Gift Idea: Historical Glasses For History Buffs, Fans of Classic Cinema, and Drinkers

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One of my favorite cocktails is the Bee's Knees, and I made some for friends recently and realized: I didn't have the right kind of glass! I served them in the typical martini glass, which will do in a pinch, but really the drink calls for an old-timey, wide-mouthed champagne glass.

I did some digging and discovered that the name of that glass is the “coupe” — and that there's this amazing company I found on Amazon called The History Company that sells a TON of old glasses inspired by (copied from?) historical spots (like the Algonquin), movies (like Casablanca), and people (like Zelda Fitzgerald).

So: I've got some coupe glasses from The History Company on my gift list this year, but it also occurs to me that they would be a great gift for a lot of different people, from drinkers who collect interesting glasses, to history buffs/old movie buffs, to people who may be interested in portion control (the glasses of yore were much smaller than today's glasses!).

I particularly like that there are a bunch of sets of only two glasses for $24 — great for the person who doesn't want to commit a ton of cabinet space to a glass you won't use often. The pictured set (inspired by Casablanca) comes in a set of 2 for $24, and a set of 4 for $44 (not eligible for Prime, sadly). (OOH – looks like the company's website also offers stuff for your office, like desk chairs inspired by FDR's chair.) 

(2020 update: we really like these glasses and use them all the time!)

Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine's Day!):

  • Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save up to 25% on select suiting, this weekend only
  • Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
  • J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

89 Comments

  1. Planning a weekend with my mom and sister in May and I would love ideas on a wellness retreat/resort type of place in the US. Lake Austin is out (we live in TX and want to go somewhere else). Sunrise Springs in Santa Fe is a consideration, but I was worried it still might be a little chilly in early May. I was also looking at Red Mountain Resort in Utah, but the reviews about the food are very mixed. Other suggestions?

    Looking for a resort where we can relax, eat great and healthy food, get some spa treatments, and also do some fitness classes and meditation. Not looking for a hotel with a spa. Ideas?

    1. Miraval. It has a spa, but honestly what you described is a destination spa so I think you’re going to have a very hard time finding a hotel without a spa that meets your other requirements.

    2. I’ve heard nice things about Canyon Ranch in Arizona. Sunrise Springs in Santa Fe is also nice. Early May in Santa Fe might be a little chilly, but typically a light jacket should be enough. It won’t be hot, but it probably won’t be freezing cold either. And the spring wind should have mostly settled down by then.

    3. I read this as saying you don’t JUST want a hotel with a spa (ex: a Ritz is going to have a great spa, but it’s still a hotel with a spa, not a wellness retreat).

      I love Amangiri in Utah, though its, uh, expensive.

    4. I know you specified in the US, but if you’re willing to consider nearby, I highly recommend Rancho La Puerta, in Mexico, not far from San Diego.

      Another idea by the same team I believe is the Golden Door Resort in California, which probably is amazing too but too pricey for me to have considered when I went to Rancho La Puerta.

  2. I’m planning a family reunion for 20 people next Thanksgiving and need advice on where to go in the US.  Most are in the US but we have one family coming in from Calgary.  There are too many options!

    Criteria:  warm or warmish weather during Thanksgiving, not too far from a major airport, large 7 bedroom house where everyone can stay, with heated pool. Direct flight from Calgary a plus although not required. 

    We’re not looking for a destination where there are tons of things to do, because realistically we’ll be hanging out at home and swimming and relaxing.  It would be nice to do some easy hikes or be near natural beauty, but again not required. 

    I realize this is broad criteria, but does anyone have thoughts? I was thinking somewhere in Arizona might work?  Other ideas?

    1. My suggestion would be to find the house first and let that decide the location.

      1. How would you find the house first? When I look for houses (on Airbnb for example) I always start with dates and location.

    2. If you really want to be swimming you might need to go to South Florida. I don’t really think of late November as swimming weather in California/Arizona, though it’s certainly a lovely time of year for hiking and other outdoor activities, because the temperatures are very mild.

