List 41

Love: Barbara Stanwyck, a great actress who always came across as whip smart, tough and sexy. I adore her con artist in The Lady Eve. And her scheming, unhappily married L.A. housewife in Double Indemnity is the ultimate film noir femme fatale in my book.

Like: Wide wood blinds. They always feel a bit retro to me (exhibit A: see the blinds in the Double Indemnity shots above) We recently put them in our den and Stella's room and they've transformed the look of the house, inside and out.

Discovery: Chanel's Rouge Allure No. 58 Audace, the perfect red lipstick.

Obsession: I am a major house voyeur. One of the nice things about the interweb is that it's chock full of sites and blogs that take you on tours of people's homes. A recent one I loved was The Selby's peak into the Spades' classic Upper East Side apartment, with all its vintage details and collections. It's eclectic with a hint of The Official Preppy Handbook.

http://theselby.com/11_4_10_AndyKateSpade/

Complaint: Like the Spades, apparently, I love getting matchbooks at restaurants, but too few restaurants offer matches these days. I know there are smoking bans, but still. It's way better than a business card.