The 2018 Autumn Bucket List

Hello, October! Autumn has officially arrived here in England, and I couldn’t be more happy about it. Although I am always a bit sad to say farewell to the end of the summer (I’m a warm weather girl at heart), I adore the traditions, the colours, and the feeling of change this time of year brings and always try to make the most of these gorgeous few months before winter arrives. Consider this your field guide to a Really Wonderful Autumn:

1. Get outside and enjoy the colours // Make the most of the last warm days of the year and take a road trip, a hike, or a long walk in the countryside to see the changing seasons and the golden leaves.

2. Go apple picking or foraging // Visit a local orchard, pumpkin patch, or produce farm where you can pick your own or forage for blackberries on the wild hedgerows. Come home and bake a pie with your bounty.

3. Visit a market // Pick up some coffee and spend the morning antiquing or treasure-hunting at a flea market before going for lunch nearby. Even if you don’t walk away with any gems, the hunt is half the fun. Meghan and I are going to Les Puces in Paris next weekend and I can’t wait to come home with some old French treasures.

4. Buy a gorgeous new coat // I’m a firm believer in treating yourself to one really good coat each year to make the prospect of dressing for the cold months ahead a little more bearable. Black and navy are of course timeless, but I like the idea of something more cheerful to brighten up grey days and all-black outfits. This coat was my 100% best buy last year (I wore it non-stop and will do so again this season – it seemed to work with everything in my wardrobe and feels like wearing a hug), and I just ordered this one in dusty rose to add to my collection.

5. … and donate your old ones // The changing seasons might be magical for those of us who have warm homes to go to each night, but for those less fortunate it can be the opposite. Consider donating all the old coats, scarves and sweaters you no longer wear or love to those less fortunate. In London I drop mine at the Wrap Up donation points each November, but there are charities everywhere that will grateful accept your donations. At this time of year I also take all my old towels and blankets to my local animal shelter (they are always in need of these items to keep their rescue animals warm and comfortable).

6. Have a big clear-out // The change of seasons is the perfect time for a clean start. Spend a weekend going through your cupboards, drawers, closet, makeup bag, and bookshelves and have an almighty de-clutter and deep clean. Pull everything out, clean, and only return the things you genuinely love and use often. The too-small jeans and pile of magazines you still haven’t read? Pass them onto someone else who will use them.

7. Give your place a cosy makeover // Once you’ve cleaned and purged, it’s time to make your home as inviting as possible for the cold evenings ahead. Swap anything too summery for more seasonal accessories and decorations, add some velvet cushions and a cosy faux fur blanket to your living room, a few houseplants (to clean the air when it’s too chilly to throw the windows open), and stock up on tea and gorgeous scented candles to enjoy each evening. Hibernate in style, my friends!

8. Throw a Halloween movie night for your girlfriends // Celebrate Halloween like you’re a teenager again and have a movie night or sleepover at your place. Popcorn, pumpkin pie, too much chocolate and Hocus Pocus are all non-negotiable!

9. Visit a castle or haunted house // Continue the Halloween theme and pay a visit to a haunted mansion or a castle in the countryside somewhere. I’m visiting Chateau Chambord in the Loire Valley with my friend Anne next weekend and I cannot wait!

10. Make your own autumnal bouquets // Gather some beautiful fresh flowers from the market (I love all the gorgeous dahlias and sunflowers that are in abundance right now) and add some wild foliage or woody herbs to make your own floral masterpiece. Add a few pumpkins and candles and you have a statement centrepiece.

11. Spend an entire Sunday curled up with a good book // Is there anything more wonderful than a no-plans weekend? Turn a day off into a day of blissful hibernation with some candles, a pot of tea, a jazzy soundtrack and a stack of magazines or a new book you’ve been wanting to read.

12. Try a new lipstick colour // Autumn is the perfect time to experiment with colour and be a little braver with makeup. I’m getting Invisalign in a few weeks (which will apparently preclude me from wearing bright lipstick for a year, eek!) so I’m making the most of being able to wear bold, berry lipsticks every day while I can!

13. Make your own soup // There are few things more comforting than the smell of homemade soup bubbling away on the stovetop. Pick up some fresh bread and new-season produce at the market and make a big batch of soup – I love tomato minestrone with pesto, sweet potato and chilli, Thai tom yum, or black bean and chipotle. Freeze some and you’ll always have emergency meals on hand that you can put straight in the microwave when you’re too tired to cook.

14. Have a bonfire party // I love both the British tradition of Bonfire Night and the American tradition of campfires and s’mores. I plan to combine both the first weekend in November by gathering friends to watch the fireworks with hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows to keep us cosy.

15. Try a new hobby or embrace a new habit // The new season is the perfect time to set some new habits or work on the goals we want to achieve by the end of 2018. I’ve just started French classes, am trying to make more time for reading and self care in the evenings (vs just abruptly going to bed exhausted), and am working on re-setting my health and fitness habits (after completely falling off the gym wagon over the summer).

Wearing: J. Crew coat (runs large so take a size smaller than usual) // Charlotte Olympia shoes // Chanel bag // Gap jeans // Gant shirt c/- (past season but similar style here) // Karen Walker sunglasses (also come in black) // J. Crew earrings // Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in ‘Red Carpet Red’ // Deborah Lippmann nail polish in ‘Miss Independent’.

How are you celebrating the new season? Let me know if you’re trying any of these things. Happy autumn everyone!

Love, Briony xx