-
Blue Jeans 2. Black Pants + Spanx Leggings 3. Tee-Shirt Dress 4. Plaid Shirt 5. Long Cardigan 6. Denim Jacket 7. Camo Jacket 8. Fur Vest 9. Sneaker 10. Tall Boot 11. Neutral Booties 12. Gold Earrings 13. Necklace 14. Leopard Belt 15. Crossbody Bag 16. Tote
Here’s a fun fact about me that you may or may not know: Before I was a full-time blogger, I was a wardrobe stylist for 10 years! A favorite approach to styling clients was to streamline their wardrobes into a capsule of key pieces that could be easily intermixed and remixed, thereby allowing them to get ready in a pinch but look brand new each day.
The idea of reworking the same pieces in different combinations is my definition of a “Capsule Collection.”
These are not necessarily the “only” pieces that you need in your closet for the fall season… but if you have them all, it will be more fun and effortless to get dressed. The suggestions made in this post can be combined in hundreds of ways, and each piece can be carried over from season to season. If you invest in one of these items, then you will enjoy wearing them for many falls and winters to come; they don’t have an “expiration date” because they are timeless! You can rotate your accessories and trendier pieces around these classic staples.
I approached this Capsule Collection with a personal twist; this is my “Lauren-ized” version because these are the pieces that I wear the most and find myself reaching for frequently in my personal fall wardrobe. I have also successfully styled clients in these pieces repeatedly over the years and have suggested them to followers with positive feedback and rave reviews.
Included in this Capsule Collection you will find: blue jeans, black jeans/pants, t-shirt dresses, plaid shirts, long cardigans, denim jackets, camo/army green jackets, fur vests, sneakers, tall boots, booties, accessories (jewelry & belts), cross-body bags, and totes.
Blue Jeans
Just call me “Blue Jean Baby Queen” (a la the David Essex song)! I can’t get by without several pairs of great-fitting denim in my wardrobe, especially in the fall when morning and evening temps are cooler and my legs get chilly! Jeans go with absolutely everything, can be casual or dressy, and will take you from day to night. I suggest finding a pair that make you feel amazing and then investing in them—your price per wear will be totally worth it since you will reach for them time and again.
Black Jeans/Pants
There aren’t many pieces of clothing that will make you feel as thin and awesome as black pants—whether it is a pair of black denim, a dressier black pant, or even a black leather legging! {Spanx leggings are my fav.} Black pants have a way of pulling you in and making you feel like a million bucks; plus, they just look polished instantly without any effort at all whatsoever. Black is the perfect backdrop for just about any top you want to pair with it.
T-Shirt Dresses
You will often find me in a t-shirt dress because… COMFORT and EASE! These dresses feel like cheating and leaving the house in your PJs. T-shirt dresses are fool-proof. You can easily layer any outerwear over them, you can dress them up with a scarf and boots, or you can dress them down with a sneaker. They can be washed and dried at home, tend to be reasonably priced, and strike the right balance of “casual yet pulled together.”
Plaid Shirts
I adore a good plaid. There is something that just feels down-home and cozy about a flannel shirt in a warm, fall color palette. You can wrap yourself up in one and then layer away because jackets, vests, scarves, etc., go easily right over top of these. Plaid shirts can even be layered over a t-shirt dress, for example, and tied at the bottom to create a “top and skirt” separates look. They are just perfect pieces to inject some personality and vibrancy into your fall wardrobe! And you know me—I love color and pattern!
Long Cardigans
When you are feeling extra snuggly and want to wrap yourself up in the warmth of the season, a long cardigan is just the thing. They feel cozier than a jacket does and should be treated as a part of the outfit. I love a warm, neutral, solid shade that goes with anything, but I am also very drawn to a subtle striping in fall colors to bring some life to an otherwise solid dress or top/pants combo.
Denim Jackets
Denim Jackets are so essential to every woman’s wardrobe that I dedicated an entire Blog Post to them recently! They look good with just about everything, and they have the superpower of making an outfit look instantaneously polished and pulled together. Every woman needs a great denim jacket in her wardrobe—or maybe two or three!
Camo/Army Green Jackets
Camo and army green are neutrals that can be mixed and matched with many other pieces in your wardrobe. They not only look good on all skin tones and with every hair color, but they also compliment a wide range of hues in your clothing—especially pink, white, black, and gray. These are the perfect jackets to grab on your way out the door to keep you warm until the heat of the day sets in or as temps begin to dip in the evening.
Fur Vests
And here we have another fabulous layering piece—this time with the added bonus of elevating your outfits to make them feel not just cozy but also glamorous. I love bundling up in fur vests and appreciate the texture they bring both visually and tangibly (so soft!). They can really transform a dress or a pants/top combo from something ho-hum to something note-worthy, noticeable, memorable, and statement-making.
Sneakers
If you know me or have followed along with me on the blog for a while, you know that I cannot get by without great sneakers in my life. Slip-on, lace-up, high-top—you name it, I love them all! They are functional, comfortable, and stylish: the Trifecta! At heart, I’m a girl who would probably wear high heels all the time if I lived in my own personal version of Fantasyland… But let’s face it: in my day-to-day life of being a busy, working mom, sneakers are just more practical.
Tall Boots
Ah, tall boots! They are the epitome of stylish and have the ability to instantly revolutionize your outfit. Tall boots are dressy without being overdone. And I love how they bridge the gap between the seasons when the weather is still warm enough to have some bare leg showing but when the weather is cool enough to lend itself to some long lengths of suede and leather. I love a knee-high just as much as I love an over-the-knee; both pair beautifully with both pants, jeans, and dresses!
Booties
You just heard me singing the praises of a tall boot, but I may belt out the praise for booties even louder. They are just so darn easy and magically elevate casual to chic. Booties can be worn equally well with jeans and pants as they can with dresses. Just make sure you pick a heel and ankle height that compliment the length of your dress as well as your individual height (you don’t want to “cut your leg off” by having the top of the bootie hit you in a funny place, depending on how long your legs are!)
Accessories
When it comes to an essential core collection of accessories for a Fall Capsule Collection, you really only need a few staples. Some bold gold statement earrings, some delicate gold chains to layer around your neck, and a great cheetah belt will take you everywhere you need to go and will work with any and every combination of outfits you can make from the pieces of clothing and shoe wear suggested here.
Cross-Body Bags
Here is an interesting tidbit about me: I carry a crossbody pretty much all the time—both day and night. I love the ease of having my hands free, and it generally holds everything I need for a day of errand running and sight-seeing or for a night out on the town.
Tote Bags
When a cross-body just won’t cut it size-wise, I need a great tote and think it’s good to have a few in your wardrobe. On occasion, you may have your child or children with you who require additional “gear,” or perhaps you have a work meeting and need to throw in your laptop or some folders, etc. Totes are perfect for all of this and are a stylish alternative to a true computer case or brief case.
It was so much fun curating this Fall Capsule Collection for you, and I hope you find it useful!
Stylishly yours,
No Comments