This gorgeously sculpted anatomically correct heart is one of the wildest things I've come across in a long time. Some might think it's impractical—it doesn't actually do anything—but I disagree. Use it as a paperweight, pile it on top of a stack of books, station it on the mantel; no matter where it goes, its slightly creepy, subtly punky vibe transforms the atmosphere of a room. Worth noting: The site where I found this is the online arm of the edgy Miami men's store Base, which recently launched a spin-off called Base Annex that's dedicated to decor and womenswear, much of which is featured in its Web store, too.

I grew up and went to school in Southern California—so I'll never forget my first East Coast winter. I don't know how I would have survived the windy city streets without my Meg Cohen scarf, and so every winter since I've prepared for the coming snow by buying another one. They manage to be thick and soft and lush, yet urbane and refined at the same time, which is no easy feat. This year, I'm leaning toward one of her skinny striped styles, which are extra long and would look rather British rock star looped around the neck loosely.

I've seen a lot of kitchen utensils in my day, but I'm not exaggerating when I say I've never seen anything quite like these. They are the laciest, prettiest earthenware plates, and they're designed specifically for the very mundane, inelegant task of covering the drain in your kitchen sink. There's just something so amazingly cool and luxurious about using a gorgeous handcrafted piece in such an unlikely, utilitarian way.

Shopping the J.Crew website is a reflexive pleasure for me—can anyone ever have enough of their cashmere sweaters? Really? And then sometimes you stumble across something as lovely and unexpected as this enamel bracelet. The thick black-and-white stripes are graphic and cool, but the overall effect is still sophisticated, so you could easily wear it with something evening-ish—to say nothing of the fact that the gold plating and slick finish feel much fancier than the $45 price tag. http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod90229271&catId=cat240133

All of my evening bags tend to look the same: small, neutral, simply structured but with enough fancy detail to pass muster at cocktails or a wedding. Which may explain why I fell so passionately in love with this one. It's an unlikely combination of organic flax-colored linen and super-feminine black lace straps, and though the shape and the clasp are dainty and old-fashioned, the abstract print makes a bold, modern statement. It's totally out of the box for me, and, therefore, perfect.

We've got such dramatic seasonal changes in New York that there are very few pieces in my wardrobe I can truly wear year-round, but this dress is definitely one of them. It's called the Princess, but it really isn't frilly-girly at all—just the simplest T-shirt dress with unfussy short sleeves and raw, unfinished edges. It's chic but so innocuous that it can serve as the foundation for an endless number of looks: I'll style it now over jeans and with ankle boots and a tough jacket, and then pair it in hot weather with open sandals and a long necklace, or dress it up with sexy heels, and on and on and on. Plus, the fact that such a versatile item rings in at under $100 makes me feel like I've gotten an insane bargain.

A glass of champagne can really make any occasion so much more special, and I love the idea of making my next toast with these saucers from Marc Jacobs' collection for Waterford. Drinking something sparkling from a saucer instead of a flute seems very roaring '20s to me, and though these are worthy of The Great Gatsby, the sturdy stem and overall clean lines make them very modern at the same time.

I just stumbled on wishshoes.com, the e-commerce counterpart to a St. Louis-based shoe store that stocks a really impressive roster of designers, and now I'm wondering why I never came across it before. They've got a cool mix of styles, from Lambertson Truex's sexy gold-trimmed ankle-strap heels to Rupert Sanderson's peach metallic peep-toes—and lots of other shoes that would make any outfit that much better. Be sure to check out the handbag selection while you're there, in particular the chic and totally luxurious evening clutches by Kotur and Rodo, two labels that are notoriously difficult to track down on the Web or otherwise.

Though it's easily available online, this simple brass lamp looks like the kind of thing you'd only be lucky enough to find while on some exotic holiday. Intricately handmade, it's basically a casing that fits over a low-wattage bulb, and the gorgeous perforated motif allows just a bit of light to filter out in the loveliest pattern. It's a brilliant quick-fix that will completely change the atmosphere in any room—and it's so elegant you could even leave it unlit and suspend it with some rope and the overall effect would still be so beautiful.

