A few weeks ago, The Lauren Letter hit a milestone I’d been working toward for a long time. And when something like that comes to fruition, I believe in marking it with something you’ll still be carrying long after the champagne bubbles have dissipated.

So, I finally bought the tote I’d been admiring for ages. It isn’t orange-boxed. It didn’t require a waitlist, a relationship-building strategy, or purchase after purchase that I didn’t really want. It’s a Mulberry Bayswater, and I think it might be the most considered, luxurious purchase I’ve ever made.

Here’s how I got there.

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I Used to Play the Hermès Game

I’ll be candid: I was in it. Not because of the status (or not only because of the status), but because I genuinely revere Hermès craftsmanship. A Birkin is made start to finish by a single artisan, saddle-stitched by hand, from a house that began as a Paris harness workshop in 1837.

But if you’ve ever tried to buy one, you know the store isn’t really selling the bag. It’s selling access to the bag.

Birkins and Kellys are “quota bags,” offered only to clients with an extensive purchase history. Hermès has never published a formula, but shoppers and former employees describe a spend ratio: a former Hermès employee told Fortune she had to spend roughly the bag’s price on other Hermès goods first. Resellers report that ratio has crept to 1.5-to-1 or higher at some boutiques. The practice is even the subject of a proposed class action filed in San Francisco in 2024, alleging that tying Birkin access to other purchases violates antitrust law.

The British Birkin

Then I watched Lydia Millen, one of the UK’s original luxury creators and the source of my favorite long-form comfort content, do something I didn’t expect. In March 2025 she announced she was selling her entire handbag collection, estimated at roughly 75 bags including Birkins, Kellys, and Chanel, and cited safety as a key reason. Touting a five-figure bag through a city had started to feel like carrying a target to her, and she no longer could keep her collection at home, instead having to store them off site at a bank.

And what took the place on the crook of her arm? A vintage Mulberry Bayswater, which she nicknamed the “British Birkin.”

And what took the place on the crook of her arm? A vintage Mulberry Bayswater, which she nicknamed the “British Birkin.”

Something clicked. Here was a woman who had owned every bag I’d ever coveted, and she chose a Somerset-made leather bag with no waitlist and no logo shouting from across the room. Once Lydia introduced me to the brand, I began to notice it on the arms of so many British women whose style I admire: Laura Byrnes, Chloe Rose Litras, and Laura-Ann Barr (note: she’s Irish!), just to name a few.

How I Fell for Mulberry

The more I researched the brand, the harder I fell.

Mulberry was founded in 1971 by Roger Saul and his mother, Joan. Roger came by leather organically: his father ran the local Clarks shoe factory, and his early collections drew on saddlery leather, quilted fishing bags and poacher jackets. It was English country life, made at a family kitchen table, and translated for town.

As demand grew, the family opened The Rookery, a factory in Chilcompton, about 13 miles south of Bath. A second Somerset factory, The Willows in Bridgwater, followed in 2013–2014. Mulberry now calls itself the largest manufacturer of luxury leather goods in the UK, with around 600 craftspeople. The Bayswater, its icon, turned 20 in 2023.

How the Bags Are Made

What moved me wasn’t the heritage alone – it’s how the company treats the people and materials behind it.

• Made in England. Mulberry has committed to making more than half its products in its two Somerset factories.

• Paid fairly. Every person working in those factories is paid a real Living Wage, and the factories are carbon neutral.

• Trained by hand. Apprentices are trained in-house; one Mulberry leader started at The Rookery as a trainee stitcher making Bayswaters.

• Built to be repaired. The Rookery’s repair team restores close to 10,000 bags a year, and the Mulberry Exchange lets you trade in old bags for credit.

• Independently certified. Mulberry became a certified B Corp in 2024, assessed on workers, community, environment, governance and customers.

This is a brand that designs bags to be cherished and handed down, not swapped in and out as status symbols evolve (see Gucci Marmont belts).

The Math Stopped Making Sense

Could I have kept building a profile and eventually been offered a quota bag at Hermès? Maybe. And yes, Birkins hold their value as true investments. But the spend-to-offer ratio has ballooned past what I can justify.

In January 2026 the Birkin 25 in Togo rose to $13,500 in the US, up 6.3% in a single year. Fashionphile tracked the same bag at $9,400 in 2016, a 44% climb in a decade. PurseBop notes these increases outpace inflation, which suggests they aren’t driven by production costs. Add a 1-to-1 pre-spend and the real cost of one bag starts to look like this:

That's not to say I don't still adore other Hermès pieces: My Picotin is genuinely one of the most beautiful things I own, you can find me in my many pairs of Orans all summer long, and the French house's signature silks make my heart just flutter. But, I have committed to myself that any and all purchases from Hermès must be independently desired, with no tether to the hope of a future buy. And, better yet if I can score vintage selections!

And Logo Bags?

Don't get me started on some of the mega-brand classics. Louis Vuitton's famous Neverfull, for example, is not leather at all: it's cotton sealed under a PVC coating, trimmed in cowhide. It's durable, and I understand why people love it. But I want my money to buy organic materials when at all possible, not plastic.

Fair Market for Real Craft

At $1,695, my Mulberry Bayswater is unquestionably a luxury purchase. But I can see where the money goes: full-grain leather, a factory in Somerset, artisans earning a living wage, and a repair service that will keep it going for decades. That feels like paying fair market for quality, not a premium for permission.

The Bag Itself

I went with the tote in Oak NVT, Mulberry’s Legacy NVT leather, a renewed take on its most classic hide. Oak is the warm, saddle-brown color the brand is known for, and NVT is designed to soften and darken with age into a patina that is entirely your own. The contrast stitching gives it that sellier feel I always loved on Hermès, the visible, deliberate stitch that tells you a hand was here.

Every friend who has seen it in person has had the same reaction: a little gasp, then, “It looks so rich.”

What It Signals

I’ll own it: this bag virtue-signals. But I mean nothing pejorative by that characterization because it truly personifies the things I hold near and dear to my heart:

• Quality you can feel, in leather that gets better with use.

• Sustainability, from a B Corp that repairs rather than replaces.

• British heritage, which, as a card-carrying anglophile, I find irresistible.

• Beauty that doesn’t need a logo to announce itself.

That’s a message I’m proud to carry.

Next Up: The Launer Juliet

My Mulberry Bayswater is my “ludicrously capacious” everyday bag, the one I schlep and tote through workdays, errands, and travel. But every wardrobe needs its counterpart: something smaller and more polished for events and fizzy appointments. For that, my next dream bag is already chosen: a Launer Juliet.

If Mulberry is the British Birkin, Launer is the British answer to the Kelly. Sam Launer founded the house in London in 1940. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother bought a Launer bag in the 1950s and later gave one to her daughter. Queen Elizabeth II carried Launer for some sixty years, and the brand has operated under a Royal Warrant from the Royal Household since 1968.

The making is what gets me. Since 1981, every Launer bag has been made by hand in a Grade II listed workshop in Walsall, in England’s West Midlands, a town with a long leatherworking tradition. A single craftsperson assembles each bag, which takes around eight hours, and many of the team have been there for years, some starting as apprentices. Every piece carries Launer’s signature twisted-rope emblem, which I find so darling.

The Juliet is one of the house’s structured top-handle styles, and it can be fully customized in your choice of leather, color and rope finish.

One milestone at a time! But I know what I’m working toward. And, now, the only quotas I need to meet before purchasing are my own!

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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If you’ve followed The Lauren Warrant, you know Tuckernuck was No. 1. So, I am thrilled to share that my favorite brand came for Sundays, and it brought cashmere.

Meet Tuckernuck x Fanatics, an officially licensed NFL collection that draws on classic American sportswear, from 1950s Ivy League dressing to ‘80s NFL gear, inspired by what the founders remember their fathers wearing to games when they were kids.

Spanning four styles across 27 teams, each piece is personalized to its club with team patches, colors, and the chants fans already know by heart. Falcons fans get black cashmere stitched with "rise up," the Eagles cardigan comes in Midnight Green with "fly eagles fly," and Washington's burgundy version reads "hail to the commanders."

Whether you're in the stands, at a tailgate, or hosting from the couch, there's a piece for every kind of fan.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

The Collection

1. The Barn Jacket — Heavy khaki canvas with a corduroy collar, logo patches, and your team’s name across the back.

2. The Cashmere Cardigan — A take on Tuckernuck’s beloved Riley Cardigan in 100% cashmere, with the team slogan embroidered on the left chest and a mini team patch at the back neck.

   

3. The Rugby Polo — Team patches, embroidered chants, and the team name tucked under the collar for a hidden pop.

4. The Crewneck Sweatshirt — The loudest piece of the bunch, striped in retro team colors.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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I recently had LASIK at Woolfson Eye Institute here in Atlanta, and the moment I shared the news on Instagram, your messages poured in: curious, nervous, wildly enthusiastic, and more than a few from fellow contact-lens loathers. So, I opened the floor and invited you to ask me absolutely anything! Below are your best questions, answered with the candor you’ve come to expect and perhaps slightly more emotion than you would anticipate!

A note before we begin: my LASIK procedure was provided by Woolfson Eye Institute in partnership with The Lauren Letter. As ever, every opinion is entirely my own! Everyone’s eyes are different, so your own consult is where your personal answers live.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

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“Tell us everything!! LASIK is literally my dream. Deathly scared of contacts.”

It begins with a consultation: a thorough eye exam to determine whether you’re a LASIK candidate, followed by a walk through every option available to you. From there, you book your procedure date. Mine came just ten days after my consult!

Procedure day is a roughly three-hour affair at the center, after which a designated driver whisks you home. Within 24 hours, the vast majority of patients are seeing 20/20 or better (I landed in the “better” column, thank you very much!) and are cleared to drive. Then come the periodic check-ins: one week, three weeks, three months, six months, and one year.

What made you want to get it done?

I have worn glasses for nearly my entire life and contacts for twenty-two years. I was, to put it delicately, blind as a bat. I genuinely could not see my own hand in front of my face. LASIK always hovered at the edge of my mind, but my prescription kept worsening through law school and my early years of practice, and then life, as it does, got in the way. It was at my annual optometrist appointment this summer that I finally began asking about options, and the bee lodged itself firmly in my bonnet.

Turning thirty also brought a dawning appreciation for the very real safety concerns of near-blindness. I started having nightmares about a car accident in which my contacts fell out and left me stranded. Then came a middle-of-the-night fire alarm on vacation: I couldn’t find my glasses, and Carter essentially carried me down three flights of stairs. Let us simply say I would not have survived the Regency era!

Why did you go with Woolfson?

A confession: Woolfson was actually not my first stop. I initially booked a consult with another Atlanta provider that my optomitrist recommended and arrived only to learn that no one had mentioned a rather crucial instruction. You can’t wear contacts for three to five days before a LASIK consult. I’m generally quick to forgive a misstep; we are all human, after all! But a lapse in basic, care-centered communication, paired with a notably unapologetic response once they realized they’d dropped the ball (and squandered my morning), left me with one firm conviction — this was not the team I wanted pointing a laser at my eyeballs.

So I crowdsourced from my audience and from friends of friends, and the verdict was resoundingly clear: Woolfson Eye Institute. Dr. Woolfson specializes exclusively in LASIK (though the practice offers more) and has performed more than 100,000 procedures.

What truly took my breath away, though, was the patient care. The moment I booked, I was told about pausing my contacts (very important!), then reminded again with perfectly timed texts. The team is among the loveliest, most joyful groups of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and they are wholeheartedly passionate about the life-changing work they do. For a practice of that volume, my single procedure felt remarkably individual and tailored, and everyone I’ve spoken with who has gone there says precisely the same.

Best tips for choosing a LASIK provider?

My first tip is delightfully simple: go to Woolfson Eye Institute!!! Dr. Woolfson has locations across Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

If you live beyond the Southeast, seek out a practice with the same hallmarks: impressive procedure volume, cornea-fellowship-trained specialists, and, crucially, not so much as a whiff of the bargain bin.

How long does the procedure take?

Precisely one Bohemian Rhapsody: five minutes and fifty-five seconds.

At Woolfson Eye Institute, patients usually choose the song that plays during their procedure, but as the last patient of the day, I was let in on a house tradition: the day’s final procedure is always set to "Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I accepted with tremendous enthusiasm. I climbed onto the bed as the song began, and by its closing notes I was sitting up and reading a clock across the room!

