#096: How to be devastatingly hot and cool, January '26
Better late than never! Hi again!
A portion of this newsletter is kindly sponsored by MZ Wallace.
This issue is a part of my monthly shopping series “How to be devastatingly hot and cool”.
I’ve returned to the permafrozen snow globe that is New York City after three and a half weeks in Asia, the first two weeks of which I spent in 30°C/86°F weather in Thailand. I’m still not over that trip…I’ve been back in New York for a week now and I suspect it will take me another week to process the trip and then share some resort season inspiration with you. I miss it so much.
January, no matter where it’s spent, has always been to me a month of reset and nesting. It also often feels like the beginning of what could be! With January also comes the relentless cold (for northern hemisphere folks) and the ~elements~ that go along with that. It’s a test of patience and strength that forces me to really think: is it even possible to be devastatingly hot and cool this month!?
This month’s issue of How to be devastatingly hot and cool (albeit at the end of it—apologies, I was in THAILAND for goodness’ sake) yields to nature’s way while also is aware that so much of our sartorial and lifestyle choices should prioritize self-care, comfort, and conservation. It’s about being practical, smart and whimsical. Here are my recommendations for the month:
FASHION
MZ Wallace makes the bag whose reach spans demographics and occasions. You know what bag I’m talking about. The Metro Tote Deluxe is the kind of tote that proves everyone needs a good quality tote bag that isn’t just a thin canvas one you got for free at an event or as a gift with purchase. MZ Wallace just launched the Park Collection: a collection of bags in the brand’s signature quilt in two structured but very versatile shapes: a satchel and a 90s-inspired shoulder bag, both styled below! I’m also into this carry-all tote that fits perfectly under your shoulder and could work as both a work bag or beach bag. Or consider this cleaner silhouette that feels very devastatingly hot- and cool-girl coded.
The Park Satchel fits everything I need for a full day out and then some. It’s extremely lightweight, durable, and moves with me throughout the day. Worn with a vintage jacket, Maria McManus shirt, Uniqlo:C Heat Tech 
Lately, I only want to carry shoulder bags for an evening out to fit only the essentials. This one comes in the perfect shade of red that goes with everything and can be dressed up or down. Worn with The Line By K turtleneck, DL1961 jeans Triangle scarves and not-your-average beanies are my winter trick to looking cool in the cold.
During Black Friday Cyber Monday season, many of you shopped this cashmere triangle scarf that has now sold out many times over, in multiple color ways. Here’s a red one that is heavily discounted, a fun paisley printed one I saw on my friend the other day, and this delicious heather grey cashmere version.
Oversized beanies that veer ridiculous are very hot- and cool-girl coded. It’s a spectrum, too! You can start with this oversized beanie from Lauren Manoogian, then eventually level up to this even taller XL one from Margiela. You can play it safe but cool in a good ol’ balaclava, and we could all use a red foulard (50% off, might I add).
Invest in loungewear that makes you look and feel good if you are spending a lot of time at home this winter. No shade to bulky sweats—there’s a time and place for those, too, just not in this month’s newsletter.
Negative Underwear’s proprietary ultra-soft “whipped” fabric is seriously sexy and comfy; these two adjectives can coexist! The lounge set is my favorite iteration in this fabric, but I may as well get the underwear too. And because Valentine’s Day is around the corner, the boxer in the pink color way is doing something for me. If the fitted styles aren’t for you, the whipped fabric comes in a boyfriend tee.
Naked Cashmere is having an extra 40% off archive styles, including a silk maxi skirt and a longline cardigan, pieces that work in or out of the home, season after season.
Chanel’s recent couture show has me interested in sheer-maxxing as a way to add some dainty femininity in a season that punishes skin-bearing. Worn under layers and a thick coat, chiffons, silks, and the like add an unexpected flair that can change your whole attitude towards winter dressing.
This sheer bag from one of my favorite Korean brands is heavily discounted and really reminds me of the chiffon bags on the Chanel runway! I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of these come spring/summer.
Sheer skirts worn with black underwear showing through is my favorite winter party styling trick and a surefire way to be devastatingly hot at the function in an unexpected way. I love this Matteau skirt that has an understated thin elastic waistband, this wrap-tie maxi skirt that you could also wear at the beach, and this pink Simone Rocha number that is so just so romantic and has flair.
The Rick Owens sale section on SSENSE is not to be missed…lots of devastatingly hot and cool sheer numbers.
Fall/winter knits are discounted at this time of year as retailers make way for spring collections, but we’re still fully in the thick of winter, so it’s the perfect time to buy colorful knits that will carry you through the rest of the season and play into whimsy.
No one does it better than &Daughter, and their winter sale is full of every silhouette and color imaginable. My picks? A pink cashmere tee, a lightweight lime green V-neck, and a ribbed merino polo to be worn sans bra with low-rise jeans and kitten heels.
