Here in the mountains of the Great Northwest, Fall is a lamentably short season. Beautiful, but only about six weeks. Hardly deserving of an entire wardrobe of its own; nonetheless it’s a time of year when most of us want something new, fresh, and exciting.
Throw in a daily temperature span of about 40 degrees and the only sensible thing to do is layer. True, layering is a big look this fall, but allow me to propose a perennial wardrobe template for managing the transition from summer to winter:
new jeans + summer top + winter layering piece (jacket, sweater, etc)
In my mind, it works for me. Now I just need to get my clothes out of the freezer and try them on.
In the meantime, what will you be wearing this fall? And what are you certain you will NOT be wearing?
Slowly but surely, my jean jackets having been making their way out the wardrobe door. The blue denim has lived with my camping clothes for two or three summers now, and I didn’t wear the white denim one at all this summer. Biff! But I suspect my chamois washable suede will remain a fall wardrobe classic, living in the back of the closet only when it seems dreadfully out of style. Not yet!
Yeah, we have short falls here too – but it still needs it’s own wardrobe, because the weather is different than the rest of the year! Great suggestion.
I love your website, by the way – I’m very clueless about shopping and I’m picking up lots of helpful ideas from your posts – thanks!
Ah, I miss having the seasons and fall and everything. What fun!!
Rebecca, you’ve pretty much summed up my fall wardrobe — except here outerwear in fall becomes really important. I have a classic semi-fitted rain coat (with button in lining), so my fall wardrobe will get a pick me up from a new bag and possibly new spring/fall ankle boots.
Thank you for the reminder that I won’t be able to avoid the problem of finding non-paper-thin cardigans forever! 😉
Fall is when I switch to long-sleeve button-down shirts, worn without a jacket, which makes me incredibly formal for Phoenix. I have three in reserve that I haven’t even worn, plus two with one wearing each, so a dip in temperature below 95 will be *very* exciting.
Yes, that template is pretty much what I wear in the fall, too. I begin to pack away my sandals, shorts, and sleeveless/summery blouses around September 1–along with anything linen–and slowly crack out the boots, lightweight sweaters, and so on. A little later, the knee-length skirts and khaki go into storage, along with any short-sleeved tops that I don’t use for layering, and out come the woolens and corduroy.
I have now biffed almost all of my boxy (mostly longer) jackets: linen, cotton print, boiled wool. Some were really nice (sob!), but they are no longer flattering.
I have one waist-length, somewhat boxy jacket, though, that I am having a really hard time letting go of: it is brown velvet with beautiful folkloric embroidery. I love it, but I wore it only once or twice last winter. What do you all think? It is better than most of my others in that the shoulders really fit and the cut is fairly close. (I used to think it was almost too small! 🙂
I used to wear it with dressy trousers, but I think I would now primarily use it with jeans or denim skirts and boots.
Sheri – I can’t help but think that an item like that jacket, when it works with your idiom and coloring otherwise, moves into being more of a personal classic, standing outside of – or above – fashion trends.
If you’d like to send in a picture I’d be happy to publish i. Sort of a “should I keep it?” fashion lab. 🙂
You can always add some darts to shape your jacket if it’s too boxy. Just because it came that way, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way – renovate your clothes as you would renovate your house.
We always layer here in Melbourne Australia because we get 4 seasons in 1 day from Autumn to Spring, and sometimes in summer too. Though we never get snow here, so winter’s aren’t tha cold.
I tend to wear a singlet/tank, a cotton/elastate 3/4 sleeve top (long sleeve in winter, and usually made of wool), jeans, or skirt or trousers, add a jacket or cardigan, depending on the weather, and when really cold, the overcoat.
I love tights and knee-high boots with my skirts too.
I haven’t worn my denim jackets this year, though I’ll hold onto them as they will come back into fashion (I can pretty much guarantee that).
Thanks, Rebecca. I pulled out the embroidered jacket last night to photograph it. I tried it on–for the first time in forever–over just a simple tee . . . and it’s clear that it really is time for it to go. I took your comment to heart about my personal idiom: the jacket’s shade of brown is actually too purplish for me (not warm enough to go with most of my browns) and the embroidery, while beautiful, is too small in scale. Looked at critically, too, the shoulders really don’t fit–they are too slouchy and wide (17″, as opposed to the 15.5″ of some recent favorites).
Most interestingly for me was the realization that depth of the armhole is part of what makes the jacket’s fit seem so slouchy. The armholes are at least .5″ (measured flat) deeper than more tailored jackets I’ve acquired in the past year or two. I think this will help me to take a close look at some old standbys: a few sweaters and especially some favorite oxford cloth blouses that aren’t seeing the outside of my closet so frequently anymore.
Go Sheri! And thanks for sharing your observation about the cut of the armholes. That’s a good point. Higher cut armholes not only look more current, they are also more functional (easy to move in). 🙂
Imogen – I appreciate your outlook on renovating your clothes. It’s something I’ve really wanted to devote more energy to for a few years. I find the nicest stuff, for next to nothing, that fits everywhere except … the bust is too low or slightly too wide, or even recently I’ve found jackets where the back is too loose, of all things!
Now the adventure begins!
I think the template is good for those who wear jeans often (as I do on the weekends), but what about a business template? I’ve been reading your new favorite, Staging Your Comeback, even though I have two years to go until I reach the magic age. Based on his suggestion, I may biff my turtlenecks in favor of a more flattering neckline. That would drastically alter my fall/winter uniform: turtleneck, optional jacket, a-line or straight skirt, black tights, black pumps or loafers.
I’d like to go for a more business-like look without looking too boring or masculine (any long-sleeved button-down shirt looks like menswear on me). One of the ladies in charge at work wears a classic template: black pants, black or red knit top, red or metallic “interesting” jacket.
I am a classic with dramatic undertones; my buzzwords are “smart, stylish, pulled together” with a secret desire to be “gorgeous and sensational.” As you know, I’m an “A” (I haven’t done the vertical body type yet).
Ideas?
A question worthy of an entire post, but for now:
Imogen’s template would work for you (see her comment here). Another option: remove the word “optional” from your jacket and change your top to a knit with another neckline. But that’s basically another version of Imogen’s template. I also like wider legged trousers and trouser suits.
With your body type and lifestyle (little kids!), it makes sense for you to stick with washable knits, rather than a woven shirt that you would have to iron anyway.
For a vertical body short-cut, see this: http://realmums.com.au/you/2008/08/01/the-long-and-the-short-of-it/
I’m curious what yours will turn out. One, I’ve always thought of you as having long legs, but Two, I’ve always thought of you looking good in shorter jackets. Maybe you, like T, are exactly proportioned and can wear any length top. 🙂
And I think you should indulge your secret desire to be gorgeous and sensational and take your hair back to dark. As you know from reading that book, it may only be a few years that you can do it. Dark hair is more dramatic, younger looking too. Highlights are just ordinary. Dark hair with light streaks, IMO, almost always comes off as gray on anyone over about 25.
Isn’t that a fun book?