18 Luxurious Southern FINDS for Summer 2025
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In this month's 'Luxe Loves' edition of FINDS, we're focusing on some seriously indulgent items that have caught our eye at retailers around the South. Whether you're ready to splurge or just looking for a little eye candy, feast your eyes on these swoon-worthy pieces from Southern brands and boutiques.
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Basket artwork
Multi-talented Kentucky artist Emily Ridings blurs the line between function and fine art. This funky oblong basket has cool slices of open thatching to show what's inside or make a stand on its own. Made from woven reed on a hickory wood base, the basket is two feet tall and $640 at Emily Ridings.
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Hand-blown wine glasses
Hand-blown in North Carolina, these stemless Flemish wine glasses are little sculptures you can sip from while any varietal remains the perfect temperature. The rounded tulip silhouette feels modern and weighty in hand, while the elevated foot adds a splash of drama. They're the ideal gift for any oenophile or host extraordinaire. A pair is on sale for $115 (reg. $130) at Haand.
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Tortoise and mother-of-pearl tea caddy
This tea caddy is the kind of treasure you don't stumble upon twice. Circa 1960s, it features a stunning mother-of-pearl exterior and an incredibly rare tortoiseshell and blue velvet interior. It's a true collector's piece — equal parts objet d'art and conversation starter. Find it at Dallas home curio emporium, Blue Print, for $6,800.
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JEWELRY
Slide-on diamond initial
The oversized diamond-encrusted initial by Helena Rose takes the classic (and trendy) letter charm to the next level. Set with more than 40 baguette-cut diamonds, it's made to stand out and will easily slide onto a chain you already love. It's luxe, yes, but with this level of sparkle and craftsmanship, it's one you'll wear forever and pass down with pride. All letters are available at Tulipano for $5,200.
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Diamond studs
Delicate but dazzling, these are everyday diamonds with the right amount of sparkle. Crafted in solid 14-karat yellow gold, each earring features three bezel-set round diamonds in graduated sizes for subtle dimension. Wear them vertically or as mini climbers in a second piercing. With a total of .13 carats of full-cut diamonds, these petite studs are effortlessly elegant and made to last. The pair is $650 at Brooke Worthington Jewelry.
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Pearl necklace
This necklace is pure coastal glamour with its luminous Japanese Biwa pearls on a custom-dyed pale green thread. It brings texture, elegance, and a touch of the unexpected to any necklace stack or on its own, whether you're in a cover-up or dressed to the nines. Shop this for $500 at Coral Strands.
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Emerald bracelet
Flanked by a thick 14-karat gold link chain, this stunning bezel-set emerald adds the perfect amount of wow to your wrist. It's the kind of piece you'll reach for every day, but it still feels special. This luxe love comes from Theodosia for $6,000.
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WARDROBE
Hand-knit fish vest
Fish seem to be on everything right now, but we are smitten with this slow-fashion, hand-knit piece from Nashville designer Kelsey. She knits each piece in her Music City studio and then hand embroiders the dots on the fish, giving it additional texture and ensuring no two pieces are the same. The fit is cropped and boxy for effortless layering. This delightful fish vest is $850 at Studio Kelsey.
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Oyster clutch
Cast from metal in an intricate oyster shell design, this structural clutch is hard to miss. The interior is lined, and the chain shoulder strap is removable. At nearly nine inches wide, it's perfect for evening essentials and turning heads. It's available in gold or silver for $495 at Thirty One Jane.
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Kaftan dress
A Sue Sartor kaftan is that versatile piece you'll reach for all seasons. The airy flutter sleeve paired with a dramatic A-line skirt makes it work with sneakers and stilettos. The fully buttoned front and lightweight, hand-loomed silk taffeta in a hand-dyed navy make it the perfect, event-ready dress for all occasions. It's $595 at Sue Sartor.
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Suede loafers
Classic, seasonless, and with some subtle sparkle on the structural metal heel, these Italian-made suede loafers will walk with you from the boardroom to the bar and anywhere in between. Shop these for $645 at Capitol.
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ENTERTAINING
Rumi game set
It's time to retire your beat-up Rummikub set and replace it with this funky, ultra-chic upgrade. With sleek acrylic racks and bold blue details, it adds a splash of fun to game night and is proud to be displayed in between. This set has four racks, 106 weighty tiles, and two jokers. It is $350 (and comes in multiple colors) at Odd McLean.
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Champagne bucket
This showstopping hammered silver champagne cooler by renowned silversmith Emilia Castillo is reason enough to throw a party. Adorned with cabochons and paired with a matching silver underplate, it holds up to four bottles and radiates celebration. Designed exclusively for Houses & Parties, it's more than a cooler — it's a centerpiece at $3,398.
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Scalloped napkins
These scalloped napkins have Southern charm and a tailored twist. A Matouk table linens collection staple, the textured diamond cotton pique is finished with crisp, white piping. They're ready to make Tuesday taco night feel like a garden party. The set of four napkins comes in white or spring green for $174 at Charlotte's.
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Custom stationery
This Mississippi paper designer turns your everyday stationery set into keepsake-worthy notes you're excited to write. This motif features hand-illustrated floral borders and your name (or names) in whimsical script on thick, creamy paper. Sets of 25 cards start at $192 at Lucky Luxe.
