Fall things

Thanksgiving is as late as it can possibly be this year, which means Christmas is hot on its heels.  Which means I am having "CHRISTMAS IS COMING" panic.  That's rude to Thanksgiving, to say the least.  Some helpful accoutrements for slowing down and enjoying fall and all that it brings: 

A wooden cutting board/cheese tray/bread board/all around useful kitchen thing, for less than $10.

A pretty plum-hued lipstick.

I don't know how you're really supposed to make hot apple cider, but these mulling spice tea bags certainly seem to help (you can find these at Whole Foods).

Perfectly spare black kitten heel pumps.

The clutch to end all clutches: it's black!  It's brown!  It has stripes!  It can be monogrammed!  It's perfect.

Beautiful agate jewelry boxes for storing all manner of trinkets.

A coat for indulging your inner badass (30% off today with code GAPFRIENDS, and it comes in regular, petite, and tall sizes).

Hilarious boxed set of Ruth Bader Ginsburg cards for all your favorite lawyers.

Absurdly cheap graphic sweatshirt (from Old Navy, of all places.  $7, without any of their constant coupons, in regular, petite, and tall!).

And what would fall be without a cozy textured throw blanket?

(Top image by Heritage Bicycles.) 

Boo.

Happy Halloween!  Are you dressing up?  Your little people?  I'm not -- visiting my friend who just had a baby instead.  But to get in on the celebration, my favorite costumes from around the web: 

Nicole Richie (and maybe her husband?  I can't tell) as Twins. 

Babies dressed as football coaches: AMAZING.

A dog dressed as Zoltar from the movie Big!

Bad pic, but fab costume: Jennifer Morrison as Cher Horowitz from Clueless.  I like to imagine that in this pic, she's just left the party because her dad demanded that she be home in twenty minutes BECAUSE EVERYWHERE IN LA TAKES TWENTY MINUTES.

Willie Geist from the Today Show dressed up as the Hof, which cracks me up (Matt Lauer's Pamela Anderson is just a little too much for me).

And the dog who won Halloween: Tottie the Pug in a Wrecking Ball outfit.  I can't stop laughing.

I hope you all eat too much candy.  XO. 

Jammies

Chilly fall temps have made me a sucker for cozy, comfy, sleep/loungewear that is probably best described as "man pajamas." (HOT, I know.)  Six cute sets for wearing whilst curled up on your couch with a fire, trashy television, and a cup of hot apple cider.  To put a super sexy fine point on it, crazy socks and giant robe are optional, but highly encouraged.  

H&M Striped set, $24.95 (available in pink, too). 

Sleepy Jones Marina pajama shirt, $145, and Paloma pajama short, $64.

Eberjey Gisele PJ set, $115.

J. Crew nightshirt, $68 (now 25% off with code SHOPNOW; and you can get fancy and add a monogram for $10).

Brooks Brothers solid classic pajamas, $98.50.

Anthropologie Posy Burst pajamas, $58.

(Top image via here.)

Shopbop sale

FYI: if you didn't max out your fall budget with Columbus Day sales, Shopbop is having a 25% off everything sale that ends today (use the code "INTHEFAMILY25").  Some goodies for getting this French-Vogue-editor-look, if you're interested:

A flowy silk blouse for work or play.

Slouchy-cool Current/Elliott tee ($$$ for a tee, but one of those basics you'd be so glad to have once you get over the initial sting). 

Cozy (cheap!) sweater.

Simple but perfect Clare Vivier clutch.

Striped, tweedy baseball tee, or a (less expensive) tweed sweater. 

Gray moto jeans with ankle zippers. 

Simple kitten heel pumps in black or metallic silver.

And for the weekend or commuting, metallic Jeffrey Campbell loafers.

And some jackets, for what is fall without jackets?  This "vegan leather"* option is a steal, but if you can spend a bit more, the camel-and-black is a pretty awesome statement piece.

* Whoever invented the term "vegan leather" is a wordsmithery ninja.  Seriously, how much better does "vegan leather" sound than "pleather?"  Which we all know is exactly what it is.  Slow clap, wordsmithery ninja.  

(Top image via Le Catch.)

Fall is coming, right?

