Pinned & Noted, Vol. 2

I have always had a thirst for discovery—finding unique, interesting things that not everyone has—whether that is a handbag designer that’s still under the radar, a perfume no one else knows about, or something special for my dinner table. In the spirit of that, Pinned & Noted is a column where I will share the new-to-me discoveries, books I’ve pre-ordered, and (hopefully) under-the-radar gems. You can view the first one here!

This month, visiting Printemps in New York was a major source of inspiration. I can’t recommend it enough. If you aren’t familiar, Printemps is an iconic Parisian department store. In the New York store, 30% of the inventory is not carried in the US, which is kind of amazing in terms of discovery. I ended up buying this Tonka bean perfume (it’s heaven!) and these braided sandals. I’ve never seen anything like them; the colors are so good together.

SIMONMILLER has become an instant favorite brand. Their latest collection feels like it was made for me: so many great striped pieces, so much raffia. This stripey top + pants set was a must, and I love this asymmetrical crochet raffia top. Speaking of raffia, I pre-ordered this Khaite bag and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. I love raffia, I love the East-West silhouette, and black feels very fresh right now. It’s the perfect summer handbag. And on the literary side of pre-ordering things, this jewelry book, Keith McNally’s memoir, and Dan Pelosi’s second cookbook were all musts!

Two other discoveries worth mentioning are the LILIS Body peel and this perfume. A Substack reader asked me to review the exfoliator. I dutifully ordered it (also out of curiosity) and will write a longer review, but I love it. You apply a thin layer, and then rub it off in circular motions — it peels dead skin off, kind of like glue. A little gross, but so satisfying. This is done before showering, for the record. It’s great pre-self-tan!

I was at a girlfriend’s house, and somehow the conversation turned to perfume. My friend Lavinia raved about this musk fragrance and brought the bottle down to try it. It literally smelled great on every single person (male or female) who tried it on. I ordered from Lucky Scent on my phone during the car ride home, though I later noticed that Wentworth, my favorite neighborhood shop, also carries it. I’d rather shop local, so I’m throwing that out there for any fellow Charlestonians!

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