The Monthly Round-Up: MAY

Everything I've been buying, reading, eating, ordering, watching, using, wearing, sharing, wish-listing, and just plain loving this month (fashion, home, travel etc.) that I think you'll love too...

May 30, 2025

Welcome to the May Round-Up!

How are you?
Here’s what we’ve got coming up in this month’s round-up…
My mum always said that ankle chains (as we called them then) were ‘tarty’ and ‘common’, (so consequently off limits), but I love them (only the prettiest, most delicate kind though), and always wear one all Summer long (come September it’s normally either broken or literally hanging by a thread…). Personally I think they look super-chic with ballet flats. So there we are. I have done an edit of my favourites (covering all budgets of course) for you.

What's on my current Wish List, gorgeous crochet pieces (I’m obsessed with the H&M tunic dress for my Summer holiday - imagine with the simplest rubber flip flops…), Massimo Dutti edit, 15 gorgeous pieces under £50.00 (with zero compromises made), a home edit, Kate’s (Moss obviously) holiday kaftan-dress that we can now all get our hands on, a gorgeous high street collab with The India Edit, raffia bags, homeware brand I’ve loved from the launch, Miu Miu bag dupe, just landed, what I’ve been watching, the coolest Smythson collab, and there’s a new scented candle on the block… Phew. Welcome to the May Round-Up!

Wish Listing…

Top row:
Anthropologie trousers, £148.00 | Chloé bag charm, £270.00 | WNU button-down, £145.00
Second row:
Zara playsuit, £35.99 | Jeffrey Campbell flats, £178.00 | Anthropologie dress, £190.00
Third row:
Grainne Morton bracelet, £475.00 | Chloé tee, £405.00 | Free People playsuit, £108.00
Fourth row:
Andion dress, £227.00 | Hush sandals, £72.00 | Boden sunglasses, £70.00
Botton row:
Loeffler Randall top, £200.00 | Hush tee, £32.00 | Frame jeans, £260.00

This is what’s my current shopping/wish/lust list (links on my iPhone notes) looks like right now. It’s a mash-up for sure.

Home Favourites (from just £3.50)…

A mix of things that have caught my eye, or are on my shopping list. And yes, I definitely need some wooden tongs. And yes, I love a pretty wind chime. Sue me.

Kate’s Holiday Maxi-Dress…

I’ve always loved this pic of Kate on holiday (a while ago now) - it’s the way she wears the kaftan-style dress so chicly, but so (Kate) nonchalantly (for day, not evening). And we can now get our hands on one too, courtesy of Rae Feather.

Massimo Dutti Favourites…

Sweater, £69.95 | Mobile phone bag, £169.00 | Swimsuit, £69.95 | Ballet flats, £119.00 | Skirt, £99.95 | Bag, £149.99 | Suede Jacket, £299.00 | Dress, £129.00 |
Clogs, £129.99

Could Massiso Dutti be the chicest brand on the high street? It’s basically The Row, but for ‘normal people’ (aka non quiet luxury billionaires). These are just a few pieces I love from their latest drop…

Discover the complete collection here.

High Street Collab…

From left:
Matilda, £110.00 | Matilda, £110.00 | Leila, £150.00 | Tara, £160.00 | Isabelle, £150.00

I’ve already talked about this collab (sorry, but I now can’t write or type that word without thinking of Amandaland, lol) between Monsoon and The India Edit (

India Cardona

) over on Insta, but it’s honestly one of the best high street collab collections I’ve seen in a long time. Beautiful, considered and covetable. It’s the attention to detail (bra and bump friendly if needed) and authenticity to both Monsoon and India that really stood out to me at the launch. And the quality is great. The prices are a little spicier than you might expect from a high street brand, but I feel it’s justified. I have floor-sweeping blue Tara dress and it’s just beautiful. And for someone who owns a lot of beautiful dresses, I chose it because I don’t have one like it, and I’m so glad I did (and now do).

Discover the complete collection here.

Raffia Bags I’m Loving…

Chic and timeless.

Brand I Love (mostly for the home)…

I remember first seeing this brand at a kids clothing fair (back then, Douceur was only about stylish baby/kids clothes/interiors, and was called LittleSpree) when it had literally just launched. I loved it immediately. The perfect colours, beautiful whimsical prints, and the clever way they had designed the collections to carefully and cleverly complement the prints, without ‘matching’. They then added the prettiest pyjamas and beauty bags (this roomy style with the top handle is my absolute favourite kind). And their collaboration with another old favourite, Severina Kids (one of Tabitha’s favourite dolls was one of theirs) is just the cutest (so great for gifting).

