Lucinda Chambers's exclusive picks for June

SO GOOD

Lucinda at home in London. Photo by Rachael Smith

Lucinda Chambers is the LEGENDARY former fashion director of British Vogue, a position she held for 25 years, and the co-founder of the brilliant curated shopping site Collagerie.

Every month Lucinda shares her favourite finds exclusively for readers of Home. They’re not just things she’s found online and liked the look of - everything below has been inspected by Lucinda in the flesh.

Here is June’s As Good As It Looks (April here, May here). This may be my favourite selection yet - it’s so summery (speaking of which, see Lucinda’s dreamy house in France, here).

The below links are affiliate links.

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Hello India devotees,

I am thrilled to be back again with AGAIL. And these are just that. I have either seen, worn or bought all the things below and really wanted to pop them under your noses!

I am really careful (as we all are I suspect) about the things I invest in. They have to last, walk the walk and have not a whiff of the purchase whim about them. I want them to bring me constant joy, to uplift the spirits, make the day just a bit brighter, and have a certain practicality. I know, a big ask, but that’s why I love what I do, scouting and sourcing - and then the best bit, sharing.

I hope you love them as much as I do.

Love,

Lucinda

Rust brown abstract Berber wiggle throw, £40 from Next

1. The words ‘tuft’ and ‘tobacco’ (as in the colour) both get my full attention. This throw has both. Love the open slightly slubby weave, big fan of the abstract design and never not curling up to read and needing another layer of something rather lovely to pop over legs.

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Striped market tote bag, £75 from Cos

2. This is a bag of such chicness and joy. It’s brilliantly sturdy, bold as brass, and you just feel incredibly uplifted wearing it. I am a new adopter of orange and have always been a fan of electric blue, so it had my name on it. It is my summer tote of happiness.

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Waterproof reversible sun lounger topper, £89.99 from Mango

3. We don’t often think of investing in being a lounge lizard…but I have. Making do with very old cobbled together comforters and cushions is no longer a thing. I want maximum comfort, washable/wipable and in stout cotton. I will look after them and they will deliver every summer.

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Palm House rattan plastic picnic tumbler in Pistachio, £6 from John Lewis (or £4.80 if you buy them before June 3)

4. We have got small people coming to stay this summer. I am taking no risks poolside, these tumblers are unbreakable and smart to boot and I ordered 8 so for grownups too as the price is so reasonable.

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Necklace with beads and pearls, £35.99 from Zara

5. I have a particular penchant for pearls, oh and coral… you could wear this with a really simple white oversize T shirt, a black simple cotton maxi dress, a great khaki shirt - I could go on and on.

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A5 box file in Dandelion/ Turmeric, £42 from Cambridge Imprint

6. I have just spent a (long) weekend doing something very boring but necessary - tidying my office at home. I couldn’t see the floor, forgotten what rug was underneath the piles of paperwork, tiles, fabrics, pictures, yup it had reached critical mass. But putting paperwork into some organisation has made me much calmer. You can make even bank statements look inviting with these box files. Beautifully made, love mixing up all the various prints, making the ordinary beautiful.

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Habitat stripe outdoor pouffe cushion, £40

7. I’m very much warming up to the outdoors in and vice versa, so this pouffe is brilliant. In and out it goes, extra person, feet up, looking at the TV close up as you haven’t got specs to hand, yes this will do nicely! I am always grabbing a stool so this is such a fabulous upgrade, both in and out of the garden.

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Adidas Samba OG sneakers in dark brown/yellow, £90 from & Other Stories

8. Huge fan of brown, always have been - it’s always been my black - but this butter yellow is the new colour du jour, so this combo is a double whammy of colour and comfort. I love them, they will fit in and yet be distinctive. Just what I love.

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Set of two latte mugs by HK Living, £20 from Design Vintage

9. They call these latte mugs but I think they will be my tooth mugs… one for each of us and we know whose is whose. My husband is very fussy about that sort of thing, me, not so. I love the slightly retro 70s vibe as I have been collecting ceramics in this genre for while now. It can tip easily into ‘ugly’ but if you keep to the right side, they are unusual.

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Wide-sleeve linen blend shirt, £27.99 from Zara

10. I’m not usually a linen lover, only to sleep on, but this was just so good. It’s got the huge sleeve, the colour of the stripe and its boxy shape just does spell a carefree holiday.

Also, I tend to wear pareos (a lot), in fact I just made one out of a lovely piece of fabric from the market, tobacco with a red and green stripe. I whacked on a couple of ties to hold it together, fold down the top and away you go. It’s a great way of using pieces of textile that you love but are not sure what to do with them. And.. I can always turn it back into a cushion. But this is me sorted on hol.

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Jada Cushion, £115 from Sunshine & Snow

11. I have these cushions. They’re made by a company called World of Craft, who combine the craft of Guatemalan weavers with slightly spare Swedish design. The results are brilliant and are of such good quality. They don’t fade, the colour combinations are sharp and interesting and they are made to last.

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Demellier Siena hobo bag in white, £475

12. It’s no secret, at least to me, that I love a white bag. Summer, winter, anytime, anywhere, they just uplift EVERYTHING. But what you want them to do, being white, is to work very hard and remain pristine come rain or shine, bruise and battering. Demellier is a great brand for just that. They are beautifully made and made for working women.

Thank you, as ever, to Lucinda for fossicking for treasure for us. I have a whole shelf of those jolie-laide 1970s HK Living cups, mugs etc in my kitchen - there’s something about them I find irresistible.

All of this month’s picks are also on Collagerie, here.

I SHOULD be back tomorrow, Saturday, with the usual links to read in bed (optimally), but that is assuming I finish the line edit of my book by the end of today. If not, the bed links will be on Sunday morning instead of tomorrow.

Have a lovely Friday and a wonderful start to the weekend!