Yesterday I brought a plus-one to a surprise birthday lunch. She’s new. She’s . We arrived early to a long, festive table already perfectly set, place cards lined up just so. Perched on each chair: a statement bag—a pert here, a lush suede there. It was like everyone’s avatar was saving our seats while we stood around mingling, waiting for our still-oblivious friend to walk in and be surprised. (She was—yay!) So what did my bag say about me? She’s a rich merlot on the outside, a resplendent poppy red on the inside—slightly serious until—surprise!—you open her up. Three compartments (a detail I find endlessly helpful), compact but deeply functional, organized without being uptight. Easy to sling over the shoulder, equally happy being carried like a clutch. Multi-faceted. Versatile. Very much how I hope I come across, though that may be wishful thinking! Though I love Céline, it’s not an everyday, head-to-toe brand for me. Too expensive, for starters! Still, I’m always leaning into the polished but laid back aesthetic. Which is why I’ll happily reach for something like the gold-buttoned shirt, below, the $62 , and this . At lunch I learned about my friend’s newish Substack, (truly and always); I read every feel-good post last night. Highly recommend! Also: everyone was talking about (apart from the tenuous state of the world!) the un-put-down-able , this utterly divine yet hard-to-place (think caraway, limbwood branches, tart black currant, vanilla, and summertime lily that smells like, say, stepping into a Reykjavík backyard at 4 a.m), my (yes!), how (below), , , , and others are already—successfully—on Chanel’s Spring 2026 collection, ’s made-for-layering (below), and my table-mate’s chic (which I mistook for a big investment/heirloom piece!). Oh, wait, one more thing: my green ruffled dress, above, is on sale!