Souk recommends: Five things we are loving this week

Note from our sister Souk team: We’re a team of dedicated (okay, addicted), hunters of cool products who finally have an excuse to do what we love best, which is to spend tons of time window-browsing for the good stuff & sharing it with everyone we know.

Each week we pick five new things we absolutely love. Some of these are practical. Some are delightful. Most sit somewhere in between. What they all have in common is that they’re not obvious, and that’s exactly why we love them. At least one of them will make you think: I didn’t even know this existed… but now I want it.

PS: There are a ton of more shopping recs over at Souk. Check them out already! 

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Greeting Card – For the Valentine

We love how this iconic Raja Ravi Varma painting of Satyavati and Shantanu has been adapted into a quirky declaration of love for Valentine's day. It comes with a Valentine's message printed on the inside, and works as a non-cringy Valentine's day greeting for both significant others and ride-or-die friends!

Ai Pink Embroidered Handwoven Dress

We love the embroidery and the barely-there checks in the handwoven fabric of this pink midi dress. It's also fully lined, with a side zipper fastening, adjustable straps and inseam pockets, which makes it as comfortable as it is pretty. PS: Each piece is embroidered by hand in The Summer House studio, which means small variations in embroidery, and a reminder that this isn’t mass-made.

Ludo in a Book

We love everything about the concept of board-games-in-a-book and how it lets you disguise and store your board games—Ludo in this case—as classic fabric-bound hardback books on your bookshelf. Cut-out pages neatly conceal the board along with all the game pieces, and the intro pages of the book even include the rules of the game!

Cedar Mandarin Woven Shirt

We’ve long admired No Nasties for the way they make sustainability look good, and this shirt's a good example. The soft and earthy rust-pink with its barely-there checks is easy to wear and likely to become a go-to in most wardrobes. Made from organic cotton, vegan, and carbon negative, it’s a shirt that’s a good look for both you and the planet.

And so all Yours Mug

"One half of me is yours, the other half yours— / Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, / And so all yours" is a famous expression of love spoken by Portia to Bassanio in Shakespeare’s 'The Merchant of Venice' (Act 3, Scene 2). Portia is saying that she is fully committed to Bassanio and that he makes her complete, metaphorically splitting herself in two and giving both halves to him. As far as declarations of love go, we'd pick this mug—featuring a vintage illustration of Portia along with an excerpt from her iconic dialogue—over flowers.