Erica's holiday lights are already up. (It's November. She's fine.) Sara covered Black Friday at the outlet malls for the Star Tribune once and gives it zero stars. Neither of us is standing in a line this year, but plenty of shoppers are heading back to stores.
Then we played winner or loser with this year's retail headlines. Crumbl closed dozens of stores and bet on dirty soda. Cracker Barrel brought the old guy back and Wall Street noticed. Gucci called Mariah Carey for the holidays while its parent company closed 128 stores. Rhode gave e.l.f. what it calls Sephora's biggest launch ever. Kohl's brought back the jewelry and the coupons. And Ross is having a very good year. (Sara went 4 for 6.)
Sara reads Whole Foods' 2027 trend list (terroir, food as skincare and the bean boom) and Erica admits lupini beans run her household. Plus why an experience might beat one more thing in a box.
Gossip Girl: a reader's best friend swears her new face is water and sleep. Now she's selling a $189 glow routine and wants to demo it before book club. We both get Botox. We both say no. Then Jennifer Lawrence's The Cut cover and Paris Hilton's Halloween costumes. Our position: it's her face, and London picked Chip.
Women Killing It: Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history. Dr. Annie Andrews became the first woman South Carolina has elected to the U.S. Senate. And at least 17 women will serve as governors in 2027, a record.
Also out this week: Aisha Beau Frisbey on leaving fashion PR after a panic attack in her boss's bathroom and facing postpartum depression years later.
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