Gap x GQ men’s shirt and Gap belt // James Jeans // Chloe bag // Bass shoes (similar style here) // Eugenia Kim hat // Nashelle custom name bracelet (c/o) // Starling chain and sapphire bracelet (c/o) // Jamberry nailwraps (c/o)
Dressing for summer is the BEST. You get to throw on a sundress or romper with sandals, or at worst, a summery top with shorts and call it a day.
You have to give more thought into dressing for fall: the layers, the jackets, the colors, etc. It’s more work than I have time for when I’m busy dressing other people for my job every day on shoots.
Really, fall is my favorite season to style other people in because you can make it look so rich and actually well thought out with the layers and saturated shades of fall. Autumn always looks more expensive than summer…but it doesn’t have to be.
You can keep your easy summer outfit formula going with slightly updated pieces. Look no further for your fall outfit formula than Gap’s mens’ department for some of the best button downs and flannel shirts out there right now. They’ve been doing collaborations with GQ and this season they have some of the coolest designers right now like David Hart, The Hill Side, and NSF making their oxford shirts. I have a bit of envy that they only come in mens, so never mind that they button the opposite way. There’s nothing more put together yet subtly sexy than a slightly over-sized fit of a mens style shirt and unbuttoning it down just far enough.
STYLIST TIP: Keep your button downs low but without revealing too much by using some double sided fashion tape, or what I prefer, Topstick, which was originally made to keep toupees on mens’ heads.
The base of my go-to fall outfit has been for years what you see here, but this season it’s actually “trendy.” I’ve been a lover of the wide-leg or flare jean since I discovered its resurgence when I was in 6th grade, and subsequently got made fun of for it that I looked like I was out of the Brady Bunch movie. Flash forward a few months later and every girl in the school started swapping their baggy jeans and leggings for those. There’s something so flattering and elongating about this silhouette that there’s a reason it keeps coming back. Girls like me with curves should appreciate that these jeans are back in a big way again for fall.
STYLIST TIP: Pair your flares or wide leg jeans with open toed platform shoes or with a slightly pointy boot to elongate your legs. Avoid chunky or rounded toes that interfere with keeping a clean, long line. You can also keep the hem of your flares shorter and pair with sneakers like how we did in the 90’s…but unlike the 90’s, get them hemmed so they’re shorter, showing more of your shoe and don’t drag on the ground!
Lastly, in my fall wardrobe formula, I’m always about hats for fall. Who am I kidding? I’m all about hats all year round, though for fall instead of blocking the sun out so I don’t get wrinkles or sun damage, I’m actually keeping my head warm—and stylishly.
STYLIST TIP: Try other colors than black this season for a nice autumnal take on the hat look. Make sure it fits nicely on your head, but if it’s too big you can get foam from a hat shop or even hardware store to stick inside to make it more snug. There’s not much you can do about a hat that’s too small.
1 Button Down buttoned down low + 1 flared/wide leg jeans + 1 hat or other fall accessory (and maybe some layers like a blazer or light jacket) = a seriously easy way to get dressed AND be on trend this season.