Was it scary to be awake while they worked on your eyes? I want to do it so badly.

I will declare, without a shred of shame, that I am a wimp! And yes, there were nerves right beforehand. But I was so thrilled about a procedure that felt like pure magic that my excitement simply outran my fear.

It isn’t painful. At most, you’ll feel some uncomfortable pressure on the eye; numbing drops are administered beforehand, so you don’t actually feel a thing. Woolfson Eye Institute also allows a loved one to sit beside you and hold your hand throughout, which makes an enormous difference.

Being wide awake also made the result infinitely sweeter. I sat up, fully alert, and promptly burst into tears, because my life had changed in an instant. I hadn’t been able to read a clock without glasses or contacts since kindergarten. I was overcome, and soon the entire procedure room staff and business team were crying right along with me. That moment is worth any flutter of nerves or passing discomfort, every single time.

How has your recovery been?!

Beyond easy. After the procedure, you wait about thirty minutes for Dr. Woolfson to check your eyes, then receive another round of numbing drops. Those last roughly thirty minutes, which gave me just enough time to get home, slip into pajamas, and fall asleep. Some brief itchiness crept in before I drifted off (discomfort, never pain), and when I woke three to four hours later, it had vanished entirely.

The true hardship of the first 48 hours? No screens and no reading. Rather to my surprise, I relished the digital detox and became thoroughly hooked on an excellent audiobook. I still managed drinks with a girlfriend and a visit to a friend’s new baby; you simply keep your very fetching protective glasses on as an extra layer of defense.

After those first 48 hours, the glasses are only required for sleep. For the first week, I skipped eye makeup and anything more strenuous than a walk for movement. Dr. Woolfson’s team also suggests that patients who wear makeup purchase new mascara and eyeliner out of an abundance of caution, which is the most medically sanctioned excuse for a beauty haul I have ever received!

What are the side effects like?

Once the numbing drops wear off, your eyes may feel uncomfortable while open; itchy is the closest word I have. Closing them brought immediate relief. After the first 24 hours, and for about a week, I had some dry eyes, which lubricating drops handled beautifully. There was also a touch of blurriness, a few halos, and some sensitivity to light, though nothing that kept me from driving, working, or playing. Then, like clockwork, at the one-week mark the dryness lifted and my vision turned perfectly crisp.

How did the experience differ from what you expected?

Two surprises. First, I hadn’t realized I would need to forgo contacts for the two weeks before my procedure. Annoying at worst (I loathe working out in glasses and polishing them all day long), but it made LASIK day feel all the more exciting!

Second, I did not anticipate how thoroughly I would adore the Woolfson Eye Institute team. Medical procedures can feel intensely clinical, yet every single person I’ve met there, from reception to the providers to the business team, is warm, kind, joyful, and plainly passionate about what they do.

What is the investment like?

Woolfson Eye Institute is quite proud of not being a discount provider. Their website states it plainly: “We are certainly not the cheapest LASIK provider, nor do we want to be.” I find that rather refreshing. Just as you’d invest in a beautiful hotel for a long-awaited holiday or cleaner food for your family, you are paying for a better experience, and your eyesight is no place to go bargain hunting.

All that said, I find their pricing remarkably fair for something so life-changing, particularly once you factor in their Lifetime Assurance Plan and the small fortune I’m now saving by no longer ordering daily contacts.

Are you anxious your eyes will worsen?

Not in the slightest, because LASIK at Woolfson Eye Institute comes with their Lifetime Assurance Plan. Provided you keep up with their very manageable post-operative requirements (and why on earth wouldn’t you?), you’re entitled to retreatments, known as enhancements, free of charge for life. Most patients need only a single successful treatment, but a small percentage may require a slight fine-tuning down the road. Should that be me someday, it’s no great matter, in time or in money.

Are you happy?

Beyond!! My single greatest regret is not doing this at Woolfson Eye Institute sooner. I still pinch myself each morning when I wake up and can actually see my husband, my sweet puppy, and the sunrise. It is, quite truly, one of the best decisions I have ever made.

But what about your cute glasses?!

Rest easy — I had them fitted with blue light lenses! :)

Still curious?

That’s a wrap on round one, but I suspect you have more questions, and I would love nothing more than to answer them! Leave yours in the comments below!

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Tuckernuck’s Friends & Family sale is live for two more days, and there are so many amazing selections remaining, especially those that are already discounted! Double up your savings by shopping my picks below!

As a reminder, use code FAMILY for 15% off $250; 20% off $500+

In a rush? Shop all my Tuckernuck Friends & Family Sale on Sale 2026 Selections here!

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

• La Double J Portrait Cardigan

  • I CANNOT BELEIVE THIS DISCOUNT. INSANE.

• Veronica Beard Valentina Sneakers

  • The Lauren Warrant holder herself! This is the absolute time to snag.

• Barbour Kirby Jacket

  • I truly cannot believe Barbour is on sale! This jacket for this price is highway robbery!

• Tuckernuck Esme Dress

  • The easiest, most comfortable event dress in a perfect winter gold.

• Tuckernuck Sofia Shirt

  • One of my favorite Tuckernuck silhouettes in a ganache suede.

• Tuckernuck Cynthia Bubble Skirt

  • This chestnut color is scrumptious!

• Tuckernuck Cocoa Dot Set

  • So darling and vintage feeling!

• Tuckernuck Cotton Cliff Crewneck

  • 100% cotton that looks just like a far more expensive designer.

• Tuckernuck Buckle Nina Flats

  • This chocolate is so perfect for fall.

• Tuckernuck Ives Wrap Wool Coat

  • A beautiful alternative to a stark black peacoat.

• Tuckernuck Velour Bennett Pullover

  • I adore the comeback of velour!

• Tuckernuck Ally Swing Sweatshirt

  • Perfect for fall fitness classes. I own and love!

Shop all my sale on sale selections here!

Shop all my Tuckernuck Friends & Family Sale 2026 Selections here!

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Tuckernuck’s surprise Friends & Family sale is HERE! A few important notes:

• The sale appears to only apply to Tuckernuck “house” labels, and includes some exclusions (like my coveted Diana Blazer and certain new collection pieces . . . le sigh).

• Use code FAMILY for 15% off $250; 20% off $500+

My favorite selections are featured below in the following categories: Tuckernuck Staples; Cashmere (one of my favorite Tuckernuck lines); Fall Fashions; and Accessories & Shoes. Happy shopping!

In a rush? Shop all my Tuckernuck Friends & Family Sale 2026 Selections here!

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

Tuckernuck Staples

1. Callahan Shirt Dress - Denim

2. White Parker Classic Tee

   • My favorite tee of ALL time.

3. White Oxford Adair Boyfriend Shirt

   • My favorite button down of ALL time.

4. Tan Striped Vesty Long Sleeve Crewneck

5. Chocolate Brown 28 Inch Compression September Pant

Cashmere

1. Cashmere Riley Cardigan

2. Cashmere Boyfriend Bodie Crewneck

3. Cashmere Charley Cardigan

Fall Fashions

1. Houndstooth Leo Blazer

2. Crimson & Brown Corduroy Trim Liam Chore Jacket

3. Highland Plaid Royal Shirt Dress

4. Brown Gingham Cotton Mabel Maxi Dress

5. Ganache Vegan Suede Brynn Skirt

6. Winetasting Chloe Dress

7. Wine Leather Veronica Skirt

   

8. Plum Cotton Colette Cardigan

9. Moss Organza Mini Delaney Dress

10. Black Wildflower Embroidered Dupioni Rebecca Dress

11. Herringbone Velvet Trim Patton Coat

12. Winetasting Crepe Callahan Shirt Dress

13. White Satin Brianna Bow Blouse

14. Metallic Velvet Burnout Samantha Dress

Accessories & Shoes

1. Gold French Twist Mini Hoop Earrings

2. Brown Floral Medium Silk Scarf

3. Wheat Bandana Silk Cashmere Blend Large Scarf

4. Brown Western Buckle Belt

5. Metallic Taupe Leather Nina Flats

6. Chocolate Suede Nina Flats

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Tuckernuck’s surprise Friends & Family sale starts tomorrow, September 22, but, if you’re VIP status, you can access now! A few important notes:

• The sale appears to only apply to Tuckernuck “house” labels, and includes some exclusions (like my coveted Diana Blazer and certain new collection pieces . . . le sigh).

• Use code FAMILY for 15% off $250; 20% off $500+

My favorite selections are featured below in the following categories: Tuckernuck Staples; Cashmere (one of my favorite Tuckernuck lines); Fall Fashions; and Accessories & Shoes. Happy shopping!

In a rush? Shop all my Tuckernuck Friends & Family Sale 2026 Selections here!

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

Tuckernuck Staples

1. Callahan Shirt Dress - Denim

2. White Parker Classic Tee

   • My favorite tee of ALL time.

3. White Oxford Adair Boyfriend Shirt

   • My favorite button down of ALL time.

4. Tan Striped Vesty Long Sleeve Crewneck

5. Chocolate Brown 28 Inch Compression September Pant

Cashmere

1. Cashmere Riley Cardigan

2. Cashmere Boyfriend Bodie Crewneck

3. Cashmere Charley Cardigan

Fall Fashions

1. Houndstooth Leo Blazer

2. Crimson & Brown Corduroy Trim Liam Chore Jacket

3. Highland Plaid Royal Shirt Dress

4. Brown Gingham Cotton Mabel Maxi Dress

5. Ganache Vegan Suede Brynn Skirt

6. Winetasting Chloe Dress

7. Wine Leather Veronica Skirt

   

8. Plum Cotton Colette Cardigan

9. Moss Organza Mini Delaney Dress

10. Black Wildflower Embroidered Dupioni Rebecca Dress

11. Herringbone Velvet Trim Patton Coat

12. Winetasting Crepe Callahan Shirt Dress

13. White Satin Brianna Bow Blouse

14. Metallic Velvet Burnout Samantha Dress

Accessories & Shoes

1. Gold French Twist Mini Hoop Earrings

2. Brown Floral Medium Silk Scarf

3. Wheat Bandana Silk Cashmere Blend Large Scarf

4. Brown Western Buckle Belt

5. Metallic Taupe Leather Nina Flats

6. Chocolate Suede Nina Flats

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

Share

There's a lot of discourse about the ethics of the ultra-rich (fair), with criticism often accompanied by aghast decrees: "I couldn't spend all that money even if I tried!"

But here's the thing: I genuinely in my heart of hearts believe I could.

I LOVE spending money. It's one of my favorite things to do.

I love buying clothes. I love buying shoes. I love buying presents and trips and books and little treats and dinners and cocktails and donations and all of it. I have a 13-part action plan in place for the day I win the lottery. I am not a natural saver — there are simply too many fun things to buy or do. And lest us not pretend that money isn’t an intensely emotional, intensely personal thing on top of all of that, too!

I also in almost equal parts adore self ~improvement~ and *actualization* and #notworkinguntiliam100, which led me to, in my adulthood, try to get recklessly honest and responsible regarding my financial personality.

Over the years, I have developed the following practices to deal with my financial proclivities, and my entire relationship with money falls into one of three buckets: how I save, how I spend, and how we share it as a couple.

A disclaimer before we begin: I am not a financial planner. I have never once deprived myself of anything. If you have specific questions — especially about investments, which always carries risk and where returns can be volatile — please talk to an actual financial advisor.

Saving!

• Automate it before you see it. The first person who gets paid is your future self! Beyond our 401(k)s and HSAs, we route a set amount from every paycheck automatically into savings and investments — money we never factor into our usable income. It's for future-vacation self, future-forever-home self, future-sending-kids-to-college self. When you don't see it, you don't touch it. If it's sitting in checking, I will try to spend it!

• Max out your 401(k) — at minimum, get the full match. Compounding rewards small changes made early, and it’s especially sweet pre-tax. Here's the math on a retirement account’s 6% conservative return if you max out the full $24,500 annual contribution limit:

  

  and that's before your employer's match contribution, which you AT MINIMUM need to maximize! Every five-year delay costs roughly $700K–$1M by 65 — the gap between starting at 25 versus 30 alone is nearly $1M, almost predicated entirely on lost compounding time, not lost contributions from your bank account.

