Rebuilding your fall wardrobe

After working in fashion for 15 years I can attest to a few common mistakes made around impulse shopping and fast fashion: just stop. Forget what everyone has ever pushed on you in fashion, and focus on building your wardrobe. We are here to build long-term, personal style.

Every September, I instruct my clients to retire their spring and summer clothes into storage to make room for fall excitement. During the transition, it’s a good time to take stock and “shop your closet”. Try everything on and sort into piles: donate, alter, and needs styling. Take inventory and write down what you need to build upon to create outfits for multiple “style stories” this season. 

First things first: focus on your foundational palettes. Think - black & white, neutrals - (camel, brown and cream) as well as some classic patterns in the mix. In the fall we want to feel excited to pull out caramels, creams, tans, Burberry accessories and leopard print to play. Oh, and - I don’t want to hear ‘neutrals aren’t for me’, there are fall tone combinations for everyone.

“We are here to build long-term, personal style. “

Here is my step-by-step guide on rebuilding your fall wardrobe and creating your own style story. 

Creating Your Fall Style Story

Step 1. Take inventory of your closet for any of these colours: brown, caramel, camel, tan, cream, white. Think about adding warmth, comfort & softness for fall imagery. A cup of chai tea, trees and leaves turning, and the cozy blankets you snuggle into.

Pro tip: People find neutral more difficult so let’s start simple. Let’s begin with white, then you can incorporate it with your light denim. 

Step 2. Lay out all your gorgeous gold accessories.

Pro tip: I prefer gold in the fall because it adds a pop of warmth to your skin tone and introduces warm neutrals to your look.

Step 3. Line up your footwear. Once again, look for neutral palette pieces and be mindful of your shades of beige - try to keep shades as close as possible between your leather shoes and accessories. Keep in mind, some have pink or yellow undertones.

Pro tip: Clean your sneakers and take your leather loafers and boots in for repair, you don’t want anything taking up space that isn’t grab and go! 

Step 4. For each outfit (think sets), pick a key piece to build on. Most people start with pants or a dress as their key piece but I like to rotate. Try starting with jewelry for one set of outfits, boots for another, or layering a fall jacket.

For Example: Here, I used my favourite style of fall jacket as the key piece to build on. Next I added gold jewelry and a couple of neutral pieces.

Step 5. Make a list of what’s missing that would create more combinations for your sets. Think about the pieces and colours you feel the best in.  

Interested in finding some good preloved pieces to help rebuild your wardrobe sustainability? Check out The Smart Minimalist's Poshmark account to view a capsule collection of lightly used designer clothing you can bid on! 

Originally posted: 2022-09-16