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I took the photo above at Storm King Art Center in the fall of 2020.
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)
The bite of cold morning air on a dewy morning
Reading a thriller (if you’ve not yet read The Turn of the Key, it’s my absolute favorite) on a gray fall afternoon
Roast chicken seasoned with thyme on a wood cutting board
The smell of perfume lingering on a scarf or sweater you wore last week
The way the sun warms your nose even as you stamp your feet against the cold
Making my yearly batch of pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting
First viewing of “You’ve Got Mail”
The reminder that things must end to begin again
****
Please sound off in the comments!
Post-Scripts.
+The best cinnamon banana bread for fall.
+Great kitchen gear you might not have.
+What is the best hostess gift you’ve ever received? And, what do you keep in your guest bedroom? (Love the comments on both of these!)
Shopping Break.
TURTLENECK (LOOK FOR LESS) // POINTELLE PANTS // SLIPPERS // EMBERS CANDLE // CINNAMON TEA // COPPER MUG // CHAPPYWRAP BLANKET // MY FAV THRILLER // STAUB DUTCH OVEN // TORTOISE VOTIVES
G. LABEL CARDIGAN // AGOLDE DAME JEANS // PARACHUTE SLIPPERS // BEARABY WEIGHTED BLANKET // JENNI KAYNE ASPEN CHAIR (LOOK FOR LESS WITH THIS OR THIS) // FELLOW KETTLE // HAAND MUG // THE GOD OF THE WOODS (MY REVIEW HERE)
+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!
+OBSESSED wit this $16 brow pencil. Use her daily!
+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.
+My sister owns and loves this weighted blanket.
+A girl can dream. Obsessing over these red chalcedony earrings. Also come in green nephrite jade and other fabulous materials.
+For your mini swiftie. For logo-less sweats, I just took my children to Gap and got a few pairs of these simple sweats in great colors.
Thanks for linking your post on hostess gifts. Any gift ideas for a handful of close college girlfriends that are hosting a baby shower for me next week? The theme apparently centers around my love for lemons and our beagle!
Hi! Will do some recon and try to answer in an upcoming Ask Magpie!
xx
I love everything about autumn. I really dislike summer so my joy really surges this time of year. Long bike rides, long runs and we always take our “big” vacation this time of year. Even the color palette associated with autumn is my favorite and suits me best. Let’s see what else? Cashmere. Suede. Long novels. The best exhibits, movies, music, and plays always start up in autumn. My favorite fragrances smell best in cooler weather so I look forward to putting them back into the rotation. Just a happy time for me!
Love all of this :). Making me extra excited for the season!
xx
Sara, love your nod to breaking out your favourite fragrances now that the temps are winding down. I’ve been listening to the Fragraphilia pod a lot and you might like it? They’re huge cold weather frag heads, too xx
The scent enclave returns! xx
I just love the quality of the light this time of year. The lengthening shadows. Trees are still lush but you can sense autumn lurking within. Once the temps start to dip, I like to welcome the season with a couple annual rituals: baking with pumpkin and cooking marinara-based dishes, reading David Mitchell’s spooky novella Slade House, and watching Over the Garden Wall, a cartoon miniseries that’s seems like it’s for children but actually deals with some deeper, heavier themes. The visual and musical themes are very folk Americana and I just adore it so much.
Oo these are so delicious! What are your go-to pumpkin recipes? I also love pumpkin but feel like I get stuck with either the cookies I make annually or pumpkin pie.
xx
Soup! We eat a lot of soups (still getting the children onboard, limited success) and they are less appealing in the summer. Autumn is perfect soup weather! And looking forward to making my favorite butternut squash risotto, yum.
I’m always sad to say goodbye to summer, but glad that autumn releases me from applying sunscreen to my children constantly!
I’m craving a good read, set in autumn in an English village – happy for any recs from the Magpies! I just started Queen of Poisons which checks the English village box but is set in spring. There’s a dissonance to reading about daffodils blooming when it’s September out my window 🙂
Agree on the soups! Soup is my favorite lunchtime food. Could eat daily – a PERFECT meal. This is making me excited for fall soups!
The book you describing is appealing to me, too…if you’re a thriller lover, you must check out some of Ruth Ware’s earlier work, all set in gray, rainy England. I loved “Turn of the Key.” Magpies, any other tweedy fall English books to recommend?
xx
Really enjoyed Turn of the Key, too!
