This spring, Bottega Veneta gave their Andiamo bag the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy treatment. Shuffling to and from the Kennedy compound with an L.L. Bean tote bag in hand, the late fashion icon glamorized the utilitarian accessory back in the 90s, solidifying the canvas carryall as a key component of her Cape Cod getaways. Debuting in Matthieu Blazy’s Summer 2024 show, Bottega Veneta’s latest iteration of the Andiamo ups the ante of Carolyn’s beloved tote, combining calfskin leather, Intrecciato woven handles, and a brass knot to make for the ultimate L.L. Bean upgrade. Ahead of my annual pilgrimage to Provincetown, I took the newest Andiamo bag to my local gay bookstore, Les mots à la bouche, filling it to the brim and counting how many queer reads the new canvas tote can pack. The answer, as you can see from my recommended summer reading list below, is many.
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The Lost Americans by Christopher Bollen, Harper Perennial
In Tongues by Thomas Grattan, Macmillan
A Great Gay Book by Ryan Fitzgibbon, Abrams
Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt by Brontez Purnell, Macmillan
Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carr, Macmillan
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, WW Norton
Antiquity by Hanna Johansson, Penguin Random House
Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris by Edmund White, Bloomsbury
Who’s Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler, Macmillan
BUTT, no. 34, Top Publishers
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