      1. Agreed. We were in Orlando the week before Thanksgiving, and it was frigid the first few days, but even towards the end it was only really warm enough for the kids to swim (in a heated pool). So, I wouldn’t count on being warm enough to swim, or even really lounge by a pool, anywhere outside the absolute southernmost areas of the US that time of year.

        1. Yea, very South Florida is the only part of the country that’s going to be reliably warm at Thanksgiving. You *could* get weather in the 70s in gulf/upper Florida, but you could also easily get 50s.

      2. Sorry, to clarify: I meant swimming in a heated pool in the house, definitely not swimming in the ocean. It would be way too cold.

        Thanks for all of the suggestions so far! We went to Destin for the last reunion and had a great time, looking for a different place this time.

    3. It doesn’t check the “Direct flight from Calgary” box, but check out Florida’s gulf coast. Destin if you like shopping/restaurants/town or St. George Island if you want to get away and enjoy nature.

    4. Definitely south Florida. My family goes to Naples and since it’s an affluent area, you can find giant houses and everyone has a heated pool.

    5. My extended family just spent Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico. We spent the entire week in the pool, in the ocean, or hiking. I realize that’s not quite the U.S. you had in mind, but it worked for us.

    6. Houston/Galveston/Lake Conroe. If direct flights are a priority (especially from Calgary), it would check that box and is not . Phoenix/Scottsdale would also probably fit the bill but is not quite as well balanced flight time wise from both coasts. In the Houston area there are generally tons of large houses to rent — plus NASA, while it seems kitchy, always results in everyone having more fun than they thought.

    7. We just did this for Thanksgiving and stayed in Cape Coral, Florida. Ft. Myers airport is easy to fly in and out of for us (although not sure about direct flights from Calgary). Weather was great.

    8. Outside Las Vegas? Not sure if it’s warm enough to swim but there is lovely hiking and I am sure you could find a big house

  3. How often do you workout? I ask because I usually do 4-5 days currently, with the idea that I “need” rest days (I’m jogging or doing a spin class, or something, not training for a marathon here), but I’d like to make it more of an everyday thing – I’m in a notably better mood on days I workout, and I eat SO much better – I think the workouts make it easier to embrace a “food as fuel” mentality, which is just healthier all around. I’m at a healthy weight, so this isn’t for weight loss, but I was just wondering if there are other folks who do this and how it works?

    1. Realistically twice a week, three if I am lucky. I also try to walk after lunch for 20 minutes every day, and I live in California so that is fortunately doable most of the year.

      1. I walk 5 days a week, and have a female personal trainer come to my apartment 1x a week on Wednesday nite.
        Gonzalo offered to be my trainer a few years ago but his hands wandered to places where they did NOT belong so I told him NO. I wish men would not focus on s-x all the time. FOOEY!?

    2. I used to read Laura Vanderkam’s blog and I know that she ran every day for several years. As long as they are not hard workouts and you take it relatively easy some of the days, I think you are fine having some sort of work out every day.

    3. I workout everyday and +1 to Anon at 3:11. As long as it’s not a hard workout everyday and you listen to your body, you are fine. If you start to feel rundown or like you are not recovering appropriately, take a step back.

    4. I just read Younger Next Year for Women and the authors say that for a long, healthy active life into your 80s, they recommend 45 minutes of exercise 6 days a week. I’m trying to meet this standard but not 45 minutes except on days I cycle or hike. 3-4 days of weights, 3 days of cardio.

      I think the rest days can be modified in that you would try to do cardio on non-successive days and weights on non-successive days. Not doing sprints or intervals two days in a row is a good plan. The weightlifting advice is you could do upper body one day, lower body the next and still be ok. But the “rest” day advice is really for hard core athletes, other than making sure that you don’t get injured.

    5. I do two days of OrangeTheory (HIIT) and one day on 1.25 hour vinyasa yoga. The remaining 4 days are rest days where I don’t do any activity other than a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, or 10-20 minutes of gentle yoga.

