The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation. Image above via J. Crew.
A guide to my favorite outerwear this season below. I’ve also been tracking the suede jacket / shacket / over-shirt micro-trend and am working on a roundup of my favorites that will go live later this week.
03. I feel like I’ve covered barn jackets a lot this season, but this denim Everlane is the one I ended up ordering (also available in non-denim options). Also love this Alex Mill in red (just recently made available again for pre-order after selling out), this Aritzia in the white, and this long version from J. Crew, which makes me want to wear chunky loafers or delicate kitten heel slingbacks (Hitchcock heroine vibes).
08. Fun quilted exaggerated collar style from Loeffler Randall. I love the way she styles pieces like this on her own Instagram account. Makes me want to live in pilgrim collars!
10. A few of you have asked for puffer/quilted coats that come down to mid-thigh — literally, two or three of you have had this exact spec! I’m assuming this is for cooler area residents who need more coverage. I love this Quince option. I also love my Everlane quilted liner jacket (have had for maybe five years now?), but it’s not particularly insulating/warm. I’d opt for the Quince if you are in sub-40 temps frequently, or this Canada Goose if you’re in Boston/Chicago/etc.
13. I cannot wait to pull my Alice Walk wool cape out for fall. The chicest top layer! I found this style that is similar but a little less expensive. Looks very chic, too.
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Well hello, Tuesday! Tuckernuck is offering 20% off orders over $250, 25% off orders over $500, 30% off orders over $1000. A great opportunity to round out your fall wardrobe. I’m especially excited about this cashmere sweatsuit (hoodie, wide leg pants). The fit is fantastic — I think the key is that the cashmere is thin and drapey. I’ve tried a few other knit sets that wind up feeling bulky or stiff. This one has a beautiful drape. I am planning to wear this on the overnight flight to Italy this fall. Note that the pants are very long — will work for tall Magpies. I had to have them tailored. I’m wearing below with my new and spectacular Mansur Gavriel bag! I am obsessed with the shape, silhouette, and unexpected dark green color!
Anyhow, all of my top picks from the Tuckernuck sale…
01. DRESSED UP BLOUSE. If you don’t have this top in your closet, today’s the day. I own her in the blue and white stripe and she has the best silhouette/structure and silkiest material. A great way to dress up jeans. I love her in the oxblood color for fall.
02. FALL EVENT DRESS. So many great options, but I especially love this dark floral with the on-trend kiwi/chartreuse belt lining for a special event at school, work, etc; this bustier style for a cocktail party or wedding; and this patchwork floral for fall family photos or Thanksgiving.
03. EVERYDAY KNITS. I just got this pointelle turtleneck to tuck into trousers, skirts, jeans. Will look so good layered beneath a heavier knit or cropped jacket. Also loving this short-sleeved cashmere blend tee for pairing with slip skirts and wide-leg jeans.
04. AUTUMN FLATS. The high-vamp on these beauties reminds me of Loro Piana or Le Monde Beryl, but it’s also a perfect time to get your hands on Loeffler Randall’s sublimely comfortable Leonies in satin or intrecciato leather. If you want more of a statement, you must consider these studded LRs. Studding is a nano-trend I’ve been noticing a lot lately. These are so good!
05. BIG OL BAG FOR MOM LIFE. A great opportunity to get a durable Naghedi for mom life, or frequent travel, or gym. This one is enormous and will be my go-to for Saturday soccer / t-ball. Because’s it’s a) black and b) neoprene, I won’t mind if it sits on a dirty bench or gets a little bit of water bottle spillage.
06. LEVELED UP ATHLEISURE. A Magpie recently asked “what do we wear for school drop off?!” and I agree that athleisure is right for the instance, but that you can make it feel a bit more sophisticated if you pay attention to material, wear a matching/monochromatic set, and mix in everyday wear (e.g., striped button down with sweats; leather handbag; loafers). I would strongly rec the aforementioned Tuckernuck cashmere set (seen above — hoodie, wide leg pants). I also love this polo-style sweatshirt and this snap-neck pullover; either would be great with leggings in the same color family.
P.S. If you’re new here, or just never commented, why don’t you introduce yourself to the Magpie community by answering these fun questions?
in the fall, I think about school, and specifically high school,
and when I think about high school, I think about this one stretch of wood-slatted balcony that skirted the quadrangle on our campus, and my friend Elizabeth running across it with me. I don’t know if it’s one memory, or a composite of multiple. We were on the way to class, or we were late for class, or we walked that route daily, or we didn’t. But we were young and mirthful and together. Elizabeth died when I was 25, and now I must find her there, in the off-handed recoleta of my high school years, instead of in my texts, or on a Christmas card pinned to my fridge, or at Aventino for happy hour.
