a handwritten note (whether to say thank you or just to say hello) | F. Scott Fitzgerald (my literary idol) | black and white movies (are best for a quiet night in) | monograms (small and subtle, but on as many things as possible) | crisp oxfords (perfect for so many occasions) | musicals (most especially The Phantom of the Opera and South Pacific) | J. Crew, Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, and Vineyard Vines (my favorite stores, to buy or simply window shop) | traveling (for the weekend, for the day, for any time at all and to any place possible) | ballet (to dance, but especially to watch) | lazy mornings at a café (drinking coffee and reading a novel) |afternoons in the park (going on long runs, sitting by the lake, and strolling through the tea gardens) | pearls (classic and timeless, even better when they have a story) | dinner parties (especially the ones that run long because of good conversation with best friends) | classical music (Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, and Rachmaninov) | Frank and Dean (the ultimate crooners) | Birkins and Hermes scarves (someday) | Katharine, Audrey, Grace, and Jackie (always)