hung up's hunter harris on the skirt she bought in three colors + our founder's holiday gift guide

monthly recs #33

Each month, we ask a writer to speak about what’s on their mind and share their tabs for our monthly recommendations. This December’s guest curator, Hunter Harris, is the brain behind one of our favorite weekly newsletters, Hung Up. As a former staff writer at Vulture and New York Magazine, Hunter is our trusted source for all things music, movies, and pop culture.

In a state of desperate-for-The Morning Show-delirium, I rewatched season one of Big Little Lies. (Why was I watching The Morning Show, you ask? There are good shows, and there are bad shows, and then there is The Morning Show — I can’t explain it any better than that.) It more than holds up: there is a quiet hum of rage and envy and dissatisfaction, a constant collision of what one woman has and what another woman wants. Nicole Kidman won all the awards (deserved!), but it was Reese Witherspoon’s performance that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Reese Witherspoon, here, will wrangle, and prod, and irritate, and needle — she will do all the dirty work and wipe the blood on the front of her Draper James dress. Certainty makes her both fearsome and feeble. She is so insistent, she’s a hater that can be deployed in any direction. I loved it. I can’t stop thinking about it. 

And maybe I was recognizing something. I did an interview about my creative process — mostly an iced coffee and natural light — and the woman interviewing me asked how I figured out the way to be so didactic in every opinion. But sometimes certainty is a shield, a defense mechanism against the overwhelming all there is to be uncertain about. 

What’s populating my thoughts these days? I cannot in good conscience dedicate any more time to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I understand that I’ll never understand, but frankly, I won’t even stand. I found this totally random song (Spotify informs me that it’s by a “Scottish folk-ambient band”) on a playlist from The Row that makes me feel like I’m skipping on air. I’m feeling a winter chill — my bones are telling me it’s time to watch Birth.

hunter harris’

1. This piece on Priscila, and Sofia Coppola’s whole filmography, is so, so good. I have been thinking about it for days. Emily Yoshida is god-teir.

2. Johnny Guitar (1954) - Maybe the horniest movie ever made? Joan Crawford is so sexy and enraged in this movie that I’m addicted to it. I watch it once a year. Currently streaming on Criterion as part of their ‘Women of the West’ curation.

3. Rhode Peptide Lip Tint - I’m a child of divorce, so I’m brave enough to pair it with Rare Beauty’s very good lip liner.

4. Aritzia Pleated Skirt - I don’t think you understand: I used to go to war to get the pleated uniform skirts I wore to Catholic school to be this short. I have this skirt in black, brown plaid, and khaki.

5. A few weekends ago after two friends got engaged, a dozen of us had dinner at the Peking Duck House on Mott and played games at the arcade a few doors down. I am worse at DDR than I remember; I would’ve disappointed my 14-year-old self. I was surprisingly good at playing this game where you throw balls to knock down clowns — dating in NYC pays off.

more from us

6. As the holiday season gives way to hosting season, we consulted hosting experts Anna Polonsky, Sue Chan, and Mia H. from Slutty Cooking on their dos and don’ts for hosting unforgettable dinner parties. For lower-effort gatherings, we’ve been loving Lata’s tinned fish and seafood subscription boxes (pb club members get a 10% discount) and Visions wine club from Psychic Wines.

7. If you’re still looking for a gift to bring to your next holiday party, we just released our annual gift guide last week. For those of you who are trying to save, we’re currently running a giveaway for a one-night stay (+ dinner!) at The Standard, High Line.

8. Our founder recently shared a comprehensive New York City guide of her neighborhood, East Village, including spots for old-school sushi (Takahashi), low-intervention wine (Discovery Wines), and art books (Mast Books). For more East Village spots, in our latest passerby interview, artist and baker Lexie Smith recommends C&B for a wholesome breakfast or lunch, La Cabra for croissants and rye bread, and Cafe Himalaya for paratha.

9. This browsable index is the ultimate guide to the year’s best music, films, books, podcasts, and TV. We’ll be sharing our own Best of 2023 next week — if you have a favorite film, album, or book from 2023, comment in this post. Ours for yours, if you will.

10. This recent album from Chuquimamani-Condori has been a highlight of the year — emotional, daring, and unlike anything we’ve heard in quite some time. It has a healing effect as it oscillates between drawing out euphoric highs and returning us down to a calm neutrality. It stunned us.