If you haven’t read Magpie Murders (not a threat to this community, I swear!) by Anthony Horowitz, I recommend it! It think it is set in fall, but if not it gives strong fall vibes in my memories.
Haha “not a threat to this community.” Thanks for the book rec!
Such a great series (and PBS show too!). There are 5 novels in all now.
I really enjoyed the PBS series, too! Leslie Manville’s wardrobe and car were perfect, I thought. I love curling up on the couch with my hot tea in the Fall, and the intro to Masterpiece Mystery! sets such a happy, expectant tone (even when some of the content is grisly). Season 2 is airing on my local affiliate soon, hoping the weather will cool off so I can really enjoy it.
This sounds so deeply appealing!!
Yes, Magpie Murders was good! I just read Close to Death by Horowitz and enjoyed it too (different series). I think it was set in summer though…
Our small town has a sign up that says “autumn shows us the beauty in letting something go”. I love rosy cheeks my littles get while running in this season!!
Love that sentiment! Thanks for sharing 🙂
The rosy cheeks are precious and such a harbinger of fall!
xx
This is the kind of prompt that gives my stomach a flip. It’s sacred to share this personal poetry as a collective. For me:
– Slow runs on leafy transitioning streets, a moving meditation that celebrates nature winding down for its winter sleep
– Resuming herbal tea drinking from midday to bedtime
– My husband looking extra dreamboat with a scarf over one of his rugged jackets – his Barbour or a waxed vintage jacket comes to mind
– The first day of sheer black tights, a mini skirt, boots, and a chic sweater – immaculate, sexy je ne sais quoi
– Pickling beets for borscht (eta: currently readying to do this)
– Lighting a Diptyque Feu de Bois candle and making an Earl Grey tea with tons of milk for an “hour of power” work sprint immediately before sunset
– Quizzing my husband about our “12 dates of Christmas” as we get into November – so there’s plenty of time for fun planning
– Stepping onto the balcony each night before bed, inhaling the colder air and determinedly exhaling to check if I can see breath wisps yet
– Days cool enough to tuck my hand into my husband’s elbow on a promenade
– Summoning that playful manifesting energy for a productive final quarter with my witchy playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ebvWmmUwTF9vJidt90Cau?si=8b29161fb20b4999
These are SO deliciously round and specific. Thank you! Your love for your husband shines through, too. “Extra dreamboat!”
xx
Aw, thanks so much, Jen. It’s true, I’m obsessed with my husband. He’s the greatest in every single way…not least the epic jacket game!
Do men just look hotter in light jackets? I had never actually considered it before now, but I think this might be a thing. It reminds me of the “LL Bean boyfriend” meme that went around the internet ages ago (I’m dating myself).
Haha! I can see this!!
Firm agree that a man in a jacket is swoon-worthy! Is it because men’s fashion has shifted away from more tailored attire in general, so the specificity of a jacket or a coat — even casually — is so appealing? Makes me think of how Stanley Tucci’s wardrobe game in Searching for Italy made both my husband and I gasp. A well-dressed man who wears what he likes, across all contexts and occasions, is so hot.
Love these notes. Strongly agree on Tucci’s wardrobe!! xx
NICE playlist!!
Thanks Sara! Big coven energy ✨ I definitely feel like there’s scope for matching perfume to playlists potential here xx
Summer is my favourite month because I love the sun and cold is bad for my health conditions. But my home is best in autumn/fall and at Christmas. I lit a fall candle for the first time yesterday, I’m wearing Malaga Wine right now! Love cinnamon tea, and Christmas tea from Harrods that I stock up on for autumn and winter each year.
I’ve changed my cushion covers and blankets to the autumn ones.
I’ve been in a rush to paint our living room from the beige grey we inherited when we moved in in December, to a mid green that is more appealing to me and creates a great backdrop for the plums and burgundies and oranges of autumn.
I’ll put off watching Scream til we get to late October (strangely happy memories of seeing Scream at the cinema my first year of university). Now if people would shut up about Christmas for another couple of months so we can enjoy what’s in front of us, that would be great
Love the vision for your mid-green living room! So cozy! And also the concept of switching out cushion covers seasonally!
Thanks for sharing.
xx