Those with a weakness for French and Italian arts and crafts had best avoid Z.d.G., the online boutique founded by Zoë de Givenchy. Ceramics, linens, flatware, cachepots, and apothecary jars are only a few of the items she sources (often in limited-edition runs) from small-scale makers. De Givenchy (whose late uncle-in-law was the well-known couturier) now lives between France, Los Angeles, and the Bahamas, and her flair for cross-continental entertaining has made Z.d.G. especially useful as a purveyor of gifts. As the holiday shopping season approaches, she shares her key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
AIRLINE: Air France. Specifically, its flight from Los Angeles to Paris, watching Arte.
AIRPORT: Heathrow, for the reassuringly consistent wet welcome.
APPS: Insight Timer, PictureThis, HiNote.
BAG: Anya Hindmarch’s In-Flight travel bag. Game changer.
BEDTIME: As late as I can push it.
BIRTHDAY: Mine—April 18.
BREAKFAST, WEEKDAY: Oat-milk latte and Lyma supplements.
BREAKFAST, WEEKEND: Eggs Benedict and the Sunday papers.
CAR: Citroën DS in ivory.
CHILD: My own.
COCKTAIL: Gin fizz.
COCKTAIL APPETIZER: Pigs in a blanket.
DATE: Our first. Opera in Holland Park, dinner at Harry’s Bar, and kissing in the car on the way home.
DIET: Seasonal, with a chance of ProLon.
DINNER, WEEKDAY: A bowl of soup and a glass of wine and served on a tray. In bed.
DINNER, WEEKEND: With friends out at the beach.
DRESS: A little black dress. Perfectly ladylike, with just enough subversion.
DRIVE: Up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu on Friday night at sunset.
ESCAPE: Harbour Island, Bahamas.
FAMILY: Our large and loving one.
FIT: High-waisted with a slight flare at the ankle.
FLAW: A well-placed beauty spot.
FRIEND: A constant one.
GOOD-BYE: Lingering, nostalgic.
HIDEAWAY:
The bath.
HOTEL: A big, old, grand city hotel, like Claridge’s in London.
INDULGENCE: A tin of caviar, a spoon, and solitude.
JACKET: Burberry trench.
LUNCH, WEEKDAY: A twice-baked Stilton soufflé at Wiltons.
LUNCH, WEEKEND: Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding in a country pub.
MATCH: Peppermint and chocolate chip.
MOVIE: When Harry Met Sally.
NAME: One I would delight in repeating 50 times a day, for all of my days.
NEIGHBOR: Quiet as a mouse.
NOVEL: Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert.
PEN: Pilot V Sign Pen.
PET: Fluffy and four-legged—our Flora.
PIECE OF ADVICE: “Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.” —From a commencement-speech column written by Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune in 1997.
PODCAST: I’m currently listening to Good Inside for some sensible parenting.
RESTAURANT: Icebergs, in Bondi Beach.
RIDE: The Orient Express from Paris to Como.
SINGER: Ella Fitzgerald.
STREET: Place François 1er, Paris.
TELEVISION SERIES: Dix Pour Cent.
TIME OF DAY: Dusk in my mother’s Australian garden.
TOAST: Golden and lightly buttered, all the way to the crust, and a smidgen of Marmite.
VACATION: Just family.
VIEW: Morning, from my bedroom window at the Jonchet.
WAKE-UP TIME: Six a.m.
WORK OF ART: Cy Twombly’s “Roses.”
Zoë’s Essentials
