5 Fall Pieces You’ll Wear Again and Again
5 Fall Pieces You’ll Wear Again and Again
The best fall wardrobe isn’t the one with the most clothes. It’s the one where everything actually gets worn.
Every fall comes with a new list of things we’re supposedly supposed to buy. New colors. New jean shapes. New shoes. New rules.
But if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t need another closet full of things that looked great online and somehow never make it onto your body.
So this fall, I’m looking at things a little differently.
Instead of asking, “What should I buy because it’s trending?” I’m asking: What can I buy now that I’ll actually want to wear over and over again?
A Jacket That Gives the Outfit Some Shape
This may be the hardest-working piece in your fall closet—and I’m not necessarily talking about a traditional blazer.
A denim jacket, soft faux-suede jacket, cropped utility jacket, or relaxed tailored layer can all do the same job: give the outfit a little structure.
Throw it over a white tee and jeans. Wear it with wide-leg pants. Put it over a simple dress. Add it to an outfit you wore all summer and suddenly it feels like fall.
The trick is proportion. If you’re petite or fuller through the hip, be careful with jackets that are both oversized and very long. Sometimes shortening the jacket just a few inches is enough to bring your shape back.
A Really Good Dark-Wash Jean
There will always be another denim trend. Skinny. Straight. Barrel. Wide. Flare. Cropped. You do not need to chase every one of them.
What you do need is one pair of jeans that makes you put them on and think, Oh, these are good.
For fall, I love a clean dark indigo because it instantly looks a little more polished than faded or heavily distressed denim. A straight leg works on almost everyone. A controlled wide leg can be incredibly flattering too, especially when the rise and length are right.
Wear them with sneakers and a sweater. Add a loafer and blouse. Roll the sleeve of a denim or suede jacket over them. Same jeans. Completely different outfit.
An Elevated Knit
This is for those of us who love our sweatshirts. And yes, I am including myself.
Comfort doesn’t have to disappear just because we want to look a little more put together.
A soft V-neck knit, lightweight cardigan, Henley, quarter-zip or beautifully shaped sweater gives you much of the comfort of a sweatshirt while making the entire outfit look more intentional.
The neckline matters more than people realize. An open V-neck can visually lengthen the upper body. A buttoned Henley gives you control over how open the neckline is. A cardigan creates a vertical line when worn open.
Those are small changes, but they’re exactly the kind of things we talk about in Style School because small proportion changes can completely change an outfit.
Every Piece Should Earn Its Place.
If one new jacket works with five tops you already own, that matters more than buying five trendy tops you’ll forget about by November. We’re building outfits—not collecting inventory.
- Will I wear it three ways?
- Does it work with my real shoes?
- Can I sit, move and live in it?
- Does it improve what I already own?
A Fluid Wide-Leg Pant
If you’ve been avoiding wide-leg pants because you think they will make you look wider, I want you to give them another chance.
The right pair can actually create one long, clean line. The key word is right.
The waistband needs to sit where it should. The fabric needs to fall instead of balloon. The length needs to work with your height. And if there is a lot of volume on the bottom, we usually want a little more control on top.
Pair them with a white V-neck and denim jacket. Add a fitted knit. Try a front-tucked blouse. Suddenly one comfortable pair of pants gives you half a dozen outfits.
A Polished Flat You Can Actually Walk In
I am officially uninterested in owning shoes that require me to suffer for the outfit.
A good fall shoe should make the clothes look better and let you live your life.
That is why I’m putting the loafer—or a really good Mary Jane—on this list. They give jeans a little polish. They work with trousers. They look great with midi skirts. And they make an ordinary sweater-and-pants outfit look finished without requiring a heel.
Brown and cognac are especially useful in fall because they work beautifully with denim, olive, cream, camel and black.
The Goal Isn’t to Buy Five More Things.
You may already own three of these. Good. The goal isn’t to replace your wardrobe every season. It’s to recognize the pieces that make more of your existing wardrobe wearable.
A jacket that works with five tops. A jean that works with four pairs of shoes. A knit you can wear alone or layered. A trouser that can look casual or polished. A shoe you can wear with almost all of it.
Not more clothes. Better outfits.
As I find versions that meet HCC’s fit, quality and real-life-wear standards, I’ll add them to The Edit. Until then, I’d rather show you the formula honestly than tell you to buy something just because it happens to be in stock.