Blue Notes, Joan Didion
Joan Didion’s writing often makes us weep heavily (and question our own sanity) but her experiences and insights incite us to read on. In her follow up to the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion turns from the death of her husband to the loss of her daughter, Quintana Roo. Though she’s often written about the pain of others, Didion dusts off the lens she used in the The Year of Magical Thinking and focuses it more intently on herself, her role as parent, and her relationship with mental illness and medical technology. Questioning these things in elegant but casual prose, Didion’s Blue Notes is a hard-earned catharsis but its toils at least distract from December’s chill.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83
If you’re looking for a more fantastical winter escape, give a spin to M83’s sixth full-length Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Weighing in at 74 minutes, 22 songs, and two discs, M83’s latest album is an “epic” (their words, and ours) exploration of the dream lands of two children: a brother and sister. Telling the brother’s story through disc one and the sister’s through disc two, every track matches up across discs to provide two pictures of the same narrative. As if that wasn’t immersion enough, M83’s leading man Anthony Gonzalez paints his songs with Gothic saxophones, splashes of percussion, and chunky synths. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is denser than the average airwaves coming from your speakers, and its dimensions remind us of the work of Scott Reeder.

Scott Reeder, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Like a track from Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Scott Reeder’s paintings exist within a self-contained world. Best known for his absurdist paintings that follow in the styles of Picasso, Matisse, and Phillip Guston, Reeder’s use of humor, unexpected objects, and pops of color makes his art feel eccentric but conversational. “They didn’t like what I was doing to such an extent that I knew I was probably doing something right,” he said of his residency at Yale University. Reed’s current trajectory sees him riffing off the lauded abstractionists of the 20th century, like Sol LeWitt and Cy Twombly -- in addition to finishing his first feature film, Moon Dust. Catch the Chicago artist's first solo museum exhibition at the MCA, on your way to the store. Spoiler alert: Reeder’s work will confront (and possibly convert) your tastes and values, at least in art.

Dents Heritage Collection, for men and women
If you feel moved to recount tradition after viewing Reeder’s work, or just to add on extra warmth for your walk home, slip into a pair of Dents gloves. Crafted with an attention to quality, style, and practicality, Dents Heritage Collection creates their hand-stretched and individually bench-cut pairs of gloves with a timeless grace that makes them exquisite enough to wear every year. Their attention to detail and quality is evident in both the hand sewn stitching and commitment to tailoring (the patterns they use date back to 1829 and are currently available in 20 different sizes). The oldest glove company in the world, Dents has a rich history in clientele, having created iconic pieces for Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, Karl Lagerfeld, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga -- so you can decide whether to be a traditionalist or an escapist.


-- Marissa Muller, Marketing Coordinator