    6. I usually go 4x-5x/week, but usually have long walks on my rest days. If I’m commuting to our other local office, this is a roughly 2-mile walk carrying my backpack from the train station in the morning and evening, or a 1-mile walk around the park. I do HIIT and weight-lifting the other days for 45-60 minutes. Depending on the workout, I need the days off because I’m sore from lifting, but a long walk keeps me feeling the endorphins and healthy food cravings.

    7. 5 days of good workouts. My rest days usually involve some low-key activity, like a walk or a brief yoga session at home. But not always. I’ve found that I need to give myself an “out” from exercising at least 1-2 days out of the week, or I tend to start burning out and feeling overly fatigued.

  4. I got a set of these coupes this year and have enjoyed the heck out of them. So funny — they were the usual “champagne glass” when I was young, then flutes were all the rage, and now coupes are coming back. The pendulum swings, man…

    https://www.potterybarn.com/products/luigi-bormioli-sublime-champagne-glasses-set-of-4/?catalogId=84&sku=2323218&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Tabletop%20%3E%20Wine%20Glasses&cm_ite=2323218&gclid=CjwKCAiArJjvBRACEiwA-WiqqzBM9wN8I1FHq1MhFgC7TbbQ2YKDsPiGKBk5eUDNt2wvZTXL9kdmjBoCIaEQAvD_BwE

    1. It does indeed change like that. If you’re (1) willing to hand wash glasses and (2) don’t care if 100% of your glasses match, you can pick up great deals on coupe glasses (and other interesting glassware) at antique stores for a lot less than $12 a glass. I am sure the ones posted here are dishwasher safe and substantial, but I have found beautiful sets from the 1920s – 1960s that were at most $5 a glass and have some interesting patterns/etching on them. Not everyone who attends my dinner parties or cocktail gathers has the exact same glass, but I also don’t care if one gets broken from too much revelry. (The glasses are probably safe in a dishwasher on a very delicate setting, I just don’t risk it.)

      1. Confession: I put my inherited 1945 etched crystal in the dishwasher. Comes out fine every time.

        1. I don’t have any inherited crystal, but I would totally do that. I figure that either (1) I wash it in the dishwasher and comes out fine, (2) I wash it in the dishwater and ruin it, or (3) I never use it. I’ve decided to go with option 1, because option 4 of washing by hand will never ever happen.

          1. I would double check that your crystal isn’t leaded. Ours is and can’t be used for food :(

        2. I put everything — crystal, fine china, sterling silver — in the disherwash. If I can’t maching wash it, I don’t want it.

        3. In addition to some fine silver, I was given a set of antique Hungarian crystal gobblets from my Grandma, who said the crystal was manufactured with lead in them and I should not let kids drink out of them. I do not think anyone should drink out of them if they have lead in them, and if so, what use do gobblets have if you can’t drink out of them? I am guessing none, and that she gave them to me b/c she does NOT want any of Rosa’s kids either drinking out of them, or worse yet, breaking them and injesting any of the lead dust from a broken glass. YUK!

          What does the hive think, and should I just quietly dispose of these or give them to a museum? I know that I’ve seen old crystal like this in the NY MET and other places, so mabye I should just call, but who? If the HIVE has any ideas, let me know. In the meantime, I will just keep these in the fancy box they came in.

    2. I love getting a sparking wine in a coupe glass in a bar/restaurant – my favorite!

  5. I love champagne coupes but I’m so clumsy, I can’t drink out of them without spilling. And yes, SA – I’ve noticed trendy bars in my area are using coupes and not flutes these days!

  6. Any recs for a low dose Melatonin capsule? The only capsules I’ve found so far are 3 mg and I would like to start with a lower dose than that, since I’m petite and tend to react pretty strongly to medicine.

    1. I buy the 3mg caplets from Costco (recommended by a Doc to buy their melatonin for quality control) and I split them in half with a pill splitter.

    2. I got tired of cutting 3mg in half so I got some 1mg (also chewable) from amazon. Brand is Nature’s Trove. I’ve also found 1mg pills – intermittently – at local drug stores.