Discover more Camomile London here.

15 Under £50.00…

**Flora Black Pom'Adore 200g Scented Candle, 45.00**

My lovely (and super-talented) friend, Claire has just added the most gorgeous candle to her beautiful burgeoning brand, Flora Black. Pom’Adore is an ode to Italian gardens, with a scent that is vibrant and earthy, echoing sun-drenched fields, warm soil and summer air. Heaven.

Pretty Anklets…

**Harry Rocks Lago shell anklet, £90.00**

This one has literally JUST dropped at Harry Rocks (the founder, Laura told me about it just now - she didn’t even know I was working on an anklet edit! Spooky!) and could it be more gorgeous? It’s available in gold (yes please!) or silver, and with or without the pearl (with please!).

Loving…

In Case You Missed It (from Douceur.uk)…

Thanks for reading Douceur Diaries! This post is public, so feel free to share it with someone who you think might enjoy it. ❤️

And Just Like That… Season 3 (Disney)
It was available to stream from yesterday, but I haven’t gone in yet. I’m planning on it this weekend, and cannot wait (but I don’t want to be rushed, so making sure I carve out the undisturbed time in our one tv household). I need to see every detail of every outfit for starters.
Have you watched any yet?

Mobland (Paramount Plus)
I touched on this a few newsletters ago, but I am now on episode 9 and fully onboard. I am now used to Piers (yes I know he’s Irish, but still…) and Helen’s Irish accents, and am as obsessed with Harry as all my girlfriends. I am really enjoying it. One of the things I like is how accurate all the London locations are (more on my London nerdiness in a sec…), i.e. the indoor locations match the outdoor locations which is rare) etc etc. I also loved spotting our old Maida Vale local, The Warrington in one of the earlier episodes. Our flat was literally a few doors down. I also have my theories about the plot, but I’ll keep those to myself. Plus I don’t know how far along you are. And if you haven’t watched it, I’d definitely recommend. I 100% watched the first episode and wrote it off as really dated (Guy Ritchie doing, er, Guy Ritchie…) and cliché-ed, but I just needed to give it a chance. But then isn’t that always the case with tv shows these days? I feel like they’re almost designed that way?
But the fact the Conrad bears an uncanny resemblance to my dad still remains a little unsettling at times, lol.

Sirens (Netflix)
Started this when we were down in Somerset, earlier in the week. It was just me, Tom and Tabitha, so I suggested it as something we could potentially all watch together (glossing over the blowjob scene on the boat in episode one). I’m still (four episodes in) undecided as to whether I actually like it or not, but it’s certainly enjoyable. Julianne Moore, (six degrees of) Kevin Bacon and Meghann Fahy (she’s brilliant). I would describe is as a very watchable clever dark comedy.

The Chelsea Detective (UK TV)
Now for something altogether more ‘cosy’ and comfortable. Hear me out. I had not heard of this show (currently on season 3 no less!) until I was invited to Chelsea Flower Show (heaven!!!) and a walking tour of Chelsea (also heaven!!) by UK TV. So you may well not have either? Oh and I did not have to write it about here by the way. Just to be clear. But I do want different things from my TV viewing, depending on my mood, schedule etc etc. Horses for courses if you will. And sometimes I just want to switch off, not engage my brain too much, relax and watch (or possibly even half-watch)… I call this ‘cosy viewing’ and this is the category I would put this show in. But it’s also all shot on location in London (in Chelsea, surprise surprise!), which I love! Gorgeous houses and apartments (inside and out), restaurants, gardens, allotments, house boats… And I LOVE spotting all the various locations (again, like Mobland - pretty much all geographically correct). Listen, it’s not The Killing guys. More Death in Paradise in London (but with the same grey skies). But I’m ok with that.

