When Department Stores Were Theater

After the hundreds of jobs going poof and the thus-far inadequate discounts, the saddest thing about the closure of Barneys New York is that its signature naughty window displays will recede even further in collective memory. A Hail Mary campaign earlier this year imploring shoppers to go inside even as the store declared bankruptcy (“STRUT…

The Trick to Hosting a Better Holiday Party

Home bartenders aren’t often stuck in high-volume situations. But combine guests in dry-clean-only clothes with social anxiety and suddenly you’re hosting a holiday party, and frantically making drinks for a horde. Instead of spending the night juggling sticky shakers and unfinished conversations, or relying on assorted beers from a bathtub filled with ice, welcome guests…

A Few Words of Thanksgiving Advice

Good morning. We’ll get to the recipes soon enough, to this insanely good macaroni and cheese (above), to Julia Moskin’s hashed brussels sprouts, to gravy instruction and a whole lot more. This is perhaps the time you need recipes most, of any time of year. But there are two important points to make before we…