This month felt like trash, if you know you know. I will admit that I spent a lot of time doom-scrolling, from the coverage of the fires in California to the absolutely unfortunate (to put it kindly) situation with our government, it has been hard for me to find things that uplifted me this month when every single headline feels like a punch to the gut.

Normally I try to keep things light and happy here, but this is the reality of the United States in 2025 and I simply can’t pretend that I don’t spend at least some portion of each day experiencing overwhelming dread about the future of the country I call home.

Links I Love:

Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel via Christie’s

How Kamala Harris Made History as She Left DC via Vanity Fair

Moving to Paris for a Life in Food via CN Traveler

How Barnes and Noble is Writing Its Own Success Story in the Age of Amazon via Modern Retail

How to Dress for Paris in the Winter via La Vie On Grand

Watching:

Unless you’ve been under a rock since 2016, you probably know who Simone Biles is. Gymnastics sis one of my favorite events to watch during the Olympics so I was glued to the TV watching the competitions in Paris last summer. This documentary covers her story of coming back to competitive gymnastics after stepping away at the Tokyo Olympics. Definitely a good watch!

Listening:

Ever since the Wicked soundtrack was released in November, I’ve been listening to it with regularity however my listen time has increased since watching it after its release to streaming. I mean, COME ON! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are amazing, Jonathan Bailey is chefs kiss and the orchestra is top notch. If you have not yet seen this movie or even listened to the soundtrack, please do yourself a favor and enjoy this amazing masterpiece!

Carrying:

When the Dior Book Tote first came out, I loved the concept of a structured tote bag that had a fun design on it - functional, as it can fit so much and be used everyday but also with a variety of designs that offer for more individuality than say, the basic LV Neverfull. There were two patterns I absolutely loved - the Toile de Jouy and Plan de Paris. Obviously I’m not buying one of these bags new, as they are in the $5-6k range, however now that the design and these patterns are several years old, these bags are now showing up on Fashionphile with regularity.

I picked up the Plan de Paris medium Book Tote over the summer for a STEAL and it was in excellent condition and came with a dust bag! There is no internal organization so I did get a felt organizer for the inside. I’ve got a post coming up about the concept of “Jane Birkin”-ifying bags, so stay tuned for that!

What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below!

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