Stuff I Like - November Edition

welcome to fall.

While I’ve firmly established I am (and will always be) 100% Team Summer there is a level of nostalgia that comes with the seasonal shift to fall that I absolutely adore…for about a week. I grew up in Michigan where the joke goes ‘there are two seasons, construction and winter’ (ha ha) but in reality the seasons are each beautiful in their own right and fall will forever remind me of trees in vibrant oranges and reds, crisp mornings and frosty golf courses from my years of running cross country.

Like it or not, here we are two weeks into November, mourning the end of daylight savings, full on into fall and staring winter in the face. The sun has shifted; it’s rays are weaker, it’s position in the sky a bit lower. While spring and summer have a frenetic sort of energy about them, inviting the procrastination of all life events at the first sign of sun, the energetic shift into fall feels like a much welcomed invitation to slow down, to do less, to tuck inside oneself. If spring blossoms and summer blooms, fall hibernates.

So in the spirit of hibernation, a SIL list for November that serves as an invitation to slow down and cozy up.

1. Sherpa Lined Everything (for my feet)

   I have a love/hate relationship with socks. I love them as an unexpected outfit disruptor and I also hate to wear them. Being barefoot is my happy place and apparently because he carries some of my DNA, it’s my son’s happy place too. Putting on socks and shoes is nothing short of a wrestling match whereas he is absolutely giddy at the mere mention of ‘sandals.’ I have no room to argue with him as I’m standing by the door, layered up for a cool crisp fall morning, engaged in the aforementioned wrestling match while wearing Havaianas. Do as I say, not as I do…also known as the worst parenting strategy of all time.

   If I let myself shop unchecked and uncontrolled all of my cold weather footwear would have the same comfort level as slippers in the sense that they could, in fact be slippers. My first pair of Uggs was purchased in 2016 out of sheer desperation as I was experiencing an Ohio winter so cold I just wanted my feet to be warm. I purchased a pair of gold metallic logo jacquard Ugg minis and my feet had never been happier. I was barefoot in subfreezing weather and absolutely loving life as much as one can love life in the midst of a freezing winter in Ohio. Since then I’ve upgraded to Birkenstocks (more my forté) but rest assured no matter what your vibe or your climate there are a pair of sherpa shoes waiting in the wings to keep your bare feet warm.

   

   so many shoes i want them all. left to right(ish): gutted these birks are sold out in my size i love them so much i won’t let myself do a google search to see if they exist somewhere else / clarks that are ugg adjacent but w more personality IMO / i’ve loved these tibi flip flops for forever they’re so impractical with the poop lined streets of SF but these are a great alternative i’d probably still only wear indoors / tokio shearling birks i own and love / if i had any excuse to buy these i would / love me a garden clog / too soon to bring back fur loafers ala gucci? i think not! i love these and these.

2. A Classic Fair Isle Sweater

   Preppy is as preppy does and all I want right now is a closet full of fair isle. Preferably wool, preferably in a classic shape such as a crew or ideally a cardigan. All of the sweaters I currently own are neutrals: camels, greys, blacks and creams which I don’t hate, but it gets a little boring and redundant by the time March rolls around. The sweaters I’m currently craving are more like fair isle adjacent: geos and designs that feel more vintage inspired with longevity past a family photo at Thanksgiving.

   

   squirrels > snowflakes. a very real outfit i would wear pre/post run for daycare drop off. sweater courtesy JW Anderson x Uniqlo, my tracksmith shorts + sherpa birks. add’l sweaters L to R: obsessed w. this alex mill option…feels like an heirloom from the old country. love the collared option from doen. mens J.Crew and a v. expensive but gorgeous Nili Lotan number.

3. Outerwear for the Elements

   And by ‘elements’ I mean: rain. I was really hoping this year would be a little drier than last year, however, apparently it’s an ‘el niño’ year and according to whoever forecasts this stuff it’s looking strong. Which means another wet winter where we all miserably lament about the joy it is to experience San Francisco in the rain while also adding a ‘but at least it’ll be great for fire season’ at the end so we all feel a little less bad about ourselves. Last winter we essentially spent January through April getting hit with back to back atmospheric rivers and while I was grateful for the rain jacket I purchased in 2019, it rarely full on downpours in SF and what we usually get is some sort of weird sideways misting rain that renders all functional rainwear useless. What I’m looking for instead is something a little more versatile but still function-forward. Something that can work with sweats for our family coffee walks on the weekends or with jeans during the week while also keeping me dry from a random fog mist or two. Enter in: the barn coat. This year’s liner jacket.

