The trouble with alcohol is that while it's a brutally effective short-term solution to the problems of stress and anxiety, in the long run it only compounds them. If you drink every night—even just two or three glasses of wine—you start to live your days in the fog of a low-grade hangover. The malaise that you are muting at happy hour increasingly becomes the product of last night's happy hour. You get caught in a cycle, which if left unchecked can turn into a tailspin. But yours has not been left unchecked! You are checking it right now, and you want to change your behavior. This is good news. Even better: You are not alone. It is extremely common for a human being to exist in the murky area between teetotaler and habitual blackout drunk, and finding your limits sometimes requires you to go past them. God knows I have made my share of mistakes with alcohol. But through years of trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that I am happier the less I drink. (As long as the amount I drink is not zero, because, I mean, come on.) I have come to relish my sober nights at home. I have established some discipline on my nights out with friends. I have wrestled the bottle into its proper place in my life. So can you. |
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Takashi Murakami Talks Shōgun, Stress and His Re-Edition Louis Vuitton Collection |
Takashi Murakami likes my Salehe Bembury Crocs. He likes them a lot. "Wow!" says the world-renowned Japanese artist, pointing at the fungi-like midsoles of my sneaker. His intense inspection began just after he—quite unnecessarily—introduced himself with both a bow and a handshake. "How much do they cost?" he asks, as if the price is something he must consider. Remember: This is the man responsible for the album artwork of Kanye West's Graduation and Billie Eilish's "you should see me in a crown" music video. His vibrant art is displayed in galleries and private collection spaces across the globe. In the early 2000s, he launched his very own collection with Louis Vuitton, which he and the brand have revived for relaunch in January 2025. If you're in New York, you can visit the pop-up shop dedicated to the collection at 104 Prince Street. In short: These shoes of mine are very much within his budget. I tell him that they cost £135 and they're called the Junipers. The name makes him laugh. It makes his translator laugh, too. They laugh a lot. It echoes across the lecture theatre of the V&A museum in South Kensington, where the boyish yet sagacious 62-year-old is set to give a talk as part of the Japan Cultural Expo. I ask him about the event, and that's where our conversation begins to bloom. |
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The O.G. Penny Loafer Remains Undefeated |
When you work in an office full of stylish men, and when your job entails sending you to various events with rooms full of other stylish men, you start noticing little things. For me, for a very long time, one of those things were a pair of black penny loafers that I'd see everywhere, and always notice, because they just looked better than all the other black penny loafers. It didn't take me long to figure out what kind of loafers they were: G.H. Bass Larson Weejuns, of course. I'm convinced that if you put a handful of people all wearing black penny loafers into a lineup, and asked a stranger to point out the pair that looked the best, they'd point to the Weejuns every damn time. It's an iconic shoe, and has been for decades. The timelessness isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so now's as good a time as any to hop on board the Weejuns train. Your footwear game is about to get so damn good. |
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I'm Not Liking the Odds on Obergefell Surviving |
Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what's goin' down in the several states, and where you can hang back or fight your best on the front line. We begin in Idaho. Here it comes, folks. Buckle up. From Boise State Public Radio: "What this decision did is it took the right away from the state to make the decision on marriage laws," said Rep. Heather Scott (R-Blanchard), who sponsors the resolution. "Traditionally, that's a state's decision." The resolution, which doesn't hold the weight of law, states the court decision "undermines" the vision of the framers of the U.S. Constitution "by declaring that citizens must seek dignity from the state" instead of holding inherent worth after "being created in the image of God." It's only a resolution, not a law. But is there any doubt that it will get passed around the carefully manufactured conservative majority on the court? If Idaho passes a law enshrining the views of this resolution, it will begin a carefully marked path through the federal judiciary until it reaches the Nine Wise Souls. And then I don't like the odds on Obergefell surviving, likely on "states rights" grounds, so we'll get the same unworkable patchwork approach to gay marriage that we're all suffering through on abortion right now. |
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The Definitive Guide to Socks |
Socks get a bad rap. They may not have the architectural impact of a tailored suit, the drama of a wonderful overcoat, or the easy charm of a perfect pair of jeans, but they can still be cool, luxurious, stylish. They can even be—dare we say—great. That is to say, socks are more important than you may think. Even when you can't see them, they're doing a job. And if they're doing that job badly, you'll feel it. One could even argue that, sartorially speaking, there are few things worse than an ill-chosen sock. Something too thin and breezy on a cold winter's day, for instance. Or something that sags down your shin underneath a suit. Worse still: a "novelty sock." |
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25 Extraordinary Books You Can Read in One Sitting |
You've heard of binge watching, but have you ever considered binge reading? Sure, there's something to be said for parceling a door-stopper novel into tidy, respectable chunks, but beyond that project lies another reading experience entirely: the one-sitting novel. The one-sitting novel isn't just something you can read in one afternoon—it's something you should read in one afternoon. The one-sitting novel is perfectly structured to be consumed as a complete, transporting experience, whether that's a breakneck ride through a thrilling narrative or a slow, dreamy fog that envelops your mind as you page through. The best one-sitting novels sweep you off your feet, whisking you away to another world, only to deposit you back on your doorstep a few hours later, dazed and changed, seared in the fire of something new. For the sake of argument, we capped our choices at 250 pages—just enough to deliver a truly immersive experience but not so many pages as to bleed over into the next day of reading. From the blisteringly contemporary to the classic, the lighthearted to the weighty, here are our favorite one-sitting novels. Go ahead—get lost in them. |
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