As much as I love summer and hot, sunny days spent around the pool wearing nothing more than a bikini and flip flops, I'm noticing that the mornings are cooler and the nights aren't as hot as they were a few weeks ago. It is time to say good-bye (sniff, sniff) to summer, and hello to fall. I'm okay with that, for the most part.
Fall is my second most favourite season of all, because hello... it's the perfect time go shopping!
As a child, and all through my university years, I loved back-to-school shopping. The transition from summer to fall was much more bearable knowing I had to make room in my closet for new clothes, shoes, and boots. I also loved back-to-school supply shopping. Paper, pencils, pencil boxes, (how I loved those!) binders, markers and pens—that type of shopping was my absolute favourite. Now, I love doing that type of shopping with my boys as they get prepared to start another school year.
My boys are not the only ones who need new items in their closet for the new school year, though. I treat September like a new beginning, too, and since it is my birthday month, I get to indulge more than usual.
After you've shopped your closet to see what you already have, here's what I recommend you shop for as we move into fall:
A perfect pair of jeans. There are tons of great options out there for jeans, whether you're shopping designer jeans or jeans from Gap. A great pair of skinny jeans is the perfect addition to your wardrobe, as you'll be able to dress them up with a pair of sexy heels, or wear them with some great knee boots, jeans tucked in.
A great jacket. I'm all about the camel trench coat, or a funky trench coat, like the one from Banana Republic I picked up last year from their Mad Men collection. I also love this one from J.Crew.
Boots. Little booties, sexy booties, over-the-knee boots, cowboy boots, or biker boots - the choices really are endless. I need a new pair of black little booties this year, and a pair of great knee boots that I can wear with dresses and pants.
A scarf. Scarves are the perfect fall accessory that you can keep on after you've take your jacket off. I love wearing scarves, and you can buy quite a few since they're so reasonably priced. I stock up at Banana Republic, usually! They're the perfect accessory to throw on with a tank top, sweater, and jeans.
A little black dress. This summer, I found the perfect black dress by chance at Banana Republic, and I wore the heck out of that dress. I can still wear it into fall, with a sweater, tights and knee boots, but I'm now looking for a perfect black dress to take me into winter. I saw one at J.Crew, but currently, this beauty is sold out.
Flats. I wear my flats all the time, and I'm thinking of adding a new pair in a colour like yellow or pink or blue for fall. I love the look of the Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan Air Bacara flats are apparently incredibly comfortable, and they come in so many fabulous colours.
Tank tops and t-shirts - You need something to wear under all those pretty new cardigans you're going to buy, right? I stock up on my my tank tops and t-shirts at Club Monaco. Their t's and tanks are soft, beautiful, comfortable, and last forever. They're quite affordable, too!
Sweaters and cardigans - Of course, no fall wardrobe is complete without a few new cardigans and sweaters, right? If you were to look in my closet, you'll notice most of what I own is sweaters is also striped. I think I may have a little problem...
This year I'm going to start adding more colour, like yellow and bright blue. You can never have enough sweaters and cardigans, especially as the months get colder.
Other popular must-have items that aren't on my my shopping list? Shorts, which can look fabulous paired with tights, and jean jackets, which I just cannot wrap my head around... yet. I feel like I would look 13 again, and I don't want to go there!
Just remember, if you have the basics, (jeans, crisp white shirt, black dress and skirt, and a great pair of boots) adding only a few new items to your shopping list is all you'll need to move happily into fall.
Happy shopping!
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