AIR, Fresh Air, a new 'Aroma,' and PB's pink paradise
Welcome to A Few Good Mentions, a weekly (or so) toss-up of five random, share-worthy things I might come across, see, read, do, or eat in a given week. You can find me on Instagram, and my website, which I try my best to update with latest published works. Ok, let’s go!
1.
Pink Paradise: If you’re going to stay anywhere in Palm Beach, make it the Colony Hotel. The charming, powder-pink property, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year and recently got a design upgrade from Kemble Interiors, is one of those anachronistic stunners that would look entirely out of place just about anywhere else. And when you’ve only got two days to fully embrace ‘vacation mode,’ immersing yourself in a lush and pastel-hued setting that instantly feels like you’re on some other planet, is exactly what the itinerary calls for.
2.
Go see this! Deborah Bell Photographs in west Chelsea is showcasing a collection works by the trailblazing fashion photographer Gösta (Gus) Peterson. Despite his widespread influence on a number of other celebrated photographers such as Diane Arbus, Bob Richardson, Deborah Turbeville, and Arthur Elgort (the latter two of which both worked as his assistants), Peterson remains lesser-known than his contemporaries Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. All that’s pretty wild to me, considering he made history when his photo of model Naomi Sims appeared on the cover of Fashions of the Times (the Sunday supplement to the NYT) in 1967, making it the first major fashion magazine to feature a Black model on its cover.
3.
If you binge-watched the 2020 docuseries, The Last Dance, about the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan-led domination of the the NBA, then there’s a good chance you’ll want to see AIR, Ben Affleck’s feature film about Nike’s bid to score a historic endorsement deal with the athlete. Unlike the docuseries, AIR tells the story of a shoe deal, the [non-athletic] players involved, and the consequences at stake. Viola Davis, who artfully handles most of the the deal-making on Jordan’s end as his mother Deloris, is exceptional…but so is the colorful wardrobe worn by Ben Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Also worth reading: this think-piece on Hollywood’s current obsession with the biographies of products, not people.
4.
I was doing a little extra-curric for book club by listening to the writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner discuss her novel Fleishman Is In Trouble and its tv adaptation on Fresh Air. The same episode also featured an interview with the journalist and author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, And The Fight For The Future Of Meat, Chloe Sorvino. Because I don’t eat meat, I admittedly tune out most conversations around its effects on the environment and climate change (my lazy logic being that I don’t contribute to the industry, and therefore I’ve done my part…). But I was also too lazy to fast-forward to the next podcast, so I found myself listening to Sorvino discuss the astonishing scale of the meat industry and its environmental ramifications. Also, did you guys know that 99% of all chicken in this country comes from TWO companies? If you didn’t, then that’s reason enough to give it a listen (or read the book).
5.
It takes a lot for me to commit myself to a new scent, and while I was already leaning into the woody, earthy vibe of Costa Brazil’s Aroma, getting “Oooh, you smell goooooood” comments from two best in two days definitely helped.