Belle’s Weekly Reading: September 6, 2013

When you face a significant hardship, it’s easy to let it define you.  Whether your issue is substance abuse, a disability or a trauma you suffered in your past, you can’t let it be the thing that you believe defines you.  We are all more than the misfortune we must overcome.

1) The witty and fabulous Caitlin Moran has a wonderful essay in the Times UK entitled: My posthumous advice for my daughter.  Her life lessons include, “life divides into AMAZING ENJOYABLE TIMES and APPALLING EXPERIENCES THAT WILL MAKE FUTURE AMAZING ANECDOTES.”

2) I spotted these Chloe ballerina-inspired flats at Intermix earlier this year, but they were out of my price range.  Anh at 9-to-5 Chic posted these very similar Dee Keller flats to her Instagram, but honestly, I don’t know how wearable they would be with the pointe shoe strap.  Frankly, I think these Nine West Rubilynn flats with a structure bow on the strap are more versatile and professional.

3) The Kenneth Cole fashion label seems to think that making shallow and insensitive comments about current events in 140 characters or less is a great way to sell clothes.  Or, why you won’t ever see another Kenneth Cole item on this blog again.

4) Maison Scotch is quickly becoming one of my favorite clothing lines.  Their tweed jackets are perfection.

5) This post from Stylecaster, 101 Fashion Tips and Tricks Every Woman Should Know, is full of helpful hints. For example, did you know you can stop a mohair sweater from shedding by placing it in the freezer in a Ziploc bag for three hours?  Awesome.

6) Nordstrom proclaims Bordeaux lips and graphic eyeliner the top trends for fall.  Personally, I’m torn between Smashbox’s Be Legendary Lipstick in Plum Scene and Black Cherry. They’re both look gorgeous in photos, but I’ll need a visit to the department store to find the right shade for me.

7) Jim Thorpe, world-famous Olympian and one of the first internationally recognized Native Americans, is buried in Jim Thorpe, PA.  His relatives are fighting in court to have his remains moved to tribal land in Oklahoma, and the town is fighting to keep their namesake right where he is.  The story of how the town got his name and how his remains came to rest there is stranger than fiction.

8) I’ve been searching for a chunky knit scarf/snood since last fall.  I really like this black and white one from ASOS because it’s enormous, and reminds me of this Stella McCartney scarf that I love but cannot afford.  I also like this slightly smaller oatmeal one, it would look great with my olive field jacket.

9) If you watched the game last night, you saw the Tide commercial about a 49ers fan who tries to get revenge on his Ravens-loving wife by cheering against her team.  It was one of my favorite moments of the night…oh yeah, those seven TDs weren’t bad either.

10) How do you feel about wedge booties for fall?  I have a hard enough time embracing regular booties, so I’m pretty sure this is one style I will wholly ignore this season.  But I keep seeing them everywhere…thoughts?

11) Lastly, with the passing of Labor Day, fall has unofficially begun.  Which means that the Pumpkin Spice Latte insanity is upon us.

I loathe this treacly, calorie-laden concoction with a not-found-in-nature orange hue and its devotees, who are all too happy to rub salt in the open wound that is the end of summer just so they can be the first in their friend group to post #PSL on on Facebook.  There’s just something inherently wrong with people who will drink a pumpkin spice latte while wearing a sundress and sandals.  Luckily, someone out there understands.