Purple Violets and Knit Sweaters

With fall's chill looming and knitwear seeming as if it's on the verge of making a huge comeback, I can't wait until temperatures drop below, well, 60 degrees so I can get out my coats and tights.

Even though I inhabit the City of Angels, an often sunny haven for those petrified of harsh wind and snowfall, I plan on pretending I'm in a seasonal city this fall, such as Chicago or New York, where the leaves actually change colors and chunky, comfy fashion staples warrant their wear.

In Edward Burns' 2007 flick, Purple Violets, female lead Selma Blair plays Patti Petalson, a soul-searching thirty-something on the verge of a divorce and a career-related mental breakdown. The Manhattanite, who's just as lovely as she is blank, unexpectedly reconnects with her college sweetheart, Brian Callahan, played by Patrick Wilson, and begins to ponder if she should indeed part ways with her egocentric Brit husband and shelve her failing real estate career to become the American novelist she's always been destined to be.

In the process of reclaiming her life and confiding in her witty, tactless best friend Kate Scott (Debra Messing), she dons a simplistic yet desirable fall wardrobe fit for our time (i.e. 2010/2011) assembled by costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas (Going the Distance, The Proposal, 27 Dresses and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2).

Patti's chunky knit, Navajo-print sweaters, cashmere turtlenecks, Ugg boots and blue jeans, makes me want to take a trip to New York this fall, sip hot apple cider and watch the movie for maybe my 50th time. Every lady, and I mean every lady, wrestling with her career path right now, needs to see this film for both inspiration and an example of what she should be buying throughout the next couple of seasons. And guys, you might get clued in too (AKA buy some cute sweaters...us ladies like our men rugged and ready for snuggling). Rent it tonight!