Fall has always been my favorite season. At home on the East Coast, as soon as September hits, my life is full of crisp air, apple picking, falling leaves, hot drinks and sweaters. In New Orleans, however, we experienced the hottest summer on record and are currently experiencing the most intense El Niño. An environmental event that dictates global weather patterns means that New Orleans will continue to be an absolute furnace.
So, as I embark on my first semester at Tulane, my biggest fear is not the academics or my social life. It’s how I will be able to make it feel like fall in this heat. Obviously cozy clothes are out of the question, but fall tones are so in. I am currently scrambling to fill my closet with as many shades of brown and red as possible. I am currently obsessed with Hollister’s burgundy lace cami, and the Barely Bare tank from Free People. Boots are also helping fill the autumn sized hole in my heart, especially dark, chocolatey brown, slouchy ones paired with a jean skirt. I love the Free People motorcycle boots (can you sense a theme), and of course the Steve Madden ones are perfection as well.
Lastly, I am doing everything I can to bring the magic of the fall season into my life. One way I am doing this is by wearing copious amounts of purple and silver to feel as much like a witch as possible. To dive deeper into this aesthetic, I have resurrected my tarot cards, and whenever I yearn for mystical fall vibes, I do a reading surrounded by crystals. Unfortunately, I can’t light any candles to feel even witchier, but incense diffusers do the trick. If you can stomach it, without dying of a childish-scent-induced migraine, Bath and Body Works’ Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Wallflower is pure bliss.
I know nothing will mold New Orleans and its swampy weather to my Pinterest fall aesthetic, but there are still so many ways to embrace the season. Who knows, maybe four years from now while I’m living in my dream New York City apartment, with red and orange leaves drifting past my window, I’ll be yearning for steamy New Orleans and its beautifully haunting, ever-grey, Spanish moss.