  

• Pretend bonuses don't exist. We both earn a non-trivial amount of our income through bonuses, equity, and profit-sharing, but we never budget for it in our financial planning and never account for it in our day-to-day spending. When it lands, it's a lovely way to fund a vacation or hit a savings goal early — never something to rely on!

• Build an emergency fund, full stop. If you take one thing from this list, let it be the 401(k) match. The second thing is this: our entire relationship to money changed overnight after Carter's cancer diagnosis in 2023 — we went from a two-income household with no major expenses beyond rent to one income hemorrhaging money on not only medical bills but the associated expenses that come with a loved one being sick (don't even get me started on $40-a-night hospital parking). Conservative advice is three months of expenses in an easily accessible high-yield savings account. Given our risk tolerance, we prefer closer to six.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

Spending!

• Make your default a debit card, not a credit card. Controversial and unpopular, I know! Maxing out points is extremely tempting. For context, Carter and I do have two credit cards (an American Express Platinum and an American Express Delta SkyMiles® Platinum, chosen deliberately and maximized to the extreme (a post for another day). But, for a natural born spender (positive!), credit cards can quickly become dangerous (scary!). So, daily expenses go on debit: money in, money out, essentially cash with the convenience of a card. Credit cards are reserved for large purchases we want covered by dispute protection, travel, or specific benefit categories — and the rule is you pay it off immediately. No balance sits, not even until the statement!

• Log every single dollar. I keep a manual budget. It genuinely doesn’t change anything about our bills or savings, since all of that runs on autopilot — it’s entirely about the discomfort of tracking. A $50-minimum Uber Eats order for two people, once you factor in fees and tips, feels a lot less appealing when you have to type it into a spreadsheet four times over with a little shame on Monday morning. It keeps us honest, and the tracker I use also breaks down the percentage of spending going into each category (groceries, streaming subscriptions, etc.), which is its own reality check.

• Stop buying random shit on Amazon. When I left Big Law for a more specialized firm with better work-life balance, I took nearly a 50% pay cut. But the biggest lifestyle adjustment wasn't where we lived or traveled — it was cutting the mindless, miscellaneous spending on things I didn't need. Amazon is the main offender, but this applies to any category. Wait 24 hours. Better yet, wait a week. If you still want it by then, it’s aligned with your values; not just an impulsive attempt at a dopamine hit.

  • Pro tip! Keep a private running wish-list on myregistry.com. It helps me “put a pin” in coveted pieces until I have fulfilled my self-imposed waiting period. This also comes in handy when people ask what you want for birthdays/holidays!

• Think about this meme constantly.

  

  The first time I saw this image I pulled out my calculator because I truly could not fathom this as reality. It ruined my day to discover it is true. Think critically about your $27.40 — it adds up fast.

• Stop treating sales as permission slips. It's easy to get swept up in the dopamine of a good discount, especially one dressed up with urgency. But I've learned I'm often more excited by the price than the piece itself — and that's how you end up with a closet or home full of things you don't actually love. Go in with a list. I know the Tuckernuck silhouettes I want before the Sample Sale starts. I know what I'm hunting for at an estate sale — an etched hurricane lamp, silver frames, Wedgwood — before I walk in. Urgency is not your friend!

• Get off the hot girl hamster wheel. There's a great episode of The Money with Katie Show on this — Katie Gatti Tassin's whole thesis is that women are conditioned to believe spending thousands of dollars a year on upkeep isn't just normal, it's required. Inspired by her reporting, I have experimented opting out of pieces of it. I went darker with my hair color specifically so I can stretch the time between salon appointments. I cycle through manicure-and-pedicure phases — the second it starts feeling like a task instead of a treat, I take at least a two-month hiatus. And, to be clear, I will never give up Botox or splurge-worthy skincare — this isn't about deprivation or becoming ugly (only half kidding)! It's about two things: being mindful, and refusing to accept that something is "normal" just because everyone else is doing it.

• Spend on experiences over things. I regret material purchases about half the time and wind up in the purgatory of returns. I almost never regret an experience, especially one shared with Carter or the people I love. That said, I’d rather take fewer, more luxurious trips a year over travel every month, which may require staying in an Airbnb and cooking meals in the rental kitchen. Mileage may vary for you (literally)! What matters is to know your values and spend in line with them!

• Practice a little malicious compliance with medical bills. Pay them, and pay them on time — but take the payment plan if there's no interest accruing (not to be confused with medical financing that may have a 0% interest introductory period). It's the one thing we don't pay off immediately. Mostly because, after everything we've seen, it feels like a small act of financial resistance that costs us nothing!!! Hospitals and providers will work with you, and sometimes even offer discounts, so don’t be afraid to call and ask!

Sharing!

• Combine your finances (almost entirely* — see below). One of the best pieces of advice I ever received about money and partnership: think in terms of household income, not individual buckets. Our contributions as the higher earner have waxed and waned over the years, as have our responsibilities at home — combining income recognizes what we each bring to the family, regardless of whose name is on the paycheck.

• Make sure you both actually have access. Trust is part of it; practicality is the other part. When Carter had cancer, we discovered one of our "joint" savings accounts didn't actually include me — and the only way to fix it required an in-person branch visit during business hours, which is nearly impossible when your husband is immunocompromised and every spare hour is spent working to keep the household afloat. Access matters. Check it before you need it.

• *Keep some "funny money." Carter and I each get a set amount of independent cash every month, agreed upon together, to spend on whatever we want outside of shared expenses: dinners with friends, shopping, gifts, personal savings. There's something genuinely important about having independence within a partnership — the freedom to spend $300 on skincare, or an eye-watering amount on Pokémon cards, without a side-eye from your spouse. Pick a number generous enough for real autonomy, but below the threshold where a purchase should become a family conversation. We both technically have access to each other's funny money for emergencies, but we don't check it.

• Talk about money as "we." Every conversation about money should run through "we" — "we" did great saving this month, "we" were over budget on champagne, etc. It's a small shift, and most of the time it’s truly just semantics, but it reframes money as a shared project instead of a scoreboard. You're a team. Speak like one.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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I am a firm believer you need to romanticize your own life; no one is going to do it for you.

And, the easiest way to do that is to create little traditions with yourself.

@laurentilashalskii love making my own traditions, even if they’re just with myself. one of my favorites is if i am in nyc, i am getting a glass of champs at bergdorfs! #bergdorfs @Bergdorf Goodman

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Traditions: Yes! You Can Literally Just Make Them Up!

I think a lot of women floating around quarter- to mid-life, like myself, might initially hear the word “tradition” and jump to images of dusty sacraments they are beholden to at Thanksgiving or Christmas, usually at the directive of a elder matriarch or patriarch.

Another common logical fallacy I have fallen trap to time and time again is the belief we must wait to inherit the rituals culture has already scripted around a husband, a family, a house with a name on the gate.

However, I posit that creating your own traditions now is the single most important thing you can do to romanticize your life. And yes! You can literally just make them up! You don’t need anyone’s permission, but, if you are still looking for some external validation, just know you have mine! (and maybe consider teasing that out further with your therapist!).

Creating traditions is completely indifferent to your circumstances. You need not wait for the white picket fence, the husband, the 2.5 children, the promotion, or the right balance in your bank account. All that is required is a fixed point on the calendar and your will to decide it means something.

Just like burning the good candles or eating on your fine china, you do not — and should not — have to wait for an amorphous “someday” to come. You can design your own small, self-authored rites today.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

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The Recipe

I’ve built enough of these now to notice a formula. If you’re looking to start your own, these four checkpoints will help you as you ideate:

1. Time-related, or seasonal. Anchor it to something on the calendar — a season, a month, a specific event/occurrence, a holiday, a birthday, an anniversary. The date is what turns an activity into a tradition; it’s what makes it return instead of just happening once.

2. Feasible for repetition. It has to survive contact with an actual, busy life. If it requires enormous effort, a specific person’s schedule, or a windfall, it will die by year three. Design it so future-you can actually pull it off.

3. Not so feasible you end up doing it daily. This isn’t supposed to be a habit. A tradition needs enough scarcity to stay special — you want to enjoy the anticipation of feeling it coming. *Note, I have one exception to this rule below!

4. Speaks to your values. This is the non-negotiable ingredient. If it doesn’t connect to something you actually care about — beauty, faith, story, nostalgia, generosity, family, whatever it is for you — it’s just a task with a euphemistic name.

What Some of Mine Look Like

A few from my own running list, for a sense of scale — some are luxurious, some are absurdly quirky, but all count:

• The little tradition that started it all: a solo lunch at Bergdorf’s, even if just for 30 minutes, with a glass of champagne and dessert, every time I’m in New York City.

• Carter and I exchange our first Christmas ornament of the season on Thanksgiving day. We usually pick out something representative of the past year for each other, and it’s the perfect grand welcome to the holiday season.

• Every year on my birthday, I select a new Herend figurine for my collection.

• I also watch the film About Time every year during my birthday week.

• Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket books are exclusively reserved for May-August reading. Each summer my first crack of a Hilderbrand spine feels magical!

• Speaking of books, once I finish a title, I place a customized bookplate inside its front cover.

• Probably my most random but one of my most beloved: On the first Saturday that truly feels like fall, I watch the campy and honestly absurd Diana: The Musical.

• If Carter and I are somewhere where a couple has just gotten engaged, we send them over a bottle of champagne!

• On hard, disappointing, or just “off” days, I read poetry out loud (to myself, to Charlie, to Carter).

• Every September, we host “Soup-tember” in our kitchen! Each week, one of us makes a new soup recipe, but we always start with my Grandma Barb’s chicken and wild rice.

• Instead of anniversary gifts, Carter and I take turns selecting a case of wine for our collection that represents the year we had.

• Around New Year, I make a vision board on my Pinterest! I set aside a quiet afternoon and sip a special, fizzy drink with a Jane Austen film-adaptation playing in the background as a I pin and manifest away.

• And, probably my simplest one but the most impactful (and my exception to the non-daily rule!): every morning, I start my day by writing in my gratitude journal — three things I am grateful for, and why, to be specific. The true secret to romanticizing your life is finding gratitude within every single crevice of it, no matter how seemingly inconsequential or mundane.

None of these required a different life than the one I have right now. That’s the point — I didn’t wait to deserve them!

Now It’s Your Turn

Pick a date already fixed on your calendar — a season change, a birthday, a holiday you already mark. Attach one small, specific, values-driven ritual to it. Do it once on purpose. Do it again, on purpose. And there — you have a little tradition with yourself! Plus, it’s already romantic, because you’re the one who decided it mattered.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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In a rush? Shop all my Fall 2026 Tuckernuck Sale Selections here!

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TUCKERNUCK HOUSE BRANDS

Shop by the below list or by clicking on the images that follow!

• Red Lenore Jacket — $298 → $134 (~55% off)

• Chocolate Suede Nadia Flats — $235 → $118 (50% off)

• Soft Pink Cashmere Eloise Cable Knit Sweater — $298 → $149 (50% off)

• Chestnut Chapman Mini Skirt — $178 → $89 (50% off)

• Chocolate Brown Velour Bennett Pullover — $148 → $81 (~45% off)

• Chocolate Brown Ally Swing Sweatshirt — $128 → $70 (~45% off)

• Sandalwood Vivianne Crewneck Dress — $128 → $70 (~45% off)

• Deep Mocha Vegan Suede Diana Blazer — $294 → $168 (~43% off)

• Metallic Green Plaid Indy Maxi Dress — $198 → $119 (~40% off)

• Ivory Wool Trinity Coat — $498 → $299 (~40% off)

• Navy Crepe Talia Wrap Blazer — $268 → $161 (~40% off)

• Chocolate Cable Knit Fernie Midi Dress — $188 → $113 (~40% off)

• Chocolate Suede Buckle Nina Flats — $245 → $159 (~35% off)

• Camel Wool Trinity Coat — $448 → $291 (~35% off)

• Straw Hannah Wool Blend Turtleneck Sweater — $288 → $202 (~30% off)

• Ganache Vegan Suede Trapunto Stitch Sofia Shirt — $148 → $104 (~30% off)

• Brown Houndstooth Smith Turtleneck Dress — $248 → $174 (~30% off)

• Beechwood Crewneck Sweater — $128 → $90 (~30% off)

• Hazelwood Carington Sweater — $128 → $90 (~30% off)

• Winter White Vivianne Crewneck Dress — $128 → $90 (~30% off)

• Sandstone Pique Puff Sleeve Peggy Polo — $138 → $98 (~29% off)

• Red Carlota Peplum Blouse — $98 → $74 (~25% off)

• Mocha and Ivory Stripe Cotton Cliff Crewneck — $248 → $198 (~20% off)

• Chestnut Taffeta Cynthia Bubble Skirt — $228 → $182 (~20% off)

• Olive Green Selena Maxi Dress — $168 → $134 (~20% off)

• Pear Cashmere Silk Sleeveless Ava Shell — $148 → $118 (~20% off)

• Green Stripe Wexler Button Down — $148 → $118 (~20% off)

• Gold Textured Jacquard Esme Dress — $228 → $182 (~20% off)

• Chocolate Cashmere Bodie Boyfriend Crewneck — $228 → $182 (~20% off)

• Mocha Gingham Yvette Mini Dress — $148 → $118 (~20% off)

• Cocoa Dot Mason Top — $168 → $134 (~20% off)

• Denim Marsella Dress — $98 → $78 (~20% off)

DESIGNER

Shop by the below list or by clicking on the images that follow!

