Top 10 for Fall

[It's still summer! But I need time to prepare the fall wardrobe needs. In the meantime - pretty shell and icky seaweed in tropical waters in front of the house.]

Maybe it's because I'm a mom. I don't know. I'm always trying to prepare for what's up next, which for me, is Back-to-School shopping. As I'm browsing Crewcuts *ofcourse* for my fabulous little boy (who starts Kindergarten in September), I started to think about what I would want as part of my fall wardrobe. Trying to go along with my new mantra of loving what I buy, I'm starting early to really think about what I'm looking for in an early fall/fall/tropical winter wardrobe.

Here's what I've come up with so far:

1. A longer length cardigan in a dark grey/slate color.

2. One or two great day dresses appropriate enough for work and must be versatile.

3. A tee that can be dressed up or down.

4. A camel colored cashmere tee.

5. A shrug.

6. New pair of black full-length leggings.

7. A pair of black booties.

8. A pair of black flats.

9. A new coat!

10. Tights, tights and more tights!

Looking at back at the list here, I am giving myself little "Nice, M!" comments to myself. The list is a little Jackie O, a little European Contemporary, with a few hints of American Classic thrown in.

The tee (#3), the camel colored cashmere tee (#4), the new leggings (#6), and most likely the coat (#9) and even some of the tights (#10) will come from J.Crew. I love the look of some of the tees expected for the fall collection. The dresses, however, will probably come from elsewhere. I am still on what I'm calling my "Daring Dress" trip, which has inspired me to find dresses that aren't so preppy. I don't know where that will come from yet, but I'm sure it will come together. As I find pieces I'll update the blog.

I was a little inspired (well, a lot inspired) by the image here from Neiman Marcus' fall preview of D&G by Dolce & Gabbana. While I don't [heart] this specific outfit enough to shell out the clams for it, it still is inspiring me to do some research into what I could love to create a similar look that is within my price range, but that doesn't require me to settle for something that doesn't totally strike my fancy. I like the dark colors, the clean lines, and the feminine perspective. Am hoping I can find some things that might make my hear go a flutter.