Autumn equinox edition, 2023

In pursuit of things that make life special this fall

Hello and happy autumn! Welcome to fall seasonal recommendations from The Bell: special content for paid subscribers. Thank you so much for supporting my work—you are the ones who make it possible for me to dedicate so much time and love to creating this weekly newsletter. I’m absolutely thrilled you find it so valuable!

This is the second of a quarterly series where I’ll share a long list of my best tips for making life special and living well during each season—81 this time! Think of it as a much expanded edition of the Friday recommendations newsletter.

As always, I love to hear from you. Please share your best autumn recs in the comments, my Instagram DMs, or by hitting reply to this email.

Wearing

• Aviator sunglasses

• A fresh cotton baseball cap

• Jewelry with presence

• Deep red nails

• Straight jeans (love these at a lower price point)

• Turtleneck sweater

• Barn jacket (love this at a lower price point and wider size range)

• Ballet flats

• Olive chinos

• Slip dress

• And 32 other wishlist items in this post

Treating

• Hanging a picture light over your favorite painting

  I take stock of my home’s lighting this time of year, and make sure I have enough lamps and candles for a sufficiently soft, glowy feel throughout the season. A picture light is a great way to highlight your favorite artwork, add some indirect light to the room, and introduce some academic library vibes—what could be better? The one linked above is plug-in; here’s one I love for hard-wiring.

• Buying some art

  It’s a great time to give your home a refresh, and many antiques shows happen in September and October. Or, spend some time on Instagram—many artists have accounts showcasing their work and you can buy directly from them. Or my favorite hack: buying pages from an old book at a flea market and framing them beautifully.

• Snacking on Trader Joe’s cinnamon-dusted Toscano cheese on Trader Joe’s pumpkin cranberry crisps

  Name a more iconic fall pairing.

• Drinking hot spiced apple cider

  I’m just not a pumpkin spiced latte person, but you do you! For my sweet drink fix in the fall, I’d far rather wrap cold hands around a hot spiced apple cider, either homemade or from a coffee shop.

• Spreading apple butter on toast

  Or dolloping it on yogurt, pancakes, vanilla ice cream, or even cheese and charcuterie. The options are endless. It’s easy to find this time of year at most supermarkets, or you can make it at home—it’s an excellent gift!

• Choosing a few new candles

  Woodsy, leathery, cabin-y scents are my favorite right now. We love this one at our house and I’m very much eyeing this one.

• Switching to a fall perfume for the change of seasons

  I’m drawn to more earthy, fruity scents in the fall. I wear this one almost every day until the first snow. It smells like the entire fig tree: fruit, leaves, bark—and it would also be great in the summer. I prefer an eau de toilette, but go for the eau de parfum if you have dry skin (where perfume wears off quickly) or want a larger dose of scent.

• Savoring a Chocolove salted almond butter dark chocolate bar

  I just love almond butter and chocolate right now. Reminds me of coming from school and finding my mom had baked peanut butter cookies.