October Reads

Popping in with what I read during the month of October. All of these books were given to me by the publishers - reviews and opinions my own.

 

The Girls at 17 Swann Street (release date: 2/5/19)

This book deals with anorexia, as the main character is admitted to full time care to recover from the disease. I learned a lot about what eating disorders do to the body which was interesting and sad. You can't help but root for these girls while also realizing the reality of our societies unhealthy relationships with food and appearance. 

 

The Wartime Sisters (release date: 1/22/19)

Set during World War 2, this story follows two sisters who end up living and working at an armory. Many complexities to their relationship unfold due to the way they were treated growing up, their marriages, and the death of their parents. Very good read with several interesting supporting characters.

 

The Paragon Hotel (release date: 1/8/19)

In the midst of the Prohibition Era, main character Alice is trying to escape her crime ridden past in Harlem and sets off on a train to Portland. Once there, she finds herself staying at The Paragon Hotel and becomes immersed in the lives of the residents there. This book was a hard read at times due to the period language, but interesting nonetheless!

 

The Clockmaker's Daughter (current release)

I was really excited to read this book, but found it hard to get into at first. There are many stories to follow, all tied together by a few key characters and an important Manor. I am glad I kept with it thought because the end is rewarding.



1 Necklace, 7 Dresses

TJ Maxx has always been one of my favorites places to find statement necklaces for a steal! Like this $6 Anthro. And this $14 Anthro. And this Lenora Dame gem. What about a $10 Kate Spade? I recently fell in love with this agate piece there - it has so many pretty shades of pink, purple and blue. I think a common misconception about statement necklaces is that people feel they will only wear them with one or two things. I am proof that this necklace, and the 4 I linked to above, are some of my most worn accessories! Case in point, I've already matched up this beauty to 7 different dresses!

 First up is this pretty floral Maeve dress from Anthropologie which you can see on me here.

 It goes great with this Zara dress remixed with this painted jean jacket.

 It's going to dress up this solid Maurine dress.

 Love it with this oil painting tunic!

 I think this Loft dress is my favorite match!

 It goes with many swatches on this fun patch dress.

 The colors on the back are much deeper and I like how it looks with this Simply Vera dress from Kohl's (which I haven't blogged yet).



Bits & Pieces

The gem prints in my closet continue to evolve (you can jump to this post which will link to historical posts). The print alone on this skirt made me swoon, but then I saw that it was velvet, pleated, and a great length. In my teens I had a black velvet one piece swimsuit with a very similar print on it! I wish I still had it or at least had pictures of it...... it's was soooooooo 90's (in a good way)!

This skirt could definitely be holiday wear, and with the red & hearts it could even carry you through Valentine's Day! Everything I've paired it with is old and it got me to thinking that I really am a shopper who buys "bits & pieces". I've never really been one to go out in search of an entire outfit (top, bottom, jewelry, shoes) in one swoop. I love the challenge of mixing and matching new items with what I already have! In this case, I thought I was being rather boring going with traditional black tops and shoes rather than pulling another color out of the skirt. But then I had the idea to add a few vintage brooches that were my Grandma's. I really like how it came together! 

Maeve "Montparnasse" Skirt - Anthropologie

Liz Claiborne Keegan Heels - JC Penney

Tank - Motherhood Maternity (so yeah, 4+ years old)

Shrug Sweater - Casual Corner (how long have then been out of business?)

Pins - vintage from Grandma



Peacock Plaid, Pumpkins & Picking

Do you have traditions that you like to do for each season, and if you don't do them you feel disappointed? Our Octobers these past few years have been busy with many fun things, but we haven't been to an orchard/pumpkin farm in a long time. Around these parts they can get crazy busy on the weekends, it's chaotic, overpriced, etc..... So when the school PTO announced they were organizing a Mother/Son hayride we jumped at the chance to go. 

Alber's Orchard & Cider Mill in Manchester was so charming and the weather could not have been more beautiful! Lots of interesting history since they started in 1890..... they have 104 different types of apples! And it was really cool to hear about how they dismantle, repair, and rebuild the barns (which is why this pretty red one has the markings on it). The boys and I got donuts and cider upon arrival. We did the hayride and then explored to pick our pumpkin and bag of apples. I am so thankful my friend and her son were with us in the corn maze as it was no joke! Whew! 

I have a love/hate relationship with plaid, but when I saw this peacock colored beauty I decided it was love. It was the perfect piece for an outing like this. 

Last Winter, my two pairs of "bad weather" boots blew out on me. My rubber rain boots developed cracks where the foot bends, and the soles of my Ugg like snow boots fell off and would not stay back on with shoe goo. I'd had both pairs for at least 10 years so that's pretty good! So I hit up some end of season sales to replace them, leaning toward a duck boot style. I found these at American Eagle and thought they'd be perfect now that we're getting more active outside with the boys.

Cloth & Stone Shoshone Plaid Buttondown - Anthropologie

Tank, Jeans & Sunglasses - Target

Boots - American Eagle

Crazy Cozy

Here I go again, gravitating toward the crazy. The colorful. The handmade looking. This shawl has so many pretty colors and textures - the pictures do not do it justice! Teal and pink and purple and yellow and olive...... 

Unfortunately, I can't find a link on Kohl's website yet but I will keep checking and update. I am thinking it is so new it's not on the site yet. It's by Mudd so it will be in the juniors section.

My brown long sleeved tee, and booties, are also from Kohl's but old. Jeans and sunglasses are Target.

One September

I know it's not September anymore, but the title of this post has to do with Anthropologie's brand "One September". This brand churns out the most perfect peplum tanks, so I thought in addition to showing this newest purchase I would revisit the others I have. While the style/cut may differ slightly, there are a few things they all have in common. The top placket is embroidered/embellished and then the fabrics have really unique prints.

This Trudy Embroidered Tunic has embroidery and buttons down the front, stripes, and flowers. I love the pink/purple/blue jewel tones. It was originally $88 but it is on sale for $49.95 with an extra 40% off! I paired it with one of my beloved long cardigans (Sears), dark jeans (Target), an old Lia Sophia necklace, and Minnetonka moccasins (TJ Maxx).

Look familiar? Yep, in this post where I showed the "Deauville" top by One September I pretty much said that jeans, a flowy tank, and a cardigan were my "uniform". 

:REMIX:

I really enjoyed wearing the "Deauville" on it's own this Summer, but here's an idea for cooler weather. I am loving navy with olive so I'm going to pull on some cargo pants (Target) and booties (Kohl's) in olive. A dark denim jacket (TJ Maxx) and Macerata statement necklace from Anthropologie (necklace also seen here). I normally don't do lay flats, but I am experimenting so that I have more options to show outfits now that the weather/daylight is changing.

Here's the original post where I wore this "Larkspur" tank by One September on a hot day. 

:REMIX:

To transform this for cooler weather, I went with darker denim (the flowers are navy, not black). And an olive jacket (Anthropologie) and booties (Kohl's) to bring out the olive stripe in the pattern. Lastly, another statement necklace from Anthropologie - the Painted Beads Bib!