Mytheresa’s extra 20% off sale always reminds me that European retailers have selections you won’t see at American ones. Like this extensive Alessandro-era Valentino knit selection?? This ShuShu/Tong beaded cardigan! Runway Dries Van Noten!
Not on sale, but in line with this point…Doen’s beloved Petra cardigan now comes in this rosebud color way that is just so, so sweet.
On the topic of a big carry-all bag, Louise Trotter’s Barbara bag is the new bag Bottega Veneta is pushing hard this season. It’s a masculine, structured tote bag that means business and is exactly the kind of bag to motivate anyone into living a very fruitful 2026.
SKINCARE + BEAUTY
Hydration is imperative this month and the key to really keeping it together, cooly.
I’m loving Blue Lagoon’s lineup of masks for every kind of situation. I keep this hydrating mask on my desk, apply while I’m working from home, and wash it off hours later. The algae one is also very nourishing. And this lava scrub mask buffs all the dead winter skin cells away!
Goop Beauty has proved itself to be the little celebrity skincare brand that could. I know so many skincare enthusiasts that keep reaching for their products. They just launched a rich peptide cream that may be the moisturizer I keep reaching for this winter.
Every so often, a brand blows up for making and perfecting just one singular product. This one such brand of the season is Bonjout Beauty and they make a solid balm (LAURAJ gets you 15% off, btw). That’s it! It’s a multipurpose balm that can be used all over your face or on touch points like your lips, cuticles, under eyes, etc. It’s made with 68 actives and comes perfectly packaged in a chic, portable metal container.
A winter scent has always been one of the easiest ways to uplift and cocoon myself during these colder months. The devastatingly hot and cool girl knows that a winter scent has to be one that works well sprayed on thick knits, coats, and layers, and above all feels yummy.
Creed’s Carmina is the definition of a yummy winter fragrance that blooms in the cold. It’s a seductive cherry-rose-saffron number that my sister calls a “Turkish delight in a bottle”.
Bottega Veneta’s Alchemie is a magnetic pink pepper-heavy scent that pairs beautifully with colorful knits.
Prada’s new Infusion de Santal Chai was a recent gift, and it’s a Prada chai latte if you will!
The devastatingly hot and cool girl is just as much practical about her body care as she is indulgent… and in the winter, she knows that a hearty, comforting body cream is the trick to keeping dry body skin hydrated.
Enter: La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar Balm AP+ M. Ceramide goodness that replenishes the skin barrier like no other cream in the winter… it’s unscented and the packaging is, well, unsexy. But it works.
But if you must add on a nice-smelling layer on top, Everyday Oil never misses.
HOME
The devastatingly hot and cool girl knows how to cook! And she’s doing a lot of it in the winter. Le Creuset’s winter sale is the sale that I didn’t know I needed. I snagged their signature Dutch Oven in a beautiful lavender color they call “shallot”. Other highlights include this little heart-shaped skillet or the cassadou, a skillet-dutch oven hybrid perfect for all your winter stews.
Wine globes make any night at home devastatingly chic and cozy.
Zalto wine glasses are the gold standard for a premium wine-drinking experience. The paper-thin rim and stems create some sort of “aerodynamic” sipping experience that optimizes the wine’s aromas. Somehow these Balance Glasses (literal Olivia Pope-style globes) are 25% off, which is rare for the brand!
These funky mouth-blown borosilicate wine glasses are reminiscent of the Bottega perfume bottles, and I just think they belong in the home together, no?
Flannel sheets seem like bedding that your grandmother would use, and for that exact reason, they are devastatingly hot and cool. Just before the holiday season, I got my hands on some striped Zara home ones with my new Ostermoor duvet insert (life changing), and I can confirm that they are toasty and soft and cute and cool and really just perfect.
Piglet in Bed makes colorful striped sheets perfectly in line with the whimsical winter color palette I’ve written throughout this newsletter.
Coyuchi, makers of my favorite percale sheets, dabbles in flannel too!
I think there is something to be said about letting January speak for itself and do its thing. A book that completely changed my mindset on winter is Wintering by Katherine May. I even wrote about it back in 2023 and I revisit it every winter. No matter how painful or excruciating the cold is on my body and mind, there is so much power in rest. In fact, it is biologically necessary to let our bodies adapt to the natural world. We are especially in a time of major collective grief and anxiety and we must give ourselves permission to stop and heal from what challenges come before us.
++ If you feel so inclined to donate to the immigrant community in Minnesota, please see some helpful resources below:
Critical Rent Assistance for Central Neighborhood Families - a mutual aid fund for rent assistance in immigrant households
Women's Foundation of Minnesota - a rapid response fund for the immigrant community in Minnesota
Monarca Rapid Response Line - a nonprofit offering training to volunteers on constitutional rights
My Pitbull is Family - an organization helping vulnerable families take care of their pets, including when an owner is detained by ICE
Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee - a grassroots, all-volunteer immigrant rights mass-movement organization in Minnesota
With love,
Laura