Pepper Design Blog

Falling For Fall… A Little Inspiration Board

It is a crisp but sunny day here in San Diego and I am soaking up our delicious fall weather. Fall has always been my favorite time of the year and especially for the weather right around this time, too. It’s cold enough at night to enjoy slippers and coco (I’ve made myself a mug a couple of times this past week, with marshmallows – I totally recommend it) but still sunny enough during the day to enjoy being outside for a nice walk at lunch or after work.

I’ve been known to pull out fall wear too early in September and October – you can’t wear knee high boots and layers of socks and cowl neck sweaters in San Diego during these months or you will boil. But now we are close! Maybe a couple of weeks away. And to all of you enjoying snow in your parts, insert my jealous grin here .

Gold sequin dress, cowboy print, glitter nail laquer, baby fisherman’s cardigan, baby Frida skirt, rocking bird, button booties, rock lamp base

That baby fisherman’s cardigan is amazing, as are those leather booties! And the cowboy print. Hope you are enjoying your fall!

Wardrobe Style Boards: Inspired by Spain

Rather than share a few of my favorite packing list items for Spain as I did for Ireland, I thought I’d share two style boards inspired by what I saw, loved and wished I had brought with me! (PS a round up of all style boards can be found right here, including detailed info on sources).

Just as expected, Spanish women dazzled. They wore unforgivingly beautiful clothing on an everyday basis – the same ones that we might reserve for special occasions. They are unabashed about their jewelry selections and their shoes made you wonder ‘oooh, I wonder how she does that?’. Even Kevin remarked on how nice everyone always looked. And for someone not so concerned with appearances, that’s an observation.

I came with a stash of cotton dresses, braided belts, staple cardigans, a bright skirt and a few sets of earrings to switch out over our ten days, and I thought I’d do well in my one pair of very comfortable Seychelles sandals and grey Toms to troll the city in (left my beloved rainbow flops in SD by accident). When we arrived in Spain after Ireland though (more on the full adventure here), those beautifully warm days and nights that we had planned for soon turned cool and chilly (and some days really wet), unexpected weather that left me reaching for my Ireland pile! It all worked out perfectly, but if I could repack a late-September suitcase of must-haves for the beautiful cities of Spain, here’s what I’d take:

Brightly colored pants are all over the place! Much like here, but with a more free flowing harem twist. I loved the ruched, formal (70′s!) pleated pant waists that narrowed down to a tight cuff on the calf. They looked incredibly comfortable, and when paired with a flowy floral tank, cardigan and wooden heels – awesome. I might not trot around Spain in heels like this, but I am surely impressed by the Spanish women who do!

My second favorite Spanish trend were the beautiful three-quarter length silk blouses that women casually and effortlessly wore everywhere. They’d sit on the patio at a local cafe with a glass of wine watching their kids play at the little park (there’s at least one every two blocks), their silk blouses rolled to their elbows, stacks of bracelets casually clinking as they chatted and laughed with one another. I wanted to bottle it up and bring it home.

White blouse found here. And with a blue blouse? Can’t help myself.

I managed to find one silk blouse, one set of skinny cords and a thin red beaded bracelet to bring home as my own Spanish wardrobe contributions. Perhaps those fabulous silk blouses will make their way to playgrounds here? I’m not sure I could master the everyday European flair that these women embody (oh that polished, unafraid-of-overdoing-it confidence!) but next time, maybe I’ll pack a few comfy cropped trousers. They might actually be perfect for travel.

The entire wardrobe style boards section + links to the above can be found right here.