OOTD: White and Red (And an Italian Phenomenon)

The weather pretty much followed the calendar this weekend: it was still summer Friday and Saturday and it was suddenly Fall yesterday and today. It would have made more sense if I had posted this outfit in real time or almost since I wanted to show you my solution to dress according to the calendar in warm temperatures but I am pretty sure it's going to warm up again before we settle in full Fall weather. So bear with me!

Even if I am more of a summer clothes girl than a Fall clothes person (I just cannot get excited by the idea of putting my legs into tights and boots, sorry. Plus the only beverage that I like at Starbucks is their Iced caramel macchiato) by September I am pretty much tired myself of wearing my summer clothes again and again. I know that for some of you Labor Day and the "No white jeans after Labor Day" rule (BTW, who came up with this? Is there some historical event related to this rule? Did something horrible happen to someone who was wearing white bottoms after Labor Day and since then people don't wear white to avoid bad luck? If you know about the origin of the rule, please share!) marks the start of a new clothing season but for me a more reliable sign of my saying goodbye to summer is that all of a sudden I don't feel like wearing open shoes anymore, no matter how hot it is outside. Knowing this I had put on my shopping list for Fall a pair of Kikis in the Moroccan red color and I finally pulled the trigger during the last promo. I know I missed on a better price and I know I could probably get them for a better price if I waited a bit longer but I just want to wear them NOW. Buying in season is probably the best way to save money in the end, even if it means not getting the best sale price. I have fantasized about the red Kikis for long enough that I felt it was a purchase I wouldn't regret and in fact I wore them right away.
Something I was also fantasizing about was wearing them with white jeans and a matching red top. But guess what? While I have white jeans I didn't have such a red top. I looked high and low and besides a tunic at Comptoir des Cotonniers that was quite expensive and not really suited to be worn with white jeans I couldn't find my "dream" top at any retailers. The red offered is often too bright or on the other side too bordering on burgundy.
H&M came to the rescue again. Now you will start to think that these posts are sponsored by H&M but besides the fact that they surely don't need me to sell clothes, I truly like H&M and I like to shop there more and more.
That's where I found the top that I am wearing in the pics below. It is a bit sheer, as you can see, but a cami can easily take care of that. For $12.95 I am super happy with this top and the outfit I could create with it. They also have a longer, tunic-like version but it was more expensive and I didn't like the metallic buttons that looked cheap. I am wearing a XS:

I think this is a great color combination for early fall and now I am on the lookout for a warmer sweater in the same red to wear later with my champagne toothpick cords. The bag is a cheapie from Zara from a couple of seasons ago (it isn't quite the same red though, it is warmer than the shoes and top).
My other accessory is a simple bracelet sourced in Italy:

These "crocheted" bracelets are a real phenomenon in Italy and pretty much everyone wears one (or more). The original ones are made by Cruciani, one of the oldest lace companies in Italy that reinvented itself with this genius idea. In Milan they have a store that sells exclusively these bracelets in all the colors and variations (a must see if you happen to be in Milan!). If I have to believe a statistic that I read in an Italian magazine, 49 Cruciani bracelets are sold every minute in the world. Who knew? In any case I bought a bunch for me and to offer as presents for my friends and my daughter's friends (the other genius thing is that they are "priced to sell" at 5 EU for their basic four-leave clover design that I am wearing) so you will see me wearing other colors too. I just found out by Googling Cruciani that you can now get them in the US too at their online boutique here (but of course they charge more in the US). Again, this is not a sponsored post, I am not affiliated with Cruciani in any way. I just wanted to share because this was the big thing in Italy this summer.

That's it! Are you wearing red and white this Fall? Have you ever heard of Cruciani bracelets?