      1. I got my 1 mg ones from Amazon. They’re quick-dissolve too – no water needed.

    3. Look in the children’s medicine section as well as the supplements and sleep section. There were 4 or 5 different .5-1.5 mg options in the children’s medicine section at Target last week (though not in pill form–gummies, chewable tablets, or liquid).

    4. I found a 0.3 mg one from Sundown Naturals at the drugstore. You can also get liquid melatonin drops, so you can customize your dosage.

  7. Any fun ideas for things to do on a weekday in DC? I have a full free day there in about a week and need to entertain myself while my friend is at work. I am staying in Arlington, and was thinking about going to the African American History and Culture museum for part of the day, since I’ve heard good things. Recs for other things or a great lunch place?

    1. African American History and Culture museum is great but is *very* emotionally heavy in the beginning (lower levels).

      The DC Holiday Market by the National Portrait Gallery is now open thru Dec 23, I think.

      For contemporary and fun art, I would recommend the Renwick Gallery (part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum) or Artechouse (augmented reality/interactive art but have to pay about $20). Season’s Greenings is open on at the US Botanic Gardens, near the Capitol.

      Lots of good eats around the Penn Quarter/Gallery Place area, ranging from fast casual to super fancy.

    2. I would check out the Newseum before it closes for good at the end of the year.

    3. Portrait Gallery, National Cathedral, botanical gardens. Le Diplomat for lunch if it’s Friday, or perhaps happy hour.

  8. Has anyone focused on changing their body composition over weight loss? I am a healthy weight and losing weight would not typically be advised, but I had one of those full body scan analyses done and I am at a high percentage of body fat when compared to my peers, in an unhealthy range. I workout and eat clean, generally. I found some online calculator suggesting that for fat loss I should be eating 40/40/20 (percentage) carbs/protein/fat. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet and that seems nearly possible. Thoughts?

    1. I would focus on just eating more protein, and making sure you don’t eat carbs late at night (i.e. don’t have a big plate of pasta for dinner at 8 pm).

    2. This is me. I try to avoid the scale for this reason. In addition to eating healthier, adding strength training has really helped bring down my body fat

    3. You have to do strength exercises, ideally weight lifting. Being skinnyfat can be just as bad as being obese healthwise – it’s better to be technically overweight with a lower body fat % than thin with high.

      1. This is what I thought of too. 20% of your calories from fat seems a little low to me. I am also a vegetarian and have had a lot of success building more muscle by eating a 45/30/25 carbs/fat/protein split or a 40/30/30 split and following a compound lifting program (meaning weightlifting exercises that target multiple muscles at once…think deadlifts/squats instead of bicep curls).

    4. Yes. Check out “Thinner Leaner Stronger” by Mike Mathews. I was feeling lumpy, but not fat in February. I followed the program for a few months and built so much strength while losing some of that fat. When I went on vacation later in the summer, I could see the shadow of my abs. It was so great. Not actively doing it now, but will get back into it after the new year.

  9. Favorite easy(ish) cookie recipes for this time of year? I have a bake sale and a party coming up and I don’t have hours to spend on one intricate recipe, but I still want to bake and be proud of what I produce. Thanks!

    1. Chocolate Crinkles! There are many recipes out there but I like the “Chocolate Crinkles II” one on AllRecipes. I add a teaspoon of mint extract. Chilling the dough really improves the definition between the powdered surface and the dark “crinkles” peeking through.

      1. These look perfect for what I have in mind! Thank you! May I ask – do you ADD 1 tsp mint or do you SUB 1 tsp mint for the vanilla? Thanks! :)

        1. Sorry for the late reply! I believe I SUBBED to keep the amount of liquid the same, although I suspect it doesn’t matter too much. Have fun!

    2. Chocolate peppermint thumbprints! First, find a fun, minty Hershey’s kiss. I like the “Candy Cane” red-and-white ones, but anything fun and seasonal will probably do. Use your favorite chocolate cookie dough – the Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie works just fine if you replace part of the flour with cocoa and the vanilla with mint (or whatever might work with your fun seasonal Hershey’s kiss). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and press the kisses in while still warm (best not to do this while on cooling racks, ask me how I know!).