But I was thinking the other day, when someone asked where I went to high school, and I visited with her for a brief and mute millisecond, how high school has turned into her. How “Visitation” has become shorthand for “Elizabeth.” And how maybe this is one way we grieve, by turning places into the people we loved and lost. It is my subconscious reminding me to find her. A cartography of the heart.
There is a fantastic line in J.D. Salinger’s haunting short story, “A Girl I Knew,” in which he writes:
“Probably for every man there is at least one city that sooner or later turns into a girl. How well or how badly the man actually knew the girl doesn’t necessarily affect the transformation. She was there, and she was the whole city, and that’s that.”
How many places become people in our lives?
Elizabeth is high school; my father is Aspen; Meredith is London;
Landon is the state of Virginia, the entire mid-Atlantic — the world map for that matter.
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+I wore this blouse to recess duty at my children’s school last week, and one of the other moms asked where I got it, and said: “I can never find good, interesting tops like that.” I am on it! A few other blouses that are great to pair with everyday jeans for a little extra something:
+Fun fall statement pants. (Also love my Julia Amory Babes! Mine are the brown ikat, but they also released a great navy pattern. And did you see their new dupioni mini skirts? So cute for fall with a chunky knit. You can get 15% off a Julia Amory with JEN-15)
+I just learned that Rothys was founded by a relative of one of the parents in my son’s class! I have never tried their shoes but have always been intrigued. I like these brown pointed toe Mary Janes, and they have a new Birk-like clog for at-home / walking the dog / getting the mail / taking the trash out that looks dreamy. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ll wear for such brief outdoor excursions in the cold weather instead of the trusty Birk Arizonas I keep at my door…
+If you’re in the market for a classic navy blazer, J. Crew just released a great one. I have this blazer in a white summer-weight material and the fit is absolute perfection.
+Joe’s Jeans invited me to pick a few items from their fall collection and I cannot wait to style this skirt. I want to pair it with cashmere, suede, silk? All the different textures! Look for less with this skirt.
+I am Alice Walk’s biggest fangirl. Love the look of this cashmere button-front sweater. The best colors! I find everything I get from them is in HEAVY rotation in my daily wardrobe. Just fantastic elevated staples that fit exactly how you want them to fit.
+OK this wrap sweater looks like a dream for chilly weekends. I immediately imagined sitting in an adirondack around a fire at night.
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I’ve been noticing a lot of kiwi/chartreuse colors mixed in with fall browns and blues, and I love it! I styled this fabulous Mille sweater with this top (also love this slightly less dramatic style; look for less here), these pants (run TTS and SO comfortable), and these red satin flats last week. Such a fresh, unexpected pop. Below, my favorite pieces spotlighting this quirky color:
07. The happiest sweater to throw on with a white tee and jeans, or to pair with brown denim! (First time purchasers get 10% off at La Ligne with MAGPIE10).
08. Alternately, go head to to with the sweater and this matching skirt. Pair with navy, brown, taupe accessories, preferably in suede!
Last week, I asked my Instagram Magpies, on the heels of this post on fall in specifics: “what would the alt title for September be?”
My suggestions:
Fresh Start
Speed Race
I Thought It’d Be Colder
Peripateia
Your responses did not disappoint. They created a lovely early fall poem, or a song set for an album I’d love to listen to. Reading through them, I saw the tension we are collectively feeling: a return to marching routine and also a letting go of summer. September is such an in-between month. A moment of unhooking, or re-hooking. Fresh starts and slow goodbyes. Also, still laughing at the “maybe we overcommitted” and “I’m still sweating” tracks.
September: The B-Side
Soultender
Maybe We Overcommitted
Long Summer
Back on the Horse
A Race Towards Happiness
Structure Reborn
30 Day Farewell to Summer
Start Anew
I’m Still Sweating
Slowly and Then All At Once
Shift or Passage
A Heightening
Still Summer
Full Steam Ahead
Bittersweet
If you’re looking for actual music for a fall mood, you might consider Magpie reader Aoife’s witchy “Triumphant Lunar Hexagon Playlist” (thanks for sharing!) or fashion substacker Jess Nell Graves’ Fall Playlist (“Atmospheric tunes for the cooler season”). Or you can listen to this playlist (on Spotify and Apple Music) I’ve been playing ad nauseum in the evenings in our home — it’s a blend of neo-soul, classic soul, electronica, jazz. A little spicy, a little vibey, a little wistful. Just right for this period of transition.