Dreaming Of…

**Smythson x Thomas Lélu luggage tag, £120.00**

**Smythson x Thomas Lélu passport cover, £195.00**

My love of Smythson is a deep-rooted one that tracks back to my early twenties when I first started travelling widely and regularly for work (as a Fashion Assistant at Marie Claire). I found myself at Heathrow Terminal 3 so often that the shop assistants started recognising me (not that I was buying anything outside of W.H Smiths or Boots on my £14K salary), and the staff at (the now long-gone) Chez Gerard (anyone?) knew my favourite table and brunch order (I am very much a creature of habit). The Smythson store used to be a regular pop-in (conveniently located right next to my brunch spot), where I would drool over the beautiful notebooks and dream of being the kind of girl who travelled with a Smythson travel wallet. In pink. And one day, the fantasy became a reality as I dropped £££ for one (with a little helping hand courtesy of duty free). I loved that travel wallet with all my heart - it kept me feeling chic (when I felt anything but, and was 99% of the time flying economy) and organised. It was my travel companion (I often travelled solo) for many years, until the dark day I lost it (at Heathrow - fortunately I had my passport in my hand at the time, but still…). I was so bereft, I simply bit the bullet and immediately replaced it (this time with the classic black version - I’d come of age!), and have had it ever since. There really is no other brand that comes close to Smythson.
Later, I used to be sent the ‘fashion diary’ every year by the PR (bound in a different coloured leather each time, and with a directory of hotels, restaurants, florists etc in each of the four fashion capitals - London, New York, Paris and Milan) and I treasured it. Each year, on 31st December I would carefully unwrap the new one, then place the old one in its box. It was a ritual. I have kept them all (years and years of them). They’re now somewhere in the attic, and I have (sadly) migrated my diary over to Google (peer pressure - everyone used to howl that I still had a paper diary!). I may still go back to my beloved Smythson diary one day. Stay tuned.
Anyway, all of that was a waaaaaay-longer-than-intended-intro to the coolest (and chicest, obviously) collab (lol again) between Smythson and Thomas Lélu, a Paris-based artist and author renowned for his viral handwritten quotes. Witty musings that effortlessly (and cleverley) express the experience of modern life in just a few pen strokes. Chic as. There are notebooks and diaries, but it’s the luggage tag and/or the passport holder that are firmly on my wish list. Dear Santa… Is it too early?

Just Dropped…

I loathe anything obviously kitsch or gimmicky (urgh), but somehow these sandals manage to walk the tightrope between chic and fun. And the result is a super-stylish, elevated Summer sandal. I’m in!

Another Rae Feather gem. This is a seriously chic holiday/beach dress/cover-up that looks like you picked it up in a market on a Greek holiday (and I mean that as THE ultimate compliment by the way!). A great chuck-over-your-swimsuit/bikini-dress too. Love.

Staying…

Thornfalcon Winery & Press was born in 2023, marrying the owners (Sophie and Panu - the most gorgeous hosts ever) love of great food and drink, hospitality, the West Country and wildlife conservation. They moved into a beautiful 250-year old farm in the heart of West Somerset, and set out to create a boutique winery and a hospitality experience where they could welcome visitors with artfully crafted drinks, experiences and escapes, immersed in nature.
I will be sharing my experience of this magical place (we were there just this week) over on Instagram very soon.

And Last, But Not Least…

Free People Emmerson tote, £208.00 | Baby Emmerson tote, £148.00

Some have likened this bag (it comes in two sizes - personally I love the ‘baby’) to a certain Miu Miu bag, and I am not here to disagree. But I also feel it is giving a subtle nod to the (now classic and iconic) Balenciaga Le City (I am the proud owner of a VERY old one), which is definitely no bad thing in my book! I love that it’s actually quite generic in style, and this is definitely my favourite colour (it comes in quite a few). Anyway, that’s that on that.

And that’s a wrap for the May round-up. Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying these posts and fancy getting them more often, you might want to consider upgrading to a paid subscription (literally for the price of a coffee). You will also get full access to the complete archive of posts (getting close to a year’s worth now!). I am still loving putting these (free) monthly edits together, but it’s the other posts where I sometimes like to ‘go deeper’ and get more personal (also with smaller edits of things I’m loving in all areas of my life - fashion, home, beauty style…). Anyway, something to consider - zero pressure obviously.
See you next time! In the meantime, thank you for all your continued support. It means the world. Have a gorgeous weekend ahead!

ps: almost forgot ‘eating’! So it’s pretty basic one this month, but I just wanted to mention my family’s go-to supermarket pizza brand - Crosta Mollica. The bases are sourdough, and the toppings are delicious, and the whole family loves them (no mean feat these days). Our favourites include the Fiorentina, Capricciosa, Stromboli, and Salami Napoli. Yum! Alternatively, you can just buy the pizza bases and add your open toppings (but this reminds me too much of Motherland-style play dates, so it’s a no from me).

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