From a show attendee wearing the scarf that wrapped the Celine Spring 2026 show invitation as a belt, to the bag, rings, and socks in look 56 and the styling of updated classic pieces in look 12 — I love the vibe of Michael Rider’s debut collection for Celine. Rider respectfully mined the house’s codes without veering into redux land. I’m excited to see where he goes next.
Full disclosure: I read James Frey’s new novel, Next to Heaven — truly a beach book of the lowest form. The setting, a fictional town inspired by New Canaan, Connecticut, the town next door to Bedford, NY where we have a house, was my excuse for picking it up. Let’s move on.
I love nothing more than novellas, short stories, and essays, and I wholeheartedly agree with Heather Clawson, the first novella in André Aciman’s Room on the Sea is excellent. Next in the queue is Life and Art, Richard Russo’s new collection of essays, and Helen Schulman’s stories, Fools For Love. Last up, the novel Among Friends by Hal Ebbott, which has received terrific reviews.
Happy reading!
Summer is not my shopping season — new sandals, skirts, shirts, maybe a swimsuit — nothing earth-shattering. Fall shopping is the best, and the Resort collections are even better. Vogue’s roundup of trends from the recent Resort collections spotlights a few of my personal favorites — capes, cargo pockets, and skinny pants.
We have to be mindful of the number of days we are in Paris per year, so late spring and summer we stay stateside and bounce between Bedford, NY and Martha’s Vineyard. I have not been shopping much, but when I do, I go to small, local shops. Luckily, there are a number of great ones on my flight path. At Our North in Katonah, NY I found Demylee tops, my favorite Alex Mill white denim skirt, and the lace Lack of Color bucket hat. Right here in Bedford I can buy my beloved Perfumer H Bergamot perfume at OHHO. On Martha’s Vineyard I picked up amazing sweaters by Stone and Guest in Residence at Magnetic North. En route, I often stop in Boston to see my daughter and pop into Dress Boston where I bought this Vanessa Bruno raffia bag, and Covet, which has the best resale. I have found Dior trousers and these fabulous Sézane sandals at Covet’s Charles Street shop. I cannot go to Locust Valley, NY — where we had a house before Bedford — without stopping into the Locust Valley Bookstore. Lisa’s newsletter is a must-follow. While in LV, I’ll grab a Devoción coffee next door at Karmic grind.
Happy summer (tomorrow)!
My favorite Hermès Orans are beige. Beware, there are two slightly different shades. I prefer the Beige Natura left to the Beige Lin right.
Holy moly, the tariffs! An order from Ssense in Canada was held hostage until I paid an eye-watering customs duty. The item, which was on sale, cost the same as full price in the end. And, I have been waiting for a bag to be released from customs at JFK, however, I am losing hope of ever seeing it.
On Monday, we followed a woman carrying a large Celine shopping bag through Global Entry. When she responded that she had nothing to declare, the agent asked what was in the bag. “A new handbag” she replied, and looked surprised when she was sent to have her luggage inspected…
While in Paris last week, the temperature swung from the low 50s to upper 80s — I wore sweaters and sandals. One of my best FW25 purchases is the Althena anorak by The Row. Lightweight yet warm, it is my inflight companion. Both the anorak and cashmere sweater are now on sale. If you love ‘Slow Horses’, you must watch ‘Dept. Q’ on Netflix. The Scottish crime thriller is based on a Danish book series and is seriously good. Libby Buck is a friend of a friend and I am about to start a galley copy of her debut novel Port Anna, out July 1. I’m a sucker for stories set in Maine.
So far, May has rivaled some of my busiest Decembers, and we are only halfway through the month. I want to apologize for the radio silence, I have been busy working on two committees that are dear to my heart. The first is the New York Committee of the CGA. I just did a bit of a rebrand, launched a new website, and added a very kic shop element. The second has to do with authors. It was a privilege to hear and have lunch with Claire Messud, a writer I admire tremendously.
We go back to Paris soon, so I want to see the Hilma af Klint show at MoMA before we leave. I don’t need anything new for summer, however, this Celine straw hat caught my eye — it has the perfect amount of floppiness. Earlier this spring, I picked up another Hermès Picotin in a lighter color so I could shelve the black one for a bit. Speaking of black- I was in Florida the end of April for the GCA Annual Meeting. At the dinner, I wore a very simple, black lace Valentino dress that I bought in 2012. In a room full of floral-prints and beautiful colors, I was one of very few wearing black. After a beat, I was happy with my choice and for staying true to my personal style.
In what I thought was a bold move, I dyed my eyebrows. When I told my friends, they were surprised that it’s taken me this long to do so. As a natural blonde with a smattering of grey, my brows disappear in photographs. However, now I need a darker eyebrow pencil and just ordered one of Chanel’s Stylo Sourcils. I’m sure I should go darker still — baby steps.
Snakeskin print is everywhere right now, and Khaite’s python-embossed pieces win the day. I shared my thoughts on snakeskin with The Wall Street Journal. Thank you, Antonina, for including me in your article!
I am looking forward to the current issue of FT’s weekend magazine, How to Spend It, guest edited by Phoebe Philo, the Bonjour Tristesse remake with Chloë Sevigny at IFC Center, and I’m on the hunt for large sunglasses — I’m tired of tiny sunglasses.
Two writers raved about Susie Boyt’s Loved and Missed, and they were right — it is one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read. Packed for my next flight to Paris are The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong, and Clare Leslie Hall’s Broken Country. Three stunning books that I will give to friends this summer — Flower Couture by Cordelia de Castellane, Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook, and Brittany Bromley’s Relaxed Elegance. Martha and Brittany are my neighbors so I feel like I’m supporting local talent. Actually, I popped into Brittany’s shop earlier today to ask if she is taking on new clients. Now, if I could only get Martha to give me gardening tips…
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After 20 years casting models for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and fashion shows, I wanted to spend more time with my daughters. KiC is my way to share my thoughts on fashion and style. I believe style should permeate every aspect of our lives — from home, to family, to where we go, and naturally, what we wear — especially when we're just running around.
— Preston Davis
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