My for-Fall checklist

Aside from the always soothing croon of Huey Lewis and the (usually) inner-dialogued "tighter ass, higher ass, tighter ass, higher ass..." chant, there is only one other distraction that can consistently convince me as I'm climbing at snail - no, glacial - pace the hill by American University's Katzen Arts Center that all this giving up of weekday night drinks and wearing of skinny jeans (just try fitting these in these without knuckle burns) is worth investing the inordinate amount of time, energy and joint deterioration training for a 26.2 mile race necessitates.

While some might imagine a bottle of fruit punch PowerAde, a back massage, a rainfall shower or a thorough towel-down from the man or woman of their choice, I'd have to say the best motivator in getting my weary body and depleted willpower through a rough running patch is the fantasy of having in my possession the nine items you'll find here below -- the items that make up my 'for-Fall checklist.'

Whatever gets the job done, right?

Remember, apart from the fragrance, pay more mind to the type of item, not the specific example I've chosen to represent that category.

Enjoy.

1. Prim mid-weight coat

(something to take me comfortably through the 50s and 60s)

Brushstroke brocade coat by Nanette Lepore ($625 at saks.com)

2. Grey pencil skirt

(because I've gone far too many years without one)

Wool mélange back pleated skirt ($108 at anntaylor.com)

3. Preppy-printed opaque tights

(if you distract them with a schoolgirl print, they won't notice how short your wool mini is...)

Herringbone tights by Free People ($28 at freepeople.com)

4. Super structured necklines

(it's ultra-feminine necklines like this one that keep me from looking like a "Thai rent boy")

Horse print mini by Juliana Jabour ($1,277 at shopbop.com)

5. Ivory sweater dress

(I'm finally gonna show my Mom this messy girl can do white just fine, thank you very much)

Cashmere sweater dress by Karoo ($330 at pinkmascara.com)

6. Straight-legged jeans

(because I just don't feel comfortable back home with three inches of tight ankle bunching)

Capital E Swank straight leg jean by Levi’s ($158 at barneys.com)

7. Box clutch

(a wee bit fancier than an everyday clutch and much more difficult to find - perfect for starting off the holiday season stylishly)

Pleated leather box clutch by Erva ($325 at shopbop.com)

8. Wine-colored pump

(pairs extraordinarily well with grey, black and ivory -- essentially, the "rainbow" of my wardrobe)

Jocelyn Mary Jane by Calvin Klein ($104 at lorisdesignershoes.com)

9. New scent

(another Blue Mercury sample find -- subtle, oh so ladylike, and received a "Wow, that's the first perfume I've liked in a long time" on a recent date)

Millesime Imperial EDP Spray by Creed ($110 at neimanmarcus.com)

Spring! Spring! Spring!

The first full day of Spring has arrived, and for the next three months I not only hope but fully expect to see every man wearing seersucker and every woman wearing Lily Pulitzer, to smell fresh Sake eau de toilette every time I step onto the Metro (yes, even the Green/Yellow line), to wear my bikinis more often than my pencil skirts, to live on iced coffee and Easter candy, to fall in love at a street corner and hear a continuous, perfect-pitch bird-chirped Mary Poppins soundtrack wherever my open-toed heels take me.

It may feel like 39 degrees, it may look cloudy, and it may seem like Winter has extended its stay by a day, but that's just not the case. Not in my world, anyway.

In my world, it's a perfect day for a poplin cotton, black and white geometric floral print scalloped-hem A-line skirt, sleeveless shell, bolero, peeptoes and double swipe of bronzer.

If that double-swipe of Sun Goddess isn't enough to stave off the morning chill, and in the first block of my walk to work a flicker of regret that I didn't wear an extra coat - or any coat, technically - passes through my head, I'll just go straight into the mode of a married couple held together by little more than a 'til-the-kids-go-to-college countdown -- "it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon..."

Happy Spring, DC!