The leaves, the weather, the clothes, our BMIs – they’re all officially on the *turn* and I’ve gotta say, I could not be happier to see autumn’s peachy chops. Although, I could have sworn March happened all but 4 seconds ago. Sacrebleu!
Today I have eaten *drumroll please*: toast, a chicken salad sandwich (the salad is merely there to add a taste of irony), pie and mash, 3 skewers of toasted marshmallows which I massively cocked up because I left them under the grill too long and they kinda died a bit. I’m not done though…
Half a bag of Halloween Limited Edition Percy Pigs, a Whisper Gold and a mini mince pie. Abs are great and everything but have you tried gluttony?
Oh man, I sound like my grandad. He used to call our home phone every night to speak to my mum but if he got the answering machine, he’d just say “Hi Linda, this is dad. I’ve had 7 peas with a couple of sausages, a tin of pilchards, a banana” so yeah, apparently I’m my grandad now.
Who cares if you’re over achieving in the calorie department anyway? It’s autumn pal – we’ve all gotta get pumpkin patch body ready. It’s the new beach body ready, god Karen you’re so stupid.
A quick scroll of Instagram would suggest I’m not the only one completely and utterly wonderstruck by this time of year. And who can blame us?
The days are sunny ‘n’ crisp, the squirrels are coming out-out & we can eat all the stodgy crumbles and pub-grub puddings with lashings of custard because we know our roomy knitwear will take one for the team.
The only thing I’m not here for are those buxom garden spiders with their web-building butts. I’m gonna go ahead and presume it comes from their butts anyway… oh, oh I Googled. Don’t ever Google. A spider produces its web from its spinnerets at the end of its abdomen, and in those so called spinnerets are its silk glands.
Just when you think a spider can’t get any worse, Google goes and gives it a silk-spitting abdomen. Christ.
But other than that, autumn is a sexy beast innit?
We – myself and the Ginger Wizard – walked down into Brighton to get some breakfast at the weekend {sourdough, scrambled egg & “posh” bacon} and I think I uttered the words, ‘I just love autumn’ approximately 14 times.
I have reason to believe I was one more soppy October declaration away from Joe cramming a conker in my gob – autumn’s version of summer’s dandelion prank, if you will.
Moving on. You know those satin slip dresses we all lost our tiny minds over this summer? Well, don’t go squishing them down into your heavy duty vacuum bags and banishing them to the attic like Brontë’s Bertha Mason just yet old sport.
Knitwear, layering, satin slip dress, texture, an outfit as practical as it is bougie – ya see where I’m going with this? Your summer slip dress isn’t fit for flogging at the car boot yet, dear readers.
Without sounding like a total dick swab (no you’re obsessed with Killing Eve), I’ve been trying to make my wardrobe go a little further by repurposing some of my summer pieces.
I’ve come to realise I don’t have to assume my summer purchases are off limits simply because it’s *slightly* colder and darker now. I know, I know – as epiphanies go, that was as disappointing as the Bodyguard ending but let’s roll with it.
In my defence, the jumper over your slip dress thing is pretty life changing huns. Hear me out. Not only do you look effortlessly put together ~ when really you don’t own an iron and your version of staying hydrated is pumping eye drops into your pupils twice a day ~ but you’ll also be comfortable AND warm.
It’s a Christmas miracle.
The slip dress + chunky knitwear combo seems to kinda say, I woke up in last night’s outfit, I’ve got stories to tell and Sambuca on my breath and now I’m on the hunt for a decent cup of Joe. Enchanté!
It’s both uncomplicated and intriguing and it’s a look I can really get on board with tbh. The chunky oversized knit will ease you into your seasonal wardrobe nicely, while the glossy slip dress will add a liberal pinch of d-r-a-m-a.
I say ‘ease’ you in but eager Ethel over here is hanging out the window for the first whiff of petrichor & pumpkin pulp from the first of September, so I need zero convincing. I do however need help.
I look forward to hat hair. I welcome the exchange of dry static shock between strangers in Tesco when we’re all grabbing our premature Family Circle biscuit box. Yes Karen, I am buying them now because I want to beat the f*cking feral rush mmmk.
I feel more connected to both myself & to my surroundings at this time of year. Like I’m suddenly waking up to this extra slice of existence.
Kinda like the opposite of a hedgehog. I hibernate between the months of March and August and then boom, I’m here. Please don’t stop leaving cat food out on your doorstep for me. I’m a beautiful anomaly but I still get hungry.
There’s no end to the ways you can style your knitwear but layering it over a slip is a great way to get more mileage out of your evening wear, all the while keeping your nips suitably snug as a bug.
Meet you down the biscuit aisle pals.
Love you bye.
~ This post was created in collaboration with Matalan ~
Photography by Nadia Meli
Contrast lace up cable knit jumper: Matalan
Red Jumper: Matalan
Pink slip dress: Zara (similar here)
Green slip dress: Topshop
