Fall Wardrobe Workshop | a virtual style session
If you’re bored with what you’re wearing you may need a wardrobe makeover. It’s easier than you think and less expensive than you might guess. I’ve been helping women do it for decades. I created this virtual style session to show you how to make outfits you love that look effortlessly stylish and put together. With the biggest fashion season on the horizon, these are the simple steps you can take to head into fall in style.
Detox Your Closet
The number one mistake women make with their wardrobe is keeping clothes they don’t wear. Before you buy one more thing make room in your closet. It’s easier to make outfits when your clothes aren’t crammed into your closet. You’re going to wear the same ones anyway…
If you’ve already done a big detox then a quick edit before the season starts may be all that you need.
Come Out Of The Closet
Five Things You Don’t Need This Fall
- Low-rise Ripped Jeans
- Faux Fur Vests
- Sad Sweaters (stretched-out, pilled, or have holes)
- Dresses or Skirts with Asymmetrical Hemlines
- Long Sleeve Fitted Tops With Cutouts
Do You Have What it Takes?
Whenever I work with someone for the first time I have them check their closet for my New Wardrobe Checklist. As a personal stylist and fashion blogger over 40, I have a lot of clothes, but I wear these versatile staples the most. This has been my go-to list for as long as I can remember.
The secret to staying in style and putting together outfits you love is s making sure you have the most current versions of these wardrobe staples ready to go at the start of each season.
The OG New Wardrobe Checklist
Fall Fashion Flex
I made over my entire fall wardrobe this year by updating or adding these things to my closet. Get ready to start making outfits and flexing your fall fashion. Here are over 30 outfit ideas to get you going.
1. Wide Leg Jeans
There is no question that these will be the most popular jeans this fall and winter.
Wide-leg jeans are flattering on everyone and easy to style with all of your favorite boots. Wide-leg jeans usually come with a higher rise (distance from your center crotch seam to the top of the waistband). Most wide-leg jeans fit looser in the thighs and have a larger opening, usually 20″+.
This fall update the most versatile jean style, straight-leg ankle-length, with one like this style from MOTHER that has a little wider opening. It also comes in petite.
To find the most flattering fit, find “your” rise and then pick a pair of jeans with a rise that stops near your belly button. If you’re a lot shorter on your top or bottom half, look for a rise that will give you length were you need it. A higher rise can help elongate your legs, and a lower rise can give you a little more room between your bra and your belly button.
This is the dark wash pair I had on and the cropped style with pockets I shared during the style session on YouTube.
These 4 new long wide-leg jean styles range in rise; 13″ Paige Anessa, 12″ Citizen Paloma, 11.5″ & 11.25″ Paige Anessa, and 10.5″ Fidelity Katie.
This post have everything you need to know about wide leg jeans and where to find them.
Wide-leg jeans look the most balanced with shorter tops and jackets. Avoid long cardigans and long loose tops. Instead, look for styles on top that define or show off your waist and shoulders. You can wear any shoe you want with wide-leg jeans. However, shoes or boots with a platform or block heel look the best with wider openings.
2. Cargo Pants
These stylish utility pants are fabulous for everyone. Cargo pants can be casual, dressy, and even a little sexy. This fall you’ll see a variety of styles from joggers to wide-legs. Wide leg styles will be the easiest to incorporate because they will work with all the same tops and shoes your new wide leg jeans do.
Long Wide Leg Cargos
Long Wide Leg Cropped Cargos
Many of these come in more colors
The mashup of masculine and feminine details in an outfit always makes it more stylish. One of my favorite ways to wear cargo pants is with pieces that are a little sweet or a little sexy.
Get even more outfit inspiration from some of my capsule wardrobes that had cargo on the checklist.
3. Bomber Jacket
I’d consider a bomber jacket a cool girl closet essential. You don’t have to have one to make outfits but I promise you they’ll be a lot more stylish if you do. There are lots of different bomber jacket styles, fabrics, and colors to choose from including oversized or even cropped. If you don’t have a classic bomber I’d start with a neutral color in leather or something with sheen.
My favorite way to wear a bomber jacket is over a date night outfit or super casual with sneakers.
