For me (and just for starters) it might just be this hauntingly pretty skull ring from James Colarusso, which I have wanted approximately forever. And you?

It’s always interesting to me to look at the packing post I do before a trip, and see how it contrasts with what I actually ended up wearing while I was away. There’s always a good bit of overlap, but a few items emerge as clear heroes, and my Tel Aviv pants from Nili Lotan were probably in the highest rotation of all—it was perfect chino weather in Los Angeles, and these are, to my mind, the perfect chinos. Also, I’m pleased to report that Nili Lotan is offering them in sizes up to 14, which is a nice start.

So many of you west coasters mentioned to me that it isn’t quite sandal weather in L.A., so I brought my good old trusty No 6 clogs instead, and wore them constantly.

This cute striped popover shirt got a lot of wear as well, and right now it’s marked down at Trovata.

On the plane, I carried this Fjallraven backpack, which has ample compartments, fits a ton, and is super-light.

I packed an Il Bisonte bag like this one to carry around once I got there, and it was the perfect size: not too big, but big enough for all my everyday stuff.

I never regret having made room for my GHD curling iron, which is always up to the task of saving my hair from frizzbo hell.

I’ve been wearing this Laura Mercier eyeshadow pencil—the (very nicely subtle) color is called Cobblestone—and it was the perfect eyeshadow to bring on the trip, since it doesn’t require a brush.

And finally, I am very happy with my ultra-durable laptop case from Herschel.

On today’s episode, Tally and I dive deep into our own personal and professional failures—it’s actually a pretty juicy episode in that respect—and try to make sense of it all with Lauren Ober, host of the highly entertaining “Spectacular Failures” podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and as always, if you like what you hear, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.