The Monday Media Diet with Emilia Petrarca

On Lettre Recommandée, The Wager by David Grann, and Delta Reddit wormholes

Emilia writes the excellent Shop Rat. She’s long overdue for our MMD and has brought some pizzazz. Her gift guide is very solid btw. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a fashion and culture writer based in Brooklyn. Before going freelance in 2023, I worked at New York magazine as the Cut’s senior fashion writer, reporting on everything from the RealReal to Anna Wintour’s lunch. I now write for a number of other publications with “New York” in the title. I also started a newsletter last year called Shop Rat, which forces me to get out of my apartment and engage with style IRL. All anyone will remember me for, though, is when I took that video of Larry David at Fashion Week.

Describe your media diet.

I wrote for 30 different publications last year, so I consume as much fashion/culture media as any one human can stomach. New York magazine will always be my number one, but I’ll also gobble up anything in the New Yorker written by Lauren Collins and Rebecca Mead. Of course, I also subscribe to a lot of Substacks—65 in total. I read most of the top fashion ones, plus Lauren Sherman’s and Rachel Tashjian’s. For a change of pace, I turn to Lettre Recommandée by Lauren Collins, Gossip Time by Allie Jones, and Italian Disco Stories. My friend Matt also has an urban planning newsletter called Street Stack that anyone who lives in a city would enjoy.

What’s the last great book you read?

The Wager by David Grann. Someone I follow on Instagram posted it with the caption: “If you thought Yellowjackets was wild…” And it did not disappoint. I’ve since become a huge #GrannStan and even started an unofficial David Grann book club (with two other people in it, but still). Most recently, we read The Devil & Sherlock Holmes, which is a compilation of short stories about people whose obsessions drive them mad.

What are you reading now?

I’m interested in writing a romance novel or short story in the near future, so I just ordered the new 831 Stories.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I do a quick front-to-back skim as soon as it arrives and then save the longer stories for Sundays. Growing up, I remember my mom, who was a journalist, bringing huge stacks of magazines with her on vacation because she was “behind,” and I’ve now become that person, too.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

When I was at Vassar, I learned about an alumni named Lois Long, who went on to write for the New Yorker under the pen name “Lipstick.” I turn to her archives for inspiration whenever I’m feeling uninspired. She did the "When Nights are Bold" column, which was later called "Tables for Two," during prohibition, and is considered the “first American fashion critic” for her “On and Off the Avenue” column. I love her snappy, conversational tone and how she reported on what people were wearing in the street and buying in stores—not just what was going down the runways. I had dreams of writing her biography but had to shelve that idea for various reasons. Maybe one day!

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

I have a mini label maker called a Niimbot that connects to your iPhone. The last label I made said: “SCARVES.”

Plane or train?

I don’t know how to drive, so I’m a huge train freak. I’ve been on an absurd number this year, including one that was SPLIT IN HALF and PUT ON A BOAT to cross the Straight of Messina, which separates Sicily from Italy’s boot. Coolest shit ever. Trains rule!

What is one place everyone should visit?

Everyone should try to see a total eclipse in their lifetime. I witnessed one for the first time this year, and it was the most mind-blowing thing I’ve ever experienced (besides taking a train on a boat). A total eclipse won’t be visible again in the United States until 2044, but I’ll meet you in Spain in 2026.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

I recently got horrific food poisoning from a Delta calzone and, in my weakened state, fell deep down a Delta Reddit rabbit hole. I will never eat airplane food again, and also came out on the other side with a conspiracy theory that the Italians will not be happy about…