Fall, Plaid, and Jane Eyre Revisited

I have been dying to dive into everything plaid and tights ever since it officially became fall. But, the weather in Washington rarely cooperates, and in true spastic fashion it has been in the upper sixties up to the eighties for a few months now. Which is mild weather, to say the least, but definitely not weather one can comfortably endure tights, a turtleneck, and a heavy skirt in. Then this week, we had one day of cool weather, and I jumped at the opportunity to style this gorgeous plaid and floral skirt (combining my two favorite patterns!) with some tights and fall colors, and run to one of the prettiest parks to shoot some photos. 

It’s pretty cliche as a blogger to admit I love fall, but it’s quite true. I’m not great with heat, nor do I love constant rain. But fall here in Washington? It’s nearly perfect. The air is crisp in the morning, sometimes bringing in a mysterious fog from the water. The leaves turn a glorious cacophony of colors from maroon to bright red to orange to yellow, sometimes neon in their eagerness to outshine each other until the hills are a rainbow of autumn colors. The days are mild, neither too warm nor too cold. Those kinds of days where a brisk walk is appreciated, where you could spend all day curled up with a book or exploring the countryside, where smoke curls lazily from the chimneys of the houses you drive past. 

It’s all too easy to become smitten with fall here. Bright berries make a stark contrast against branches that are beginning to lose their leaves, and the evergreens add a feeling of perpetual youth to the landscape.

Every autumn, I am struck with the desire to re-read my favorite book, part of the namesake of this blog. Though Jane Eyre takes place in many seasons, there is something about the story that speaks of fall to me. Perhaps it’s the Gothic Romance, the dark tones that pervade even as the story lightens. Perhaps it’s the briskness of the English countryside that you can feel through the words on the page. Perhaps it’s the meekness yet passion of Jane that, much like the meekness of the weather yet the bursting passion of the changing leaves, reminds me of autumn.

Whatever it is, these months you will find me drinking lots of tea, taking long walks in solitary places, and delving deep into the mystery of Thornfield. What gets you into the autumn mood?

 Top, thrifted (similar) | belt, from a different dress (similar) | brooch, Spellbound Whimsy | Skirt, Facebook BST (similar) | Tights, c/o We Love Colors | heels, thrifted {similar)