In Which I Wear The Season’s First Sweaters (And Boots and Grace Make Cameos)
HELLO PALS,
Guess what yesterday was?
The first official day of fall
The first day where it was cool enough to wear a sweater
The first day my intrepid cactus Pokerchip and his succulent pals had to make their nightly journey inside (currently to my bathtub because they’re still wet from the pouring rain and because I’m not sure whether Dilara and Boots might try sampling them like Grace did.)
An Auspicious Day indeed!!!
To celebrate this Momentous Occasion, of course my Most Beloved of sweaters, my black turtleneck, was the first to emerge from its off-season storage in the bottom drawer of my dresser. And what better to join it than my other Most Beloved of Items?
AND, of course, my pal and Head of Security Boots O’Malley, who makes sure to follow me back and forth across the room every time I set my phone timer for these Professional PhotosTM. His Most Beloved, Creative Director Dilara, supervised from off-camera, but she kindly left her cat tunnel at the optimal location to get included in the photos.
You can rest assured that every outfit I show on this blog has been tested and approved for Animal-Greeting Comfort. That’s an important consideration for any style.
Anyway, the Outfit Details:
Sweater - JC Penney Worthington Tall Womens Turtleneck, bought either in 2020 or 2021 (I have two). They brought these back two years in a row, so if they do it again, I’m wearing size Large Tall. Worn in other colors here and here.
Jacket - Meijer ca. 2017 or 2018 - also worn here.
Jeans - American Eagle High-Waisted Skinny Jean, bought 8/2020 (this style no longer available, but I consistently wear a 10 X-Long at AE.)
Belt - bought at a county fair booth ca. 2010 - also worn here and here.
Boots - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn here.
Our man Boots is NU.DE in these photos, because his collar keeps coming off and I’m pretty sure it’s from Dilara kicking him in the face every time they wrestle. This is why she’s not Head of Security.
Today was ALSO cool enough for a sweater, so I chose yesterday’s crew-necked cousin. (I legit called Penney’s last year to see when these sweaters would be back in stock, and used half my last job’s clothing allowance on buying Many A Color. I have No Regrets.)
I also wore this jacket I found on clearance at Target for $12 a few months ago, and which is a shorter, boxier cut than I’d normally go for—but it reminds me of something they’d wear in old movies, which I’m pretty sure means it has to be CoolTM. (I have not yet figured out the best Mirror Selfie Phone Hold, which is less CoolTM, but the important part of this outfit is of course GRACE making a cameo in the form of her photo pillow—which was purely the result of an unmade bed, not Meticulous Planning. She’s been gone for exactly one season now, summer solstice to autumnal equinox, but that doesn’t mean she has to stop Assisting.)
Outfit Details:
Jacket - Target, bought on clearance summer 2022
Sweater - JC Penney Worthington Tall Womens Crew Neck Long Sleeve Pullover Sweater - bought 10/2021
Jeans - AE Ne(x)t Level Super High-Waisted Jegging, bought 8/2020 - similar still available. I consistently wear a 10 X-Long at AE.
Boots - Kmart, bought 2014 or 2016
Necklace - gift, bought at a farmer’s market
Have your sweaters made an appearance yet this year? How about your pets? Have you begun a nightly ritual of carrying plants through your house and putting them outside again in the morning? Let us know in the comments!
Until next time, I remain,
YOUR PAL.