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FOR MEN
Lightweight blazer
Meet the Ghost Blazer: Sid Mashburn's go-to jacket and one of his all-time favorite pieces. Made from airy, high-twist English wool, it's unlined and ultra-lightweight to give that polished look without the weightiness of most sports coats. Next-level details include subtle pick stitching, sculptural brass buttons, and cleverly designed flap pockets that tuck in cleanly. It's as sharp over a tee as it is with a tie. A true wardrobe chameleon, this is $995 at Sid Mashburn.
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Two-day briefcase
Part briefcase, part carry-on, part weekender, this handsome, utilitarian bag will last for years. Made in Italy from buttery leather and meticulous tailoring, it's got a place for everything — tech, papers, travel essentials — and even a hidden compartment that transforms into a trolley to go over your wheeled bag handle. It's $4,050 at ByGeorge.
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Retro Fieldbar cooler
The South African-made Fieldbar cooler marries vintage style and modern cooling tech. Designed to look like a chic travel case, it keeps your bevs frosty for up to 50 hours. With leather handles, brass hardware, and serious insulation, it's ready for tailgates, road trips, and picnics galore. This comes in four fabulous colors for $250 each at Epergne.
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For daydreaming — and maybe a splurge or two — we certainly hope this list was fun!
This article contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.
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About the Author Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account For instance, I briefly smiled when the titular blue 'rat-monkeys,' as the film's bad guy calls these troll-like imps, dimension-hop from one world to the next in an effort to save all that is good from the evil twin wizards Gargamel and Razamel (voice of JP Karliak). Each dimension is rendered, cleverly, in a distinct style of animation: stop-motion clay, a child's crayon drawing, 1970s-era 8-bit video graphics, subtitled Japanese anime and, for reasons I don't fully understand, one surreal undersea vignette featuring a talking tardigrade – a teensy creature that looks like a bug in a fat suit – voiced by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. The surprise is not that anyone liked the film. There's no accounting for taste, especially when it comes to offbeat fare like the Smurfs, an intellectual property that has it roots in Belgium, where, in 1958, comic artist Pierre Culliford, working under the pseudonym Peyo, created them as Les Schtroumpfs, but that the robust clapping seems to have come almost entirely from grown-ups. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. During the movie, their young charges appeared to fidget and shift impatiently, greeting their parents' ovation by sitting on their hands or, more likely, using them to scratch their heads in confusion. The reaction from the children in the crowd seemed to echo the closing words of Rihanna, who as the character Smurfette, articulates what I imagine more than a few in the theatre may have been thinking: 'Don't crunch our brains so much!' The script by Pam Brady (a 'South Park' producer and writer of the R-rated films 'South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut' and 'Team America: World Police') is all over the map, sometimes quite literally. Director Chris Miller ('Puss in Boots') opens the action amid the mushroom-shaped houses of Smurf Village before switching to Paris – then the Australian Outback, Munich and points beyond. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It begins by presenting a bit of lore that is easily the most unsettling thing about Smurfdom: the fact that Smurfette, the lone female among a host of males, was created from clay by the evil wizards specifically to lure the Smurfs into their clutches. More tedious scene-setting follows. Smurfette explains that all Smurfs, like Snow White's dwarfs, are named for character attributes: Hefty, Lazy, Handy, Grouchy, etc. All Smurfs, that is, except Smurfette – she's just a girl, it's implied, isn't that enough? – and one called No Name (James Corden), who hasn't yet found his thing, although he aspires to become a practitioner of the magic arts. No Name's search for identity is really what propels this overly busy story forward, in an otherwise perfunctory plot about good vs. evil that gets underway after Smurf patriarch Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped by the wizards' factotum, Joel (Dan Levy). This precipitates a delegation of Smurfs to go on a quest, seeking help from someone named Ken – whoever and wherever he may be – as Papa urged them to do just before he got sucked into a black hole-like vortex in the sky. Other portals include the horn of a gramophone. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Yes, the story is hard to follow, and not just for youngsters. (I would urge you not to try.) It involves appearances by a Parisian neighbourhood watch group run by – well whaddya know? – a second female Smurf, called Moxie (Sandra Oh); a hairball-looking thing with the flatulent-sounding moniker of Mama Poot (Natasha Lyonne); and a magical talking book who goes by Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). Each of these characters has more or less zilch to do with the predictable message of the story, which is, as spelled out by Smurfette to No Name: 'You've got a lot more magic in you than you think. You've just got to let it out.' The more interesting question is 'Who is 'Smurfs' actually playing to?' On the one hand, its predictable reliance on naughty wordplay, inspired by the seemingly limitless meanings of the words 'smurf' and 'smurfy' (e.g., 'I think I smurfed my pants') would seem to suggest grade school. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On the other hand, the movie really leans into the self-referential absurdism. After a scene featuring No Name riding in the pouch of a bouncing CGI mama kangaroo as Smurfette sings to him, 'Don't ever give up,' No Name breaks the fourth wall by saying out loud what the rest of us are thinking: 'That part with the kangaroo was a little weird.' True, but never quite weird enough. 'Smurfs' may be all over the multiverse, but it doesn't land anywhere worth writing home about. – – – Two stars. Rated PG. At theatres. Contains action, coarse language and some rude humour. 89 minutes. Rating guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. MMA World Toronto & GTA Celebrity Tennis
