I don’t know about anyone else, but if somebody tells me that autumn is their favorite season, I make a mental note to watch my back around that person. 

Situated between the two best seasons, fall is just a transitional period. The days are shorter, but the weather hasn’t adopted winter’s frost. The fall coffees are expensive, the pumpkin patches are boring and everybody is talking about how pretty the dead leaves are.

But autumn fever has once again swept the student body, and I didn’t want to sit out this year. I wanted to discover the fall mania myself.

This is why I set out to sample four different fall aesthetics, each one inspired by my fall-loving friends. Through turning life into an indie, autumn-toned movie, I hoped to discover all the hubbub around fall.

Mood #1: Watching Hallmark movies in bed with a latte

2/5

Expectation: Coming home to a sepia-toned house and lying in my bed, the drink warming my fingertips. I pick a comfort movie on my laptop and settle into the big blanket.

Reality: Of course, I had thrown all of my clothes on my bed that morning in a desperate bid to pick the right outfit (I had to impress that one person in that one class, no choice brothers). After dumping the pile of clothes in the corner of my room, I had to plug in my laptop charger so it stretched across my bed. Terrible, horrible, ruined the aesthetic.

Worst of all, the latte? Mid at best. The amount of latte Starbucks gave me looked so small that my dad asked our server if he’d given us the right cup for a grande. The drink cooled down by the time I reached my house (not Starbucks’ fault, but still), so I had to microwave it like some jerk.

When I finally turned on the Hallmark channel, I felt so riddled with anxiety, I couldn’t focus on the movie. I had so much homework to do that watching a movie felt unjustified. And it was. I stopped watching halfway through to finish a paper.

Mood #2: Dark academia school day

4/5

Expectation: Showing up to school in a cool, dark outfit that will catch the attention of that person in that one class (pray for me everyone). Spending lunch running my hand over book spines in the library with my friends. A romantic, artistic melancholy rests on me.

Reality: I loved the main character energy that so thoroughly permeated my day. I came to school in the darkest dark academia outfit I owned — a cream-colored turtleneck dress, brown leggings, and brown knee-high boots. 

At school, people in the hallways complimented my outfit, and I tucked my hair modestly behind my ear and thanked them like I didn’t know I looked nice. The compliments were pouring in, ngl.

My pals and I spent lunch in the library, pretending to read mysteriously. If you asked me what I read, I could not tell you, because I focused on peering over the book to see if people could see me looking mysterious. 

But one thing ruined this mood — the person I liked was absent. I felt like dressing up was pointless if they couldn’t see my outfit.

All in all, though, I loved feeling like a protagonist. I’d do this again.

Mood #3: Journaling outside in the mid-afternoon breeze

5/5

Expectation: Sitting at the table in my backyard, the wind blowing my flowing white dress. Autumn leaves flutter to the ground as I confide my thoughts in my leatherbound journal.

Reality: I chose to do this in perfect weather — while the sun warmed my skin, the cool breeze helped my dress achieve the perfect level of female-protagonist-in-a-coming-of-age-movie, because it romantically flowed in the best way.

I didn’t know how much I needed to decongest my thoughts until I took my journal outside. My writing session began with poetry about how much I liked this one person. And understandably, I believed the rest of the session would be a love poem fest.

But as I continued to write, the poems gave way to entire pages about my need to feel accepted and seen. These turned into ramblings, which morphed into the conclusion that instead of a relationship, I just need to be more comfortable with myself.

This aesthetic deserves five stars for emotional introspection. Also, for the “Anne of Green Gables” vibe.

Mood #4: Reading next to the window on a rainy day

3/5

Expectation: Curled up in my bed with an old book in the nook of my arm. The glow of my bedside lamp mixes with the pattering of rain against the window to form maximum comfort.

Reality: As it turns out, lying in your bed is such an awkward way to read a book. I couldn’t comfortably both lie down and keep up with “Little Women”, so I had to sign up in my bed like it was some chair. Disgusting. Ruined the vibe.

I had such a difficult time arranging my blankets so they were aesthetically pleasing enough, but I kept interrupting my reading to retrieve more snacks from the kitchen. My frustration grew so quickly.

The thing is, reading should be a relaxing activity. When I voluntarily open a book, I hope to have a good experience, right? But trying to make my reading aesthetically pleasing sucked out all the fun.

Three stars for the nap I took after giving up on my book.