Dear Fall, Where Are You?

Last week I looked over my calendar and immediately noticed September 22nd--"First Day of Autumn." I admit, I became embarrassingly hyped over the change of season. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! Maybe I am a bit bias since my birthday is October 5th. Or perhaps it is because of my days in school. They have always made me look upon Fall as a new beginning. I've always loved buying new school supplies, reexamining my class schedule, buying a brand new planner, and creating a goals list for myself. But most importantly, Fall FASHION. It is the time to break out cute sweaters, vintage gloves, adorable hats, chic trousers, and layers of fabulousness!

September 22nd came around with alarmingly hot weather more suitable for Summer. Days passed and New York City remained in 80+ degree weather with high humidity and the intensity of sun constantly beaming upon New Yorkers faces. Suddenly it seemed silly of me to have Nat King Cole's "Autumn Leaves" on repeat.

New York City heat can be unbearable sometimes. To cool down, I went to a cute cafe in Ridgewood, Queens that happened to serve my favorite tea in lemonade form--an earl grey lemonade!

What a marvelous way to cool down!

Halloween is a holiday that I have to admit, I am a pretty big fan of. I've always loved putting together fabulous costumes, baking pumpkin pie (or buying it at Trader Joe's), and watching old horror films. A favorite of mine is Cat People (1942) because I have a bit of an obsessive love for cats. (This will probably be a recurring topic on my blog, so brace yourselves!) Needless to say, while I couldn't rock my fall clothes, I still had to have an element of Halloween in my outfit. This vintage hat is black velvet with adorable cat ears and a gold serpent brooch in the center. There is no label in the hat, so I am unsure of the time period of it, but my guess is mid 1940s - 1950s.

This small black 1950s top handle leather purse is a favorite of mine. I've worn this purse for many years now--hence the wear and tear on the strap. It is a go to for when I'm on the run and just need wallet, keys, sunnies, phone, lipstick, and compact. The sunnies that I had carried with me were gold cat eye frames from Aldo. I bought them in high school and still wear them quite often. The sun had went down, so I didn't wear the sunglasses but they pair well with my vintage kitten hat.

The small thick gold hoop earrings are curtesy of my mom (I "borrowed" them from her jewelry box) and match the gold detailing on my hat.

My outfit was quite simple really. I wore one of my favorite dresses that I own, this bright red knit dress. Believe it or not, this is from H&M and cost me $12! I bought this in high school around the time when I first got into vintage and retro styling. I love the vibrancy of the red, the flare of the hem above the knee, and the 60s style mock neckline. A good way to make modern pieces feel vintage is to simply style it the way you would a vintage dress. Mixing vintage and modern pieces is a great way to create new and interesting looks!

I paired this dress with the comfiest shoes that I own, Clarks' Mary Jane flats my mom snagged for me on Ebay for $15. These are a good throw on shoe for me when I'm running out of the house. They work with or without socks--I sometimes will wear these with knee/thigh high socks when the weather is a bit chillier!

I really wish I had gotten a better photograph of this cafe. I can't recall the name of this little gem, but I am always a fan of stumbling across cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating!

I admit that I may possibly be one of those people who constantly complain about the weather. I don't like when it's too hot but I also don't like when it's too cold. I am a Fall and Spring, in-between hot and cold weather kind of girl. But there are those moments in late summer when the sun hits you just right and you can't help but bask in it.

While I impatiently await the turn of green leaves to turn brown, I will continue to keep Nat King Cole's "Autumn Leaves" on repeat! Enjoy the tune here and I'll see you next Friday!

All photographs were taken by: Henrietta Audu.