and i thought i had issues!

The blow of saying goodbye to summer is often softened by the world’s collective love of fall fashion. We’ve all seen The September Issue by now, right? My fall must-haves list is made long before leaves even hit the ground due in part to the brigade of magazine subscriptions scattered about my every working and living space, handbag, car, lunch room, and so on. After flipping through every last mag (I favor Elle and Lucky) and runway show online, I put together my favorite looks for fall; thus, granting me license to shop with only my key pieces in mind.

Annually, I choose to kick off the seasonal style transition in my Sister’s city, San Francisco. After treating my Sis to a few of her fave things, we hit the town in search of the season’s best. This year I was deeply disappointed with the lackluster selection at my always favorite H&M, but was blown away by how swiftly Zara stole the #1 style slot with its blatantly designer knock-off influenced collections. Sister has raved about Zara since her days as a student living in Greece, but in typical fashion it took me awhile to catch up with her. I won’t even get started on my overwhelming excitement of my introduction to the secret wonderland that is Sports Basement. Thanks to that safe haven, I can now kick back after a long day of speed shopping in a freshly discounted pair of cozier-than-thou Uggs. Hey now, go easy as I am primarily a standing shopgal. Comfort isn’t always stylish or merely seasonal!

Here’s a sampling of my overall fall inspiration. I’m loving the combination of camel, khaki green, grey and navy mixed with animal prints. Pants are back with an oversized bang (I always prefer high-waisted), but I’m equally intrigued by tweed shorts or long skirts paired with tights and lace-up boots. The new bold minimalism is long, lean and accented with a slouchy neck tie, fur scarf or shearling collar. It all amounts to a lovely little something I’ve dubbed “Late 1970’s secretary in loose  menswear on a camping trip.” And just like that (!) I’ve defined my personal style muse for fall. Perhaps we’ll call her Autumn for short.

autumn leaves.