For my Magpie commenters: what would your alt title for September be? I’ll update the set list above with your clever responses. And, what are you listening to as we ease into the fall season?
Post-Scripts.
+I named one of my Maiden’s Choosing chapters “Peripateia” — you can read it here.
+Everlane just restocked its viral $30 tee in lots of great colors with the most clever tag line: “selling out faster than a Chappell Roan show, the organic box tee is back in new colors, but not for long.”
+A look for less for Lululemon’s incredible bike shorts (the latter are my absolute favorite for doing my Heather Robertson videos / talking walks around my neighborhood).
+Going to give this blurring primer a try for fall. I also wanted to mention that I just discovered a great use for the Merit serum. I had used it when it first came out and found it was a gentle serum — hydrating, and glow-enhancing, but perhaps more surface-level and not as pronounced or effective as some of my other go-tos (Vintner’s Daughter, Clarins, etc). I now have a process where I wake up and apply my skincare and let it sink in for a few minutes while I get dressed. Then I apply a layer of this Merit serum and makeup goes on SO BEAUTIFULLY afterward. I also use if reapplying makeup in the evening. It’s a great hydrating base layer. I don’t know what it does but it really helps makeup stick. I find it’s especially great beneath the Westman Atelier foundation stick.
+Back to Clarins for a second. It’s been a few months since I extolled the virtues of Clarins’ two masks, which remain the GOAT for me in terms of at-home masking. This de-puffing mask is beyond incredible. I didn’t even know my skin occasionally looks puffy until I used this. It chisels away your features and lifts everything. Then there’s the cryo-frlash mask, which feels so refreshing — like a cold plunge for your face. This is my favorite thing to use after a long workout. I take a hot shower and then apply this. Skin looks so radiant, poreless, firmed. Cannot rec these two enough. But if you’re only getting one, get the depuffing mask. It’s magic.
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It has been difficult to pursue this fictional project I’ve been teasing out. For one thing, writing fiction is violently dissimilar from writing in my usual medium, which is essay, musing, memoir. It feels like going from fly fishing to shark-wrangling? There is so much to wrap my hands around, and it’s all thrashing wildly. Sometimes I think I’ve got a fin, and it turns out to be a tooth — pointed, and small. Other times, the entire shape slips out of my grasp, leaving bubbles in its wake. I compose entire paragraphs as I drift off to sleep, convinced I’ll remember in the clear light of morning, and instead find something else, or nothing at all, when I rouse. Awhile ago, a friend and fellow writer described me as “a good line writer.” I didn’t know this was a casting. Is there any other way to write? (Aren’t we all writing lines?) But as I’ve made my way through multiple chapters and back stories, I realize what she meant by contradistinction: to be novel writer, you must also understand plotting, and climax, and dialogue. These are skills different from shaping a good sentence. So I am learning. The whole enterprise is taking a lot longer than I’d like, but —
When I am in a flow, I am having the time of my life. I have found myself crafting playlists for each of the characters. This week, I added Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” to the one for the lead male (love interest). A Magpie reader commented on Thursday: “Do men just look hotter in light jackets? I had never actually considered it before now, but I think this might be a thing.” I found myself applying her dictum to the draft: one less layer for the beau, please. Just a barn coat for him.* I think about what he would eat for breakfast, and the kind of bedding he’d use in his small Manhattan bachelor pad.
Which is to say, I am porous as paper. Isaac Asimov once described writing as “thinking through my fingers.” This is how I’d best capture what essay writing feels like. But writing fiction seems to not only be happening at the fingertip but at every extremity of my body: I feel right now like an enormous funnel, filtering my daily life into, and through, these imaginary characters. It is fun, and strange.
But it has been, to my initial point, challenging to find space in my schedule to sit and write, because fiction demands more wide open time and I find it vexing to the point of mad-making to go at it in stops and starts. The only times I’ve made real progress on it, I’ve had to start after the children are down and the dishes are in the dishwasher, and then I am awake until the wee hours, and a disaster the next morning.
