Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Each week, we share things we’re eating, wearing, listening to or coveting now. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday, along with monthly travel and beauty guides, and the latest stories from our print issues. And you can always reach us at tmagazine@nytimes.com. STAY HERE A Palazzo Hotel on the Quieter Side of Florence
Via Santo Spirito, a winding street in Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood, on the Arno River’s left bank, was the address of choice in the Renaissance era, when aristocratic dynasties competed to build their lavish family palazzos here. Even today, the street is quieter and more residential than its counterparts across the bridge. La Reserve Firenze, a hotel comprising six apartments that’s scheduled to open this October, was built within one of those residences, a 15th-century mansion. Patrick Gilles, a co-founder of the Parisian studio Gilles&Boissier, renovated the apartments with historical design details in mind, “to give the impression that this palazzo has been like this forever,” he says. Each flat is slightly different: Some feature restored frescoes and terraces overlooking the river; others have nearly 20-foot-tall ceilings. All are furnished with custom pieces and antiques sourced from markets around Tuscany. Guests can explore the neighborhood — the Oltrarno area is full of artisan workshops, galleries and restaurants — or stay in and enjoy room service from a nearby trattoria, Cammillo, a perk not even the locals can claim. Rooms from about $2,160 a night, lareserve.com/firenze. TRY THIS Stylish Soap on a Rope
Beauty brands have lately been making luxurious versions of soap on a rope, offering skin-nourishing ingredients and earthy scents. Last month, the Los Angeles-based skin and body care brand Cyklar released its Soap on a Rope Exfoliating Bar, available in cedar, bergamot and leather fragrances (or a set that contains all three). The Spanish fashion house Loewe offers the cannabis-inspired Scent of Marihuana, which contains moisturizing shea butter. In Brooklyn, the soap brand Mater transforms slightly off-kilter hand-cut bars into Imperfect Soap, a double-decker pairing whose scents include rose and charcoal. The American boutique hotel brand Ash sells a volcano-embossed bar infused with damask rose, nutmeg and amber spice, while the Tokyo-based Tamanohada Soap Co. makes a fish-shaped version — a symbol of good fortune in Japan that doubles as a shower ornament. GIFT THIS Revisiting a 1960s Alexander Girard Blanket
In the mid-1960s, while the designer Alexander Girard was serving as the director of furniture maker Herman Miller’s textile division, he created color-blocked blankets for passengers on the now defunct airline Braniff International Airways, using bright hues inspired by the desert landscape of Santa Fe, N.M., where he was based for most of his life. The wool manufacturing company Pendleton has reproduced a version of the Braniff buffalo plaid throw for Herman Miller since 2016. Now, it’s being joined by three patterns from the Herman Miller archives, selected by Girard’s grandchildren Kori Girard and Aleishall Girard Maxon, the co-creative directors of Girard Studio. They picked styles that would reflect the designer’s love of vibrant home décor (he collected blankets, including Scottish tartan wool throws, Moroccan wedding blankets and kantha quilts from India). The new collection riffs on stripes and checkers and comes in cheerful colors like green and pink, along with earth-tone palettes reminiscent of the American Southwest. $325, store.hermanmiller.com. DRINK THIS Is Orange Coffee the Drink of Summer?
The mazagran, a drink of sweetened coffee, cold water and citrus juice, is believed to be one of the first iced coffee drinks. It’s named after the Algerian city where it originated in the early 1800s. Other countries eventually adopted the combination of orange juice and espresso (in São Paulo, Brazil, for example, “café com suco de laranja” became particularly popular in the 1950s). Many American cafes have recently added oranges to their coffee menus. This summer, go for the classic double espresso and tonic water over ice, garnished with a dried slice of the fruit, at Maru in Los Angeles, or try a latte mixed with Valencia orange compote and chocolate ganache prepared from scratch at Immersion in San Diego. “The vibrant citrus lifts the espresso while the chocolate adds depth and texture,” says Birtan Cetinoz, Immersion’s founder. In Brooklyn, the micro-grocer and cafe Willoughby General adds a housemade orange syrup to its espresso tonic, while the Nitro Bar in Rhode Island tops its lattes with a tangerine cream. One of the signature drinks at Jaffa Coffee, a Palestinian-American cafe in Berkeley, Calif., is a latte with orange-infused milk that blends the Jaffa and Valencia varieties of the fruit. In Austin, Texas, Bouldin Creek Cafe serves the Garden Party, in which espresso and milk are mixed with housemade orange and rosemary syrups. COVET THIS Jewelry That Looks to the Sky
Fine jewelers are finding inspiration overhead, translating both fair-weather skies and dramatic storm clouds into whimsical pieces. In Boston, the designer Michael Robinson hand-forges every piece for his line, David Michael Jewels, without the use of digital modeling or casting. His Rain or Shine earrings feature yellow and light blue sapphires, aquamarines and diamonds with mother-of-pearl clouds. The Hudson, N.Y.-based jeweler Annette Ferdinandsen uses shimmery chalcedony druzy gemstones, hand-set with diamonds, for her Daydreamer Cloud earrings. Louis Vuitton makes its swirling Whisper earrings, part of its Mythica high jewelry collection, out of diamonds, including two that are cut to resemble the brand’s monogram star motif. For a rainbow ring in her After the Rain collection, the New York jeweler Brent Neale pairs a 5-carat opal cloud with pink tourmaline, citrine and blue topaz. Renna, the New York brand founded by Renna Brown-Taher, sells pieces that evoke the natural world, including the Caspian necklace, which features clouds and stars carved into rock crystal and backed with abalone. The Los Angeles-based jeweler Camille Beinhorn works with artisans in Jaipur, India, to make her Storm Cloud ring, which is centered around a dark freshwater keshi pearl set in 22-karat gold with pavé diamonds on the band. And the London duo NeverNoT, founded by the Georgian-born designers Nina Dzhokhadze and Natia Chkhartishvili, incorporates carved turquoise clouds, a yellow mother-of-pearl sun and a gold plane into its pink opal Flamingo Sunset Suitcase necklace, making for a dazzling sky you can take everywhere. FROM T’S INSTAGRAM Why Does Fashion ❤️ N.Y.?
Over the past several months, Europe’s top fashion houses have set their sights on New York City. Chanel held a show in a subway station, while Gucci took over Times Square. Louis Vuitton’s presentation at the Frick featured references to Keith Haring, an icon of the 1980s East Village arts scene. What’s behind the New York state of mind? In our latest episode of Anatomy of a Trend, T editor at large Nick Haramis considers the city’s long-running influence on fashion. Click here to watch the video and follow us on Instagram.
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