LE CATCH

My friends on both coasts keep asking me to share my personal fall shopping list, specifically, the ten things I want to buy--right now. This year, my list includes: a statement sweater (or two or three!), a low-heeled boot, leather pants (which I already acquired from H&M in both black and oxblood), a boxy, oversized motorcycle jacket (a la Proenza), a sleek coat (check, with some leopard trim, no less!), a fashion week and beyond-worthy choker necklace, a layer-under-everything lightweight turtleneck, feminine black loafers, and something furry. Every week from here on out, I will round up my favorites in each of these categories and share them with you (as I've been asked by many of you to do). I begin with the statement sweater--the chicest way to keep warm this winter.

I thought it was love at first sight. I spotted an oversize white sweater on a mannequin at Zara, styled with the sleeves rolled up and a knee-length skirt. It looked exactly right: comfortably stylish. Like something I'd live in all winter long. But when I tried it on, it looked more like I was wearing one of my husband's sweaters. Not right at all. When I left the fitting room, I concluded that I definitely need a oversize sweater but not one that is so extra large it looks like a baggy sack. Finding one that strikes the extra large-but-flattering balance is no easy feat, but I managed to find a few such as this J.Crew, this Equipment, this Gucci and this L'Agence, along with a few snaps of girls, who pull off this big-next-season look with aplomb.

$155, piperlime

This just may be the best way to buy into fall's sophisticated moto-inspired boot trend.

1. J.Crew cashmere sweater, $288, jcrew.com
2. Mulberry wool and silk blazer, $1900, netaporter.com
3. Smith+Mara ear cuff, $250, shopbop.com
4. Bauble Bar ring set, $28, baublebar.com
5. Sam Edelman buckle boots, $155, piperlime.com
6. Issa pants, $325, netaporter.com

$175, shopbop

These studs would give me the double ear pierced look I don't have but (sometimes) want--along with a good dose of sparkle. (You can tell I really like them as I featured them in silver yesterday!). I'd rock them casually like this...

1. Acne Studios wool and mohair sweater, $380, matchesfashion.com
2. Elizabeth and James earrings, $175, shopbop.com
3. Dolce & Gabbana Beauty Voluptuous Lipstick in Italian Monica, $34, nordstrom.com
4. Kate Spade top handle bag, $498, piperlime.com
5. Simone Rocha chain-embellished flat, $885, netaporter.com
6. AG Jeans, $115, theoutnet.com

Pulling off fall's new layered trend has just been made a whole lot easier thanks to J.Crew's genius shirt/sweater hybrids. They come in various color combos, but my favorites include the one, above, and this one and this one (in red). P.S. J.Crew is offering 25% off select fall styles with the code SHOPNOW through 8/25.

$67, asos

This clutch is the kind of conversation piece that gets me chatting away.

1. Stella McCartney dress, $1290, netaporter.com
2. Elizabeth and James earrings, $175, shopbop.com
3. Asos sequin tassel clutch, $67, asos.com
4. Via Spiga metallic silver sandals, $250, nordstrom.com

On a drizzly day late last week, I took my five-year-old son to the surf shop, where I came across some white braided rope bracelets, the kind I bought and wore every summer when I was a kid. With every dip in the ocean and water-skiing loop around the bay, the bracelet would slowly shrink to fit my wrist, so that by summer's end it was impossible to slip off my hand. Just the way I liked it. I offered to buy a rope bracelet for my son, telling him how much I loved wearing one every summer, explaining how it aged and frayed with the sun and salt. Nope, he didn't want it. Not even a little bit. Instead, he asked for a red frisbee. Fast forward to this morning, when I spotted this braided bracelet, with undone tasseled ends, glinty, gold and grown-up. My new version of the rope bracelet.

$350, nordstrom

It's a pump! It's a bootie! It's a definite fall statement.

1. Marni floral print dress, $1970, netaporter.com
2. Isabel Marant crystal ring set, $100, netaporter.com
3. Asos lip bag, $32, asos.com
4. Tory Burch cut-out pumps, $350, nordstrom.com

Nothing beats a cozy sweater once temperatures start to dip except a cozy furry sweater. It's one of fall's key pieces that I want to wear, because it will add texture and fun to almost any outfit. But to avoid looking like a muppet (or Chewbacca), I'll team it with streamlined jeans or pants or feminine skirts. Some warm and fuzzy options: this Nightwalker, Opening Ceremony, this Asos, this Milly, and this Vince.

Photo:Stockholm Street Style

$58, pixie market

This statement skirt has Montauk-to-metropolitan versatility. I like!

1. Studio Nicholson top, $325, netaporter.com
2. Tory Burch charm bracelet, $195, toryburch.com
3. Lizzie Fortunato clutch, $380, shopbop.com
4. Joie sandals, $285, neimanmarcus.com
5. Pixie Market tassel skirt, $58, pixiemarket.com