1. Tie-front flats, $148 at J. Crew.
2. A water-resistant blanket in preppy plaid ($89 at Mark & Graham) keeps derrières dry and the party going longer.
3. A folding knife ($15 at opinel-usa.com) does double duty sawing ciabatta and spreading jam but closes easily to keep accidents at bay.
4. Melamine bowls ($3 each) from Target and enamelware plates ($12 each) and cups ($8 each) from Salt & Sundry are a classy alternative to Tupperware.
5. Keep lemonade icy in a vintage-inspired thermos ($40 at stanley-pmi.com).
6. “Frankie” sunglasses, $118 at J.Crew.
7. Tote your spread in a classic style ($50 at Dean & DeLuca).
8. Turn a meal into an event with bocce ball ($150 for the set at Crate & Barrel) and flower identification—National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers (upper left) is $17 at Amazon.
9. Ditch environmentally unfriendly paper for washable cotton in a perfectly Brady Bunch gingham ($20 for four at Pier 1 Imports).
Food styling by Frederique Stephanie
Photograph by Jeff Elkins
This article appears in the May 2017 issue of Washingtonian.
Hillary writes about interiors, real estate, arts, and culture. She is the former digital media editor of The New Republic, and her work has also been published in Glamour, The New York Times Book Review, and The Washington Post, among others. You can follow her on Instagram @hillarylouisekelly or on Pinterest @hlkelly.
