A Fall Picnic

Of the 20 things I most wanted to do this autumn, having a cozy fall picnic was top of my list.

When Hubby and I married in May of 2013, one of the first things I put on our registry was an adorable picnic basket. It may seem silly but I always thought formal picnic baskets were such a charming idea. And here in Chicago we have so many great public parks that are practically designed for a chic al fresco meal — having a picnic basket complete with vino glasses comes in handy far more often than you might think!

So on an unseasonably warm day, Anna and I packed up our picnic and headed over to Humboldt Park to enjoy the afternoon with cheese, bread, apples, and coffee.

Did I mention cheese?

SHOP THE LOOK:

Skirt – Halston Heritage (maxi-version) || Top – Zara (similar: 1 / 2)|| Slipper Flats – Massimo Dutti (similar: 1 / 2) || Sunglasses –Topshop (similar) || Jewelry – Tiffany & Co. (1 / 2 / 3) || Watch – Daniel Wellington ‘Classy York’ || Nails – Chanel No. 18 ‘Rouge Noir’

We found ourselves a nice, sunny spot next to a particularly enchanting tree and began to set up.After shooting a few more shots of our outfits, of course ;-).First we dove into my thermos of homemade Chemex coffee.

This little thermos is BY FAR one of the best purchases I’ve ever made in my life. And I really don’t say that lightly. As a lover of HOT coffee, I’ve long struggled to find the perfect vessel to store in my bag on the run — it needs to seal tightly so it won’t spill and must keep my coffee hot even through a Chiberia winter walk.

If you preheat this thermos with hot water for a few minutes prior to adding the coffee and seal it shut, the coffee will stay scaldingly hot for over half a day! It’s incredible and worth every penny. And a great, messy-free way to transport java to a fall picnic!Nothing makes me happier than starting any new activity off with a piping hot mug of coffee.
After fueling up with caffeine, Anna and I proceeded to set up the rest of our picnic starting with a few of my favorite Zara scarves (which happen to make conveniently cozy picnic blankets too!). Isn’t her new Chloé Drew bag positively scrumptious? I couldn’t stop taking photos of it — the details are so beautiful on camera.We even brought some flowers to set out too!After setting up, we poured ourselves wine glasses of this Whole Foods Pomegranate Italian Soda — a great, adult-juice alternative for public parks that don’t allow alcohol.
And began our meal.
We had marinated mushrooms and plenty of olives,
a few fresh apples,
a fresh rosemary baguette,as well as herbed goat cheese, an enormous block of parmesan, and plenty of crackers. Am I the only one who basically just wants to eat cheese at their picnics?It made for a fantastic fall feast (say that five times fast). I love cheese so much I happily pile it on top of other cheeses on my baguettes. We had a marvelous time relaxing in the last warmth of the season and munching on our favorite al fresco snacks.