  10. Any resources for a website that will help find lipstick dupes? There’s a Clinique color that I love (spiced apple), but it’s not very long-wearing. I’d love to try a similar color in another brand and see if it lasts longer.

    My light googling has brought me to a few sites that don’t seem to really deliver: (Temptalia for one) and a bunch of random pinterest boards. Anything you know of that has been actually useful?

    1. I’d go to a Sephora and test against some of their long-lasting lipsticks — the house brand, YSL lip stain, smashbox long lasting lipstick, etc. Or ask someone there to help. Another option would be to go to a Nordstrom (preferably one with a MAC counter) and see if you could find something there too. I’d be wary of online color matching because the depth of color won’t come through in a photo.

      1. Thanks for the tips, all. I will go in person and check things out, guided by the samples on 4:48s image.

    2. Try temptatalia, she has a pretty extensive swatch gallery and even compares dupes.

  11. I am planning on TTC early next year and am on allergy shots. I thought I would be at maintenance by now, but I have had to do a slower build up than I had hoped due to some large local reactions and an unrelated health issue. I know you are not supposed to do a build up while pregnant but what about while TTC? Does anyone have experience with this?

    Also– I am planning to talk to my OBGYN about this but had to reschedule my appointment and am looking for answers in the mean time.

    1. Talk to your allergist as well. Build up usually takes three months to a year, depending on frequency. You really can’t wait a few months? And clearly being in build up while TTC is fine – TTC is not a state of being, but why would you chance being on build up while trying to get pregnant?
      In addition there is some evidence (though debatable) that continuing allergy shots while pregnant can have immunity advantages as far as allergens to the fetus, so just wait.

      1. I’m confused by this as well. The things that you can do while TTC, but not when pregnant, are those things that you can stop once you get a positive pregnancy test (e.g., drink alcohol). If you could be pregnant before build-up is complete (many people get pregnant on their first month of trying), then you should discuss with your allergist.

    2. talked to my allergist about this a couple months ago- he has no problem doing shots while TTC, but once you have that positive pregnancy test, he advises against it. So his advice to me was to start the shots and give them at least 6 months before TTC. It sounds like you’re already in the process though…. so I’d finish the shots then TTC personally.

  12. What are everyone’s favorite low carb winter foods? I’m having one of those days where I’m swearing up and down no carbs until Xmas.

    1. Not sure if it qualifies as low carb, but it is high protein and high fiber — lentils! Perfect for winter. Add your choice of vegetable – swiss chard/kale/ spinach, carrots, cruciferous vegetable, squash or sweet potato. Delicious! Spice to your taste (curry, or garam masala or rosemary/sage/thyme).

    2. We love white chicken chili in the winter, and the macros are easy to adjust! Rough recipe:

      2-3 lbs. chicken, cubed (we’re hobby bodybuilders, so we like a high chicken:other ingredient ratio)
      1 yellow onion
      1 box chicken broth (we usually do the family size… it’s maybe 48 oz?)
      1 block neufchatel cream cheese (it’s the lower-fat version)
      Cumin, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, garlic salt to taste
      Optional additions: mushrooms and carrots (probably skip the carrots if you’re really going no-carb)

      Brown the chicken with spices and onion. Add in broth and cream cheese (and optional veggies), simmer until veggies are soft or you think the flavors have combined. I’d do at least 30 minutes of simmering. Optional macro tweaks: avocado/cheese/sour cream to add fat, rice/quinoa to add carbs

  13. I have coupes that my mom got as a wedding present in 1963…

    I’m just under 2 weeks out from starting a new job. I’m primarily in my office to train my successor and to work on one project. I just had a very small dose of short-timers hit, when I received an email about next year’s budget and went “Not. My Problem.” And then said it to a colleague/friend who is taking over my finance duties.

  14. Last year around this time there was a great thread about fun little luxuries in the kitchen (Maldon, fancy hot sauces, etc.) – Wondering if anyone has any new items for 2019? Looking for fun stocking stuffer ideas for my foodie DH!

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