Preppy Sweater + Skirt Outfit & Trying To Be a "Fall Person."

     How darling is this preppy outfit, which is perfect for chillier fall days? I think a lot of times us girls fall into the pattern of repeating very "basic" fall outfits over and over: your standard skinny jeans, sweater or flannel, and blanket scarf type combo. Don't get me wrong- of course I do enjoy wearing casual and cozy outfits like that, but they can definitely get old real fast if that's all I wear in the fall! So I've been trying to still come up with cute and creative fall outfits, even living here in Vermont! In this post I'm also talking about how Vermont has inspired me to make an effort to try and become more of a "fall season" person this year!

Photography by Melissa Lynn Studios

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Sweater c/o // Skirt c/o // Boots // Leg Warmers {old, very similar here} // Bag // Bracelets c/o // Earrings c/o // Lipstick c/o // 

      First up- the outfit! Since sharing this sweater on Instagram, I've gotten so many questions about it! It's from my favorite online retailer, Shein. 😊 If you're not shopping at Shein, you NEED to be! Think of it as the online Forever 21- super low prices, so some items will reflect the low price with their quality. But there's also a lot of hidden gems to be found!! I promise next month I will finally try and get up a guide for my best tips to shopping there- overall I've been so impressed with most of the things I have from there. Anyways, I love the pearls and bell sleeves on this sweater, it's too feminine and cute! It comes in a few colors as well.


     I also love this skirt!! I think it will easily transition well for winter outfits, and I can already envision it paired with tights and more wintery sweaters. It's definitely modest enough to wear to work, and I can't wait to wear it for both work and weekend activities. It's from a retailer that I've noticed does run small for skirts, so I ordered an M in this skirt, instead of my usual size S. The M fit perfectly! Lastly- I know you can't see my earrings in too many of these photos, but I'm obsessed with them! They're a gorgeous pale pink, and such fun statement earrings for fall and winter outfits.


   
     The photos in this blog post were taken at Cold Hollow Cider Mill, which is one of Vermont's most popular fall destinations, especially with tourists! They make their own apple cider, and apple cider donuts, which as you can see from the photos I enjoyed trying! (They weren't bad, but would have been better if they were hot lol!! The package they sold me had cold donuts...) Even though I'm all about enjoying a good cider donut, I can't help the fact that fall is just not my season. I am a spring girl through and through! And goodness gracious, spring was a magical time in Charlotte. Ugh- I will get sentimental if I think about it for too long!


     Anyways, even though fall isn't really my thing and never has been, bottom line is that my career has brought me to one of the fall capitals of the US. So I am making quite the effort this year to embrace this season and find joy in it! I haven't made a definitive "fall bucket list," as most traditional fall activities like apple picking and visiting corn mazes are things that I grew up doing since I'm from Maine, but I'm more just trying to change my way of viewing this season, and still do a few fall activities that might be new-ish to me! Here are a few:


      *Spend a weekend afternoon driving somewhere outside of Burlington and "leaf peeping" like a tourist - We had a late start to fall this year thanks to a super warm September so I still have time to cross this one off, either this weekend or next I hope!


      *Bake three apple recipes - Check!! I bought fresh apples from a farm store in a neighboring town, and made apple muffins, apple cinnamon bread, and apple pie!


     *Bake a pumpkin recipe - I'm not really a fan of pumpkin pie, but it doesn't feel right to let the season go by and not make something with pumpkin as well! Maybe pumpkin muffins?


     *Watch a fall themed movie - I hate horror films / anything scary or creepy so most fall Halloween movies are OUT in terms of my taste!! I ended up finding a cute fall movie to watch on the Hallmark Channel! It was actually set in Vermont, so I enjoyed it!


    *Decorate my apartment for fall - I am HUGE on Christmas decorating, and can't wait to dive into that in the week after Halloween. This year I decided to try and move some of that enthusiasm over the fall decorating! While I didn't quite go all out in my apartment, I had fun putting together a cute fall theme with decor on my dining room table (see it in Friday's post!).


     *Make plans for Friendsgiving - This is still a ways out and Thanksgiving comes at the end of fall, but this is something I really wanted to do last year in Charlotte and was so bummed didn't work out! So it's going to happen this year!!! I'm not able to travel for Thanksgiving this year due to work, so some sort of an informal Friendsgiving will be happening I hope.



     By doing all of these things one at a time, it is starting to change my attitude about the season! Fall will never be my favorite- I'll always be a spring girl at heart, but positivity is key to enjoying any season of life, literally and figuratively! 😉 Which season is your favorite? Have you found any good tips to enjoying the seasons that you don't like more?

     God Bless,



     xoxo Annaliese