PaperCity Editors’ Guide to Haute Hibernation
Glamorous Selections For Lounging In Style
BY Melissa Smrekar //
Like you, PaperCity‘s team of editors survived a frenzied festive season, full of parties and Prosecco, galas and galavanting.
At the start of the new year, we’re bundled up at home… or planning our next getaway to a wellness retreat. Either way, we’re still lounging in style. In that spirit, we rounded up our favorite selections for a season of haute hibernation. Whether you’re bingeing your favorite television show or cozied up with your Kindle, there’s no reason your coziest wares can’t also be chic!
As the TikTok girlies say, “Ok, let’s get into it.”
Melissa Smrekar
Digital Executive Editor, Dallas
Soon enough, spring will arrive alongside a frenetic social season. Until then, my winter priorities are clear: I want to play mahjong, needlepoint, bake sourdough, and eat soup. As the old adage goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” and this lineup (an ideal Sunday includes all four) nourishes me from the inside out.
Petite Plume nailed their recent collaboration with Viceroy, and I plan to add the striped silk short set (and matching eyemask!) to my ever-growing collection of luxe pajamas.
For Soup Season, I recently purchased this enameled cast-iron soup pot from Le Creuset. The olive color absolutely sings in my 1961 mid-mod kitchen. Dallasite Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish is my go-to source for soup recipes. Hers never miss, but I’m particularly devoted to the Healing Chicken Soup from her first cookbook, which lives up to its name. (I always add a few extra cloves of garlic and extra ginger and call it “antiinflammatory!”)
I’ve been needlepointing for more than 15 years, but I love to stitch most during the winter months. It’s the perfect activity for watching your “comfort show” for the eighth time. (For me, that’s Mad Men and Friday Night Lights.) I’d love to add this “Clutter” canvas from Lycette Designs to my stash and stitch the jewels with metallic threads. When you’re stitching, you’re not scrolling, which is certainly an added bonus as I log out of social media for the entire month of January every year.
If you’ll indulge me in one, um, *investment* item, my actual haute hibernation dream would be to purchase this Houses & Parties bedroom set that includes a headboard, bed skirt, and quilted coverlet in a 1968 Brunschwig & Fils chintz. Imagine me needlepointing from this set-up. Bliss!
Shelby Hodge
Social & Lifestyle Editor, Houston
Call me crazy, but I love cold, cloudy weather— the perfect time for snuggling, wrapping up in comfy things, and baking cookies. Will it be chocolate chip with pecans or oatmeal raisin?
I’m sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that my last name is Hodge, but there is little more chic than wrapping up in a monogrammed Hermès throw. While the 100 percent cashmere piece is tempting, I’m opting for the more pocketbook-friendly throw in jacquard-woven merino wool with 10 percent cashmere. Bonus: It’s beautifully finished with blanket stitching.
For baking those cookies, a proper (I.e. high style) apron is a must, particularly if I’m posting on Instagram. No ordinary chef’s apron will do. I’m looking at the Matouk Schumacher linen apron in Granada Palm Green. Bonus: The color matches my kitchen.
Hanging out with friends in front of the tube in January, watching the NFL playoffs, you’ll find me styling in L’Agence’s Bishop Striped Sweater and a pair of jeans. Bonus: The metallic accents in the stripes and the gold buttons make it a fave for social encounters.
Billy Fong
Editor in Chief, PaperCity Magazine
First off, I adhere (perhaps loosely since I often give myself a hall pass for a night or two) to Dry January for my annual cocktail cleanse. For hibernation, I need to keep my mind occupied, so I need to get some subscriptions. Last week, I renewed my Paramount+ subscription so I could catch up on the latest season of Landman and was so inspired that I am writing a little story on my thoughts for our upcoming March issue. Also, since I’m single, I renewed a dating app subscription… though I’m not going to say which because I don’t want to bump into any of my readers when I’m trying to court a potential suitor…
Second, I use my time at home in January to sort through and rearrange my closet. It becomes quite a mess during the fall and winter months since I’m tearing through it continually in search of outfits to wear to charity lunches, trunk shows, galas, and holiday soirees. I normally realize that it’s time to toss some of my Brooks Brothers white monogrammed shirts since they are tattered from repeated wear and order some new ones for the social season ahead.
Finally, hibernation requires something to cocoon in, and my immediate go-to is a new throw to wrap around me as I binge a streaming series (my current one on repeat is Heated Rivalry, as I am obsessed with HudCon). This is the one I am dying to order— a wool and cashmere 4-bar frette blanket from Thom Browne.
Megan Ziots
Digital Editorial Director, Dallas + Fort Worth
Slippers are a must for me during the colder months (I work from home in them for most of the day, I admit), and I’ve been eyeballing this cozy Sunday Slipper from Bombas. They come in an adorable cream floral design that will last you through springtime.
When going into cocoon mode this winter, I tend to snuggle up on the couch and read a lot. I’m currently flying through Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall (add it to your must-read list) on my Kindle Paperwhite, but having to open up my bright green case every day makes me feel the need to switch up the aesthetic for the cozier months. page. sells so many options it’s hard to choose just one, but for now I’m thinking Winter Blooms.
A new goal I have this year is to learn (attempt) to make my own matcha lattes at home. From my research when searching for the best matcha lattes in Dallas earlier this year, ceremonial grade is the only way to go. Rocky’s Matcha comes from Yame, Japan and features a blend.
Georgie Miller
Managing Director, Content Strategy & Operations
Dreary temps make me lean into happy colors. These vibrantly chic coffee cups from La DoubleJ bring a moment of delight to any dull day.
Another instant way to transport yourself to bright and shiny happiness is throwing on a soft sweater with rows of colorful stripes. Suzie Kondi’s cashmere iteration is buttery soft. There is no shame in pairing it with pajama pants.
A cozy night at home for me means bathtime. A long luxurious bath to soak out all the toxins and lull me into a zombie is my ideal way to kick off an evening of chill. Primally Pure’s Spa Kit comes complete with bath salts, dry brush, and nourishing body oil that is sure to lull me into serenity.
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