Bomber Jackets Under $100
Leather or Vegan Leather Bomber Jackets
Shoes & Accessories For Your Fall Wardrobe
My New Wardrobe checklist includes a nice bag, nude shoes, sneakers, and two-tone jewelry. These accessories are the most versatile and are essential to making the most outfits. It makes sense to update your nude shoes and sneakers and add new silhouettes and color trends in this category too. This will make all of your outfits look new.
4. Tall Boots
Boots are always everyone’s favorite fall footwear. Tall boots have been on the back burner the last few years, but baby they’re back. The best part is they look just as good with dresses and skirts as they do with all of the new wide leg jeans! Avoid the temptation to wear tall boots with a heel over skinny jeans. That looks dated.
These over-the-knee nude boots are beautiful. I’ll be wearing them with dresses, skirts, and wide-leg jeans this fall. You can make the most basic outfit look pulled together when you wear these boots with a matching trench coat or cardigan.
5. Sneakers
You can wear the right sneakers with anything! That’s probably why I own more fashion sneakers than any other shoe in my closet. I can’t stop buying them. I just added two new styles for fall, platforms and and an ecru leather style. Platforms pair perfectly with all of the big openings at the bottom of the wide leg jeans and cargo pants. If you’re petite they can save you on costly alterations. An ecru or off white sneaker doesn’t look as stark in the fall as bright white and a leather or vegan leather style will keep your feet warm and dry.
I included a pair of off-white sneakers in this Fashionable Athleisure Capsule. When combined with an off-white athleisure jacket it also becomes a mini capsule you can wear with other outfits.
Off White Sneakers
Platform Sneakers & Cargo Pants
Platform Sneakers
6. Silver Accessories
Silver accessories have been popping up in every accessory category since I first shared them as one of the key pieces in my Festive Fits Capsule last year. If you love gold then use your favorite two tone jewelry pieces from my New Wardrobe Checklist to mix your metals.
Silver Shoe Shop
Updated Wardrobe Essentials For Fall
7. Denim Jacket
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but after my last closet edit, I still own 15 versions of a denim jacket. However, I have worn them all more than once over the last year. A denim jacket or vest transcend time and age to become an universal closet VIP. This fall I’ll be reaching for a polished dark denim style I can dress up or down for any occasion.
Walmart is The Winner
This dark denim designer-inspired jean jacket from Walmart might be my best fashion find yet! I found it this summer in a major Walmart haul and just shared some styling suggestions with it during Coffee in My Closet.
8. Chambray Shirt
I’ve included a button-up in more than one of my creative capsule wardrobe. This summer you saw one as part of a shorts set in my Homebody Capsule this summer, and an oversized button-up is one of the hero pieces in my 9-piece 49-outfit Carryon Capsule.
Seriously, I can’t think of a better button-up for fall than a classic chambray shirt.
Best in the West Denim Button -Ups
Wear One Now
Now You Get It
Now You Get It
9. Short Button-Up
A short button-up looks the best with all of the wide-leg jeans and pants you’ll have on constant rotation. The idea is not to show more skin, but rather to have a top that “meets and greets” top top of your waistband. Since most wide-leg pants have higher waists they work well with this trending shirt style. If you opt for a fabric that’s a little heavier then you can also wear it unbuttoned as as cropped jacket.
10. Slip Dress
This is one quality little black dress style that delivers on all body types. With all of the different slip dress outfits you can make with just one dress you may want more than one. There’s a reason why this dress made it into my holiday capsule wardrobe two years in a row.
11. Black Tee
A basic black top is a building block for stylish outfits for fall. Whether you dress up often or prefer to keep it casual you’ll need a new black tee. A faded black tee is a dull and dated giveaway that your wardrobe is tired. This season look for flattering fitted styles that look good tucked in or shorter styles that “meet and greet”.
First Look At Fall Anniversary Sale Capsule
12. Short Striped Cardigan
This closet VIP has everyone beat when it comes to cost per wear. You can wear a short striped cardigan as a neutral print accent in your outfit, or wear one buttoned up and backwards as center stage in your look. This fall a short sweater will go with the most outfits.
