Can Fall Get Here Already? I'm A Little Sick of Sundresses.

IT IS HOT IN LOS ANGELES.

And it was hot this weekend in Las Vegas. And I just looked up temperatures for New York this week (we leave on Tuesday) and OH JOY it is going to be hot there too. Highs in the 80s. Lovely.

Hmph. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer (well, I love getting tan, and wearing sundresses. I hate being hot), but it’s September and I am ready for fall and everything that comes with it - cold weather, crunchy leaves, hot Chai tea lattes at Starbucks (rather than iced), bowls of soup for lunch, and COZY CLOTHES.

Does it surprise you that I’ve already started shopping for my fall and winter staples? Of course not. Here’s what I’ve been collecting so far...

I bought these Steve Madden boots the day the new Santa Monica Bloomingdales opened (hey, I needed to introduce myself to the shoe salesmen, we’re clearly going to be spending a lot of time together). I’ve yet to wear them, but as soon as I do, I’ll post a picture. And if they’re comfortable, I am probably going to go back and get them in brown!

Confession time: I have no problem wearing real fur. My grandfather was a furrier his entire life and made some truly beautiful pieces that my grandmother, mom, sister and I wear to this day. That being said, I don’t buy new fur, so I am always looking for cute, affordable faux fur options, since I love the way it makes ordinary outfits look so special! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I stumbled upon this vest in Old Navy. The color is great, it fits like a dream, and it’s under $30! I actually wore this on my birthday out to dinner with black skinny jeans, a black t-shirt, and heels, and it looked phenomenal. I can’t wait to wear it over a long-sleeved dress with tights and boots as soon as it gets cold!

Every year on my birthday, I treat myself to something special, something that I wouldn’t ordinarily buy myself. Last year it was a gorgeous turquoise Madeline Weinrib printed rug, the year before that a fantastic Vince blazer. A few weeks ago, I was shopping with Anna and GB when I stumbled upon the most gorgeous leather jacket I had ever seen in Anthropologie. I almost didn’t want to try it on, because I couldn’t bear it if it a) didn’t look good, or b) cost a zillion dollars. But try it on I did, and lo and behold, it looked AMAZING and only cost $250! (Some of you may think that’s insane, and I don’t take that price lightly either, but for a leather jacket I’ll have the rest of my life, I think it’s well worth it.) I even had a gift card :) so this beauty came home with me to live in my closet happily ever after. I cannot WAIT to wear it!

Speaking of my birthday, my wonderful sister surprised me with two ridiculous Helmut Lang sweaters that she knew I had been wanting for ages. Bailey J is super cool and a fashion superstar and wears Helmut the way I’m pretty sure it was intended (ie, with sky high heels and an all black ensemble), but I am an LA girl still and need to put my own spin on things :) The first one (shown in white, but I have it in black, which you can see here) is going to look fantastic with a white tank underneath and skinny jeans, and the second one (which is long in front and short in back) will look super cute with leggings and a big colorful scarf.

A few other fall/winter things I have my eye on:

On Birthright, they make all participants wear a hat every day, and seeing as I was the counselor, I needed to set a good example for all my trips this summer, no matter how dumb I look in a hat. I got used to wearing a cute straw fedora (kind of like this one), and now I’m seriously considering buying this so I can rock a hat year-round. Bonus: it covers up bad hair days. Double bonus: it’s leopard!

So I have that gorgeous black leather jacket, and I have a calf-length white peacoat from last winter that I love, but I am also considering buying another coat, and I’m currently drooling over this one. Nobody does coats better than Burberry, and I am obsessed with the toggles on this. It’s insanely expensive, so I need to wait for a sale (or a BIG giftcard!), but I think when I get it, I will go for the camel. So classic!

I literally just wrote this entire post while sitting pants less in my living room, because the air conditioning comes out colder in there than in my room. Conclusion: it needs to get cold outside, ASAP.

I got back from Vegas a few hours ago and now I need to relax, unpack, and do some laundry before I repack again for New York. Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend!