Ephron Girl Fall
And I don’t mean Zac
BY GRACIE KYBORT WITH ART BY MEGAN BORMANN
Don’t you just love New York Minneapolis in the fall?
Following each Hot Girl Summer, must come sad girl Autumn; we’re forced to sit with ourselves, reckoning what is to come as daylight diminishes and tan lines wane. We swap iced lattes for hot PSLs and sticky afternoons for toasty evenings beneath blankets with an affectionate read. However, few things offset the looming dread of the equinox as a Nora Ephron rom-com. As an Ephron stan (Is there a fan club to join?), I’m obliged to spread the word of my lord and savior & and have converted a few non-believers. My prophets? You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally.
These films emanate the essence of autumn; the hues, the palette, the warmth. We accompany our leading lady, Meg Ryan through the seasons as she shleps pumpkins and embellishes trees in bookstores. Ephron utilizes minute details of the setting and tracklist to convey her deeply sentimental world of wonder, love, and appreciation for the little things in life in each movie. Through meticulously selected snug sweaters, Louis Armstrong numbers, and deep tones of amber, Ephron conveys the coziness and adoration for the plotline and characters. Suddenly I’ve been transported into the Upper West Side circa 1989, anxious to see for the 100th time if Ryan and Crystal/Hanks will make it work.
This fall, I’m asking you to join me as I take a note from Ephron’s handbook and ring in the season in style. Steps include: Carrying a giant pumpkin along the city streets (Dinkytown will suffice) and looking so enchanting while doing so, donning chunky knitwear and a funky hat as you stroll through the bronze-hued trees, and listening to “Dreams” by the Cranberries on repeat. Escaping to a digital time where the only online threat was solitaire, I implore you to explore Ephron’s perception of the world through her witty vocal precision and well, pumpkins. It’s the reason for the season.