• Pistola Denim — Champagne Luster Tate High Rise Bowed Wide Leg — $228 → $103 (~55% off)

• L’AGENCE — Brown Plaid Kolina Long Coat with Belt — $1,450 → $653 (~55% off)

• GANNI — Black Flocked Organza Mini Dress — $565 → $283 (50% off)

• GANNI — Tobacco Brown Crinkled Taffeta Check Long Dress — $455 → $250 (~45% off)

• Leset — Eucalyptus Kim Pocket Pants — $280 → $168 (40% off)

• Vanessa Bruno — Multicolore Glynis Coat — $595 → $357 (40% off)

• La DoubleJ — Solid Brown Portrait Cardigan — $980 → $588 (40% off)

• Barbour — Grey Tartan Carnforth Casual Jacket — $520 → $338 (~35% off)

• GANNI — Tobacco Brown Crinkled Taffeta Check Peplum Blouse — $325 → $228 (~30% off)

• Barbour — Dusky Green Modern Tartan Beadnell Casual Jacket — $475 → $380 (20% off)

• Barbour — Jasmine Goldmire Quilted Jacket — $340 → $272 (20% off)

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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I have been in a funk!

It’s not a unique experience — I’d wager you’ve had one too — but this one has lingered longer than my more typical, occasional few days of meh. So, I am concertedly trying to navigate my way toward the light, without pushing against the cave walls with such force that I bring the whole thing down on myself.

Here is what I’m practicing, broken into the five places a funk tends to impact: your body, your environment, your habits, your mind, and your people.

P.S. None of this is meant to stand in for therapy or professional mental health care. If what you’re feeling is heavier or different than simply feeling “down”, please reach out to a professional. It is the strongest thing you could do.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

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Your Body

• Gentle movement. It’s a cruel cycle: when you feel crummy, the last thing you want to do is move your body. But when you feel crummy is usually exactly when you need to. I’ve taken the pressure off myself to do some intense bootcamp or hour-long regime, and instead I reach for classes that feel restorative — pilates, barre, the occasional walk (bonus points if you can use that time to get outside!).

• Whole foods. I love a McDonald’s french fry as much as the next girl — honestly, probably more than her — but I try to get at least some whole foods into my day, along with blood sugar stabilizers like nuts and spinach.

• Get out of bed. Getting out of out of bed is allowed to be your biggest victory some days. Get up, straighten up the sheets, and fluff the pillows – even if you’re just going to climb back in. the bed.

• Hygiene. Hygiene sounds like the easiest ask on this list, and somehow it can sometimes be the hardest. Get up, shower, brush your teeth, take your medication, change your clothes — even if it’s just into a fresh set of pajamas. On especially the hardest days, tell yourself this is all you have to get done.

• Buy clothes that fit. It is not a coincidence that hard seasons often arrive alongside a changing body. This is the moment to invest in clothes that actually fit — quality, reasonably priced pieces (Quince has become a go-to) that feel good on and don’t cut off your circulation. Cut the tags out, too. Who cares what they say.

• Cut out alcohol. I’m not talking about giggles with girlfriends over a glass of bubbles — that kind of joy is medicinal too! I’m talking about a nightly glass of wine that can creep up into a habit, then a crutch, then a dependence. It’s one of the easiest things to normalize and one of the worst things for your body during a hard season. Even moderate drinking can leave you more anxious the next day — I get horrible “hangxiety” — because of how alcohol disrupts your brain’s chemistry as it wears off. It also interferes with the deep, restorative stages of sleep your body actually needs to recover, which only makes stress and emotional regulation harder the next day. If you do only one thing on this list, do this.

• Sleep. Speaking of sleep — protect it fiercely. Put the phone away an hour before bed, dim the lights, and aim for a consistent eight hours. Sleep is not a luxury during a funk; it’s the foundation everything else is built upon.

Your Environment

• Digital-free morning. I try my very hardest to now have my mornings start without a screen. For the first hour of my morning, I only touch my phone to turn my alarm off and use a mindfulness app. During this time I focus on hygiene, meditation, gratitude journaling, my The Daily Stoic reading, and small tasks around the house, like unloading the dishwasher, while I sip my coffee and listen to classical music. I once heard someone say that you wouldn’t invite a thousand people into your bedroom each morning to shout at you — so why let your phone do basically that?

• Read. I have also fallen back in love with reading over television. There’s something about a novel that asks you to empathize – to live briefly inside someone else’s experience – that pulls you out of your own head in a way that is wholly unique. You also can’t read and doom-scroll at the same time!

• Put on feel-good music. Time to tuck Phoebe Bridgers away. While I stick with classical in the morning, by afternoon and evening I play feel-good, dance-around-your-kitchen music (the With Love, Meghan playlist is a perfect curation for this!).

• Cocoon. Getting out of bed matters, yes, but so does giving yourself permission to retreat — to light the candle, romanticize an ordinary evening in, and pour back into your own mind instead of pouring out. This is a season to trim your social calendar (within reason – more on that later).

Your Habits

• Keep your to-do list short. Focus on non-negotiables only: the work project with a hard deadline, bills, a call to your grandmother on her birthday. The dry cleaning, a closet purge, even the six-month dental cleaning can wait a few weeks. And the emotional cousin of a minimal list is releasing the guilt that comes with it. Also, if you’re the kind of person drawn to a list like this in the first place, your “bare minimum” is likely still more than most people manage on their best day, ladies am I right?

• Watch your spending. I am an emotional spender, so during hard seasons I quite literally delete my saved credit card from my phone and browser. This is not the season for impulse purchases — a new book or a favorite candle, sure, but know your own triggers, and build in the friction that protects you from yourself.

Your Mind

• Download Joy 101/Headspace. I have two mindfulness apps I alternate using each morning: Joy 101 by Hoda Kotb and Headspace. Headspace is perfect for learning how to meditate, breathwork, and tailored courses to certain life events (financial troubles, trying to conceive, body acceptance). Joy 101 features some breathwork and meditation sessions, but it also incorporates into its curriculum life coaching, health and longevity tips, prayer, and even fitness. Both you can complete tailor to your preferences, too!

• Read The Daily Stoic. I have read the daily entry from this book most mornings for almost three years now, and it has taught me how to recklessly accept what is in my control (and, more importantly, what is not). If you don’t like something, stop engaging with it. If you can’t change it, stop fighting it and start accepting it. If you can change it, do something about it instead of complaining. It’s a lifechanging approach, which I don’t say lightly!

• Practice gratitude. A gratitude practice is the fastest way I know to get out of your own head and romanticize your actual life. It doesn’t have to be profound — it can be your dog’s snores, your friendly boss, or the smell of your morning coffee. I have found a journal is the easiest way for me to stay consistent.

• Remember the only way out is through. Name it to yourself, out loud if you can. I’m in a funk. I don’t love how this feels. But I’ve been here before, and it didn’t last forever. Naming it takes so much of its power away. Kind of like Voldemort!

Your People

• Share how you’re feeling. I don’t mean you have to post about it on Instagram or announce it on your team’s Slack channel. But, when a friend asks where you’ve been, or your partner notices you seem a little off, don’t be afraid to say the true thing. Naming it out loud to someone else takes away so much of the monster-under-the-bed feeling that comes with carrying it silently. And, connection is the antidote to isolation.

• Send warmth to others. Especially to the people whose lives look easy from where you’re standing right now. Funks have a way of traveling alongside comparison and, if we’re honest, a little envy. I think often of something borrowed from Brené Brown: when she pictures herself in the lane beside someone else in the pool, instead of comparing strokes, she simply thinks, I hope you have a great swim. You cannot hold both comparison and genuine warmth for someone at the same time. Sending it to the people who seem to be thriving right now doesn’t just soften your own funk — it builds the compassion you’ll carry the next time someone else is having a harder season than you.

Your Only Rule

This isn't about forcing yourself to still show-up as your 100% self, efforting your way through a tough season – that is a recipe for burnout. In the same way, it's not about giving up entirely when things can't be perfect. Instead, focus on showing up in some capacity, however small, every single day.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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From the time I went to my very first playdate, my mother instilled one rule in me: you do not show up empty-handed. It wasn’t about the price tag — it was about the thoughtfulness, the meaning, the small signal that you were thinking of someone before you ever walked through their door.

Of course, I love nothing more than a gift completely tailored to a person — something that could only ever be for them. But life is full of occasions that call for something a little more universal, and over the years I’ve built a closet (quite literally) of go-tos: gifts I keep on hand, gifts that are a simple click away, and gifts I trust so completely I needed to share them with you!

In a rush? Shop all the Gifts I Love To Give here.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

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WEDDINGS

• PROPOSAL — How to Be Married by Jo Piazza

  • This is, without exaggeration, my favorite gift to give or recommend to anyone who has just gotten engaged. It's a memoir of a newly married journalist diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in her first year of marriage, who sets off across the world studying how other cultures approach the institution as she navigates her own new chapter. Funny, moving, and perfectly apt for a bride-to-be.

• BRIDESMAIDS — Champagne Bucket, Tea Towel, and Champagne

  • Little box-filling trinkets are sneakily expensive and so often get tossed. Jewelry, meanwhile, is deeply personal — hard to get right for a whole party of women. This trio feels elevated and celebratory and is a fit for all.

• ENGAGEMENT PARTY — Tiffany or Waterford Champagne Flutes

  • The Tiffany flutes arrive in a large, bright blue box — such a fun, unmistakable statement! The Waterford set set is just as exquisite, though — it’s the one we have! My favorite part of this gift, though, is that it doubles as a toasting set for the wedding itself, so you become a special thread through the whole celebration and beyond. Carter and I still use our wedding flutes on the most special occasions — anniversaries, Valentine's Day, milestones worth marking.

• BRIDAL SHOWER — Stay on the registry, but bring the feminine fun!

  • This soiree is the setting for a girly gift. Look for colorful stemware, delicate hosting linens, or — my personal favorite recent addition to modern registries — mahjong accoutrements.

• WEDDING — Stay on the registry, but focus on longevity!

  • I love to select a Le Creuset Signature Braiser or Dutch Oven — ours gets used weekly, without fail — or a personalized champagne bucket or champagne bowl. It feels far more elevated and fun to give than kitchen shears, but it’s every bit as practical, and it becomes a centerpiece for their hosting for years to come.

BABY

• BABY SHOWER — Stay on registry, but make it personalized!

  • Selections for a baby are incredibly personal, especially where technology or gear is concerned, so stick with the parents-to-be’s selections. When I do want to add something of my own, I look for a baby blanket or tummy time mat I can personalize.

• NEW PARENTS — Uber Eats Gift Cards

  • For the love of god — do not show up with a casserole unless you're leaving it on the doorstep and texting once you're long gone. New parents don't need a visitor; they need dinner solved.

• FIRST BIRTHDAY

  • For Mom — Custom Engraved Silhouette jewelry

    • Goldbug Collection offers engraving on a variety of its pieces, but I am partial to this necklace!

  • For Baby — College Fund Contribution or a Family & Friends Board Book

    • Babies often have more toys than they know what to do with (and generally prefer boxes), so a tuck away earning interest is my go-to gift. That being said, a board book with family and friends names and faces is perfect for early speaking and recognition!

