I recently asked on Instastories — “What are you shopping for? Let me help.” I got so many fascinating requests that I’ve split this post in two and will answer half here and the rest in an upcoming post, but the TL;DR: a lot of us are shopping for fall coats, sweaters, and boots. Also know you can always send me your shopping requests at jennifer@thefashionmagpie.com!
Fall Jackets. I am obsessed with and own the following transitional coats: this liner jacket, this quilted long coat, and this past-season Harvey Faircloth (more gently-used variations here and here).
Tennis clothes. I got you.
Gift for a tennis friend. This tee or my favorite water bottle for workouts (with sports nozzle).
Casual dresses I can teach in and then go out in. The idea of people planning to go out after work made me so optimistic and happy. Thank you for that vision. Bless you for your work! I’d say this dress, this one, or this one. I like that all of them would work with a range of footwear (booties, flats, sandals, dressy sneakers like Vejas.)
Machine washable tops. Kule tees! I live in them. Well-made and adorable with jeans. It’s my fall lather-rinse-repeat look paired with white denim.
Work-appropriate fall dresses. (I’m back to the office this week and don’t know what to wear!). Love a classic striped shirtdress like this or a dark denim dress like this. Equally polished with flats, leather sandals, and pumps, depending on the dress code at your office. I also would have readily worn with this black booties back in my day, but I worked in a start-up environment, so non-traditional was OK.
My husband’s 37th birthday. HBD! Great gifts for dudes here. If you want to earn cool points and your husband is a gamer, see if you can track down a sold-out-nearly-everywhere Nintendo Switch. My husband also just treated himself to a subscription to WSJ, which I think would be a very respectable gift for a 37-year-old gent!
Personalized gifts. This notepad for a mom with school-aged children, this jewelry case, this pillow for a loved one whose preppy style you understand, and this cosmetics travel bag set. And lots of personalized jewelry here.
How to make the 110-year-old carriage house in Connecticut we just bought the chic New England home of my dreams. OMG. Congratulations! Honestly? Go slow. Wait and make do with what you have until you’ve lived there for a few weeks and understand how you use the space — where do you drop your keys? Where do you want to spend most of your time? Etc. I promise patience will pay off and prevent you from over-spending in the wrong places. If you’re urgently on the hunt, recent home finds here.
Sconces and flush mounts. I always get questions about these sconces in our living room. These are also amazing (and affordable) for a farmhouse vibe and I’ve been eyeing these for my daughter’s nursery (she has the electricity for sconces already in the wall!) Flush mounts: love and love.
Postpartum wardrobe must-haves. Congratulations, mama! Three words: stretchy granny panties (these were my favorite because of the high waist, which did not interfere with my incision). Ha! But also, a bunch of chic nursing-friendly clothes here and maybe one dress that is pretty and boasts a loose fit for when you are first able to sneak out for a glass of wine — I like this and this.
Fall decor. I so hear you!
Flat/low-heeled booties or boots that work with dresses. I always look ridiculous. Some of my favorite fall boots here, but to your specific question, I can’t rave enough about these kitten heeled booties, which I wore all last season and just snagged again for this season. The style is so much more “me” than a lot the chunkier styles that have been trendy for the past few years. These are best with midi or maxi IMHO. For a shorter hemline, I like these and — if you’re a high heel gal — these.
A baby high chair. We have and love the Phil + Ted (review here). I am actually writing about this later this week in a post on baby gear I wish I’d bought but if I could do it over, I’d probably splurge on the Tripp Trapp. It’s controversial in style (some people hate it) but I love its Scandi-chic vibe and did not fully consider that a high chair would be a permanent fixture in our living room for years and years. In other words, this is one area (like the stroller) that is worth the investment based on lifespan/longevity of use. I also like that it invites baby to eat at the family table from day one and it comes in great colors.
Baby boy coats / outerwear. I bought Hill this fleece and am debating between either this Janie + Jack barn coat or a splurge-y Burberry.
Fall/winter clothes for a 1-year-old wearing size 2T. I shared some cute toddler girl finds here and boys here. More in the latter category coming this week!
New baby gifts. Yay new baby!! Some ideas for baby and mama here. My fallbacks, especially for first-time moms, are always Kissy Kissy pajamas (so soft and you truly can never have enough) and Sleep to Dream swaddles (always handy to have a few spare on hand) because I know they’ll be used!