This past week, I mentioned this to Mr. Magpie, and we decided it might be fruitful for me to go away for a night or two, just to write. I’ve never done anything like this before and wonder if the muses will comply with the timetable, but I’m going to do it! This week, I’m trying one night away to test the waters. If yielding, perhaps I’ll go away for another night or two next month. I can hardly believe it. I’ve wanted this untrammeled time to write for over a decade now. When you are young, time is nothing but time, and you squander it, or don’t recognize its bounty. I feel indebted to Landon for this gift. I asked for it, and he said: “Whatever you need.”
Hoping I am back next diary with a good catch.
*Katie of Beach Reads and Bubbly made a hilarious comment during her live-streamed book club event earlier this month about some books — specifically romance books — needing “character stylists.” She specifically mentioned there are far too many jean shorts on male leads for her taste. Ever since she made the point, I’ve been more appraising in the wardrobe stylings of characters I’m encountering. I just read a truly bad romance this week (not “bad in a good way” — just bad) and there was a description of the love interest wearing shorts that “came down over his knees to reveal a thick calf” (paraphrasing). The image this conjured…! It unstuck every positive mental image I’d been collaging. It was exactly how I felt when I saw Travis Kelce in that Gucci hat two weeks ago. Not good. Anyhow – a nosy query, but LMK if you start noticing badly styled characters, or, on the contrary, well-styled characters. I think Katie might have a future in this narrow line of work.
*****
A few photos from this week —
Getting into the swing of fall with a dark red mani (OPI’s Got the Blues for Red) + chocolate brown + mums + all the fall Linnea scents (10% off with MAGPIE10)
Fall extracurriculars in full swing / strum: mini is taking private guitar lessons with an instructor who specializes in pop and rock. She has wanted to play guitar since she was two, and called it “a kitt-arr.” Over the summer, she took group guitar lessons every day for almost three weeks. We were blown away by how quickly she picked it up and learned how to read “Tab” (judging from the recital we saw at the end of the period) — she didn’t even have a guitar at home and was quite capable! Kids are sponges. We are now about to buy her a guitar, and picks, and the whole nine. The first thing she played with her instructor was the opening riff of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which is one of our collective family’s favorites! We’ve been playing a lot of Nirvana in our carpool this week…Meanwhile, a cool guy I know in his Montgomery County Little League outfit. One thing I love about my son is that he, unlike me, has a temperament made for sports. He is always so positive about himself, about the sport, and is unphased by misses, failings. I know he’s young so maybe he just hasn’t grasped it yet, but — it is so reassuring.
My boy’s first night in his big boy bed! He was ecstatic. We were long overdue in this upgrade department, and I love the way his room feels now. (Some of my favorite details from his room here. We went with a Pottery Barn bed, Saatva Youth mattress, PB sheets and duvet.)
Precious cargo: A delicious lunch, and a delicious handbag. I was bringing my Dad a birthday lunch — we both love Italian subs, and the ones from Capo Deli (Cabin John) are so good.
The perfect dress for fall family portraits. I predict it will sell out for this reason. // Everlane is running a 30% off sale that ends to day – don’t miss this sweater (in dreamy blue!) and these wardrobe-essential turtlenecks. // Alex Mill’s Chiltern jacket in red sold out overnight, but they’ve made it available for pre-order again. It’s so good. Giving 90s Andie McDowell driving a wood-paneled Volvo. // I’ve given these lotion stones as gifts to multiple friends – they come beautifully packaged in a wood case and smell divine. Great for those friends who are into green beauty! // A really good coat from Gap. // UBeauty released a tightening/lifting concentrate specifically for neck and decolletage (20% off with JENSHOOP). I recently learned that women are getting botox in their necks and this reminded me of the classic book of Nora Ephron essays, I Feel Bad about My Neck. Hilarious, poignant, smart read. // Also Nora Ephron, via Tom Hanks: “Don’t you love New York in the Fall?It makes me want to buy school supplies…I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” This is the bouquet she meant, I’m pretty sure. Paper/pen enthusiasts are obsessed with them. // Suede top layers are trending for fall. This is SO good and selling fast. //
By: Jen Shoop
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+A REMINDER FROM SMALL BEINGS: I loved this message from Nikita Gill. I shared an adjacent though on Instagram: Rejection is redirection. Almost seven years ago, I closed a business I had started with my husband. It was deeply painful at the time, and I have spent years nursing the wounds. Only now do I see that everything happened as it should, and left me where I am meant to be. Onward!
