September Favorites

short and sweet

Unlike August, September felt like it went by at lightning speed. While I was looking at the calendar, I was in a bit of disbelief that I had indeed not written and released August’s favorites last weekend. Alas, here I am to tell you what I loved this month — even if it felt short, it was sweet.

Cardigans

I got a small taste of Fall with a few days of lower temperatures. I got to wear a few cardigans I had slowly been taking out to make their yearly debut. Coincidentally and unintentionally, most are from the same place. What can I say? When I find something I love, you can bet I’ll buy it in more colors. First up was a new color addition to my wardrobe with this rose-y pink cardigan. I particularly love this color because it is speckled with various pink hues.

I also recently acquired this one after falling in love with the softness and coziness of this light beige one I purchased in the summer (yeah, I know, buying a sweater during the summer — but I couldn’t pass it up once it was in stock after I missed it last Fall!). This is probably the softest sweater I’ve tried at Sézane and is one of my favorites. I know Emile is often a fan favorite, but if you’re looking for a billowy sleeve and a smoother texture I’d go with this gal. 

Lastly, this chocolate-y brown (the picture doesn’t do it justice!) cashmere cardigan I bought during the summer. It’s insanely soft and I love the versatility of the shape — it lends itself well to wearing it over the shoulders. 

Side note: Summer is often my favorite time to peruse for sweaters because you can get clear about what you want while still finding a decent amount of size range and colors in stock to figure out your perfect fit. 

Navy Striped Trousers

Since I couldn’t stop talking about how much I loved these trousers, I decided to get another pair. I had been eyeing this blazer for a while, but to my disappointment it never came back in stock. I decided to pick up the trousers and forgo the latest blazer iteration. Safe to report that the trousers have been in heavy rotation. I often want to wear them multiple times a week.

Merit Beauty Bag

While I haven’t ordered anything from Merit, my friend gifted me an extra merit beauty bag she had. I’m sure you’ve seen it, it’s a mustard-y yellow that you can tie shut. I’ve been using it as a purse to add some color to outfits. It actually fits quite a decent amount inside which isn’t surprising because it’s meant to be filled with makeup goodies. I’ve been carrying it around and I even get asked where it’s from. To everyone’s surprise, they’re shocked to hear it’s Merit’s beauty bag. If you haven’t purchased anything from them before — it comes for free with your first purchase. I also just love the reusability of it — some of us use it to store their makeup and some of us use it as a purse and I bet some of us use it for both. My friend also gifted me the Great Skin serum to try — I cannot wait until my skin calms down (I’ve been breaking out a bit lately) to see how I like it. 

Olive Green Skirt

I’m here to admit an instagram ad got me. I was out and about and I texted my husband to reverse Google search the image for me. As luck would have it, it was on sale and there was one left in stock in my size (available in navy here). I ordered it immediately. I don’t have any skirts in my closet, mainly because I just hadn’t found any I loved or felt that I needed to have. As you may know (or maybe not), I’m obsessed with olive green. I often have to practice self restraint when I see anything in this color. 

What really caught my eye was the belt that dangled alongside the model. I also really loved that there was a slit in the front and back. I will admit, upon taking it out of the packaging I wasn’t sure I was going to love that but it actually works really well.

I received the stamp of approval from a stranger on the street who complimented my outfit as she walked by. It is 100% virgin wool, which I’m excited about because I am hoping I can style it into fall and maybe winter depending on what I wear. While I don't want to copy paste the ad (even though it’s so good so I might as well), the styling opened my eyes to python kitten heels. If you see some of those in the future, you will know what sparked it. 

Men’s Jackets

We took a quick trip to Wisconsin and I wore an ecru denim jacket (almost identical here and cheaper with big pockets option here) I purchased at a men’s store in CDMX. After putting it on, it was an instant winner, which is why it flew 700+ miles home with me. For our early flight to the Midwest, I decided to wear it as a jacket. To my surprise, I somehow became more enamored with it than I was originally. Apart from how it looked, I loved that my kindle easily fit in the front pocket. 

I don’t know what men did to deserve such roomy pockets but it might be a reason why I start looking in the men’s section more frequently when shopping for jackets. It is truly unreal how I could fit the entire contents of my purse in these pockets.

Unfortunately, one of the few pictures I’ve taken with this jacket.

Hydroflask Water Bottle

I had to replace my water bottle recently because I put it down at the airport and forgot to pick it back up when it was time to board. It was very much a you-don’t-miss-it-until-its-gone type of situation. Unfortunately, the airport never found it so I had to order a new one. 

The week I was without out was tough. I realized I drink a lot more water when I have my 40oz bottle around. Once I knew it wasn’t going to magically appear, there was no question I would be purchasing the same one again. When I’m trying to carry light, I opt for my 20oz bottle that I can easily carry in my work bag.

60ish Degree Mornings

At the start of the month, I noticed sunset creeping back to its Fall behavior and making its appearance earlier and earlier. The mornings were crisp and felt chilly if there was a slight breeze. 

These signs of Fall spurred my desire to throw on an oversized sweater until I was warmed up for my morning movement. I watched many sunrises and appreciated them fully — having zero urge to capture the moment. Even if I had, pictures never quite do them justice. There is nothing like experiencing them live. 

Gracie Abrams Concert

I finally got to see Gracie Abrams live a few weeks ago and it was probably one of my favorite concerts to date. To give you some context, I found Gracie Abram’s music during the pandemic. I recall how she would host zoom concerts for anyone who wanted to listen. A few years ago, I got tickets for one of her shows that ended up getting canceled. A year later she announced she was coming back and I gleefully wrote down the ticket release date. On ticket release date, a few minutes after launch the tickets were sold out. I felt a bit sad and my husband knew how much I was hoping to see her. I held out for resale tickets, but they were insanely expensive. 

Fast forward a few months later and my husband surprises me with a trip to Amsterdam (read about it here) during the same week Gracie Abrams was playing in town. He partly picked the city because he felt I would enjoy visiting but also because he was hoping he would find resale tickets to surprise me with. While we didn’t find any tickets for resale (she has a strong fanbase!), we had the most amazing week in Amsterdam. It was a few months after our honeymoon, so we often refer to the trip as our second honeymoon.

Earlier this year, Gracie announced her latest tour and as luck would have it one of our credit cards gave us access ahead of the public release. We finally managed to get tickets. 

Her voice is insanely beautiful live and her lyrics paint pictures. I didn’t understand what it was like to cry at concerts until I heard the songs I sang and played over and over again during the pandemic — a period of time that changed the trajectory of my life (and probably everyone else's!). I’ve never wanted to smile, sing and cry at the same time. Experiencing her music live was a dream. I tried to upload a video, but after attempting for an hour I’ll leave you with her Spotify profile.

All featured items linked here. 

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In disbelief that it’s already October. What did you love this past month? Let me know your favorites below.

xx Ofelia

Disclaimer: some links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small percentage from a sale. As always, anything that is linked are things I either own, recommend or would purchase myself.

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