I'd been hunting for dark, skinny, straight-leg jeans for what seems like ages, and coming up empty-handed until I ran into special sections director Liz Kiernan last week, when she was sporting what seemed like the perfect pair. Hers were narrow but not bunchy at the ankles, and the wash was uniformly indigo (no whiskering, distressed edges, or contrast stitching, all of which I'm increasingly tired of). She told me they were by Rag & Bone, so I headed straight to Barneys New York for a closer look. After trying on numerous styles by a slew of different labels, the Rag & Bone indeed proved the best. They're made of lightweight denim with just a hint of stretch, so they conform nicely to your shape, and the waistband hits at exactly the right place—not too high, not too low. And the sharp lines and deep hue give them an appealingly grown-up and ladylike feel. Though they were a bit of a splurge, I'm already sure I'll wear them enough that their cost-per-use will make them well worth the price.

The Casual Tee by James Perse might just trump all other T-shirt styles out there. My friend Samantha first tipped me off, saying it was the best-fitting tee she'd ever tried, and having just gotten one myself I can vouch for its brilliance. It's made of very thin, ultra-soft cotton—the kind that feels like it's already been washed a hundred times—and the cut couldn't be more perfect. The cap sleeves and scoopneck are feminine, subtly sexy, and have a slightly '70s vibe. And though it's meant to fit snugly across the chest, the lower half flares just enough so that you never have to worry about the fabric clinging unflatteringly..

Silly as this may sound, doing the dishes really does feel like less of a chore when you've got a prettily packaged, beautifully scented soap at your disposal. Launched just a couple of months ago, Daub & Bauble's dish detergents look and smell more like beauty products than household cleaners. They come in three fragrances (I'm addicted to the Sorrento Lemon and Ginger—it's clean and citrusy with the tiniest hint of sweetness) and for each product you can choose between three differently patterned labels. The prints change seasonally and are all very cool and contemporary, though the more elaborate motifs were designed to blend seamlessly even with more traditional settings. Each item in the line rings in at $10 or less, with an ultra-moisturizing aloe-based hand wash and rich shea butter lotion to round out the offerings.

Iomoi, a California-based company that I love for its fun, sophisticated custom paper goods and home accessories, just started making personalized trays this season, and I'm happy to say that I love them too. They're available in tons of bright graphic prints, each one as appealing as the next, and have clear Lucite edges that give them a subtly futuristic twist. They're also super-versatile—for cocktail parties, breakfast in bed, or even to display magazines on a coffee table—and, like pretty much everything else on the site, they're meant to be monogrammed, which makes them that much more cool and special for gifting.

Toronto-based designer Virginia Johnson makes some of the coolest textiles out there—everything from canvas throw pillows to cotton caftans. The prints strike precisely the right balance between whimsical and sophisticated, and she uses ultrafine fabrics that are all really soft to the touch. I am particularly drawn to her shawls, made of sheer merino wool from Kashmir, India. They come in a bunch of different patterns (my two favorites: the gray sunbeam and the brown camel), are luxuriously oversize (perfect for warding off the chill of an overly air-conditioned plane or office), and have short sheared edges which are, in my opinion, so much chicer than the long tassels you usually find on this sort of thing.

Senior fashion editor Laurie Trott is fixated on this Buckle Flap Bag from Brooks Brothers. It has a preppy-equestrian feel, but it's simple enough to pair with just about anything. Though the price is not insignificant, Laurie went so far as to visit the store and examine the bag up close. She attests that it expands like an accordion and that there's tons of room inside, making it a practical option for everyday. She also reports it's chic worn across the chest messenger style and swinging on one shoulder, and that it's precisely what you want in an investment piece: classic enough to wear season after season, and built to age beautifully.