+COSTCO GEMS: After descending to the seventh layer of hell this weekend at Costco, I asked Magpies on Instagram whether I’m missing out on any exciting buys you’ve found on Costco. Our favorite buys there are Bonne Maman jam, Kirkland chicken nuggets (a lot like Chick Fil A), Kerrygold butter, but I’m sure you have better finds. Sharing your top recs below!
+NEXT IN OUR TBR: Wow — have heard such polarizing things about All the Colors of the Dark, per the comments on this post. I took to Instagram and a poll revealed that about 20% of those of you who read it would NOT rec; 80% would. Majority wins; I’m going to read it for myself. I can’t decide if I should start it now or wait for Rooney’s book to drop later this month and read after. I’ve been filling the void with mindless romances. (Are you a romance reader? What’s your favorite trope? I love to gab about this with fellow romance readers. I’m a Fake Dating girl. The new romance imprint established by the sharp and funny gals behind the A Thing or Two Podcast has some funny merchandise along these lines.)
+A BEAUTY SALE: I hate to say it, but I’ve been using my Dyson AirWrap for a few weeks now and it is a major RWI (regrettably worth it). I’ve never had my hair look this good. My fine hair actually holds a beautiful bend and stays that way. Hair looks professionally, salon-done. I have not had an at-home blow-out in weeks! It is so, so worth it. I wish I’d upgraded years ago! My key learning is that you have to get your hair to just the right level of dryness. It can’t be clumpy with moisture — it needs to be nearly dry with just the faintest amount of dampness. Once you figure out how to get the correct level of moisture, it works like a charm. Anyhow, I discovered that it is included in Blue Mercury’s Anniversary Sale for 15% off. I can’t encourage you more! I’ve actually sent detailed texts to two girlfriends, one sister, and my mother about how much I love it.
+FALL LISTENING: I am obsessed with Laufey’s “Bewitched” album. (Pronounced Lay-vay.) It’s not for everyone — Mr. Magpie dabbles but finds listening to the entire album start to finish a bit much. She covers a lot of old standards; her influences are Billie Holiday and Chet Baker; she has a 40s vibe. But I’m hooked. Her voice is spell-binding!
+EYEING + BUYING: I wrote about this earlier this week, but I’m obsessed with this $16 eyebrow pencil. It’s just like the Anastasia one, but less expensive AND the brand just offered us 20% off with JENS20, meaning it’s now around $13. Trust me – it is your best friend if you also have sparse spots from overplucking in the 90s/aughts. Another note on the beauty front: I can’t implore you more to try this gorgeous cheek blur color for fall (color name: AFTERGLOW). I’ve actually been wearing most of the summer, too, but it’s perfect for fall. A rich cherry flush. It looks darker in the pot — goes on with this demi-sheer glow. Wowza. A ten for me. I also love the Merit flush balms, but Goop’s formula lasts longer.
I’ve also been hunting for more chic athleisure for fall sports mom life. I am not a big athleisure girl, but there’s really nothing else appropriate to wear to these things? It’s cold, muddy, dirty, grassy, etc! I’m eyeing one of these Varley sets — eyeing these pants (note that there are different inseams available — this is the shortest one for my fellow petites) and this tunic sweatshirt (love the cinched waist). I know many of you love this brand, and my neighbor recently told me she thinks they make the best sweat suits on the market (and she is a chic athleisure queen).
+BESTSELLERS: The AYR Early Mornings Tee was the top-seller, for the second week running! I just got a catalog and found you can get 10% off with code HOMETEAM.
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Q: I’m considering the Quince lug sole loafers in bone: this one is a wild card for me as it’s not what I naturally gravitate towards, but it gives off such a cool vibe…when you get the chance, would you be able to share styling ideas please? Especially to balance out the “heaviness” of the shoe…
A: I knew immediately where to go for inspo: Loeffler Randall. This shoe designer does such a great job of styling and merchandising their shoes in wearable ways, and balancing the feminine with the masculine. I love the way the brand’s founder, Jessie Randall, has styled loafers below with socks (my picks: these, these) to soften the look. If this is too challenging / advanced, I’d omit the socks but pair the loafers with a floaty skirt like this or this and a little cashmere cardigan, or a classic pair of jeans and a feminine cardigan or statement cardigan over a v-neck/scoopneck pointelle tee.
Bringing to life in a few styling frames. You’ll probably notice I own a bunch of the items I’m styling these looks with — really tried to think how I’d dress with my own closet!
