i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  although the health and happiness of my friends and family is the best gift i could ask for, here are a few things that were tied for second.

{manolo blahnik snakeskin bb’s (70% off at barneys!), mary green silk eye mask, princesse tam tam veruschka set}

these shoes deserve another look.

as the new year approaches, i am focusing more on how to properly care for the things i own and love.  one important change i have made is taking the time to hand wash sweaters and delicates.

i use the laundress products and love them.  while they seem expensive at first, they are much cheaper than 1) drycleaning or 2) buying new things because you didn’t treat the things you had properly.  also, their stain solution is a miracle worker, and has removed every single stain i have ever used it on (including red wine on silk!).

the company has a great series of youtube videos on how to wash everything.

i am constantly in the process of limiting my possessions to only those things that i truly love and need.  when you live in a small apartment, every item needs to earn its place.  i have also posted on essentials here and here, so it is time to move onto lingerie.

these are the only five bras i own (and need).  good quality underwear often isn’t cheap, but in my experience, it lasts much longer, so the added expense is ultimately worth it.

although it probably sounds obvious, when putting together bra essentials, it is important to think about the kinds of clothes that you wear first.  for example, i never wear strapless or spaghetti strap tops, so i have no use for a strapless bra.  however, i wear a lot of silk shirts, so i need a thin nude bra to go underneath them.  someone else’s bra collection probably looks entirely different.

also, i think every woman should be professionally bra fitted, at least every other year.  and victoria’s secret doesn’t count.  i have taken so many of my friends to be fitted at a local lingerie store (or nordstrom’s), and they are amazed when it turns out they have been wearing the wrong size.

{from top to bottom:  1) t-shirt bra; 2) thicker padded bra to wear under sweaters; 3) thin nude bra to wear under silk or other potentially see through shirts; and 4) plunge bra for low cut shirts}

and one just because.  this one by fleur of england is 100% silk and trimmed with the most beautiful handmade lace.

before this bag went back to my aunt, i snapped a quick photo of it surrounded by some of my favorite things to remember it by.

{diptyque candle, ray ban wayfarers, and a few classic books}