Bose just debuted a portable version of their ubiquitous iPod speaker, and it's pretty great. The sound quality is every bit as clear and crisp as its full-size predecessor, only this unit comes with a rechargeable battery, a built-in handle, and a retractable iPod dock (which protects it from being knocked around—and damaged—during transit). It's significantly slimmer and lighter than the original, so it's indeed easy to cart around from room to room, or even to throw in a tote and take from place to place.

A friend of mine recently asked for my help in tracking down personalized luggage tags. An exhaustive Google search yielded scores of different options, the best of which by far is this set of three engraved brass tags from Orvis. Despite the fact that they're shockingly cheap ($25!) they're really sturdy and such a luxe alternative to the flimsy paper ones available at the check-in counter.

I first spotted the weathered brown leather version of these boots a couple of months ago, at the Austin, Texas shop By George. I was immediately floored: They're perfectly simple and utterly refined, and even at first glance it was obvious the craftsmanship was exquisite. The salesgirl told me they were by Golden Goose, a company I'd never heard of. Curious, I called my friend Michelle (a shoe buyer at Barneys New York), who further fueled my obsession by telling me that each one is handmade in Italy and takes hours to produce (which would explain the considerable price tag). I already own tall brown flat boots, so it wasn't too hard to resist the impulse to splurge. But now that I've discovered the same pair online in subtly distressed black leather, a style that's unlike anything I have in my closet, I'm really feeling tempted again.

Next month, I'm going on a trip that requires me to bring only soft luggage. Though I own a lot of travel gear, it's all wheeled suitcases and little weekenders, so they're either too structured or too small for this trip. After a long online search, though, I've finally placed an order for something that fits the bill nicely: Rolling Adventure Duffles from L.L. Bean. They're surprisingly lightweight, rugged but not overly bulky, refreshingly no-frills (no fussy pockets or hardware to contend with), and, best of all, incredibly inexpensive. There are tons of colors to choose from; I went for navy blue, which won't show dirt and adds just a hint of contrast to the bags' black straps.

Of all the things I'm greedy for, sweater dresses might be highest on my list. There's something so indulgent, chic, and actually quite comforting about being swathed in a soft knit. Katayone Adeli—a designer I've loved from the inception of her eponymous label back in the '90s straight through to her recently launched comeback line, KA7—makes some particularly amazing ones in fine, luxurious merino. The cuts are perfectly lean and body-hugging (though really and truly only in the right places), and her aesthetic is very clean and classic, so you can wear her pieces year after year without any risk of looking dated. I've got my eye on this subtly Victorian-inspired, baby-doll dress in charcoal gray wool. It's a great layering piece: I like the idea of wearing it with a few buttons undone to let a lace-trimmed camisole peek out from underneath, then adding black opaque tights.

I don't think there's a single piece in Loeffler Randall's line of shoes and bags that I haven't wanted–badly–for the last few seasons. They just added clothing to their range this fall, and it's all just as cool and stripped-down and covetable as the accessories. The collection is almost entirely composed of solid, mostly neutral pieces with clever, elegant details that keep them from being at all basic. Though the last thing in the world I need is another coat, I'm finding it hard to resist this three-quarter-length felt jacket with a ruffled collar and cropped sleeves. It could actually double as a dress, or at least that's what I've been telling myself to try and justify making a purchase. Equally tempting is the bustier top, which somehow manages to be both demure and sexy at the same time, and comes in black and navy?one of my all-time favorite color combinations.

I just ordered this shrunken military-inspired olive green peacoat from New York-based Gryphon, which I couldn't be more excited to start wearing. The proportions are perfect: It's slim-fitting with flatteringly narrow arms, which can be difficult to find, particularly when it comes to coats. I love the mix of classic details (epaulets, tortoiseshell buttons) with a sleek, updated silhouette. If you like the style but want something slightly less understated, the decorated peacoat, which is a cotton version of the same jacket with metallic crest-like embroidery on the sleeves, is a chic option.