and Stromae), Madonna loses herself in the rave-ready trances, prompting nostalgia without being too baity (see the name-dropping “Danceteria”), while still exploring new sonic textures (the reggaeton lean on the Feid-featuring “Read My Lips,” or the French-speaking trip-house “My Sins Are My Savior”). The album is inherently reverential to dance music itself, many of the whispery refrains speaking directly to the escape, sanctuary, connection, and euphoria that comes with music primed for the dance floor: “This is a club / This is a temple of sweat and surrender.” (spotify.com) —Cassidy Sollazzo

Sunsolve’s Firm + Replenish S.P.F. 50 is luxury in a bottle, made with zinc oxide, to help protect skin from harmful UV rays, and nourishing ingredients like peptides and ceramides, to keep it firm and hydrated. You can expect its tinted formula to melt into your skin, leaving a dewy glow rather than the traditional thick white cast. And while its water-resistant formula makes for the ideal summer skin-care choice for days lounging poolside, beware, it’s bound to become a year-round staple. Plus, its sleek 1.6-ounce compartment is T.S.A.-friendly and easy to throw in your bag, whether you’re jetting off to Southampton or the South of France, or simply settling into the ever enticing office cubicle. ($88, sunsolvemd.com) —Gabriella Maestri

Left on Friday makes the rare bathing suit that quietly subtracts a size. Founded by two former Lululemon executives, the brand borrowed the best part of those early leggings: the uncanny ability to smooth, sculpt, and persuade you that maybe things aren’t so bad after all. There are no visible panels, obvious seams, bits of hardware, or elaborate cutouts working overtime. With their one-piece, Retreat Suit in black, you can dive in, swim laps, or lose yourself in an unnecessarily competitive game of padel without stopping to rearrange anything. The effect is vaguely 80s in the best way with a super-high-cut leg. Polished but unfussy, leaving the fun to everything else. Add a printed sarong tied a little carelessly, oversize sunglasses, too many gold bangles, and maybe a red lip before lunch, beachside. (leftonfriday.com) —Jennifer Noyes

It wasn’t until the fifth time I walked down Likavittou Street, in Athens’s Kolonaki neighborhood, that I noticed the little shop on the corner: Lemisios. Polka-dot, calf-hair ballet flats beckoned me to enter—a blessing and a curse. Family-owned and open since 1912, Lemisios has manufactured handmade women’s leather footwear for five generations. With limited stock available in-store—meaning most pairs are made-to-order—customers are encouraged to create their dream shoe. I left with the polka-dot pair, an order for metallic seafoam and silver flapper-esque heels, and full lower-limb measurements for a custom boot order coming soon. (lemisios.com) —Gracie Wiener