fall back position

My favorite issue of the year….

Fall’s back…and so am I. With bags and belts and shoes and sweaters on the brain.

This seems to happen like clockwork when the hefty September issue of Harper’s Bazaar hits my mailbox, jump-starting that even-though-it’s-still-70-degrees-out-I-need-to-wear-burgundy-and-leather-right-this-minute feeling. (This, by the way, is a habit that goes all the way back to high school. Was it just me, or did everyone hit the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale each July and wear sweltering outfits the first week of school, hot weather be damned?)

Some things never change. And now I need to buy:

Jeweled leopard earrings

A black leather top

A grey crewneck sweatshirt

A boldly-colored print silk scarf

A peplum top

A traditional navy or black peacoat

A gold tote

All of which sounds perfectly lovely, except that if I followed Bazaar’s lead, my fall-wardrobe budget would land somewhere in the $8,160 range.

I could also do it my way for $651. And so could you….