Q: What the heck are we wearing for bus drop off and pick up?! It’s a short walk down the block so leggings and a t or sweatshirt seem fine yet so sloppy compared to the more polished parents, or maybe it’s just me haha!
A: I think leggings and a sweatshirt are correct for this time of day and errand! I like the polished sweat suit options from Varley (this with these), Frank & Eileen, and Everlane (this with these). I also just got my paws on this cashmere set (top, bottom) from Tuckernuck and can’t wait to make this my early morning uniform. An easy way to elevate the look: layer with a striped button down (e.g., pair sweatpants with this top and put sweatshirt over top or around shoulders) or finish with loafers. Another option: throw the aptly-named AYR Early Mornings Tee on with your favorite jeans and a pair of slip-on sandals. As comfortable/easy as sweats but a tad dressier.
Q: I’d love, if you (or any commenters?) have seen any, tips on any affordable (ideally, $400 or under) fall boots with lug or rubber soles, either riding style or with a sensible square heel. I’m a professor in a spot where we do real winter, so that means navigating unshoveled parking lots, treacherously icy walkways, wet stairwells, etc., along with the need to stand and lecture comfortably for hours on end. I’d love a pair of good quality boots that could take that abuse but still look sleek enough for professional outfits (which do, in my case, range from blazers and blouses to “nice jeans.” :)) I don’t think they’d have to be officially waterproof, but I’m looking for something with a truly sturdy sole.
A: Hi professor! What do you teach?! (You are living a doppelganger fantasy life of mine!) I would suggest the Freda Salvador Brooke boots. So chic, water-proof, and great with jeans. They are over budget but if you use code MAGPIE15, you can get 15% off, bringing the price down to $420. These boots specifically remind me of this pair from Tods, almost 2x the price. A look for less option I’ve heard many people rave about: Sam Edelman’s Laguna. Also waterproof!!
Q: First wedding anniversary gift.
A: For you: this heart pendant with your spouse’s initials or pet name engraved on one side and wedding date on the back. Also comes in a smaller size. For him: one night stay at a local/easy-to-drive-to hotel for a night (if in DC, consider Inn at Perry Cabin, Keswick in Charlottesville, Pendry in Baltimore). Bring the frozen top layer of your cake and a bottle of champagne!
Q: What to wear if you are blessed with tickets to a Joni Mitchell concert in October. I feel like I HAVE to honor this moment with a great outfit.
A: Ooh how fabulous! I immediately thought of Alix of Bohemia’s boho cool pieces. (Different genre, I realize, but I’m going to see Kacey Musgraves perform this fall and I already plan to wear this dress with cowboy boots.) A splurge, but anything from Alix of Bohemia feels pitch perfect for strong female vocalist concert-going — even a top like this with jeans and boots. You can get the vibe for less with the brand Emerson Fry. Love this head to toe look, or this one!, for a Joni concert. This dress would also be perfection.
Q: Tailgate outfits for Boston.
A: A statement coat, layers, flat shoes! I like something like this.
Q: Wedding guest dresses for fall weddings, under $350.
A: I love this, this silky number, this floral, this Doen, and this. I am also obsessing over these silk dupioni skirts from Julia Amory (15% off with JEN-15) paired with a shell if you’re open to separates.
Q: Family photo dresses. For me and 15 month old daughter.
If you want to match, you must check out Baybala — lots of sweet mother-child coordinating outfits!
Q: Housewarming gift for someone I just met so I don’t know her taste.
A: This list of hostess gifts (and comments!) are a good starting point. I know you’re asking for housewarming, but I think a lot of these would be sweet for that application, too. My more “generic” housewarming gift is a set of Matouk Auberge towels with the family last name’s initial or Parachute (for more modern-leaning couples). Who doesn’t love a stack of fresh white towels?!
Q: Cocktail dress for my cousin’s engagement party – I’ll be six months pregnant.
A: ByTimo always has great loose-fit styles, like this. A self-belt style might also be a good pick — this (under $300, use code YOUROCK for 20% off), this, and this.
Q: Officiant at a fall wedding – bridesmaids are wearing royal blue.
A: So lovely! I love the styles from Saloni for this — they always seem so elegant, pulled-together, and the tailoring is next level. I love this, this, this. All would tie in beautifully with the royal blue. Vibe for less with these two styles from Tuckernuck: this, this. (Both under $300; use YOUROCK for 20% off.)