Christmas gifts. I love that you’re thinking ahead. Some gift ideas here and here. I plan on giving my female friends/loved ones Artis brushes and Billie wipes this year…I’m full-on evangelical about both.
Fall easy outfits. My basic plan? Find jeans that make me feel confident and pair with an on-trend statement sweater. Some other favorite fall finds (at affordable pricepoints) here.
Dress for my son’s late-October (private) Baptism. Thinking tights and boots are right. If you are trend-forward, I am so in love with this dress, which you could definitely rock with tights and booties, though I’d probably finish with pumps. I don’t know why, but I wore white/ivory to my children’s Baptisms, and so I’d eye something elegant and Charlotte York-esque like this, this (I think the Duchess wore this label to one of her children’s Baptisms), or this. Mainly, though, I’d advise picking something you love and that makes you feel confident, and work the rest out (i.e., you can tone down something “loud” by pairing with prim pearls and pointed-toe pumps). This Vampire’s Wife dress is so RIGHT NOW that I’d seriously consider it for the occasion.
Affordable bed for guest room. One Kings Lane always has such fun upholstered headboards for good prices — I love this and this. Either would be the focal point of an otherwise simple room.
Affordable paintings for above large bench in entryway. Consider framing an enormous vintage map of a place with personal meaning for you, like this. Etsy is full of them! I framed an authentic vintage map of San Sebastian (a special vacation destination for Mr. Magpie and I) that I found on Etsy for like $20. More art ideas here.
Toys, entertainment, and activity contraptions to keep my five month old busy. Oh yes. We got a lot of mileage out of our 4moms swing around that age, and I wish I’d bought this — the perfect transitional tool for babies just starting to be able to hold themselves up/sit up before they can plop into an activity center. Hill and Emory loved this hideous “gym” from ages 2 months – 6 months or so and still play with the dangling toys, to be honest. For toys: crinkly paper books, this moving bee toy (which I swear taught both of my children how to crawl/scoot), and this Baby Einstein toy.
December wedding in Florida outfit ideas! Hello to my sweet COVID brides! I had a few of wedding dress/wedding festivity-related requests for town hall weddings, small backyard ceremonies, etc. There are several pretty and non-traditional (often slightly more casual) dresses for brides in this post, but specific to you — I am desperate to know if this could be worn as a dress?! (It’s listed as a night dress but SWOON for warm weather/beach wedding?). This is similar. And this is crazy chic. Please know that your ceremony will be just as meaningful as it would be under different (non-COVID) circumstances.
Dupes of Rachel Comey Lyss dress. This is very similar and on sale!
Oversized cotton sweaters — I’m allergic to wool and acrylic. Love this one from Everlane — great price and great colors, too. I also love the look of a classic fisherman’s sweater like this (on sale) — I would just size up one or two sizes to get the oversized look you want. Would look amazing with white skinnies.
Maternity clothes when we’re unsure if we’ll be able to actually go anywhere. I hear you — plus, we’re heading into cold weather and pregnancy will probably make you want to stay at home anyway. Actually most of my maternity finds here would work for casual/every day. My top advice is to invest in really good maternity leggings (my favorite) and jeans (these were my go-tos) because you can wear them basically every day and they show no wear and tear, and then some inexpensive tees (I think I owned every color and stripe of Gap’s v-neck pure body maternity tees and would have bought this in every color too) to layer under duster cardigans like this or this and finish it all off by investing in statement shoes you LOVE and that make you happy, whether its whimsical Golden Goose sneakers or pearl-detailed Nicholas Kirkwoods. Trust me, they will make any maternity outfit feel that much more fun and chic and you’ll get so much use and enjoyment out of them when you are on day 239238 of the same maternity leggings and top rotation. And on-trend accessories really helped me, too — stuff like these sunglasses and this fun headband.
Over the knee boots that aren’t a fortune. These look an awful lot like my Stuart Weitzmans and are under $100.
Civil ceremony dress (with sleeves please — it will be in upstate NY in April) before a bigger celebration in Italy. Congratulations! I wrote some notes for all COVID brides above, but specific to your civil ceremony question: this gives me Audrey Hepburn vibes, and the covered buttons on this Saloni read bridal but with restraint. I also love this elegant thing, which feels vintage (Carrie Bradshaw?).
