Last week, I asked over Instastories: what are you shopping for? And I had so much fun answering half of them in last week’s post. The rest are below. Feel free to DM me or email me any time with your shopping searches…
A good transitional shoe for fall. Honestly, I’ve been getting so much wear out of my Gucci Princetown mules. They are absolutely perfect for throwing on with jeans and a sweater and maybe a light coat. I bought them maybe five years ago and wasn’t sure if the trend would majorly peter out, but they’ve proven to be a worthy investment. As seen above, I bet the classic loafer (<<this specific style has a collapsible heel so can be worn as either a mule or loafer! BRILLIANT) would be an even better bet — they’ll never go out of style, and I am super impressed with the quality of Gucci footwear. I have a few pairs and they look good as new several years in.
If the Guccis are too steep, I also love these Madewell mules, these Nicholas Kirkwoods (on sale!), and these fall-appropriate Le Monde Beryl mules (70% off). And for something a bit funkier, I am positively lusting after these shearling Jenni Kayne mules.
If you don’t care for the mule look, I love a loafer like these from Veronica Beard or a classic set of drivers from Tods (<<on sale and in the most perfect on-trend croc embossed fabric).
Fun top for a bachelorette weekend. Love this bow-shouldered blouse in white, pink, or red with some great jeans and high heels. Perfection for the occasion! Alternately, this dramatic top with a top knot and high-waisted denim, and this inexpensive top could look MAJOR with pearl accessories. Lastly, I have been positively lusting after this top with no possible justification for purchase. Would look unreal with light-wash denim.
Boy nursery rugs. I’m obsessed with Mark D. Sikes’ Mirada rug in wheat or navy. More of my favorite rugs here and more recent nursery finds here.
New coasters. Jonathan Adlers has the coolest, funkiest sets — love these. These marble ones are also classic.
Casual bootie mules under $150. If you are into the on-trend clog this season, these are minimalist chic and under $100. Beyond that, I prefer the flat mules like these, which are CHIC.
Birthday gift for my 31 year old husband. Happy birthday to him! Some great gift ideas for guys here. I think I can speak for Mr. Magpie that some of the best gifts I’ve given him recently have been clothing he never knew he always wanted: a pair of green olive Vejas, these cloudknit joggers, supersoft boxers, and Garrett Leigh sunglasses.
Dog leash/harness. I like the patterned, monogrammable collar and lead from Mark and Graham. Tilly currently wears their blue gingham style. We clip the lead to one of these highly-rated Kurgo harnesses because Tilly is strong (60 lbs of muscle) and a ratter by instinct, so walking the NYC streets at night (when rats abound…) would be a nightmare without the control it offers. I also love the style of these roped leashes from Foggy Dog!
A fall-feeling flowy midi/maxi dress for outdoor family photos, six months post-partum. Help! In love with this dress, which could be worn with suede boots. This maxi with brown suede boots could also be amazing with the right color palette and I’m all aboard with all things Ulla.
Fall family photos — for the whole family. Mom, dad, 3-year-old girl, and 18-month old boy. Into blue and white at the moment. This for you, this for her, this for baby boy (with other a peter pan collar bodysuit or a top like this, depending on your style), blue blazer and trousers for your husband.
The perfect white dropped stitch mid-weight sweater. Does not exist? I had a hard time finding this. This style gets you a lot of the way there.
Coffee tables that are kid-friendly. The kid-friendliest would be one without sharp edges — aka, an ottoman style. These ones are so fun with the clover shape, and the ones with tassel trim are so extra. Dark colors are better than white when it comes to children…and I also love this tufted style from CB2 (and if the tufts aren’t your style, try this, which comes in interesting colors). Second best? A round coffee table like this.
Camel colored coat — not trench. #Goals: Madame coat from Max Mara. Look for less from Reiss and P.A.R.O.S.H. If you’re adverse to the belted styles, love this collarless variation. And if you’re into trends: this shacket. Finally, this is not a coat, but I am seriously eyeing this fine-knit long cardigan in a great shade midway between camel and brown.
Casual fall cross body — loved the Bottega you featured but it’s a splurge. Amazing fall bags here.
A dress for a bridal shower being held at a winery. I’m MOH. I’m in love with this dramatic dress. This is also really pretty.
Jeans for short people! I get all of my jeans hemmed — it’s the only way to get the best brands. And I swear by J. Brand.
First sippy cup for my six month old. Oh gosh — every baby is so different, I have learned. I gave both of my babies this learner cup from Philips Avent first because it is most similar to a bottle. But mini loved these and micro has only ever drunk water out of these, which I originally bought to use at mini’s birthday party (so I could pour milk and water out and let kids leave with them if they wanted) despite the fact that I have presented him with no less than ten alternatives! Maybe buy a handful of different styles and see what sticks. When transitioning from bottle to milk sippy cup, we found the Nuk was the best. For some reason, it wasn’t too hard to get the children to drink water out of different cups but when it came to weaning off the bottle for milk, things got stickier. Nuk was our best option for mini.
Patio furniture for my new home. Splurge: Serena and Lily has the chicest pieces in great cushion patterns. Save: Better Homes & Gardens has insanely attractive pieces at great prices, like this loveseat.
Oversized white or cream button up. J. Crew’s boy shirt is slim-fit but long, which I like. I’ve sized up and worn as a beach cover up. Alternately: this from Everlane, or this tiered poplin steal from Topshop for something more styled.
