The private room at the back of the house. The velvet banquette. The second bottle—a 1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil, because we're not leaving yet.

You know those conversations—late enough that the posture softens, honest enough that someone finally says the thing everyone's been thinking? The dinner party's over and only the interesting people are left. The room is warm. Someone pours another glass. Someone says something true.

That's what this is. Smart women, good wine, sharp talk—still elevated, still us, but looser. A little unfiltered. A little bit mischievous. Every Saturday evening in your inbox.

Tonight's pour: An aged Armagnac. Something with decades in it. We're in a retrospective mood.

———

The Quiet Quit Nobody Talks About

There's a version of quitting that doesn't involve a resignation letter. It's the one where you stop caring about the outcome. You still show up, still execute, still get the thing done. But somewhere between the last meeting and the next one, you stopped believing it mattered.

I'm not talking about burnout, though they're cousins. I'm talking about something more specific: the realization that you've outgrown the room. The thing you used to find interesting now feels small. Your best thinking is happening somewhere else entirely.

The women I know don't announce this. They don't even name it. They just start building quietly. The side project. The investment. The plan that exists only in a notes app nobody else can see.

This is the departure before the departure. And it's the most honest thing happening in your career right now.

If you're doing it, you don't need permission. You just need to stop pretending it's not already underway.

———

TASTE

CURRENTLY: Brown is back. Chocolate, espresso, tobacco—showing up on runways and in homes. Not the muddy brown of the 1970s, but something deeper and more considered.

BETWEEN US: We've been saying this since The Coat. Camel is fine, but a rich sable cashmere says more. The only question is whether you're buying it now or paying twice as much when everyone catches on.

The women with the best closets aren't adding. They're subtracting.

CULTURE

CURRENTLY: A growing chorus of high-profile women are stepping back from public visibility. Fewer interviews. Smaller digital footprints. Strategic disappearance is becoming the move.

BETWEEN US: They're not burned out. They're protecting something. When everyone is broadcasting, privacy becomes power. Expect more of this.

The most influential women in the room are often the ones who didn't speak.

LIFE

CURRENTLY: After years of Peloton and boutique class loyalty, there's a quiet migration toward private fitness spaces. The basement setup. The garage conversion. The hotel gym at 5 am, when nobody else is there.

BETWEEN US: It was never about the workout. It was about the room. Some of us finally admitted we don't want to be seen while we're doing hard things.

The smartest satisfactions are the ones she doesn't share.

———

Now on the site: The Spa Edit is live. What we think about before we book, and why most of what's marketed as "wellness" isn't.

This week: The Spa Dossier drops, followed by our first Monclaire Guide designation in this category. If you care about the difference between theatre and restoration, you'll want to be here.

The house is changing: We're redesigning the site. Same standards, sharper architecture. More room for what's coming. You'll see it soon.

What we're reading: Diana Vreeland's D.V. For the third time. Because nobody else wrote about taste with that much nerve.

What we’re thinking: It’s time to stop saying “Happy New Year.”

———

What appears here has earned its place and passed our standard, because this only works if you trust us. When we create something worth owning, it will have its own home. Separate, transparent, unmistakable. That's the rule.

———

Forward this to one friend who gets it. You know who she is.

—Adrienne