October Outfits, Set.
For trick or treat, dinner out, town and country. Plus, skincare for the guys.
BOO! First up, some housekeeping: we’ve been named a Substack Featured Publication! To the thousand-plus new faces here, hi there. Our mighty team of three is thrilled to have this recognition from our platform. Sometimes when you’re writing a newsletter, it feels like you’re hollering into an echo chamber. So the credibility of Substack’s blessing goes a long way for team morale.
A quick debrief for the uninitiated. The overriding theme of The Love List is shopping: chic discoveries, the culture of buying, trend tracking, and an ethos of investing in fewer, better things.
Thanks for being here. We hope you stick around. Our next newsletter is a play-by-play breakdown of a cost-effective capsule wardrobe for lost Millenials. Not long after that, our annual holiday gift guide. But today, we’re looking towards luxe labels for autumn outfit inspiration.
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Anyway, Happy Hallo-week. Admittedly, our plans this year aren’t very festive. I'm on trick-or-treat chaperone duty with one of my girlfriends with kids, so for the early part of the evening I’ll be walking around with Birdie, bundled up with a go-cup of bubbles and a pocket full of fun-size Crunch bars. But a late night? Forget it. There is so much coming up next month that we’re opting to rest while we can, which means Hocus Pocus 2, a big bowl of popcorn (specifically, this popcorn), and bed by 9:30 pm.
One of the questions I get the most is “What do I wear out to dinner?” The weather in Atlanta’s been vacillating between mild and chilly, so I’ve been donning a lot of light layers during the day. A leather jacket is perfect for this — and thrown over a crisp white button-down, it feels a touch more polished. For dinner out, a special pair of pumps elevate the outfit and trot me right into the evening.
Outerwear takes center stage as we wane into November, which makes me a lazy and repetitive dresser: jeans, boots, coat, repeat. But coats are expensive, so I’m squeezing out all the runway I can. Running errands in the city means staying wrapped up as you go from store to store. It further demands sensible sneakers and a hands-free bag — made even more versatile if the crossbody strap is detachable.
October also means country getaway season. We’re lucky that scenic waterfall hikes are a quick drive North, as is the infamous upstate orchard Mercier’s, where you can get the requisite cider doughnuts and a bag of apples well beyond your capacity for consumption.
But what we truly love is making the two-hour drive to Cashiers, North Carolina to stay at Old Edwards Inn. They’ve got a great spa and gym, wonderful golf and guided mountain hikes, easy access to charming downtown shops, and lots of great little nooks and crannies to tuck away for a drink or meal — often by the fire. If you’ve got more time, book a fly fishing guide through Brookings and catch yourself a trout. Or better yet, just curl up with a good book (and total quiet).
Don’t forget to hit the Cashier’s Farmer’s Market on the way out of town for BBQ, a menagerie of pickled Southern fare, and an abundance of decorative gourds to lug home for your doorstep.
(To be honest, though, you don’t have to go anywhere. You can soak in all the October your heart desires by listening to Midnights.)
AMA: Men’s Skincare:
“I’m looking for a new face regimen. Any suggestions for us men? I’ve tried Dermalogica and Barbara Sturm. Liked both. Also, love Vinters Daughter.” - Bradley, via Instagram DM
Basic skincare for most is pretty universal. Cleanse, moisturize, and wear sunscreen. If you want to take it a little further, adding a Vitamin C serum in the morning and a Retinol, like prescription-strength Tretinoin at night, will give you far better results than any miracle cream can promise. But then, you hit the limitations of topical products. No matter what they’re promising, there is no substitute for a little Botox or a laser treatment.
So, products. I love Vinter’s Daughter too! If you’re not wearing makeup during the day, a drugstore cleanser like Cetaphil will do you just fine. I also like Tata Harper’s Superkind Cleanser if you want something a little richer. Moisturizer is so personal, I do really love Augustinus Bader, but I know it isn’t within everyone’s price range. La Roche Posay’s Cicaplast is also amazing for drier skin, just don’t take it up under your eyes.
Sunscreen is arguably the most important skincare step of all. There are so many I love! For a man who isn’t wearing makeup on the daily and doesn’t have to worry about how it sits under foundation, there’s so much freedom. I happen to know Bradley is fiar-skinned, so he doesn’t have to fret about white cast. And he’s an aesthete, so he probably wants something that looks chic on his counter. So I’m recommending Necessaire’s sunscreen, which comes in a chic yellow bottle at a very fair price point.
As for Vitamin C, Skinceuticals C-Ferulic is generally considered the gold standard, but since you’re a Vinter’s Daughter guy, I’d try their essence and see how it does for you. It’s got clinical percentages of vitamin C in addition to a litany of other elixirs. I use it myself every morning as my first step. My skin loves it.
You can get Tretinoin online these days from a number of online dermatologists. I personally use Apostrophe.
For a deeper dive into my skincare lessons learned, check out our exhaustive guide here.
I love the luxe. But damn I’m excited for next week’s newsletter.