Wellllllllllllllll heeeeeey buddies! Long time no see – have been on a bit of a hiatus. An old friend of mine named Andrea – who is one of THE loveliest people I will ever know (and someone you would love if you knew her) – was critically injured last month and has since survived a close overtime thriller with death. So, I’ve been letting Karrie hold down the fort and doing what I can over at camp “For the Love of Andrea”. DELIGHTED to report that Andrea is currently kicking ass and taking names on her road to recovery (!) but in the wake of something that puts everything in perspective, gushing about curtain tassels, paint chips and stilettos hardly felt appropriate. Please check out the website and follow her story if you aren’t already – she’s amazing!
Now then. It appears summer disappeared overnight and fall is being ushered in… to the tune of Indian summer days and college football and stuff (last year’s fall post here if you want a good pre-game rager). And on that note, below are some new fall faves to get you in the swing of things… but first, here’s an oldie (but a goodie). This will forever be what back-to-school looks like to me:
FALL MUST HAVES
1. A Big Awesome Bag: Granted – I’d have to sell my ovaries to afford Prada, so thank heavens TJ Maxx and Marshalls are always game for good lookalikes. And honey. You could throw a spare tire in that thing.
2. A fancy Bourbon & Cider Cocktail to sip by the campfire.
3. Neons + Neutrals. I l-o-v-e this new trend. It’s like the 80’s with modern sophistication, sprinkled with Jenna Lyons fairy dust.
…and speaking of pleats. They’re back, and best paired with a solid tee in a simple silhouette (identical grey v-neck available at Old Navy – $8). Comme ça:
4. A Festive Front Porch. Go getcha some leaves, pumpkins, potted plants, and gourds… and warm it up for the trick-or-treaters, Chris. I’d start at places like Hobby Lobby & HomeGoods.
Bah (!) Spray paint a pumpkin gold. Radical.
…or rock some lanterns and wicker pumpkins. And a little taxidermy.
5. Chambray. It’s back big time. So either yank it out of your 1992 storage box, or sprint over to J.Crew and snag this one.
6. Honey-colored Ray Ban Wayfarers? Yes please.
7. A Cozy Space to Read. All I wanna do is crawl into this warm, rumply bed, grab a book from the shelf, and read with the windows open while a crisp fall breeze blows in. Look at the juxtaposition of that Scotch Brite, wool plaid throw & those tattered books against the room’s feminine elements (toile wallpaper… dainty crystal light fixture… ornate carved mirror)… Sprinkled with pops of red (ding-dang-dong! on the shelf), and finished off with a quirky touch, like that little sink coming out of the wall. Love all of it… reminds me of this.
8. Jewel-Toned Suede Shoes are all kindsa everywhere this season. These pipe dream kelly green shoes are from Zara (and sadly, gonzo)…
…but here are a few stellar alternatives:
(via J.Crew, J.Crew, White House/Black Market)
9. Gorgeous Vintage Place Cards for your next dinner party. I feel like if I dug through a box in my grandmother’s house, I might find something like this.
10. Matchstick Jeans + Red Shoes.
11. Comfort Food, in the form of white bean chicken chili. Stick that in your crock pot & smoke it.
12. A Sweet Little Sack for the Saturday farmer’s market, or a quick scoot to the grocery.
13. Hot Pink + Red. Totally chic and totally awesome. (And so is that oversized Marc Jacobs clutch that I’ve been coveting since birth.)
14. A Cropped Blazer. A fellow bachelorette party attendee was telling me a few weeks ago that her mom took all her 80’s blazers (with shoulder pads in all their glory) to her tailor and had her trim those bad boys down to a more modern cut, like these below. Genius. Remind me to raid the ancient end of Jayne’s closet next time I’m home.
…or yo. H&M has this sweet little houndstooth number for $30. Get ready to elbow a bunch of other floozies shoppers outta your way.
15. Lastly, an LBD. Though “L” needn’t stand for “Little” in this case, unless you wanna freeze your petunia off. Anything with pristine tailoring and a few gorgeous details will do. (PS, could someone please get that model on the left a 28 AAA bra, please? She’s cuttin’ glass.)
Who’s ready for fall?!
xoxo,
Must have the green shoes, and the dress & boots (middle image at bottom). Where do I find that DRESS?????? 😉
Ames: It was from Anthro – http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=19079649&navAction=jump&search=true&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS&tabStyle=Info – but is outta stock. I’ll see if I can find it on eBay for you!
Love the decorating ideas for the front porch!! Plus, now I really want to go out and get a cute blazer and new fallish clothes!!
Awww…fall! Love the kelly green suede shoes, love the gold spray-painted pumpkin, love the adorable apple garnish in the bourbon, love it all! Love you!
P.S. I think I’ll be raiding-n-tailoring the far ancient end of my own closet before your next visit! 🙂