Fall is finally here!  We’re still having a lot of hot days in New York so I have been looking forward to fall. We’ve had a few mornings where the air was crisp and windy.  That was great; however it continues to warm up by afternoon.  I will have to say “goodbye” to kayaking season soon.  I like to kayak in the Hudson River over at Pier 26.  They close that done around mid- October until spring.  I am sure I can have some fun bike riding more often in Prospect Park this fall instead.

This time of year I usually crave pumpkin breads, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  I really am not much of a pie eater but, I never can make it throughout fall and winter without making several pumpkin pies.  I even learned to make a dairy less, crust less one since I developed food allergies awhile back.  I also make gluten free pumpkin bread with nuts and cranberries.  I also like roasted beets, and thick soups filled with roasted squashes, carrots, onions, and then topped with pumpkin seeds and cranberries.

This year not only am I getting ready to crave the fall’s delicious flavors but, I decided I wanted more pumpkin in my wardrobe.   I wanted a bit more cranberry and blue as well.  Blue I will get to in another post. 

The whole spring and summer I let most of my black clothing just hang in the closet.  Only on a few occasions did I wear more than half a black outfit.  New Yorkers tend to wear far too much black and I felt like I just had had my fill for a while.  So I am cutting back on black.  Typically I like to liven up my black outfits with quite a bit of red, which I will still do.  I had decided in the last couple of years to increase grey in my wardrobe as an alternative to black. I still prefer the grey but this year I don’t need many clothes added to my wardrobe, so what I do add I wanted to be colorful.

I had found a BeeBop and Wally vintage inspired soft brown polka dot skirt a couple of months back at a Salvation Army for $7.00. The polka dots are crème colored and pumpkin.  I have worn it several times with a white eyelet fabric hand me down blouse from my mother.  I am not sure if the blouse was my mother’s or grandmother’s.  This skirt will look great in the fall and winter with tights and a sweater.  I have an old pumpkin colored wool sweater that I can pair with it as well.  Plus I have a thick cotton cable crème colored sweater which will be cozy on colds days with the skirt.

The other pumpkin item I found was a men’s cowboy shirt sized medium; however it ran so small it fits me perfectly!  It is made of a warm thick cotton covered with small flowers in brown and crème and has little crème colored snaps on the wrists and down the front instead of buttons.  I found it at St. Luke’s thrift shop for $7.50 on a half off sale.  The thrift shop seems to be having some great sales since they had to give up their back room to the children’s school next door.  They haven’t much space now so they are having frequent sales! Lucky me!  Last time I found a half off sale there I came away with a lovely sage green Three Dot viscose dress made in the USA for $7.00.

I had been yearning for a bright red cardigan sweater and searching high and low and just not finding one.  Then one day I was in the West Village and stopped by Stella Dallas Living, a lovely vintage shop.  I was enjoying looking at all its lovely dresses and coats.  I had just left when outside I spotted a barrel of antique silk scarves and next to it a rack of cashmere sweaters.  I decided to buy a cranberry antique Lord and Taylor’s cashmere sweater.  It was $30 and in perfect condition.  Considering how I had been looking so much and couldn’t even find a new one for that price that I liked, I was happy to find it at last.

I also have a cranberry long sleeve tee shirt that hasn’t been getting much wear.  It’s still pretty, so therefore I am going to upcycle it into a dress.  I have silk fabric from what used to be an old cranberry colored maxi dress.  I am going to attach the two, make a shorter dress and use a decorated brocade ribbon to tie the look together.

Those are a few of my fall clothing pieces that I am looking forward to enjoying.  I am eager to see the leaves changing and plan on going up to Westchester County, NY at some point for an afternoon.  The pictures in this post of woods were taken up in Armonk, NY when my mother used to live there.  Two years ago I took a train ride up the Hudson River to Peekskill, NY.  Then I took a long walk across the river on a bridge.  The trees below lined the river and there is a section of forest across the river, to walk through.  An afternoon such as that is what I am craving!