I am probably the Fall season’s biggest fan. Cool weather is THE BEST. I am so tired of sweating, worrying about wearing sleeves, and pit stains. Time for jackets, dresses with sleeves, and BOOTS.
Of course there are a lot of new fall trends and trends that are always Fall trends, but I am going to tell you which ones I am, literally, buying into and what I think works for the everyday woman.
This is my fall fashion thesis – what you need for this transition season: An army jacket (lightweight), a cute cropped moto jacket, scarves, leather detailed pieces, chambray, shirt dresses, skinny jeans, and some plaid.
First of all, plaid.
Yes every fall season plaid comes back in, but it has come back this season in a massive way. Maybe because this summer has been so hot people are craving it, I don’t know. I don’t have much to say about plaid, other than it’s great and goes with a lot. This season there are a lot of plaid shirt dresses and delicate plaid blouses. Bindhi & Brutus has a popular check scarf that will go with a lot! Put it with a chambray shirt and a black skirt, a chambray shirt dress, or my new fav, a black tee with a black skirt. I personally can’t wait to wear my plaid flannel shirt with my black mini.
Here are a few plaid pieces out there that would be great additions to your wardrobe!
1. Old Navy 2. Bindhi & Brutus 3. Target 4. Loft 5. Loft 6. Loft
LEATHER.
Leather is everywhere this fall, and in very wearable ways. Just trust me. You don’t have to like motorcycles or be a spy anymore. Just switch one of your classic pieces for a leather/pleather (because I can’t afford real leather, and I can tell my vegetarian friends I do it for the animals) and it will add instant “cool” into your wardrobe. For example, a tee with leather sleeves, or a leather pencil skirt to work. I bought a pair of coated black jeans last year and just putting a cool t-shirt or flowy blouse with it give you instant fashion cred. You get the look of leather without the squeeking or heat. Wearing leather is all about the play between hard and soft. I am in the market for a great black leather jacket, but haven’t met the right one yet. I’m hoping to hear wedding bells and see fireworks when I do find it, but clearly that hasn’t happened.
Here are a few leather pieces that would make an excellent addition to your wardrobe:
1. Old Navy 2. Loft 3. Old Navy 4. Gap 5. Madewell 6. Loft 7. Loft 8. Francescas
SKINNY JEANS.
I don’t think I need to explain this again, BUT I will tell you where I buy mine. My favorite jeans are from Madewell, they came out with a new line that fits so well yet won’t stretch out over time. They are stretchy but still substantial. However, they are expensive. (Right now they will give you $20 off if you bring in an old pair of your jeans, and they also do student discounts)
I also love LOFT jeans. It is where I always take my skinny jean hater friends, because they have multiple fits for all body types. They have Marisa or straight fit, for people like me who are straight, and then they have the Julie (Curvy) fit, which fits great if you have hips and a tooshy. (is that how you spell it, I have no clue) They also have them in petite and tall. Oh and maternity! (They look expensive but regularly have 40% and 50% off sales)
For transition into fall, put it with a flowy tank or blouse from the summer, and when it starts getting cooler, put a scarf with it. Add a military vest for a more “fall” look. ALSO, start with a pair of dark skinny jeans, they are a staple. Then you can move to the boyfriend and lighter wash jeans.
*10 points if you find my cat*
Here are a few of the jeans I recommend buying:
1. Loft (boyfriend style) 2. Madewell 3. Loft 4. Madewell 5. Loft 6. Loft (straight leg, in case you are afraid of skinny jeans… but you shouldn’t be!)
Black mini
It doesn’t have to be mini, but a flirty black skirt can do your closet a lot of good. I have a J.Crew one and it will get a lot of use this fall. Get a structured one that creates the shape you want for you. Put it with….EVERYTHING. Chambray, tshirts, plaid, tanks, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. I switched mine out this fall with a black leather (pleather) mini from LOFT. They have such great skirts, in regular and petite. They usually always have the same shape in something new and fun for every season.
Here are some different black skirt styles, some leather, some not leather, some a-line and some flared out:
1. J.Crew (this one is SUPER flattering, and on sale!) 2. J.Crew Factory(this one is navy blue, woops! They have it in black) 3. American Eagle 4. Madewell 5. Banana Republic 6. Banana Republic 7. Old Navy 8. Loft 9. Target
ARMY JACKET OR VEST.
This is the one piece you really should get for the fall transition!!! You can put it with all of your summer dresses, over shorts, over jeans, OVER ANYTHING. Seriously, you will not regret this piece.
Here are some army jackets/vests that you can buy today:
1. Madewell 2. Conversation Pieces 3. Loft 4. Old Navy 5. Old Navy 6. J. Crew 7. Conversation Pieces 8. Target
Stripes.
I think stripes are the perfect transitional print because they are super easy to layer. So all you need is a black and white striped tank, tee, or dress. Layer with tights, jackets, and floral print. DONE. Wear your tank with jeans, mini skirts, oh and plaid. Up til fall, you can wear it with your shorts (in any color) and skirts. A striped dress is also good because you can layer it with jackets and cardigans for the cooler days, and when it warms up again for a few days you can just wear it with flats and a cool scarf.
In this picture you can see how to bring the striped dress from Summer into Winter:
Cropped Jacket:
This is super easy. Get a cute jacket that you love. It can be fun or it can be basic, just make sure that the colors go with a lot of what you already have. Maybe start with a simple color or a black and white print. Here are a few that I like!
1. Anthropologie 2. Anthropologie 3. Loft 4. Loft 5. Target 6. Gap
Chambray.
Replace your white shirt with chambray. Wear it as a light jacket, under a sweater, under a sweater dress, with bright colored cords, or with denim for a fashionista approach. I will probably do a whole other post about chambray, so I am just going to show you a picture montage.
Chambray shirts are every where now, but here are some easy to find options!
1. Loft 2. Madewell 3. Old Navy
SCARVES.
The easiest way to transition to fall is with some scarves!! Duh. You already knew that, I didn’t need to tell you. Here is another picture montage, because, well, there is no reason to waste my time talking about how great scarves are when you already know it. Check out the infinity scarves at Brutus & Bindhi, we have tons of fun styles to add some color into your fall wardrobe!
Here are some transitional outfits and some Summer to Winter examples:
The Striped Shirt: Early to Late Fall
**STYLING TIP** Tuck in one corner of these flowy shirts for a put together/I-just-threw-this-on-but-still-look-super-cool look. (Also, check out how the stores style their clothes on mannequins and in their online catalogues, that will give you a good idea for how to wear them.)
Summer Tank Top: Summer to Late Fall
Here are some good transitional tops, for this in between season:
1. Francescas 2. Madewell 3. Loft 4. Madewell 5. Francescas 6. Loft
The Sundress: Summer to Winter
The Little Black Dress: Summer to Winter
Finally, the Shirtdress.
These are great for the transition into fall, especially ones without sleeves, so you can wear them during the warmer pre-Fall days. Shirt dresses are so simple to layer: Add booties, a scarf, tights, a cardigan or pullover sweater, and finally, a jacket. OR wear them with sandals right now!
There are tons of shirtdresses out there, here is a small sampling:
1. Old Navy 2.Loft 3. Madewell 4. Loft 5. Madewell 6. Banana Republic 7. Target 8. Target
I can’t wait until it cools down here a tiny bit more so I can start wearing all of these cute clothes!! For now I will drink my fall flavored coffee and look at pictures of the changing leaves online.
** Shoe post and jeans/pants post coming soon!**
bindhi & brutus 