• GODPARENT — First Bible and Petite Keep

  • This is especially meaningful if the family is religious and the child will grow up with memories tied to their faith and education.

COUPLE

• ANNIVERSARY — Case of Wine

  • Carter and I started this on our wedding day, and it's become one of my favorite traditions: we alternate gifting each other a case of wine that reflects the past year — a bottle from somewhere we traveled, a blend we fell in love with, a name that captures what the last twelve months represented. We write the year on the bottles and tuck it away for the nights and moments that call for something special.

PARTIES

• HOSTESS — On-Theme Paper Cocktail Napkins

  • Easy, grab-and-go, and so fun to have on hand — for you and them!

    • Mahjong Night

    • Book Club

    • Everyday

• HOLIDAY HOSTESS — NEST New York Holiday Candle

  • This is by far my favorite holiday scent! There is usually a great sale in late fall, so I take that opportunity to restock for our home and the gift closet!

EVERYDAY

• BIRTHDAY — Favorite Things Tote or Classic Personalized Tote

  • You can never have too many. Add a funny inside joke or a phrase that’s just theirs, and stuff it with their favorite candy, a bottle of wine, or whatever small joys feel true to them.

• GET WELL SOON/HARD TIMES — Uber Eats Gift Cards or Flowers

  • Uber Eats is genuinely helpful — one less thing for them to think about. That said, when I’ve received a special arrangement during a hard season, it felt like a visible, beautiful talisman of love and support.

• THANK YOU — Thank You Note

  • A truly heartfelt note makes all the difference — no more is needed!

• TEACHER/COACH — Gift Card

  • They have enough personalized mugs, truly. One of my closest friends is a teacher, and trust me on this one: a gift card is exactly what they want.

• HOUSEWARMING — Tricia Lowenfield Heirloom Plate or Wreath Ribbon

  • Tricia Lowenfield platters are a gorgeous heirloom in the making, and a personalized wreath ribbon is a lovely, endlessly customizable option for every season and occasion.

• GRADUATION — Personalized Stationery or Laptop Sleeve

  • A stationery suite is such a nice nod to the start of adult life — especially embossed with a newly minted title or degree. And while briefcases and work bags are deeply personal, a monogrammed laptop sleeve is a thoughtful in-between: protective, convenient, and genuinely useful.

• THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING — LAKE Pajamas or Addison Ross Picture Frame

  • You can never have too many nice pajamas — and don’t stress about ordering forgiving sizing, since who doesn’t want a little extra room? A luxury picture frame from Addison Ross is also perfect someone who has everything: it becomes a true family heirloom, and the quality is unmistakable. You can add a photo to be printed and shipped in the frame, too!

FOR ME

Sometimes you have to be the one to celebrate you! Whether for a milestone, a small win, or when your heart just needs a little lift, here are the things I reach for.

P.S. Don’t forget to select “gift” at checkout and write yourself a cute little note!

• Ladurée Macaroons

• Chanel Lipstick

• LAKE Pajamas

• Needlepoint Canvas

• Poetry

• Herend Figurine

  • Perfect for memorializing birthdays, holidays, and other special moments!

GIFTING

As much as a great gift matters, so does the wrapping! Keeping a small suite of themed gift tags on hand, alongside a simple set of wrapping paper, bags, and tissue, keeps the whole process easy.

• Wrapping Paper

• Gift Bags

• Ribbon

• Gift Tags

  • Family

  • Personal

  • Summer

  • Fall

  • Holiday

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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The Lauren Letter Beauty Directory is the full accounting: every product I use, every treatment I book, the exact order I apply things in, and precisely how often. It is also, by a wide margin, the most requested piece I’ve ever written!

Two convictions govern everything that follows.

The first is that beauty truly begins within. What you sleep, drink, and carry in your nervous system will always outwork what you apply topically.

The second is that I invest in products with a single goal — waking up and being ready to walk out the door with as little effort as humanly possible. Less is more. Complementary products from a few, tediously selected brands. Simple routines. Maximum effect.

The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.

Join The Patronage

SKINCARE

This is, without question, my biggest investment space, and also the one with the highest return. The payoff has been significant enough that I now wear face makeup only for special occasions — weddings, big events, the rare night out. What follows isn't just maintenance, either; it's genuinely become a self-care ritual I look forward to, not a chore I'm rushing through before heading out the door or going to bed.

In a rush? Shop all skincare products here.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

• Microneedling with PRP at Skin Pharm with Chelsie

  • I recommend booking this treatment 3-4 weeks before a special occasion — your skin will look like it has foundation on it naturally!

  • Skin Pharm has locations all across the country, and if you book with this link or mention my name at booking, you’ll get $100 off your first appointment!

QUARTERLY

• 41 units of Botox on my forehead (with focus on eyebrow lift) and crow’s feet at Skin Pharm with Chelsie or Dentique with Dr. Lauren Abes.

  • Skin Pharm has locations all across the country, and if you book with this link or mention my name at booking, you’ll get $100 off your first appointment!

MONTHLY

• 50-Minute Custom Facial with Dermaplaning at FACED

  • FACED has locations all across the Atlanta area, and if you book with this link, you’ll get $50 off your first facial!

BI-WEEKLY

• Dr. Dennis Gross Pro Facial Steamer

  • Use after cleansing and before serums/masks.

WEEKLY

• Oak Essentials Restorative Mask

  • This mask makes my skin literally GLOW.

  • I use this mask at night after the Dr. Dennis Gross Face DRx SpectraLite™ FaceWare Pro 3-Minute LED Mask and before face oils (see below for daily routine order).

EVERY 2-3 DAYS

• La Mer The Renewal Oil Exfoliator

  • I use this exfoliator at night after the La Mer The Calming Lotion Cleanser and before the DRx SpectraLite™ FaceWare Pro 3-Minute LED Mask (see below for daily routine order).

• Oak Essentials Nightly Retinol Serum

  • I use this serum at night after the Oak Essentials Firming Plant Peptide Serum and before the La Mer The Rejuvenating Night Cream (see below for daily routine order).

EVERY DAY

*Note: I let each product sit for one minute of drying between each step. I use this time to multi-task or complete other chores.

*Note: I do skincare after brushing teeth to avoid wiping off product or in case any toothpaste (which can clog pores) got on my skin.

*Note: I use a fresh washcloth every day. After one use, it goes in the hamper.

MORNING

• 1. Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes

  • If I take a shower in the morning, I will use the La Mer The Calming Lotion Cleanser. However, most mornings I do not, so I just swipe one of these across of my face!

  • These are amazing to also keep on hand for daily refreshers (or men/children who may or may not wash their face with a different soap than their body).

  • Keep them in the fridge for a cooling and depuffing effect!

• 2. Behrhaus Fulvic Barrier Biome Mist

• 3. The Skinny Confidential Mint Roller

  • Keep in the fridge for a cooling and depuffing effect!

• + In the fall/winter add La Mer The Revitalizing Hydrating Serum

• 4. Oak Essentials Vitamin C Serum and Oak Essentials Firming Plant Peptide Serum

  • I mix them together before applying!

• 5. Oak Essentials Moisture Rich Emulsion

• 6. Oak Essentials Ritual Oil OR La Mer The Renewal Oil

  • I alternate these oils. I like them both and alternating helps elongate the shelf life!

• 7. La Mer The Broad Spectrum Face Sunscreen SPF 50

• 8. La Mer The Lip Balm

NIGHT

• 1. Honest Beauty Cleansing Makeup Remover Facial Wipe

• 2. La Mer The Calming Lotion Cleanser

• 3. DRx SpectraLite™ FaceWare Pro 3-Minute LED Mask

  • I use the red light and combination light functions.

• 4. La Mer The Concentrate Serum

• 5. Oak Essentials Firming Plant Peptide Serum

• + In the fall/winter add La Mer The Intensive Revitalizing Mask

  • I rub in and then let it sit; I do not wipe off!

• 6. La Mer Rejuvenating Night Cream

• 7. La Mer The Eye Concentrate Cream

• 8. Oak Essentials Ritual Oil OR La Mer The Renewal Oil

  • I alternate these oils. I like them both and alternating helps elongate the shelf life!

• 9. La Mer The Lip Balm

MAKEUP

Less is more, ladies! Self-tan, Botox, and the skincare above have already done the work, leaving a base coat good enough that makeup becomes optional rather than essential. Plus, less products = less decision fatigue. Our heads are busy enough!

In a rush? Shop all makeup products here.

EVERY 6 WEEKS

• Brow Lamination and Stain & Lash Tint and Lift at By the Blade with Tanaz Ukani

  • This is my newest addition to my beauty regimen! I am always looking for ways to make my wakeup to out-the-door routine as quick as possible, and I think this may be my ultimate trick. I loved how natural the results turned out.

EVERY DAY

• 1. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly

  • I pat this on my eyelids with my finger as a base for eyeliner and to gently brighten my eyes.

• 2. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in Espresso

• 3. Chanel Le Recourbe Cils de Chanel Eyelash Curler

  • The absolute best in the biz.

• 4. Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Écorces

• 5. Chanel Stylo Sourcils Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Blond Tendre

• 6. Chanel Le Gel Sourcils Eyebrow Gel in Brun

• 7. Chanel Le Crayon Lèvres Lip Pencil in Beige Rose

• 8. Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Move

• 9. Chanel Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss in Bourgeoisie

SPECIAL OCCASION

• 1. Chanel Ultra Le Teint Velvet in BR22

  • I apply with a beauty blender, which I run under the sink then wring out until its only slightly damp to the touch.

  • Word on the street is they are discontinuing this product which is a nightmare! I recently stocked up on 3 bottles of this product just in case.

• 2. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly

  • I pat this on my eyelids with my finger.

• 3. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder in B20

  • I apply with the beauty blender on my eyelids, chin, temples, corners next to and under my nose, and forehead.

• 4. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette in Warm

  • I apply with the Louis Vuitton Eye Brush Set

• 5. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sun-Kissed Powder in Light Coral

  • I apply with the Chanel Precision Powder Brush N°107

• 6. Chanel Poudre Lumière Highlighting Powder in Ivory Gold

  • I apply with the Chanel Precision Powder Brush N°107

• 7. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in Espresso

• 8. Chanel Le Recourbe Cils de Chanel Eyelash Curler

• 9. Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Écorces

• 10. Chanel Stylo Sourcils Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Blond Tendre

• 11. Chanel Le Gel Sourcils Eyebrow Gel in Brun

• 12. Chanel Le Crayon Lèvres Lip Pencil in Beige Rose

• 13. Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Move

• 14. Chanel Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss in Bourgeoisie

HAIR

I have an admission: I use almost nothing on my hair. Genuinely, insanely little. I cannot stand product build-up, so I’ve all but eliminated it from the routine. I usually get one good post-wash blowout day, a second day touch-up, and then a third slick back bun day.

In a rush? Shop all hair products here.

QUARTERLY

• Highlights at Amaryllis Salon with Stephanie Runyan

  • This is the inspo picture I shared with Stephanie for my color:

    

  • In spring/summer, my natural hair color acts as the lowlight; in fall/winter, we add in lowlights

EVERY 6 WEEKS

• Trim at Amaryllis Salon with Stephanie Runyan

  • I don’t have an inspo photo; I literally just tell her “bob it up!”

EVERY 2-3 DAYS

• Shampoo

  • Right now I am using Champo’s Kapha collection and really enjoy it! It’s the top selling shampoo at Harrods in London.

  • I also like Crown Affair’s The Hydrating Shampoo, Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day, and Molton Brown’s Purifying Shampoo.

  • I admittedly switch up my shampoo a lot and haven’t found a “holy grail” yet. Accepting suggestions in the comments!

• Conditioner

  • I don’t use it! I feel like this is crazy to admit!

• Crown Affair The Towel

  • After showering, I let my hair sit in this wrap until it is damp but no longer wet (i.e., if I squeeze a section of my hair, little water comes out).

• For wet hair — Dyson Airwrap

  • First, I brush out my hair. I don’t use a detangler as I find almost all conditioning products make my hair lose volume quickly!

  • Then, I use the fast dryer attachment. Here is the most important part: Use the dryer attachment until your hair until it looks dry (but at touch it is still every so slightly wet/damp). This is the key to getting the best blowout with the Airwrap! 90% of issues with Airwrap styling are because your hair is too heavy and wet!

