As we approach the 100-day mark of Trump’s second term in office (though it feels much longer), it’s helpful to keep in mind a phrase popularized by Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to get us through the next four years: “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” (Don’t let the bastards grind you down). In the Emmy Award–winning TV adaptation, June Osborne, played by the dazzling Elisabeth Moss, uses this phrase as a reminder to endure in the face of adversity. Moss has a remarkable ability to give agency to her female characters, especially when they have little power—whether as the president’s cocooned daughter in The West Wing or as an underestimated secretary in a 1960s New York advertising firm in Mad Men. Now Moss reprises her role as Osborne in the eighth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale. In the spirit of not letting the bastards win, the actress shares her key components to the good life. —Carolina de Armas
AIRLINE: Air France, in La Première cabine.
AIRPORT: J.F.K. Specifically the JetBlue terminal.
ALIBI: “I was out of the country.”
APP: Shotdeck.
BAG: Clare V.
BEDTIME: Going to sleep while it’s still light out is the greatest luxury.
BIKE: Citi Bike.
BIRTHDAY: Spent alone on the Amalfi Coast.
BREAKFAST: Egg-and-cheese sandwich on a roll in New York.
CAR: Audi A7.
DINNER: Spaghetti pomodoro.
DRESS: Dior. Always and forever.
FAMILY: The most important thing.
HOTEL: Le Bristol, in Paris.
JACKET: Loro Piana. Cashmere.
MOVIE: When Harry Met Sally, by Nora Ephron.
PAIR OF SHOES: Adidas Stan Smith.
PET: My cats, Lucy and Ethel.
PODCAST: Wiser Than Me, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
RESTAURANT: Sushi Park, in Los Angeles.
SINGER: Billie Holiday.
STREET: Addison and Clark, in Chicago.
TELEVISION SERIES: Veep.
TIME OF DAY: Twilight.
VACATION: Italy.
VIEW: On the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy, in New Zealand.
WAKE-UP TIME: The best wake-up time is with no alarm.
WEEKEND BAG: Away Featherlight Weekender.
WORK OF ART: Photographer Henry Leutwyler’s Ballet series.
Elisabeth’s Essentials