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
In the doldrums of February, I asked — “what are your favorite parts of winter?” The prompt was a thinly veiled self-rescue mission; I was done with winter. I remember thinking, while writing this post: “I’ve had enough winter for an entire lifetime at this point.” Five years in Chicago, where the winters stretch from October to May, will do that to you. I know my Midwestern Magpies are tsking at my lack of hardiness, but as a girl raised in the Mid-Atlantic, with four tidy and true seasons to mark the calendar, I found the Illinois winters punishing in length. But, wouldn’t you know it, you Magpies changed my tune. You helped me see the specific beauty of Mother Nature’s most austere office: citrus and agarics, weighted blankets, cashmere against skin, the unique seasonal appeal of a long novel, “a sneaky flash of Jameson,” an opportunity to purge and reset, weekly batches of granola, the sun peeking through bare branches, the scents with cosset away for the cold months, “flushed rosy cheeks and just feeling naturally lovely with very little effort.” Life is poetry, isn’t it?
It seems to me that fall’s merits suggest themselves more readily. William Cullen Bryant described autumn as “the year’s last, loveliest smile,” and Albert Camus called it “a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” Hard to disagree with either. What are your favorite parts of the season? Sharing a few specific favorites of my own below:
The petrichor of fallen, wet leaves
An applejack brandy cocktail Mr. Magpie makes
The benignly melancholy mood — Neitzsche one said: “I notice that Autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature”
The hum of football on a Sunday afternoon
The first few calls for a top layer to chase away the chill
Burning my Embers candle around the clock, and restarting our habit of burning Aesop incense in the evenings (we intuitively suspend the ritual in the warm months)
The tree in the center of our cul de sac, which displays the most dramatic, ostentatious turns of color: from marigold to pumpkin to cranberry
Glossy dark red manicures (OPI’s Malaga Wine is perfect)
Watching scary movies — I specifically love re-watching “Scream” every year — beneath a blanket (these are my favorite — a major RWI for me)
+In the market for hygge slippers for the season? Love the options from Sorel, Parachute, and Bombas.
+Dorsey’s Lucien earrings are now off pre-order and shipping immediately. These are my go-to everyday earrings. So lightweight and so chic. Trust me, these will be an instant wardrobe upgrade.
+Few Moda has some designer-influenced, affordably priced knitwear out — love this cropped gray crewneck (very Jenni Kayne with the wide cuffs), classic cashmere cardi (reminds me of La Ligne), and of course I can’t say no to a great stripe.
+This is a REALLY good jacket. I own it in black. She’s like a notch above a blazer — more like outerwear! — but can also work as a blazer in certain outfits. The way it skims the body and where it lands on the leg are VERY chic. Great silhouette and proportions.
+Obsessed with these copper mugs from Target. Perfect for fall cocktails — mules, mulled wined, etc! Love Target’s entire copper collection actually. How cute are these copper tasting spoons and this tea kettle?
+Speaking of kettles, last year, we upgraded to a Fellow electric kettle and I love her so much. Chic enough to leave out on the counter and hyper-precise. There’s also something delightful about pouring from the gooseneck spout. If you don’t yet have an electric kettle, you will delight in owning one. Fellow is also releasing a small number of their new coffee maker and I think I am going to pre-order one for Mr. Magpie — he’s got his eye on it.
+Tis the season for stews and braises. We own and love this 7 quart Staub Dutch Oven so much. She’s on sale right now!
+These cropped pants have a cult following, I’ve just learned. (Like a less expensive High Sport.) I’ve also had my eye on their iconic buckle suede flats for awhile…
+We have several sets of plates and bowls from pottery brand Haand, and I love the organic shape of their mugs.
Love the idea of mixing this motif in with a rich suede jacket, boot, or bag, and accenting with gold hardware (see this, these, this!). For some reason the pattern really suggests itself for dark wash denim, too. Below, a compilation of favorites.
01. This VB halter (seen above; all outfit details here) does not disappoint — Mango look for less here.
04. Adore this dress — the pattern, silhouette, tie-waste, everything! Untuckit also released a blouse with a similar print for under $80 — plus use code JEN20 for 20% off.
05. Paisley pants are a fun way to try out the trend.
In 1956, poet Elizabeth Bishop, one of the great influences in my intellectual life, published “Sestina” in The New Yorker. I occasionally riffle through an anthology of American poetry in the mornings, and, earlier this week, found myself captivated by this poem, which I had read in high school and then studied fairly intensively in college. On this most recent visitation, I was struck by many second findings. Will you look closely with me?