  • Next, I use the barrel, styling away from my face. I grab a small section (1 inch), let the barrel grab the hair and wrap it up, then hold the Airwrap horizontally against my scalp for 10ish seconds before releasing. Repeat all around your head; don’t touch or brush out the curls until the very end.

• For dry hair, straight — Bondi Boost Infared Bounce Thermal Brush

• For dry hair, curled — CHI Original 1'' Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

  • For a tutorial on how to curl short hair with a flat iron, watch one of my favorite creators, Laura Byrnes, here!

• For a slick back bun —

  • Goody Ouchless Forever Polyband Hair Ties

  • Medium Claw Clips

• Mason Pearson Rake Comb

  • For brushing wet hair or brushing out a blowout.

• Mason Pearson Tail Comb

  • For adding in volume or smoothing down hair for a slick back.

EVERY DAY

• Mason Pearson Popular Hairbrush

  • My Mom bought me this brush when I was a senior in high school, and I am still using the same one! With proper care, it is a worthwhile investment.

BODY

A study in contrasts: half basic hygiene; half the most indulgent, decadent purchases I make all year!

In a rush? Shop all body products here and all fragrance products here.

MONTHLY

• Pedicure at Les Mains

  • I’ve been doing a french manicure or OPI’s The Thrill of Brazil

BI-WEEKLY

• Manicure at Les Mains

  • I’ve been doing a french manicure or OPI’s The Thrill of Brazil

  • I ask for short and rounded.

WEEKLY

• OSEA Salts of the Earth Body Scrub

  • I use in the shower before I apply my weekly self-tan base.

• Lune Bronze Eclipse Self Tanning Mousse

  • I use this once a week; it gives you an almost instant tan so I use as my “base” before reapplying a more gentle glow with Beauty by Earth every few days.

  • I use this mitt to apply.

• Lune Bronze Good Night Face Tanning Serum

  • I use this once a week at the very end of my nighttime skincare routine.

EVERY 2-3 DAYS

• Homecourt Body Butter in Cece

  • This scent is heaven. On days I don’t apply self-tan, I apply body butter after my nightly shower.

• Beauty by Earth Self Tanner Mousse in Medium to Dark

  • On days I don’t apply body butter, I apply self-tan after my nightly shower.

• Beauty by Earth Bronzing Face Tanner Spray in Medium to Dark

  • I spray the face spray all over my face after I’ve finished my nighttime skincare routine.

EVERY DAY

• Homecourt Body Wash in Cece

  • I am not a fan of the container, so I purchase the Body Wash Refill and decant it into my own aesthetically pleasing jar.

• Dove Advanced Care Deodorant

• Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum

  • I keep the Globe Trotter travel bottle in my purse; perfect for on-the-go and daily refreshing!

  • You can purchase travel refills, too.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Everything below is proof that beauty starts within. Poor sleep and unmanaged stress age you faster, hold onto water you don’t want, and dull what skincare works so hard to achieve. But beyond looks and longevity, the real payoff is confidence — which, unlike a serum, can’t be applied topically!

In a rush? Shop all health & wellness products here.

SEMI-ANNUAL

• Teeth Cleaning at Dentique with Dr. Lauren Abes

QUARTERLY

• Relaxation Massage at The Spa at St. Regis

  • I have spent years finding the perfect combination of price point and luxury experience in Atlanta, and I have found it here! The amenities (think a welcome ritual, sauna, steam room, champagne and macarons, tea service, and the most beautifully designed quiet room) are impeccable, and Jarrett is a must-book therapist. You can definitely find treatments in Atlanta for $50ish less, but you will sacrifice the elevated totality, which to me is more than worth it.

WEEKLY

• Theragun

  • I love using it at night on my neck and shoulders and following it with Yoga Balm or my Weighted Heating Pad.

• Jo Malone Lavender & Moonflower Pillow Mist

  • I like to spray as part of my weekly sheet laundering.

• Crest Teeth Whitening Strips

• Weighted Heating Pad

EVERY 2-3 DAYS

• Pure Barre or The Daily Pilates

  • I try to do 3-4 sculpting/classic classes plus a restorative stretching/meditation class each week.

  • I sign up via ClassPass — I love that credits roll over!

  • Sign up for ClassPass with this link and you’ll get 20 bonus credits!

• A quiet night in: reading, needlepointing — preferable no television and phone on do not disturb.

EVERY DAY

ALL DAY

• Oura Ring 5 in Gold

  • I style it with this ring jacket.

• Amazon Kindle

  • I try my best to reach for my Kindle to sneak in some reading when I am tempted to grab my phone and scroll.

  • I style it with this Kindle cover! It goes with the sage green, perfectly.

• SURI 2.0 Toothbrush

  • I HATE having my toothbrush sit out on the counter, and this electric option comes with a UV Charging Case that removes 99.9% of bacteria, re-charges your brush, and allows you to travel or keep tucked away every day without worrying about gunk!

• Phone on Do Not Disturb

  • I spent copious amounts of time customizing my do not disturb settings, and I try to carve out specific periods of my day when I check any alerts to cultivate a less reactive mood.

• Classical Music

  • Incredible for lowering cortisol. As much as I love top hits and podcasts, I try to sprinkle in a few classical sessions each day (especially in the morning).

• TONS OF WATER

  • My husband instilled this great habit: I am constantly drinking water and aim for half my body weight in ounces each day. It truly can fix skin problems, mood, headaches, and more — a true universal, natural salve! And a big ‘ole water jug makes it even easier to get your daily intake done!

MORNING

• Daily Gratitude Journal

• The Daily Stoic

• Joy 101 OR Headspace

  • I alternate these apps! Joy 101 has more holistic life coaching, longevity tips, and mantras, whereas Headspace will provide the basic building blocks of meditation and tailored courses for whatever life is presenting you with.

• Poetry

  • Nothing instantly romanticizes and brings a lyrical note to your day like a bit of morning poetry. I highly recommend Lyndsay Rush or Mary Oliver.

NIGHT

• Yoga Balm

  • Carter rubs on my neck and shoulders each night when we go to bed. It’s instantly relaxing and relieving, but also a sweet connection point for us before turning in for the evening.

• Warby Parker Kimball Glasses

• Nod Pod

  • Part sleep mask, part weighted blanket for your eyes!

• Perelel Vitamins

  • Whether you’re trying to conceive or not, the Perelel Conception Support Pack is a great pre-packaged collection of nutrients for women with possible benefits for hair, nails, energy, or general wellness.

  • I keep them right in my nightstand for easy access, and I find taking them right before bed minimizes any possible nausea that can accompany daily vitamins.

• Tea Forte Chamomile Citron Herbal Tea

  • My favorite nighttime tea — an instant signal to my body it is time to wind down. I use the Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle to brew.

• Maison Louise Marie No. 4 Candle

  • Another instant signal to my body it is time to wind down. We light when we get in bed for the evening.

• 8 Hours of Sleep

  • Of all the beauty tips I can list here, this is probably the most impactful. Sleep significantly impacts hormone levels, including cortisol, and your physical appearance in turn.

  • One hour before bed, I try to put my phone fully away and read to help my body and mind settle in for the night.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Your ardent Tuckernuck correspondent, reporting for duty once more!

Tuckernuck’s sale section just got a second markdown: for only 13 hours more, you can get an extra 20% off with code BONUS20. Below you’ll find my curated edit. In other words, I sifted through over 2,500 pieces so that you didn’t have to :)

Want to cut to the chase? My Tuckernuck Sale on Sale picks can all be found here.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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My Order

Americana Stripe Sadie Dress ($248 $79.20) — I am heading to a red, white & blue themed bachelorette next weekend, so this was the perfect last-minute snag!

Denim Marsella Dress ($98 $62.40) — I love dark wash denim as we transition from summer to fall, especially here in the south where I will be wearing mini dresses through November!

Taupe Brushed Wool Callahan Shirt Dress ($168 $94.40) — Another fall/winter pick! My favorite Tuckernuck dress silhouette in a heavier fabric and neutral colorway that I can style a million different ways.

Blue Fog Velour Jane Pant ($148 $71.20) — Part 1 of a set! Set dressing is my absolute favorite for work from home days or weekend lounging, and this icy blue velour is a great fabric and color to bring a pop to chilly fall and winter days.

Blue Fog Velour Bennett Pullover ($148 $71.20) — Part 2 of the above set! I sized up twice to have a baggier fit!

Soft Pink Dupioni Megan Dress ($188 $120) — I adore all of Tuckernuck’s dupioni pieces — instantly feminine and dressy — and I am PRAYING this arrives in time for a bridal shower this weekend!

Chocolate Brown Ally Swing Sweatshirt AND Lemongrass Ally Swing Sweatshirt ($128 $56) — I actually went back for these! The chocolate brown perfectly matches my FAVORITE Tuckernuck pants which are also featured on the sale on sale! And, I am a sucker for anything yellow.

My Other Favorites

Soft Pink Cashmere Eloise Cable Knit Sweater ($298 $143.20) — Could this color be any more darling?!

Maison Blue Suede Veronica Maxi Skirt ($298 $158.40) — Another absolute color crush in a fall friendly fabric.

Olive Green Selena Maxi ($168 $107.20) — A favorite Tuckernuck silhouette of mine in a perfect late summer/early fall colorway.

Gold Plisse Carol Bow Mini Dress ($158 $63.20) — I cannot believe the price on this perfect throw-and-go holiday number!

Sky Blue Taffeta Cynthia Bubble Skirt ($228 $136.80) — This would be unbelievably chic styled with a crisp white button down.

please do not hesitate to save for later or pass on entirely if this is not for your heart right now.

After a season of the most effervescent joy, we recently learned our precious time with our baby girl had come to its end.

Here is how we are finding our way through.

+ Carter carried everything. He told the people who needed to know. He made sure I ate. He cared for me in the most tender, messy ways post-surgery. He held me. He watched an embarrassing amount of Housewives and Love Island with me. He quietly took the reins on a baby shower I was meant to host. He met my worst days — the ones I couldn’t get out of bed — with nothing but grace, even while carrying his own immeasurable grief.

+ Our village showed up. Flowers, casseroles, words. My mother flew in and gently helped me remember how to function.

+ I was gentle with myself. Some days, brushing my teeth was the whole of what I could do. I let texts and emails and the obligations of life go unanswered. On good days, I made it to the couch.

+ I stepped away from work. This is precisely why protections like sick leave and the PWFA exist. My colleagues have been extraordinary and human and loving and compassionate.

+ I got a facial. I went to therapy. I took walks with Taylor Swift in my ears. I ate the foods that felt like comfort. I window-shopped at places that feel like home.

+ I checked out thirteen Elin Hilderbrand novels from the library and read them everywhere — in the sun at Chastain, in pre-op, curled into the couch, basically anywhere and always. When grief felt too large to hold, I disappeared into her stories for hours.

+ I stepped away from my phone and social media. I wrote. I needlepointed. I read (see: thirteen Elin Hilderbrand novels). I listened to music, or to strangers' small talk in cafés. I tried to keep the TV off. I let the news pass me by entirely.

+ I bought myself a special pair of Lake pajamas for after surgery.

+ We got away. After my first 24 hours of post-surgery recovery, my parents sent us to our favorite resort for a few days. Some days we sat by the pool. Some days we stayed in bed and ordered room service. We healed in a place that felt tucked away and quiet.

+ I keep managing symptoms, because my body still believes — and is behaving as though — it is still carrying a viable pregnancy. My hcg levels are still so high that pregnancy tests remain positive and I am still grappling with the debilitating symptoms that have been plaguing me from the start (namely extreme nausea and vomiting). After surgery came long bleeding and pain that arrived in waves, deferred and interruptive.

+ Above all, I try — every single day — to find gratitude. If I’ve learned anything from the last five years of life’s most heartbreaking challenges (my mom’s cancer battle, my husband’s cancer battle, and, now, the loss of our baby girl), it’s that you are never a victim, and that joy is something worth fighting recklessly for.

+ We are still in pain that, at times, feels insurmountable. The other side of this valley is hard to see. So when you see us smiling, laughing, and sharing the light and fizzy and beautifully vapid corners of life — please root for us. We are fighting recklessly for this joy.

We love you more than words could ever hold, baby girl.