Given that it's mid-September, one would assume fall is underway, or perhaps at least on the way.  Though the weather of late has been super steamy -- it was ninety today in Chicago -- the cooler weather always comes eventually (I'm going to remind myself of this post when it's twenty below and I'm tramping through a foot of snow in February).  Two picks for faces and fingers once we finally get some more fall-like conditions:

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Crimson (tremendously scary in tube; gorgeous on actual lips).

Essie nail polish in Twin Sweater Set -- a pretty, deep, not-overly-dramatic red.

I'm sort of over my summer stuff.  You?

What to wear for Thanksgiving

This time tomorrow, I hope you're either enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with people you love or preparing to do so.  In either case, remember to wear something with a loose (or better yet, no) waistline!  A pretty take on a midsection-forgiving outfit (assuming that Thanksgiving pants won't pass muster at your gathering):

For a different look, swap out the tights and booties for these leopard pumps (just back in stock -- they've been sold out everywhere).  Drawing attention to your feet is a great post-dinner strategy, too.  

Banana Republic Cable Knit Cowl Sweater Dress (available in regular, petite, and tall), $130.

Spanx Reversible Tight End Tights, $34 (totally worth the money: these last forever and are extra warm since they're double-layered.  Plus, come pie-time, you'll probably be glad for the Spanxage :)). 

Sam Edelman Petty Booties, $129.

Kate Spade Locked In Studs, $48.

Paige Novick for BaubleBar Katharine Bling Cuff, $180.

PS: A great fall lipstick that's not fussy (i.e., won't end up all over your teeth and you can discreetly reapply without needing a mirror).  

Trick or treat

Happy Halloween, everyone!  Where I grew up, when kids trick-or-treated, you would have to tell a joke to get candy.  You'd walk up to the front door (undoubtedly all bundled up, your awesome Halloween costume completely obscured by your winter coat -- like the year I was a hula dancer and no one could tell, tragedy!), ring the bell, and say "trick or treat!"  The grownup at the door would always act so surprised that these ghosts/goblins/ninja turtles/fairy princesses were at the door, and then say "Okay, let's hear your jokes."  You'd volunteer your comedic gem -- something like "Knock knock.  Who's there?  Orange.  Orange who?  Orange you going to give me some candy?" -- and only then would you have "earned" your candy.  We used to swing back at our house halfway through our trick-or-treating to ask my mom if any other kids had told her good jokes, so we could use them at other people's houses.

After college, I moved to Chicago, and the first Halloween I lived in my apartment, my roommates and I got a few trick-or-treaters.  I kept asking for their jokes, and they all looked at me like I was sort of nuts.  I chalked it up to them being bashful, but after it happened about three times, my roommates asked what on earth I was doing.  And that's how I found out that nobody does jokes except for in St. Louis, where I grew up.  Isn't that funny?  I always assumed everyone did it, and it had something to do with the "trick" part of trick-or-treating.  

Anything like that ever happen to you, where something you assumed everyone does turned out to be a locals-only practice?  (I also learned, after I moved to Chicago, that St. Louis is the only place that has Provel cheese!)  

And what are you (or your little people) being for Halloween?

(Top image of Carl from Up by Auburn Soul Photography via My Modern Met; middle image of Spider-man by Amy Stein via My Modern Met; bottom image of Powerpuff Girls by Amy Stein via My Modern Met.)

Devil in the details

This picture from Kate Spade's Tumblr of the new store in Dubai (can you even imagine?) caught my eye today.  It looks like they're using the company's vintage ads on the walls, which means it must be ridiculously charming because their ads are so pretty and graphic.  The real kicker: my favorite old ad (I remember I was in college when I first saw it) is down in the lower right-hand corner.  And just in time for Halloween -- how cute is that little devil?  (And the bag's rather lovely too -- a good reminder to invest in not flashy, classic, beautiful things.)

Every once in a while, I just fall in love with an ad or a commercial, like this one: the darling little kid, the expression on the mom's face, the mom's outfit -- it's just so perfect.  Is that totally weird, or does it happen to you too?

(Top image via Kate Spade's Tumblr; bottom image by Kate Spade via Love with the Proper Stranger.)