I remember being filled with anticipation every year once mid-August rolled around. I would prowl the grocery store mercilessly, and if one store didn’t have what I was looking for I’d check another…
THE STORY
…Eventually I got smart and subscribed to my favorites so instead instead of the store I’d excitedly check the mailbox each day until…the September issues of my favorite magazines would arrive. Anyone who is or was an avid reader of fashion magazines knows that the September issue is the motherlode; the fall/winter fashion issue was always the biggest, the juiciest, the most stuffed full of dazzling eye candy and fashion inspiration of any issue of the year.
Back in the pre-social media and internet days I voraciously devoured fashion and beauty magazines every month. My most favorite was InStyle followed closely by Marie Claire and Allure. When I was a girl it was Seventeen and Teen magazine. I have always been obsessed with fashion and beauty and back then, magazines were the only source of inspiration; there was no Pinterest or Instagram or YouTube to provide fresh ideas for outfits, makeup and hair.
I remember keeping file folders stuffed full of images that I tore from magazines for future inspiration. The September issues though? I would keep the entire magazines for months to refer back to. In recent years with so much visual inspiration right at our fingertips 24/7, my old friends the magazines have gradually fallen by the wayside. But the September issues remain as a definite nonnegotiable purchase. There’s just something about cracking open a fresh glossy magazine for the first time…flipping through the pages for the first run through…and then going back to the beginning slowly turning every page and savoring every single morsel of fresh fall fashion.
I’m actually enjoying the September issues so much that it makes me wonder why I quit magazines to begin with. It wasn’t an intentional choice, they were just over the course of time replaced by the ease and ready access of my phone and computer. There is so much more enjoyment to be found both visual and tactile with a magazine though, as opposed to simply scrolling through the small screen of my phone. And then there is also the mystery and excitement waiting to see what’s in the next issue…Perhaps I need to rethink my dismissal of the magazine, because if something even something as inconsequential as a magazine, brings some fun into life then maybe it’s worth keeping around.
THE OUTFIT
My love for Caite & Kyla is no big secret. From the tops to dresses to kimonos, their pieces are always a finely crafted thing of beauty. However the pieces that they so generously provided to me from their Fall ’19 line are crazy beautiful…I fell in love with every single piece.
This gorgeous embroidered kimono is the first piece I chose to feature, although I did already share this beautiful dolman sleeve top on Instagram. The embroidered kimono was the perfect light cover up with my crocheted top and jeans for a day outside at the Shaker Woods Festival. The rich golden autumn tones mixed with the perfect shade of blue are absolute perfection; and take a moment to really check out the golden embroidery in the detail shots…it’s truly incredible.
The crocheted tank top gives off the just right amount of 70’s boho vibes and paired with the embroidered kimono it was boho perfection. I finished off the look with my trusty distressed Tomgirl jeans from American Eagle and my lighter colored Freebird ankle boots which were actually pretty comfortable for a day of walking in the woods perusing the artisan wares.
THE TIP
A kimono makes the perfect third piece (learn more about the third piece rule here) to jazz up an outfit. It’s also the perfect cover up when it’s a bit cool outside, but oddly enough, work equally as well as a light top layer on a hot day. They come in a variety of lengths and cuts and the choices in pattern and color are endless so there truly is a kimono for everybody.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Kimono: c/o Caite & Kyla; Top: Altar’d State (Similar); Jeans: American Eagle; Boots: Freebird
