A Perfect Grey Cashmere Sweater
How to re-set for fall, and other seasonal pursuits.
Summer slipped right by, didn’t it? We spent the last days of the season in the city, enjoying the perfect weather and watching tennis. Each and Every was kind enough to host us at their US Open Suite on Friday night, where we got to see Djokovic eke out a victory and Taylor Townsend strong-arm her opponent in a dominant win.
After an indulgent meal at Corner Store on Saturday night, we went back on Sunday and treated ourselves to courtside seats for Alcaraz in another too-close-for-comfort match, which he ultimately won. Stephen Colbert was in the crowd, and everyone went nuts when they showed him on the stadium's big screen. It was heartwarming to see the city tell him in real time that we love him and have his back.
I like to lean into the spirit of the sport when getting dressed for the Open without being too literal. I don’t want to look like I’m playing tennis, so the pleated skirts and varsity stripes aren’t my preference. This year, I wore a crispy white Comme Si shirt and boxer set with a navy blue Row blazer and espresso loafers. I finished it with my favorite hat from last year, which I got monogrammed at the Ralph Lauren store. I was seated with Gaby Prescod, whose outfit I loved: a backless green polo with black capris and Jacquemus kitten heels.
We head to Miami on Thursday to squeeze out just a tiny bit more summer before the realities of fall fully hit. The Monday after we get back, I’ll be speaking at Emilia Petrarca’s Shop Rat Summit on a panel with the great Kaitlin Phillips. (The event is sold out, but you can join the wait list here.) And then, we’re off to the proverbial races for New York Fashion Week.
September again, indeed.
September is the perfect time for a seasonal reset. Maybe it’s putting that bummer Jet 2 holiday summer behind me, or the early chill in the air, but something about this coming autumn feels different — in a good way. I’m very into the fall metanarrative this year in a way that feels very 2009. The fireplace will be crackling soon enough as the most magical time to be a New Yorker gives way. I’m beckoning it in by refreshing my home; an extra layer on the bed, a fragrance rotation (my favorite fall candle is Trudon’s woody Altair), and pulling out the slow-cooker for its inaugural seasonal run. My housekeeper does a deep clean, and the house smells like Murchison-Hume fig and Koala Eco peppermint-mandarin. I pull all my cold-weather clothes from storage and cull through, selling to Vestiaire Collective what I no longer wear. I also check my Vestiaire saved searches for the grails I’m still waiting for, like a pair of green Philo-era Celine rubber rain boots in my size. And then I inevitably get distracted by something like this.
Next, I clean up my online hygiene (unsubscribe from unwanted emails, unfollow or mute people who give me the ick, clear out my home screen, audit my calendar, and archive stale messages). I make sure I’m stocked up on my supplements and that auto-deliver is on for Nutrafol, Probiotics, and Hyacera. I get my hair freshened up at David Mallett, and see Jimena, who tames a summer’s worth of eyebrow growth. It’s also one of the few times a year I get my nails done! There’s something about a short, glossy oxblood manicure. I sit down and set goals for myself through the end of the year. Then I figure out when and where I can offer service for a season many find lonely and harsh. This could be volunteer work, charitable giving, or simply reaching out to a friend who is struggling. Finally, I book a spa weekend at The Mayflower for early November to give myself something to look forward to between Halloween and Thanksgiving.
My favorite article of clothing, hands-down, is a perfect warm-grey crewneck cashmere sweater. I have strong opinions on what perfume (Boy Smells Cashmere Kush), earrings (gold, something interesting if your hair is up, like these I’m wearing by Paola Signolfi), and Poppet blush (as Gucci Westman taught me, a hot pink flush brightens your skin against the grey) pair well with. I like a sturdy knit, like The Row’s Ophelia or my favorite old Tibi sweater. With Nothing Underneath has a forthcoming style that’s got my attention, and, of course, there are the stalwart CO Boyfriend Jumper, Khaite’s Mae sweater, Lisa Yang’s Zion, and the moderately priced La Ligne Marin and Quince Mongolian crew. Looks equally great this time of year styled with jeans or the ubiquitous lace silk shorts.
Given how much time we spend indoors on the back nine of the year, I like to give myself a curriculum to keep my brain busy without being reliant on screens. I do puzzles (I like Pieceworks puzzles on a puzzle board I can slide under the coffee table). I work on the crossword. I pick a handful of books. This year, I want to re-read rather than tackle a bunch of new stuff: Little Women, All About Love, Sula, The Secret History, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, and A Room of One’s Own. Okay, and a few new ones, namely I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself, Waiting for Britney Spears, and Angry White Men, which I expect to be a vicious dissection of the solipsistic “podcast male” cognitive bias. Hello, Dunning-Kruger effect! Reading more makes me spend more time journaling, which helps keep my writing muscles strong. And, duh, I have to do those fall movie re-watches. My favorites are The Big Chill, Rushmore, Practical Magic, Death Becomes Her, You’ve Got Mail, Dead Poets Society, and Clue. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “We are here on Earth to fart around and don’t let anybody tell you different.”
After a summer of barely any makeup, I’m usually ready to lean into a fuller beat by fall. Instead of trying to fight it, I embrace the slow fade of my summer color and reach for things that bring out the warmth in my alabaster skin. Westman Atelier’s Bichette is a forever favorite for that “cold girl” flush. My m.ph underpainting palette has categorically changed my makeup game for the better (it goes on like nothing and shows up beautifully in photos, will 100% be using this for my wedding). Farah Homidi’s new lip plumper. And a little tap tap of Laura Mercier Secret Brightening powder (along with the companion brush, important) softens smile lines and under-eye hollows.
Came for the sweater but now I'm distracted by that perfect blush!!!
Thank you so much with the playlists!