   

   i don’t wear jeans for morning daycare drop off and let’s be honest sometimes i don’t wear them for evening pick up. jacket is vintage ll bean via poshmark. barn jackets are such a heritage style and there are so many amazing vintage options. point a, b, and c. top left: ganni x barbour i love this jacket so much but can’t justify the spend when i rarely leave the house / bottom left : kule

4. A Few Household Adds and Upgrades

   My husband and I used to always travel places for the holidays - his aunt and uncle’s house in San Jose for Thanksgiving, my mom’s house in Michigan for Christmas. Dougie was born a few days before Thanksgiving and since then, we travel less and host more. That said our presentation is a bit minimal at best as we don’t have the linens or accessories needed to create a tablescape that feels inviting or at the very least a table that feels as if it has been scaped. I came across this website via instagram and it was a rabbit hole I didn’t know I needed. I now want to invest in things like placemats and fancy napkins and kitschy centerpieces which makes me both happy and also annoyed as I hate spending money on things I can’t wear.

   We also have a small dining table with only four chairs so naturally when we have anyone over for a meal we will inevitably always run out of chairs. While it’s cozy to invite guests to eat off their knees while perched on bar stools, we probably should invest in a few folding chairs that we can bring out and then tuck away for the occasions when we have more than just the three of us dining together. Folding chairs have come a long way since I was a child and no longer look like they belong in someone’s basement.

   While I’m at it and throwing money at things I can’t wear, I probably should also upgrade our kitchen towels, which are in such rough shape that even when freshly laundered they still look like they’ve been used for two weeks. Our oven mitts are worn through so badly they’ve burnt Matt’s hands twice and I’d love to find a storage solve that doesn’t occupy a ton of counter space for the 20 heads of garlic and 5 onions we always seem to have on hand thanks to our Instacart shopper’s inability to read instructions.

   

   left to right : there are a lot of amazing vintage options on etsy, however these clean and modern folding chairs make the decision process a lot easier. added bonus they can be used indoors or out because we also don’t have any furniture in our garden yet. obsessed with these placemats and kitschy napkins. new kitchen towels and i can’t hate a pot holder/oven mitt combo. i bought a vintage italian fish bowl to store our surplus of garlic but wish i’d have found this first.

   Our cupboard is full of a mismatched assortment of vases that look as though they came straight from a florist’s shop, which is on point for how we acquired them. We have a few we actually purchased sitting out and around the house, filled with a few bouquets of dried flowers the cats have yet to discover and they’re mostly glass and pretty, but what I’m craving is a bit more personality. An accent here or there with a stem or two as a wink on a mantel or a nod on a table. We don’t keep a lot of fresh flowers in the house these days as both cats have impressive climbing skills and whatever ‘safe’ areas we had they seem to have made it a personal mission to access.

   When we first moved into our house I found myself on a quest for candlesticks. I don’t know if or when I’ve ever had a desire to adorn my mantle with a fire hazard waiting to happen, however I don’t actually think I’ve ever had a mantle before and that might be why I’ve never experienced the cozy thrill of a live flame perched on a narrow column of glass 18” up in the air. I found some I liked made of concrete which provided a nice contrast off the weathered marble of our mantel but the same cats who have decided I will never again experience the joy of fresh flowers also knocked over the candlesticks while we were on vacation, and one of the concrete (concrete!) holders is now damaged. So it might be time to renew my quest, this time in a much sturdier material like hand blown glass.

   

   maybe the cats would leave these gorgeous paper flowers alone as they are not alive? highly unlikely but i can dream. left to right : this one is called the ‘admiral’ and i think he belongs our top of bar cart next to the record player w a few stems. this one is actually a pitcher which we don’t have and now i think we need for all those times we don’t serve water at a dinner party. i also love this one…it’s kitsch is more understated therefore more timeless? finally some hand blown candlesticks that will look absolutely gorgeous shattered on our floor.

5. A Fall Inspired Playlist

   A mix of songs that captures all the nostalgic feels of the season. One of my core fall memories is from 2005, when I was living in Connecticut. I had moved there after graduating college for a job at a tiny family owned apparel company where I didn’t know a soul and yet I never felt alone. Every weekend I would take a mini road trip, exploring some new part of the New England coast and Death Cab For Cutie will forever bring me back to this place. Mix in a little early 00’s nostalgia and some guitar heavy throw backs and for me, this is the perfect playlist to encompass all of my fall feels. A good listen for a long run where you need to keep your pace in check (as this is not a playlist built for speed) or want to just zone out and let your feet and mind wander.

   

I also need some winter run gear but I’m not exactly sure what yet and what little searching I’ve done on the world wide web has been crickets. The problem is our weather doesn’t get cold enough for proper cold weather running gear but it also doesn’t stay warm enough to continue wearing tank tops in January. Ideally I’ll find some versatile long sleeves, preferably out of merino wool and maybe a rain jacket that isn’t heinous along with some new shoes as the ones I bought (and still love!) six months ago are starting to show some wear. Since my current cold weather run assortment is dismal let’s hope it stays above 60 degrees and we get more sun than not for a little bit longer.

Any recs send them my way and in the meantime cheers to fall and happy turkey trotting to all who celebrate.

*k