10 of my Favourite Things /002
How to exude elegant, lived-in sophistication
I wrote our first list of Favourite Things a little over two months ago, in mid-March, and it has since been our most popular post ever, subscriber-wise. What followed were weeks of readers writing to share their own discoveries—thoughtful messages describing family heirlooms passed down through the years, stories of small rituals that elevate ordinary moments, personal recommendations, secrets shared.
Their responses reminded me that taste is deeply personal, shaped by memory and circumstance in ways that can't be replicated. But they also revealed something else: how desperately we all long for things that feel genuine rather than manufactured, meaningful rather than trendy.
This second collection explores that territory—things that feel both timeless and personal rather than performative, small acts and choices that, to me, represent effortless sophistication and genuine warmth. Not because they're fashionable, but because they speak to something deeper about how we choose to move through the world.
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/001 SIMPLICITY
There's something deeply chic about the confidence to pare things down and let quality speak for itself. A room with just the right amount of negative space—not sparse, but uncluttered enough that each piece can breathe. The capsule wardrobe approach: fewer, better pieces that all work together effortlessly. A perfectly made bed with white linens and Oxford pillows. Meals with just a few high-quality ingredients, prepared well.
It's the art of editing—knowing what not to include. There's something so sophisticated about someone who can walk into a room and know instinctively that it doesn't need more—it needs less. Who can get dressed and resist the urge to add "just one more thing." It's that French approach where elegance comes from subtraction rather than addition.
Simplicity suggests a certain inner confidence—you don't need external complexity to feel interesting or worthy of attention. Perhaps the real luxury is knowing when you have exactly what you need.