Sofa for living room. I think Pottery Barn does great sofas at reasonable prices for high-traffic areas that have both style and comfort. Love this one. We splurged on our sofa and I kind of regret it — it’s lasted, but we cringe at how much our children and dog have destroyed it over time. I think if I could do it over I would get something from PB and update over time with designer pillows like these or these.
Twin bed frame for my daughter. I love the idea of something whimsical but mature enough to carry into teen years, like this or this.
Chic monogrammed clothing for babies under 12 months. For warm weather, I love these monogrammable sunsuits for boys and these pima bubbles for girls. In cool weather, adore a corduroy romper like this for girls or pair of overalls for boys with a big ol monogram on the front. And this sherpa-lined coat would look precious with a big monogram on the front. Finally, this Etsy shop will monogram my favorite Kissy Kissy pajamas!
Flat booties. I feel like most of the styles out there are either Western or chunky and I’m not crazy about either for myself — I prefer something streamlined. I’m obsessed with these Kirkwoods and these simple ones from Talbots, too.
P.S. More fall finds.
Really late in chiming in, but if I may suggest for the reader looking for jeans for short people as a fellow short person living with short person problems 😉
Madewell petite denim! I have 3 pairs in different styles for which I did not need tailoring (and I’m 5’0).
Sippy cups: I love ThinkBaby. This has worked really well for my daughter in transitioning from the baby bottle. We used the soft spout attachment then switched to the straw attachment (I like that you can use the same bottle/base and just switch out the top part, and I love that the straw attachment has a cover). Like you said though, every kid is so different, but throwing this out there in case it helps! But what also helped for us is we inherited a bunch of sippy cups (different brands) from friends with older kids so we were able to eliminate what didn’t work without having to purchase a dozen different kinds.
Jen, if I may add something to the list: I have had a lot of trouble finding a good sweater dress! Something not too short and clingy, but here’s what has made it extra challenging for me: I get hives somewhat frequently (and at one point needed prescription steroids, ugh) and have not been able to tolerate certain materials very well, like acrylic, as well as wool, cashmere, or other animal hair. It seems like everything has acrylic nowadays! Thank you so much in advance, if you happen to stumble upon one — I know this might be a little TOO specific (insert covering eyes emoji) so I certainly don’t expect you to go hunting for it specifically. But if you find one, please do share! Thank you again!
Yes!! Will definitely keep my eye out!! Going to add this to a “what are you shopping for” post going live soon and will share what I find for you.
xx
love that plaid coat in the pic! do you know who makes it? xxx
Hi Sarah! Sadly I don’t — it is SO chic though. Here are a few similar:
https://bit.ly/3n9Mhqn
https://bit.ly/3mY9BXQ
https://bit.ly/36gPjmv
xx
Hi Jen! Love the gift ideas for guys, particularly the joggers. I’ve been shopping around for an anniversary present for my significant other this week and was happy to see the question and your recommendations. Speaking of purchases, I’ve been thinking about purchasing the align leggings. I tried them on last fall and loved how comfortable they were but read some horrible reviews about pilling, seams coming undone, having to wash the leggings alone in a single laundry load, etc. Now I’m dreaming of them again with work from home and your recent mentions of them. The recent reviews still mention the same issues as before, and I’m curious if you’ve had any issues with your pair and how you’ve cared for them. I’m thinking of just taking the plunge and hoping for the best.
Hi! I honestly have not had any of those issues. And I’m really bad and often toss them in the regular wash with other clothes — oops. So I have only positive things to say about them and honestly all Lululemon pieces — they have all really held up for me! I have one pair I’ve worn HEAVILY for the last six or seven years at least and they are still hanging in there!!! xx
Hi D! I have the align leggings and align joggers and have not experienced pilling. I don’t wash them alone on a single load, but I do place them in a mesh bag with a regular load. If I remember, I wash them inside out, but if I forget they seem to come out just fine too. I currently use a top-loading WM and I *think* it can be “harder” on clothes — I’ve had items with drawstrings for example that were kind of “chewed up” by that thing in the middle of the WM (there must be a technical term for it). So it was probably just my bad luck, but since then I have been using a mesh bag. But this could all be unnecessary, perhaps if you have a front loading machine! I do love the ease of Jen’s process with her Lulus, maybe I don’t need these additional steps 🙂
No, stick with your regimen, Mia! Better safe than sorry. But agree with the general point here that Lululemon does tend to be very good quality. xx
This post gives me all sorts of ideas for things I “need”! Haha. If I may, here are a couple of suggestions for two of the queries:
+ white sweater — try Demylee! I have their Chelsea style in white cotton (and one in hunter green, too … hehe) and I love it for this time of year. I actually also own that Everlane alpaca one in dark brown but I find it much much too warm for early/mid fall!
+ jeans for short people — I agree with Jen’s assessment that tailoring is key, but I have found multiple pairs by The Great and Chimala that haven’t required it, which is amazing! The latter is suuuper expensive, but I’ve found deals on TRR before.
xx
Thanks for the input, as always! This Chimala brand is super intriguing! xx
I love their jeans! They’re possibly not for everyone — they lean boyish and sometimes the washes can be odd — but in my opinion, Japanese denim is some of the best in the world!
xx