MARIGOLD CRUSH. I cannot get enough of this color this fall. I’ve never owned anything in this colorway and I’ve fallen hard. I just added this $35 chunky knit from H&M to my cart, but I’m drooling over this feathered Taller Marmo dress (!). Feathered pieces are so in for fall. I have a guide I’ve been working on that I will release soon — such a fun, flashy way to get dressed up. Finally, I have been searching for a pair of mustard yellow velvet Mary Janes or furlanes in my size. I cannot find a single pair in my pixie foot size (5). If you have a more normal foot size, please treat yourself to these or these! I keep imagining how fabulous they’d look with jeans, a white blouse, and a blazer. And BTW — if you want to get the velvet mary jane look for less, check out this under-$20 pair on Amazon! I’d go with burgundy or black.
DEATH COMES TO THE ARCHBISHOP BY WILLA CATHER. Just about to start this classic (which I’ve never read!) for my book club. I’m excited to have the assignment imposed upon me — I would never have picked it myself, and Cather is a big hole in my personal canon.
PATTERNED TURTLENECKS. I wrote all about these yesterday, but patterned turtlenecks are one of my favorite layering pieces for fall. So fun to mix and match with other patterns, textures, colors. In the snaps above, I am wearing J. Crew’s fall floral turtleneck (could not resist the colors and pattern!), H&M’s cropped sweater (sold out but they do restock on occasion – you can sign up for notifications; you can get similar cropped styles here and here and I personally love the way they look when worn on top of the turtleneck with high-waist jeans, so just a little strip of the floral shows at the bottom, but if you’re not into the cropped look, check out these timeless styles from La Ligne and Boden, and they will last an eternity in your wardrobe), and Agolde pinch waist jeans. I received a lot of questions about these jeans over Instagram. I would take your true size — they fit a tiny bit big maybe? but that feels like “the look.” They run long – I had to have the hemmed a good deal.
ESSIE BOLD AND BOULDER NAIL POLISH. I usually do bright red (OPI’s Big Apple Red or Essie’s Really Red) but I’m feeling a moody dark red hue, and this color fits the bill.
STAUB COCOTTE DUTCH OVEN. We use this year-round, but there is something distinctly pleasurable about seeing it on the stove on a chilly fall afternoon. Mr. Magpie made chili last weekend after we came back from apple picking, and it gave me all the fall feels. The Staub is probably in our top ten most used kitchen tools? We use it to deep fry, make big batches of anything, make stews, etc.
AMLACTIN FOOT CREAM. I’ve tried maybe a dozen foot creams over the years and most of them are too thin or too greasy, and/or don’t really do much. AmLactin’s is the best I’ve tried. It has skincare grade ingredients and it really hydrates even cracked, ultra-dry skin. I’ve been slathering this on before bed.
SHRIMPS EARRINGS. Mr. Magpie gave me these for Christmas last year and they are absolutely fabulous. Anytime I’m not feeling my outfit for an evening out, I toss these on and instantly feel like having fun.
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW BY A.J. FINN. I’m four years late to the party, but I am halfway through this popular thriller and it is fascinating with regard to our conversation around space, gender norms, and Gothic mode in the contemporary thriller genre. The writing is particularly sharp in this novel. Stay tuned for a full review, but the premise: “a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.” Fun fall read.
MADEWELL UTILITY JUMPSUIT. I’m wearing a past-season corduroy jumpsuit from Madewell in the snap above and just have to give a shout out to Madewell for making the best jumpsuits. I own several. They tend to run big, so size down if in question. I love that they make their jumpsuits in petite sizes, too, so I don’t need to hem/alter. This current-season style of theirs is very Ulla Johnson! I personally like to balance out the “utility” vibe of the jumpsuit with slightly dressier shoes, like captoe ballerinas or suede pointed toe loafers, and sometimes a big scarf around the neck. Julia Amory has styled her own pareos in that way — see inspo here. More great jumpsuits for fall here.
J. CREW STRAIGHT LEG FAUX LEATHER PANTS. Oh my gosh – I’ve never ordered anything faster. I saw these and they leapt into my cart. So chic to pair with a chunky ivory knit and pointed toe pumps (<<I own these in velvet and they are fabulous for the price), or a patterned turtleneck, or a frothy white top.
P.S. What does your internal voice sound like?
P.P.S. Ampersand moments.
P.P.P.S. Fall fashion at different price points.