This is an evocative portrait of domestic grief. Some tragedy has happened, but we can only guess at what, and the poem invites us to think about the ways we disclose — or do not disclose — loss. In the first stanza, we meet a gentle woman shielding her sorrow from her young granddaughter. The grandmother quietly tends to the fire, prepares tea, tidies her kitchen, and reads from an Almanac — all the while, “laughing and talking to hide her tears.” Meanwhile, the child anthropomorphizes her surroundings, finding sadness in everything: she sees “the teakettle’s small hard tears” and draws a man “with buttons like tears.” Her way of reading the room, of projecting her inner hurt onto the familiar silhouette of the kitchen, is heartbreaking.
The poem is a scene of tenderness but also profound disconnect, as both figures are secluded in their grief. I found myself touched by the characters’ parallel but unshared observation that grief has been predestined in their lives. Early in the poem, we learn the grandmother feels her sorrow was foretold, but in a way “only known” to her; later in the poem, the child “secretly” watches as “little moons fall down like tears / from between the pages of the almanac” onto her crayon drawing, the almanac’s way of saying: “Time to plant tears.” Despite their twin griefs, the women are unable to connect, or console. There is important context here: Bishop’s father passed away when she was one, and her mother was institutionalized for mental illness when she was five; she was in turn raised by her grandparents. It is difficult not to see the poem as a reflection of those early, devastating days without her mother, and the foreboding that she would not see her parents again. The poem closes on the child “drawing another inscrutable house” — an early capture of the artist exploring her sadness through portraiture.
The poem’s form is brilliant. Bishop uses a sestina, a complex, rigid poetic form from the 12th century consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoi. The final word of each line is repeated in a different order in each stanza. This is highly technical prosody, and in less-skilled hands, the form can feel repetitive, forced, clunky, even dull. But Bishop was a master at working with the constraint of traditional poetic forms. Between “Sestina” and “One Art,” one gets the distinct impression that she was at her best kneading emotion into a predetermined shape–trimming, shaping the rawness of her lived experience to the arbitrary contours of poetic convention. In the case of “Sestina,” the repetition of the six end words — house, grandmother, child, stove, almanac, tears — gives the scene an intimate, even cozy domesticity. At the same time, the forced repetition of words reifies the sense that things have been truncated, clipped, quieted, suppressed. We are haunted by what is not able to be said. We are preoccupied by what is just out of frame: death, alienation, orphaning, the big emotions that surround them. The form’s repetition of words also dovetails with the theme of predestination. We know what is coming, but we don’t know how it will feel, or come together. Interestingly, Bishop initially titled the poem “Early Sorrow” but published it as “Sestina,” which suggests she wanted to focus on the shape: the form that grief can take, the means by which we learn to compress, or suppress, emotion.
What else jumped out at you today?
A few of the the themes from this poem, and from my reading of it, that might be good journal prompts for today:
What might be a title, and an alternate title, for this month of my life?
What constraints am I working within in my daily life? How are these helping or hamstringing me?
+Hill House’s fall launch yesterday brought us lots of goodies — this equestrian toile pattern sold out immediately last year and they brought it back in a cute navy. I’d style it like this. Also love this jacket, this fair isle cardi, and this plaid mini.
+This baby coat is beyond adorable — I can’t even! One of the more ridiculous things I bought both of my babies — quilted Burberry coats. I did find them second hand on TRR (one available here!) and they were SO CUTE and subsequently passed down to little cousins/friends, but this Old Navy is much more wallet friendly and just as precious.
+Linnea just sent me a bunch of fall candles — eee! I was thrilled to see one of their Embers included in the package, because this is the candle I burned for much of last fall/winter. Smells a lot like Diptyque’s Feu De Bois but about half the price. I’m currently burning the Cardamom one in my studio, and it smells so cozy. Makes me want a chai tea latte! (You can get 10% off Linnea with code MAGPIE10).
+I own multiple of these popovers, and love the new red option!
+Julia Amory just released a very chic dressy skirt for fall in silk dupioni. I love it in the marigold color. Great with a crisp white button down, simple shell, sleeveless knit, etc! JEN-15 gets you 15% off.
+How do we feel about shopping end of season sales? This Posse one is worth a look. This column dress is sophisticated simplicity at its finest, and I adore this splashy green.
