People Have Gone Full 1800s

“I’ve gone full Victorian,” said Rhian Rees, 34, of flower pressing, a childhood hobby she’s rediscovered in quarantine. “It feels like we’re back in the old days when life felt more fragile.” On a recent hike in Santa Clarita, Calif., Ms. Rees, an actor originally from England and now living in the Los Feliz neighborhood…

Details

What Do Famous People’s Bookshelves Reveal?

Bibliophiles do not approach bookshelves lightly. A stranger’s collection is to us a window to their soul. We peruse with judgment, sometimes admiration and occasionally repulsion (Ayn Rand?!). With celebrities now frequently speaking on television in front of their home libraries, a voyeuristic pleasure presents itself: Are they actually really like us? Cate Blanchett ImageCredit…CBS…

Details

No One to Hunker Down With

Three days before the governor of my state issued his stay at home order, the 45-year-old man I’d been dating for a month told me he was self-isolating. “But we saw each other yesterday!” I said. “We ate in a restaurant!” He would have none of it. “Don’t try to use your logic on me,”…

Details

It’s Time at Luxury Resale Sites

A few months ago, before nonessential stores were closed, Karen Oberman, a department store personal shopper who lives just north of New York City, bought a timepiece she had admired for a while: a white ceramic and stainless steel Chanel J12 Phantom, a 38-millimeter watch with a skeletonized back. She purchased it through the RealReal,…

Details