Up-and-coming interior designer CeCe Barfield Thompson cut her teeth at Bunny Williams before striking out on her own. Now, the mastermind behind sparkling, elegant interiors from Amagansett to Antigua brings her love of a good table-scape to the masses with her new collection of home goods, created in collaboration with Makarian and inspired by Christie’s upcoming interiors auction. These Étoile place mats and napkins are an early favorite. Inspired by details on an 18th-century Louis XV lacquered tea table and finished with Madeira embroidery, they’re destined to make any old thing we’re serving for dinner look at least a little bit civilized. ($95, cecebarfieldinc.com)

What’s wrong with toting a reminder of carefree, sunnier days by the sea, especially when it’s a nautical-inspired piece that’s in a palette of black, white, and camel? In the world of bags, whether it’s designing for Loewe or his eponymous label, Jonathan Anderson is a contemporary master. Accordingly, we’re buying whatever he’s selling—this season, it’s the Gate leather bucket bag. Supremely easy to use and crafted in Spain, it sports a handy shoulder strap in addition to its elegant knotted handle. Wear it with a navy jacket, jeans, and a sweater, or florals … In fact, we’re hard-pressed to think of a (daytime) look that this beauty wouldn’t suit nicely. ($1,749, matchesfashion.com)

Perhaps you’ve successfully avoided contracting even the slightest hint of a summer glow, thus earning endless praise from your dermatologist. But it’s not quite the season for a deathly pallor, and that’s where our friend Tom Ford comes in. Chances are, you’re already trotting about town in one of his magnificently hued lipsticks (Casablanca, a tawny rose; or Bruised Plum, exactly what it sounds like). Now it’s time to try the brand’s sheer cheek duo. A one-two punch that includes both highlighter and blush, it can be applied wet or dry, and the effects are downright luminous. No wonder Mr. Ford is launching a skin-care line for women. Watch this space … ($84, bluemercury.com)

A good pair of pants is hard to find. For women, at least, they tend to be either dreary (the dreaded black “work pants” that nearly every woman buys but can’t quite bear to wear) or borderline obnoxious. (Plaids and florals, we’re looking at you.) As white-denim season is on the wane, we’ve been investigating all-purpose yet stylish trousers that Jane Birkin might wear to strut around Paris in the fall. We found them at Everlane, of all places. Made of sturdy cotton, these high-waisted wonders benefit from a stylish, straight-leg silhouette and oversize patch pockets. They come in a range of sizes (00 to 20), lengths (short, regular, and tall), and colors (seven, from a rich chocolate brown to sandstone, our current favorite). And the first time we wore them around town, the funniest thing happened: “Nice pants,” “Love the pants,” “Where’d you get those pants?” ($68, Everlane.com)

All the cool kids have them—as in, your air mail style correspondent and her stylish six-year-old. And for good reason. Veja, a French brand that prides itself on doing things differently, makes all of its goods in a high-standard factory in Brazil, using organic or recycled materials, along with fair-trade rubber that’s used in the soles. The sustainability-focused brand’s Web site has a gazillion stats and charts that explain exactly how they do what they do. But, for now, let’s enjoy the look of these beauties, in a sleek, all-white design that goes with anything from jeans to skirts to dresses. You might want to order a coordinating pair for another stylish person in your life. ($120, barneys.com)