Based in Tucson, Ariz., the boutique Desert Vintage has specialized in rare designer clothing since Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan took it over in 2012. Many of their offerings — a century-old Fortuny evening robe or an Azzedine Alaïa suede wraparound top, for example — “can be a bit demanding to wear,” says Boufelfel. So…
Inside a former synagogue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Tony Oursler, 67, has built an extensive private collection of historic material related to magic, spirituality and the occult. The artist, who’s known for installations that combine video, sculpture and projections, has both an artistic investment in and a family connection to illusionism. His grandfather Fulton…
Dear Tripped Up, In September 2022, I booked a 17-day Arabian Sea cruise through Vantage Travel Services to celebrate my 80th birthday with my wife. The cruise was to set sail in October 2023. I used my credit card to leave a $2,000 deposit and paid the remaining $17,905 shortly afterward by bank transfer. I…
As a teenager, the Viennese food stylist and baker Sophia Stolz, 29, was often befuddled by the fancy, prim desserts served at her friends’ birthday celebrations. Despite all the money spent on outfits and party décor, the cakes tended to be “so boring!” she says. Now, she’s baking cakes that are, in her words, “a…
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. A surgeon in Rochester, Minn. A TV-news traffic anchor in Chicago. A church organist in Ellwood City, Pa. For a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine themed around retirement, the writer Charley Locke…
About two weeks after Marcell Leon Viragh moved into the Park Santa Monica, a Los Angeles building where residents can sweat in a Himalayan salt sauna or gaze at the Pacific Ocean from the expansive roof deck, he took the elevator down to the spa, where a registered nurse slid a needle into a vein…
Carbon neutrality, zero waste and serving seafood solely from responsible suppliers: Many boutique eco-tourism destinations — particularly those catering to small numbers of luxury travelers — can reach or come close to sustainability goals such as these, but what about a decades-old resort company operating 97 properties across 14 countries? As the global director of…
In 1976, Johnny Cash released a song called “Strawberry Cake.” It was a bit of an outsider tune, not altogether popular. But to me, it falls well within the canon of simple yet great Americana storytelling. In an interview, Cash talks about walking past a man sleeping on a New York street while on his…
In January, the travel and fashion influencer Devin Halbal decided to take a trip to Kurashiki, a city in the Okayama Prefecture of Japan. Ms. Halbal, a Queens-born 26-year-old who goes by the username “Hal Baddie” on TikTok, had spent four years traveling around Europe with an extra-long selfie stick and a dream, sharing videos…
Only one dog can win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and this year the honor went to Sage, a spectacularly coifed miniature poodle whose main-character energy was hard to ignore. But what of the dogs she defeated? Seven dogs entered the final round, each representing distinct canine groups: herding, working,…
