Hi my ladies. Sorry for my absence late last week — crazy busy week with Fizz, and events almost every night, including fun ones — like my book club, with the loveliest ladies ever. We are starting this, which promises to be the new Girl on a Train — read along if you’d like to join! Perfect for our next book club, which will be close to Halloween. Then, this weekend, my sister flew into town and we had a delightful dinner at neighborhood Italian place (if you’re local and live in my ‘hood — Ukrainian Village — we love Briciola, a cute and unpretentious little BYO with an outdoor seating area and handmade pastas…my favorite is the pappardelle montenapo, which comes in this ridiculous creamy red sauce and they melt mozzarella into it, OMG I DREAM ABOUT IT), saw the new Bridget Jones Diary movie (I actually thought it was hilarious — plus, we brought in about 12 bags of candy from the grocery store and it was deeeeelightful), went shopping (had been waiting for this to go on sale, and scored it for 40% off), and then had the most incredible dinner in our backyard with a bunch of friends. The weather cooperated (75 degrees in late September, WUT!), and we just sat outside over fajitas and wine (and strawberry shortcakes — I use Martha’s recipe — for dessert) for hours and hours.
Basically, it was a fabulous weekend.
Sometimes I feel like I spend too much energy focusing on The Next Thing. I’m poised, anxiously, for the next checkbox on my radar: the next trip, the next meeting, the next guest. I really tried this weekend to focus on living in the moment. Why is this so hard for me? Because later on, I think back, and I feel all woozy nostalgic for the incredible moments I’m able to enjoy when I’m surrounded by friends, sitting in lovely weather with not a care in the world, listening to the Robin Thicke Pandora station over our Sonos sound situation (I only name drop because it is THE BEST SYSTEM EVER — we inherited it from the previous owner of our home, and use it literally every single day of our lives. You can control the music from your smartphone, and then just turn on and off knobs in each room to turn on/off the music and control the volume. We even have speakers outside, so we were able to sit and enjoy dinner with Mr. Thicke crooning in the background).
Have I turned into a hippie?
At any rate. A few things on my mind at the present moment:
Chunky sweaters. I know, I know: sweaters? For fall? GROUNDBREAKING. (Haha, homage to Miranda Priestley.) But I’ve been stocking up on some great finds lately. Aside from my Loft poncho, I also snagged this Gap poncho. I also snagged this duster-length chunky cardigan in the heathered navy ($128) and this boucle cardigan in the gray ($69), both from Gap.
I also absolutely love the shape and ribbing of this Faithfull brand sweater.
This slightly librarian-ish gray cardigan from Madewell would be so easy to throw over jeans and a blouse/flannel/tee.
Love the fit and weave of this affordable JOA sweater.
Another poncho option — love the oversized plaid!
Fair isle, on ridiculous sale! And this one is also rad and so well-priced.
Love this warm caramel colored chunky sweater.
For something a little more fitted, love this cropped-length sweater in winter white and this has got to me the yummiest shade of lilac-pink ever created.
And, a little bit more coat-ish, but this fringed ivory lovely is such a fab statement piece for fall.
I recently dug out a beautiful navy silk printed scarf and wore it tied around my neck with this Banana Republic dress, and LOVED the effect. It’s made me want to add a few additional scarves to closet. J.Crew has a precious Paris print one ($49) that I HAD TO HAVE. And this cherry print one also caught my eye. They also have some less whimsical prints, like this one and this one in navy.
I also like this tassel-print style in the black colorway, and this funky animal print one on ridiculous sale.
But, I REALLY would love one of those classic Hermes scarves — love this and this.
I’ve mentioned this before, but Gucci has been dominating street style the past season or two. I felt like their star was waning for awhile — yawn, snooze — but, suddenly, their accessories in particular have taken on new freshness and they have been everywhere!
I absolutely love the ladylike shape and color of this beauty ($2,300).
I absolutely love these padlocked styles ($1,650), too.
Meanwhile, these elegant wallet-on-a-chain styles ($1,300) would be such a versatile piece — tuck the chain inside for an evening look; where it over the shoulder for daytime. Those classic double Gs are such a 70s throwback. TOO GOOD!
Finally, this pearl-accented wallet on a chain ($980) is doing me right.