Wherever you are, we carry you with us — and we cannot wait to meet you, one day, on the other side of all this.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21! Whether you’re shopping for the dad who raised you, the one who just became one, or the man who showed up without the title, there’s something here worth giving.

Dad

• Onward Reserve Coastal Seersucker Swim Trunk

  • Carter loves Onward Reserve swim trunks, including these seersucker ones which come in a ton of colors!

• Onward Reserve Waffle House All Star Special Tee

  • Another sure hit with dad.

• Hudson Sutler Hunter Green Waxed Canvas Heritage Commuter Duffel

• Weezie Men’s Signature Robe

• Gucci Men’s Horsebit 1953 Loafer

  • For a very special father, these are lifelong investments he will wear for years to come!

• Tecovas Men’s Ostrich Belt

  • A fun take on a men’s staple.

• Vuroi Ponto Performance Short 7”

  • Carter swears by how soft these shorts are!

• Polo Ralph Lauren Pebbled Leather Shave Kit Pouch

• Sid Mashburn Card Holder Cognac Glazed Alligator

• Smithey No. 12 Skillet

• Sonos Play

  • Perfect additional to a Sonos home suite of easily connectable devices.

• Peter Millar Two-Pack Performance Sock

  • My Dad swears by these socks as his favorite he has ever owned!

Dad-to-Be

• Mabe The Monarch Baby Carrier - Charles Herringbone

  • The iconic baby carrier in a masculine colorway.

• LAKE Men’s Pima Sleep Bundle in Navy Gulf Stripe

  • Perfect for hospital stays and newborn cuddles.

• Weezie Grand Groom Trunk

  • Great for keepsakes for your newborn.

• Ember Mug 2

  • A must-have for on-call fatherhood.

• Lululemon New Parent Backpack 22L

• Framebridge Lacquered Mahogany Octagonal Frame

• Owlet Dream Sock

  • Because what’s a better gift than peace of mind?

• Breville ® Barista Express ® Espresso Machine

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB

  • Backlight reading for when your partner is hitting the hay early :)

New Dad

• Caden Lane Matching Swim Set

  • Men’s Swim Trunks

  • Boy’s Swim Trunks

  • Girl’s One Piece

• Bombas Men’s Premium Weight T-Shirt

  • Carter got this tee as PR (yes, Carter!), and he has fallen in love! It’s perfect for throw and go while still feeling polished.

• Stanley 40oz Quencher

• Paige Tate & Co Our Big Book of Sports

• Hatch Restore 3

• Vuori Sunday Performance Jogger

• Bits & Bows Dad & Lad Baseball Caps

  • This is simply too precious!

• Jack Black Skin Saviors Set

  • Because self-care isn’t just for moms!

• Chris Loves Julia Arched First Year Frame

  • Perfect for in the office!

Grandpa

• Mark & Graham Wood Watch Box

• Masterclass Subscription

  • Perfect for the intellectually curious Grandfather with a little more time on his hands!

• Peter Millar Odeon Sneaker

  • Beloved by my Dad, brother, and Carter!

• Old Dogs by Sally Muir

• Coravin System

• L.L. Bean Men’s Organic Cotton Waffle Sweater, Cardigan

• Mark & Graham Gentlemen’s Handkerchiefs

• Mark & Graham Manhattan Leather Wine Chiller

• Oh My Mahjong Heritage Starter Kit

  • His own set for his den!

Father Figure

• Polo Ralph Lauren Home Woodland Pine Candle

• August Morgan Cocktail Napkins

• Match South Playing Card Set with Putting Green Grass

• Salisbury Kentucky Julep Cup

  • Perfectly customizable for your favorite derby-fan father figure.

• Brackish Bear Cufflink & Studs Set

• Mark & Graham Celebration Silver Etched Coasters

• Mark & Graham Silver Memo Tray

  • Free personalization included!

• Mark & Graham Leather Wine Dossier

• Match South Vice Tees

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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For well over a decade years, I drove a Honda CRV my parents bought in the summer of 2014. Cloth seats. A CD player as the primary entertainment system. Utterly, charmingly, reliably unglamorous — and honestly? Perfect for me. I have never been a car person. I will never be a car person. If you hand me a choice between spending money on a car versus something beautiful in my closet or a new stamp in my passport, it is not even a question! Plus, I’ve never met a curb I didn’t want to hit.

But even the most committed non-car-person eventually has to have the conversation with herself, and I realized I would rather have it before my hand was forced.

So here is exactly why I chose the 2026 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0T SE — with a major shoutout to my Dad for flying in to help me finalize the deal!

It’s CUTE. Yes, that’s the first reason.

This was the first filter, it was a completely legitimate filter, and I stand behind it entirely. About a year and a half ago, I started noticing the same car on the road over and over again — thinking that’s really cute, and then leaning forward to squint at the emblem. Atlas. Every. Single. Time! The car kept finding me before I was even actively looking! That is not a coincidence, that is a sign!

It’s (relatively) affordable!

I am a grown-up! I work hard! A meaningful step up from a base Honda felt both appropriate and long overdue. But — and I cannot stress this enough — I am still deeply, fundamentally not a car person, which means I had zero interest in premium gas, luxury-brand maintenance bills, or the general financial lifestyle that comes with a prestige badge. We are also firmly, happily, ideologically anti-lease in this household (during this stage of life, at least). We wanted to put the cash down, own it outright, and redirect our attention to literally anything else for the next ten-plus years. The Atlas made that possible, and I am delighted!

The base models are so elevated for what you pay.

Without jumping an additional $10–20K (which, I’ll be transparent, would have gotten me my dream bucket seats and a power liftgate — for the next decade!), the SE arrives with wood trim and leather seats, a huge digital display, ventilated and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and genuinely so much more. For what you spend, it overdelivers in the best possible way. The “starting point” here is already so lovely and feels luxurious.

Three rows that actually, comfortably work.

Non-negotiable, and here’s why: we are in the beautiful, hopeful season of growing our family, and I wanted a car that could carry us through that chapter with room to spare. The Atlas seats seven — which was proven on its literal maiden voyage last weekend, when it fit fully grown adult men front to back on a 45-minute drive to a birthday party without a single complaint. The second row reclines! Drop the third row and you have a genuinely impressive amount of cargo space! This is a real car for real life, and it shows. (Quick note: if three rows aren’t on your list, the Tiguan is equally charming and absolutely worth considering.)

My best friend has one!

Genuinely, this deserves to be higher on the list. There is no more credible product review in existence than watching someone you love and trust actually live with something — and she is obsessed with hers. That matters enormously to me!

It’s exceptionally safe.

This one crept up in importance the more I sat with it — and now it might be the thing I feel best about. The 2026 Atlas earned a five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA, and the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ — the institute’s highest honor — with “Good” ratings across all three crash tests. Beyond the credentials, a close friend was in a major collision in her Volkswagen and walked away completely unscathed. I have thought about that more than once, and it meant something when it came time to decide.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Bottle blonde (natural, I insist, though I understand the skepticism). A wardrobe built on classic silhouettes, tailored fits, and clean lines. Never without a bright lip — turns out my Mom was right all along. I live in the American South, where sweet tea is strong and small talk is an art form. I have been told — more than once, with great affection — that I am a lot. Effervescent, I prefer. The kind of woman who will befriend your grandmother at a dinner party and leave with her azalea gardening tips and a standing lunch date. On paper, on Instagram, perhaps even at first glance across a table at a luncheon, I read as a particular type of woman (hint: she watches Fox News and has a proclivity for cherry red).

But, dear reader, I assure you: I am as blue as cerulean.

I voted for Hillary, Joe, and Kamala. I’ve never missed an election. My grandparents — on both sides — have been campaigning for liberal candidates since the sixties. I met Barack Obama in 2004 in Oquawka, Illinois, before he was a household name, and in 2013 I stood in the January cold on the National Mall with my father to watch him be inaugurated for the second time. I have strong feelings about a great many things, and almost none of them would surprise you coming from a card-carrying Democrat from Atlanta, Georgia. So you can imagine — truly, imagine — the pearl-grasping that occurred when think-pieces began to circulate suggesting that dressing head-to-toe in Tuckernuck marks you as a harbinger of American conservatism.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Here is what I need you to know about me and Tuckernuck.

I have been wearing it almost exclusively since 2020. I wore pieces from their house line when Carter proposed, and again in our engagement photos. I wore Tuckernuck as a bridesmaid in my brother’s wedding. On first days of new jobs. On vacations that became memories. The afternoon I met my nephew for the first time, I was in Tuckernuck.

I have converted friends and family with the fervor of a true believer. I dispense discount codes like it’s gospel. The annual sample sale is, without exaggeration, my favorite holiday of the year; my Christmas list has evolved into almost exclusively Tuckernuck gift cards, a development my family has accepted with great patience and occasional confusion.

Tuckernucking has become a fully fledged verb in my household. My dad lovingly calls my mom and me the Tuckernuckers when we get particularly deep into a shopping session. This is said with affection. Mostly.

When I first started sharing online as a tastemaker and received my first PR package from Tuckernuck, I knew that I had made it.

The politicization of Tuckernuck arrived over in the midst of the 2024 election season, when a flurry of articles crystallized what many in Washington had apparently decided: Tuckernuck was MAGA’s unofficial outfitter.

From the White House to Fox News, the brand had been worn by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Second Lady Usha Vance, and a who’s who of Republican staffers from Capitol Hill and the Trump administration. The Daily Beast reported that its crisp blouses and structured dresses had come to dominate podiums in Trump’s White House and were being bought in bulk by Fox News’ wardrobe department. According to The Washington Post, the Jackie dress was the uniform of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

HuffPost went further, asking whether you might be wearing a MAGA-coded outfit without knowing it. Celebrity stylist Edith Chan weighed in: “Tuckernuck doesn’t promote MAGA ideology directly, but its aesthetic aligns closely with values often associated with modern conservatism — tradition, respectability, family life and understated wealth. In today’s polarized climate, fashion like this becomes read politically, whether the brand intends it or not.” One style commentator offered perhaps the most memorable take: “I love Tuckernuck and actually wear a lot of it — while also recognizing it’s definitely Republican-coded.”

And then, as if this press cycle weren't enough, The White Lotus Season 3 entered the chat. Last season’s beloved breakout character, Victoria Ratliff — Parker Posey's Southern, delusional, lorazepam-loving, thoroughly affluent matriarch — was a full-blown cultural moment. And costume designer Alex Bovaird confirmed that Posey was particularly inspired by Tuckernuck's "beachy, preppy" aesthetic in building Victoria's wardrobe. Victoria, who famously does not know she is in Thailand. Victoria, who calls it "Taiwan." Victoria, who agrees to visit a monastery only to sabotage her daughter's spiritual awakening.

With friends like these.

The founders, for their part, have been admirably composed throughout all of this.

When Washingtonian asked co-founder Jocelyn Gailliot directly about Tuckernuck’s reputation among Republican staffers, she laughed it off: “Everyone wants to make everything political these days. First of all, we’re very popular amongst both parties, and we have a lot of clients on both aisles. For us, it’s always been the mission of ‘Let’s inspire a fun, full life.’ That’s something that everyone can be excited about.”

Co-founder September Votta added that the brand had always resisted being bucketed: “From the beginning, we’ve always said that people have wanted to bucket us — as a New England brand or an East Coast brand — but we always wanted to be attainable and approachable for the whole country and not just a small subset of it.”

Like a sartorial Dolly Parton, Tuckernuck floats, beloved, above the political fray.

The whole situation calls to mind one of the most famous lines in the history of commercialism, particularly in the modern day landscape where consumers not only desire product but political ethos from their provisioners: Michael Jordan’s long-attributed refusal to endorse a Democratic Senate candidate in his home state of North Carolina, explained by the quiet logic that “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

But here is where it gets particularly delicious: privately, two of the three founders are registered Democrats who have donated repeatedly to Democratic candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. Democrats, it turns out, not only buy Jackie dresses, too — they are the ones who designed it.

Fashion is inherently political — that much is undeniable. The clothes we choose communicate something about who we are, or who we wish to be seen as, or what world we want to live in. But the politicization around Tuckernuck has always felt reductive to me, because when I look at what this brand actually is — not who it has been dressed on, but what it stands for in its bones — I see something that strikes me as deeply, emphatically progressive in the most positive, non-partisan connotation of the word.

