Even those of us who were clinging to the last bit of summer cannot deny the fact that autumn is definitely in the air. While some people are happy to wear their trench coats in the summertime when it’s nippy, I’m a steadfast believer in not taking out my coat until the leaves show their first hints of change…which I did yesterday! It’s coat and boot season again, ladies, and luckily there are some super fantastic deals out there, like this ladylike trench from Forever 21. After searching for a trench coat for two years, I finally found this one, which actually fits my five-foot-nothing frame! You can’t see it online, but it also has a really sweet beige and red lining.

 Of course, fall doesn’t mean that the dresses need to be put away! I’m absolutely in love with this sunshiney number from Anthropologie, which I think would brighten even the gloomiest of days. Doesn’t it remind you of golden fall leaves?

And, of course, there is nothing harder to find than a pair of boots when you’re a) short and b) blessed with…er…athletically muscular calves (or, as a girl in a shoe store in London once called them, “Nice, chunky calves!”…or, as they were once described as, “Daikon calves”).  This pair from Naturalizer is a wonderfully roomy 16 inches around for their regular size and is also available in wide sizes.

Happy autumnal shopping!

The reason for the very long delay in this posting is that I was traveling…but I didn’t forget about Frock Files! In fact, I was busy doing research (ie: falling in love with more dresses). My primary goal in Chicago: find Forever 21 and buy at least four dresses. I think it’s safe to say that this was one mission that was very well accomplished. My absolute favorite purchase was this super comfy dress, which is properly named Brilliant. I’m practically living in the thing! The best thing? It’s $11. Does it get any better than that?

Also, last night my very dear friend Erika showed up to dinner in the cutest ballet flats. She said she got them from Old Navy, so I immediately logged on to their website once I got home (I don’t even know where there’s one near me) and found these, which I think are great and springlike with this dress. At $12, you’d have an adorable outfit for less than $25!

My smart smart smart sister told me about Mila Jovovich’s line for Go International, for Target, and today I went to check it out…so good! This dress is the kind of perfectly simple spring dress that I absolutely cannot wait to wear. It shouts, “SUNSHINE!” and believe me, anything that can make it feel warmer is more than welcome.

And because we can all use all the luck we can get, I think this lucky elephant necklace is absolutely perfect!

Here are two of my favorite things in the world: bunnies and sweets. With Easter coming up, both are everywhere, as are pretty pastels that are a reminder that the flowers will be bursting to life soon. Aaaaannnyyyy day now. In the meantime, I think we should wear the colors in order to coax them out. How about this cute number from Forever 21? Sweet and not overtly girly, but delicately cupcake-y enough to look scrumptious!

(At $27 you can’t beat it…)

I am very excited by the fact that there is still sunlight at five o’clock in the evening. So excited, in fact, that I’ve probably jumped the gun a little bit by beginning to look at light-as-feather cotton dresses and open toe sandals that, if purchased now, would have to sit in my closet for months and months before being worn outside. You’d think that knowing these things would keep me from so much as looking — but the hopeful, Hawaii-girl side of me can’t help falling in love with things like this navy blue embroidered dress from Forever 21. Classic, easy, and at $25, nice to your checking account too.

But I have to tell you, what I’m really in love with are these metallic sandals by Joie! I think they’ll be the perfect shoe — the shoe that I would wear all spring and summer long, which is the only way you could justify their hefty price tag. Well, that, and the fact that the dress was a steal.