A Mini Fall Clothing Haul

Going back to school meant, among other things, new fall clothes. Yes, I wore a uniform for most of my life, but there were still weekends and every now and then the Christmas-came-early “jeans days.” In recent years I haven’t done much fall shopping, or any seasonal shopping at that. I more or less look for things as I need them and almost always talk myself out of spending money on clothes. Food, fitness, a play/movie, books- all better uses of my dolla dolla bills.

This year, I decided to do a mini fall shop. Nothing major but a few pieces and some key accessories. I was very choosy, going for things that could pull double duty and be worn to work and didn’t require dry cleaning. Here’s what I got… (Links included below)

Leopard Flats

For a long time I was skeptical of leopard as a neutral. But then, I started finding myself needing a little something for outfits and I thought, shoes. A few clicks later and I had these beauties from Sam Edelman on their way to my feet. I already had these same shoes in black so I knew what to expect in terms of fit and support. I will say that while they’re extremely comfortable, they are flat as pancakes and will give you zero height and are not ideal for being on your feet all day as there is no support (it doesn’t bother me but I’m sure somewhere in my body things aren’t happy). In short, I adore these and they were exactly what my tootsies needed.

FYI this style is called Felicia which makes me LOL because I am all HI Felicia to them. PC: Sam Edelman

Belts

A secret I learned from Shea Whitney (apologies that I can’t remember which video) is that you only need four focus pieces to make an outfit. Think, jeans, a sweater, a statement necklace, and some fun shoes. It’s so easy and really works! In some of her sample outfits, she included a belt as one of her four items. I loved the look, there was just one problem, I didn’t really have any belts. Being me, I wanted to keep things simple and classic so I went on the hunt for a brown and a silver. I kept it simple, finding one at ASOS and one at UrbanOutfitters. The quality and fit of both have been perfect and they make for the perfect extra something, or piece number four if you will. Photos from the respective store’s sites.

Tops

Fall tops are hard. Part of the season is warm enough for tees and tanks, but color-wise, the pastels and bright tones from summer don’t feel right. I happened to take a slightly different route home from spin one morning and found myself outside Madewell. The window display caught my eye so I took a quick peek inside and suddenly wished I wasn’t sweaty with groceries and could try on everything. I took a quick loop around and scurried home so I could un-grossify myself and hop online to snag all the new fall goodies I’d just seen and when I say all I mean there were two things I wanted, but I ended up with three. Two of those items were the below tops. I adore the gem colored, striped top for being at once so simple while also having unexpected details that make it really stand out. Not only does it tie in the front, but the back is all button down. It can be dressed up or down, is so comfortable and I think could work for many body types. The black top is equally unexpectedly special. Rather than your typical black top, the tie and heavier (but not hot) fabric, give it that something extra to make it work or date night appropriate. Photos from Madewell.

Dresses

I once proclaimed that I hated pants and would only wear dresses. While I’m a far way off from those days, I do love a good dress. Fall dresses, like tops, can be tricky. I still want color and patterns, but they need to be markedly different from spring/summer wear. The plaid babydoll dress from Madewell is a great piece for layering. I can put a jean jacket or sweater over it, even a blazer, or I can throw a sweater over the top and make it like a full midi-skirt. Because the colors are on the faded side, come next August/early September, it can be worn alone for late summer beach days. UO’s Laura Ashley collab is a bit out of the box for me but I touch something and it’s so soft and yummy feeling, I just have to have it. As it’s on the shorter side, I opted to size up and have the dress tailored. Like the plaid dress, this dress works with jackets and sweaters, but because it’s a bit more structured and somehow has a slightly sexy twinge, can also be worn solo for going out. Photos from the respective store’s sites.

Have you picked up any new fall pieces?