Consider: Tuckernuck is female-founded, by three women who built a nine-figure brand from a Georgetown garage. Rather than watch talented women leave the workforce because it was too hard to leave their children behind, they built a culture where children were welcome — not tolerated, but expected. They offer a minimum of four months of maternity leave, and provide up to $20,000 per child for daycare for employees who work in their building, with an on-site childcare center so that parents and children can commute together and reunite at five o’clock.

The brand is committed to size inclusivity and quality fabrics — the kind of construction that lasts, that gets handed down, that isn’t disposable. It’s a lifestyle brand in the truest sense: travel, culture, design, even a book club. It champions other brands worth your dollars, functioning as an arbiter of taste in a crowded market. When I see Tuckernuck carries something, I know it has earned its place.

The clothes themselves are for your spontaneous, busy, effervescent life — easily packable, always a statement even in a classic silhouette, as comfortable building a capsule wardrobe as making a single spectacular entrance. From day to office to footwear to accessories to home to formalwear, the world Tuckernuck imagines is full and joyful and, yes, a little fizzy.

I cannot wait to make my pilgrimage to the Upper East Side storefront and the Georgetown mecca — especially the new flagship, a corner lot with floor-to-ceiling windows on either side, in the heart of D.C. where they always wanted to be. I will continue to fill my closet with Callahan dresses and refresh the new release page every morning like the woman of faith that I am.

And one thing I can say with absolute certainty: I cannot wait to wear Tuckernuck the next time I head to the polls. Regardless of who you’re voting for, I genuinely think you should, too.

Postscript

Here are my favorite Tuckernuck staples that are sure to garner bipartisan support!

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10! While these gifts are a great starting point for the moms, moms-to-be, and mother figures in your life, the most common request I hear is booking her a pampering appointment (think massage, facial, nails) — not a gift card; just book it for her!!!

Mom

• Party Prep Print by Shannon Woodford

  • My signature collaboration with fine artist Shannon Woodford — an absolute breathtaking homage to the woman who brings everything together, whether it be a summer soireee or dinnertime every night.

  • Use code LAUREN10 for 10% off!

• Stubbs & Wootton Slippers Fleurs Flax Linen Slippers

• LAKE Pima Long Sleeve Bundle in English Rose Stripe

• Monogram Stationary Set

• Alex Mill The Perfect Weekday Tote

  • A cult classic; go with her classic monogram or a fun “MOM” moniker.

• Weezie Women’s Long Signature Robe

• Famille Rose Champagne Bucket

• La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream Duet

  • A tremendous value!

• Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Quiet Joys by Jennifer Shoop

• Golden Rabbit Nesting Bowls in Taupe Swirl

  • What a gorgeous way to elevate meal prepping!

• Heirloom Monogram Pillowcase

• Oh My Mahjong Solara Starter Kit

• Saint Laurent Uptown Pouch in Grain De Poudre Embossed Leather

  • One of my all time favorite luxury pieces; I use mine every single day and it is perfect to transfer necessities from bag to bag.

• Addison Ross Chinoiserie Frame

  • You can add in a photo for them to print and deliver in the frame!

• Diptyque Roses Candle

Mom-to-Be

• Hill House The Ellie Nap Dress

  • The perfect silhouette that will carry her from prenatal to postpartum.

• Mina Baie Emmy Vegan Full

  • My best friend has this chic diaper bag that also can be worn as a backpack (by your partner!!!!).

• The Bumpsuit

• LAKE Pima Maternity Long-Long Set in Parisian Green

• LAKE Pima Robe in Parisian Green

• Chappy Wrap Springtime Stripe Lightweight Blanket

  • So many options to match your nursery design!

• Stanley The Quencher H2.0 Flowstate™ Tumbler

  • Don’t let it leave your side! Hydration is an expectant Mom’s friend.

• Amazon Kindle

  • Compact, portable, and perfect for those final days at home and the early newborn days as well!

• Heirloom ‘From the Nursery’ Personalized Rocking Horse Stationery

• Oak Essentials The Routine

  • My latest skincare obsession; will make the mom-to-be in your life glow somehow even more and all products are pregnancy safe.

New Mom

• Poems of Parenting by Loryn Brantz

  • One of my absolute favorite gifts for new moms!

• Ginori 1735 Oriente Italiano Mug in Porpora

  • To make her necessary morning caffeine feel like a little luxury.

• Piyama Penelope Set

  • Comfortable enough for days at home, polished enough to wear out for an errand.

• MME.Mink The Gigi Basket

  • Push present alert!

• Dorsey Kate Rivière Necklace

  • Push present alert!

• Behrhaus Fulvic Acid Barrier Biome Mist

  • One of my favorite new products of the season; an instant boost of hydration and soothing.

• Lenora Vandy Cotton Short Sleeve Pajamas

  • Comes in pink and blue trim!

• Target Mother’s Day Striped Ruffle Pouch 2pc Set

• Paul Arnhold Glass Seafoam Green Transparent Spotted Carafe

  • To quench her thirst without having to even get up from bed.

• Sugar Paper Baby Book

• La Mer The Lip Balm

  • My holy grail lip balm!

• Oak Essentials Aromatherapy Bath Set

Grandma

• Lingua Franca Sweater

  • Can do the initials, a favorite saying, or her grandma name!

• Vana Chupp Studio Classic Silhouette Charm Bracelet

• Tricia Lowenfield Large Custom Platter in Family and Flowers

  • Tricia can fully customize colors, background, and family!

• Wedgewood Magnolia Blossom Frame

• Frank & Eileen Effie Long-Sleeve Funnel Neck Capelet

• Ginori 1735 Oriente Italiano Round Box with Cover

  • A place to store her jewels when playing with munchkins!

• Custom Silhouette Intaglio — option a and option b

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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There is a particular kind of email I have trained myself to delete without opening or a post I scroll past when it trickles down on my feed. You know the one. The subject line promises something — Ten Things You Need This Season, My Favorite Links, A Few Products I Love — and by the time you’ve scrolled past the eighth affiliate link, you’ve forgotten why you ever subscribed. It is content in the truest, most clinical sense of the word: It is designed to make the sale. You are designed to consume accordingly.

I know this, because I have sent versions of it.

When I started the Lauren Letter, that was not my intention. But, it happened slowly, in the way that well-intentioned things can tend to drift.

I had been watching — really indexing — what was working for other people. The Instagram accounts with the numbers, the Substacks with the paid tiers, the creators who had figured out how to make this a livelihood. And I started copying the architecture of it without ever really examining whether it was mine. The recurring segments. The link roundups. The gentle funnel toward something purchasable. The aesthetics of productivity dressed up as personality.

I told myself it was strategic. That you have to grow an audience before you get to write however you want. That revenue doesn’t materialize from poetry and personal essays alone, and if I wanted this to be real — genuinely, sustainably real — I needed to play the game a little. Learn the form. Do what the people with 100k followers were doing and trust that the writing could live inside it somewhere.

The problem is that it couldn’t. Or at least, it wasn’t. I was copy-pasting an approach that was never built for what I actually am, and the seams were showing — mostly to me, but I suspect to you too.

So I’ve been reflecting critically. And what I found, if I’m honest, is that the parts of this I love — the parts I think you love, too — have nothing to do with roundups or listicles or the performance helpfulness. My soul sits with language. With curation. With storytelling.

So let me do what I should have done at the beginning. Let me properly introduce myself.

I believe the world is remarkably beautiful. I fight for that belief every single day — for the romance in it, for the joy, for the refusal to let the ordinary stay ordinary. That is not an aesthetic affectation. It is a conviction.

My mission with the Lauren Letter, if we’re being formal about it, is to romanticize life through storytelling, wit, and design.

I write for a specific kind of woman, and I think you know if you’re her. She is curious and cultured. She romanticizes her everyday — a corner café, a well-chosen candle, the pleasure of a long lunch that becomes dinner. She reads. She has taste without being precious about it. She wants champagne and fries. She’ll ask her friends if they should just do a bottle. She is a professional, a founder, a creative — someone who values taste over trends and wants to feel, above all, genuinely herself. Elevated, not sold to. More romantic about her life, not more optimized within it. She wants someone to see her inner life and name it beautifully.

That is what I am here to do. That has always been what I am here to do.

Here’s what stays, and what it means:

The Lauren Letter remains the anchor — my weekly correspondence that holds everything together. Witty, warm, a little editorial, occasionally irreverent.

Love Notes are my poetry, prose, and percolations. It is the most vulnerable thing I will do here, and equally the most thrilling. No utility. No directive. No reason to exist except that the language demanded it and I had the courage to let it out. This is the writing I was made for — lyrical, unhurried, intimate.

Book Club is beginning! One book a month, a proper review, and questions worth sitting with. I cannot wait for us to read together, treating the comments section as our literary salon.

And then there are the Stories — the longer essays, pop culture and lifestyle reflections, and travel guides. These arrive when they arrive. I will not manufacture them on a schedule, nor use them as a trojan horse for affiliate linking, and I think that’s precisely what makes them worth reading when they do!

And finally, The Lauren Warrant.

A royal warrant is granted when a supplier has met the standard of a household of taste and discernment. The Lauren Warrant is my version. It is reserved for pieces that carry the full weight of my taste and authority, and it will appear rarely, because rarity is the point. When something genuinely meets my standard — for beauty, for craft, for ethos — it receives it.

This is a smaller table, set more carefully. I think you’ll find you prefer it.

With so much love, as always,

Lauren xx

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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April always feels like a true turning point—the world softens, the light lingers a little longer, and everything begins again without asking for too much in return. Opening the windows. Blooms popping through. “Can we sit on the patio, please?”

Here’s a list of simple, seasonal reminders to carry you through the month, one charming moment at a time.

P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.

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Your April Appointments

1). You simply must buy yourself tulips.

2). Take your morning coffee outside on a particularly soft day—no phone, just birdsong and air that still feels new.

3). Turn on a spring playlist and let it float through the home. Try something classical; it’s a salve for your cortisol levels.

4). Knock out birthday cards for every April baby on your calendar—early, intentional, and handwritten!

• I loved A.A. Ford’s take on this practice.

5). Bake something lemony!

6). Wear an all white ensemble. It’s so crisp; so Nancy Meyers.

7). Spend an afternoon dilly-dallying—bookstore, then gift shop, and a specialty food market as your grand finale. A special, fizzy drink must accompany.

• If in Atlanta, may I recommend Virginia Highland Books; Lucy’s; and Gather’d Market?

8). Try a new way to move your body. Something that feels playful, preferably.

9). Clean out your handbag! Begin again with only what you actually need. Utilize pouches to cut down on clutter.

10). Apply body oil, then lotion. While doing this, have your pajamas heating in the dryer.

11). Buy something blue. Or yellow. Or both.

12). Keep one morning sacred—no phone until 9am.

13). Reflect on the goals you set for Q1. Celebrate yourself for what you achieved. Pick one measurable thing you can adjust for Q2.

14). Take yourself out for coffee and people watch—an underrated hobby.

15). Eat what’s in season! Let nature set the menu.

16). Consider a pair of clogs—equal parts charm and practicality!

17). Get a facial to slough off (what a scrumptious phrase) winter skin remnants.

• If in Atlanta, may I recommend FACED Facial Studio?

18). Keep nails simple, clean, and neutrally polished.

19). Notice the blooms in your neighborhood—and look up what they are.

20). Turn on The Masters Naturescape while you putter or read. There’s truly nothing like Augusta in April.

21). Open the windows while you tidy your kitchen. Let the air move through as you clean. This feeling and smell is true divinity.

22). Drive with the windows down if you haven’t yet this year, even for the shortest errand.

23). Buy good French butter. It will change everything.

24). Bring a canvas tote to the farmers market. Fill it up!

25). Choose one weekend day with absolutely zero plans. See what life invites in when you give it space to do so.

26). Order your 2026 Mahjong Card!!!

27). Read a crumpled, well-loved paperback. Something that’s been carried before you and has stains from tea, lotion, and the outdoors.

28). It’s time for a new phone background—something that sparks a small moment of delight each time you reach for it.

29). Plan a “girl dinner” with a friend it’s been too long since you’ve seen—fries, a simple salad, champagne.

• If you’re in Atlanta, may I recommend Brasserie Margot’s Margot Girl Dinner?

30). Ask yourself, every single day: “What’s the best thing that could happen?”