A chic autumnal/wintry belt bag under $150. I love the one I have from State Bags — the leather quality is great (and it’s on sale). Cuyana also does a cool circular belt style. And this one — a little over budget — is so on-trend. Definitely reads like something from a high end label.
A rug that looks like sisal/jute to layer under an oriental rug. Ideally outdoor/stain resistant. Love these!
Dark boot cut denim. Can I suggest this style? It feels on-trend but still gets the boot cut vibe.
Standup desks. I would trust the Wirecutter’s recs for this. From an aesthetic standpoint, Room & Board always does great pieces.
Bookcases. Crate & Barrel just brought back their amazing leaning bookcases, which I wrote about recently but which we have two of in our living room and they are AMAZING for the price, especially in small spaces where you don’t want to block out light. They almost look built-in!
Table linens for fall. I love a simple tablecloth like this in the flax color and then add dimension/color with fun/bold colored napkins (imagine if you did a boxwood tablescape with that pairing!) I also always love a muted check like this or a hemstitch style like this.
A fun, affordable statement coat for fall. I shared a few great transitional coats (all at reasonable prices) in the first query in this post, but this leopard puffer is crazy chic (and ridiculously discounted) and I’m in love with this belted plaid style ($60!) And if you’re a size 0, RUN to get this $54 shearling steal.
Fall decor that can go through Thanksgiving, isn’t cutesy, and not too pricey. I love these wicker pumpkins, which feel right for “early fall,” “Halloween,” and “harvest/Thanksgiving.” I don’t do much seasonal decorating beyond that, adding a seasonal wreath to the door (I love a boxwood or magnolia!) and changing up the table linens (see my answer to the question two above this one).
New baby and nursing clothes for the winter. Help! Some chic nursing-friendly finds here (and you can always throw a duster over your button-downs) and lots of cozy soft cotton footies for the baby to layer under a heavier snowsuit/coverall. (For super cold weather, you can’t beat the quality and longevity of Polarn O Pyret. For milder weather, Gap also always makes cute ones, this bunny coverall is probably one of my favorite things I ever put on Hill, and I love the look of these ultra soft sherpa ones.)
Sweatpants/joggers that don’t get slouchy in the knees. I honestly do not know, but I’m leaving this in here in case readers have recs! I rarely wear sweats/joggers — my favorites have been the sleep pant from Recliner (currently sold out) and my ones from Monrow and I haven’t noticed a slouchy knee with either but maybe don’t wear them often enough to notice?
Go-to white t-shirts — not v-neck! (Too low on Zoom). I don’t like cropped. I love these inexpensive and unfussy ones from J. Crew. I always reach for them over more expensive designer styles. They are super soft and I like the length of the sleeve.
Oversized sweatshirt and cute active wear. Obsessed with these ones from Alo — love the slightly collared neckline. In addition to the activewear finds here, I am also looking for more breathable long-sleeved and loose-fit jogging tees. Currently eyeing this, this $30 steal (love the colors, especially the fern) and this.
Cute dog fall neighborhood walking outfits besides black leggings and athletic top. Jeans and an oversized sweater/cardigan — love this striped statement, this jacquard style ($35!), this pearl beauty, and this chunky knit ($25) especially in the muted green. Also love this fun fleece.
Baby’s first winter — do I need a snowsuit or just a puffy coat? We live in CT. Yes to snowsuit. I had Hill in his snowsuit most times we’d leave the house between December and March. It is cold in these parts! These Polarn O Pyrets are my favorite and are weirdly discounted on Amazon — pounce now. I loved it so much I bought Hill two different sizes so he could wear all fall and winter. They run big but I had to eventually size up. I love that they have these little coverings that go over baby’s hands since gloves never ever stay on their little fingers AND it’s footed so no fuss/muss over boots/booties. It is so soft on the inside, and the double zipper makes it a cinch to put on/off.
Baby boy fall clothes. Shared some amazing under-$22 finds here, but will be doing a full post on this topic Wednesday!
Casual Thanksgiving outfits. Help! I like the idea of a statement sweater — this is so classy but interesting — or a chic fall top like this or this with jeans and some smart shoes like these (look for less with these). Or you could jazz just about any neutral (black/white/beige/tan/ivory) up with this perfect headband.
Will get to the rest soon!