I just did my fall clothes shopping. I did not buy many things, because I made a deal with myself in January. I am going to wear everything in my closet; things that have had tags on for 2 years, things I've worn once, things I've never touched.....You know they say you only wear 10 % of your clothes, and you wear those 80% of the time....It's true. I pick out the same things to wear over and over. So this fall I didn't buy a lot, but this past week our city had the Partner's Card, benefitting the Family Place, and you get 20% anything from all participating stores. I picked up a few things, and I have to say, I am excited about each purchase, so I had to share....
This is going to be my uniform this fall: Jeans tucked into boots, sweater with a scarf and a vest or jacket. I wore a pair of my flat boots yesterday that I haven't worn in years. This is so fun, wearing everything in your closet! I forgot how much I liked those boots!
Jeans from the Gap
My friend and I were talking the other day about how much Gap jeans have improved. Their new head designer Patrick Robinson has really taken on the upscale designer denim companies and used some of their tricks in designing Gap's new jeans. They now have a bit of stretch, their construction looks more solid, and best of all, they are true to their size. A four is a four. A ten is a ten. With other jean companies you can wear three different sizes within the same company. That's frustrating to me. It's nice I can go into a Gap and grab one size and know it'll fit me. I have a pair of their 1969 line jeans that I have nearly worn out. And at their prices, I can buy 3 pair at what it would cost me for one of the other brands.
Straight cords from the Gap
I bought these cords in 4 colors: grey, tan, winter white, and navy. They fit like a dream! I told my girlfriend about them, after she commented on how she liked mine, and she went to the Gap and bought a pair. She said the day she wore heres she had 5 people stop her to ask her where she got her pants. They are straight enough to tuck into boots (my come-back fashion) and they have that perfect amount of stretch in them to flatter your figure. And they're incredibly soft! Do I have you sold yet? Ha!
Ruffle white blouse from the Gap
This blouse is very soft and not stiff at all. I think you could wear it year round, even in the Texas summer. The key to keeping white shirts from the Gap looking good is to wash it at home (not dry-clean) and iron it. I think the more you dry-clean white blouses, the quicker they yellow. This one looks great under vests and cardigans as well.
Plaid blanket scarf from the Gap
I have so many scarfs, winter and summer weights, cashmere and linens, but I wear them all the time. I carry one in my purse. Restaurants are usually so cold that I need to take it out and wrap myself up! Also, when it's windy outside, my kids like to use them as a blanket. When I'm traveling on a plane, I wrap one around my head, so you can only see my eyes. Or I'll use them as a blanket when I'm snoozing on the plane. It's a great investment. My favorite place to by cashmere is from this little boutique in Beaver Creek Village in Colorado. I don't know how, but it is the softest I have ever felt. I also like the linen ones from the boutique Calypso. I wear those out! This one from the Gap comes in three different colors. I don't have this exact one, I think it is a timeless plaid and I like this pop of pink.
Savile Row shirt from Anthropologie
I love, love, love this shirt! The pinstripe cotton front comes in different patterns, mine is just a solid pinstripe, not a patchwork. They look handmade! I like how the rest is a stretch jersey cotton so it is fitted through the body. Very flattering on. It's like wearing a t-shirt that is just one step above loungewear. I wore this yesterday underneath a grey sweater vest with grey jeans tucked into camel colored flat boots. I think it looked really casually smart. The sweater vest was a gift from a friend (same dear friend mentioned above) for Christmas several years ago and this shirt with that vest looks like they were meant to be together.
Dress from Banana Republic
I have this cashmere dress and 3 others that are very similar in color and style. I bought one of them this summer in Beaver Creek, and I bought an Ungaro (with the tags still on, but from last season) on Ebay. To me, this is effortless dressing.
Tweed skirt from Anthropologie
I saw this skirt hanging in the window last week and thought it was so adorable. The pockets really sit more on the front, instead of poking out at the hip like in the picture. I do need to have them sewn shut though, so they won't pucker. It seems like I have to do that with most of my skirts and pants, especially the back pocket. This skirt has a slight shimmer to it so it could even go cocktail. Very versatile!
Also on Partner's Card was Williams Sonoma. I bought some of their hand-soap, and even my husband commented on how good it smelled. If you knew my husband, he's not one to comment on yummy smelling kitchen soap, so it must be great! When my 6 year old washed his hands last night, he exclaimed "Ooooh! It's Christmas time!" Also, I just baked some of their pumpkin bread from their ready-mixes. OH MY GOODNESS. It is so delicious. And my other son is a pumpkin bread aficionado, he's been eating it weekly (usually Starbuck's) for years now. He gave it a thumbs up. And had almost half a loaf. At one sitting.
What I bought to bake my bread in was a loaf pan that made a leaf design on the top of the bread. I just took it out of the oven tonight. It looks adorable. They don't have that on-line yet, but I saw the store yesterday making little cakelets from the Pumpkin Bread Mix with this acorn pan. They were so cute. And very realistic. You could buy the pumpkin butter and bake a loaf for a neighbor and give them the butter to go with it. I am going to try the Snickerdoodle mix later on this week.
