How to get awesome on trend fall style

This ultimate guide leads you to achieve great, affordable fall style.

What to wear in fall

After you have overhauled your closet to create a fall wardrobe and the season started, it’s all about putting stunning looks together. To have on trend fall style there are several options. The easiest and most expensive one is to buy a whole new fall wardrobe. Doing so would be as crazy as it sounds. Even when you are so rich that you could use $100 bills to light your cigarettes. Now let’s get serious and real for the real women like Jane Doe. In plain English, one has to create a look that look modern and on top of things every day.

Looking up-to-date with respect to fashion trends, but not over the top trendy, i.e. like a fashion victim is a daily challenge for women over 40. Why? Because when we look old-fashioned or classic from head-to-toe, we are perceived conservative and at work, not on top of things. However, when we wear trends from head-to-toe we easily look like trying too hard. Thus, we have to strive a balance act. It’s like walking in heels on a knife. Or squaring the circle. This post provides inspirations how to look up-to-date and effortlessly stylish from September to November.

Add a fashion color of the season/year

This recommendation doesn’t mean just “a” fashion color. It means that out of the suit of colors go for “the” color that flatters you the most. Pair it with your classic wardrobe staples in your palette’s neutral colors and you look up-to-date fashion-wise. This outfit bases on Pantome colors. I paired them with pieces I already own awhile. Actually, I own the suede skirt for a quite a while. I even wrote a post how to create 46 looks with a red suede skirt.

Shoes can make or break an outfit

A great way to update your fall wardrobe is to go for a fall trend with your shoes. A classic sheath, LBD, trousers and shirt with the season’s It shoe always go a long way. Well, and shoes have to be replaced on a regular basis anyway.

Mix clothes from last fall season with pieces from this season

Never buy complete outfits. Instead buy items in colors that match with pieces you already own. No matter of your personal style there are key elements that are timeless. These are the ones I am talking about to wear for several years from September to November. For instance, when your have Bohemian Style these pieces can be the leather fringe vest or jacket, the ethnic embroidered skirt with mirrors, the oversize sweater, the ripped jeans or wide leg jeans. The tweed skirt, jeans, navy blazer, white button-down shirt for the American Classic or Euro Chic woman.
Never buy a piece when you cannot come up with at least three new outfits with items you already own. #budgetfashion Click To Tweet

Try an unexpected combination or fabric

The sheath in the photo above is made from scuba material. This screams summer despite this dress is a fall work sheath. However, spinning the summer idea, I added a scuba jacket from summer. The white and gray that is in the floral print of the sheath tie the pieces together. As does the fabric. The cropped cut ends at the waist and emphasizes the shape that the sheath creates on my straight-up-and-down body.

DIY fashion

The skirt in the outfit below is an upcycled men’s shirt. The patch trend is included with a DIY patched shirt using patched collected over time. Pairing these pieces together also picks up falll’s trend on mixing all kind of materials, prints and patterns.

The white leather belt is also “DIY”. You saw the leather before as my white leather pants with zebra and hounds tooth pattern mix. They had gotten worn out over time. Thus, I retired them and used the good parts of the leather pants to make a belt.

Jeans are a do when you have a Casual Friday culture at the office

Jeans are an all American classic. You can’t go wrong with a dark pair in a classic straight cut like boyfriend, straight or boot cut. Add a high quality T-shirt – a graphic Tee or silk Tee do the trick and a statement necklace. When temperatures are already below freezing add a blazer. Or up the style with a button-down shirt instead of a T-shirt.

Have a great rain coat

Of course we all hope for a great Indian Summer. The golden, red and brown leaves look so pretty against the steal blue sky and the green meadows. However, climate is what we want to have, weather is what we get. Thus, there will be rainy days. They are less gray with a great trench coat in a statement color of your palette. You can find here what to look for in a trench coat.

Black plus white is a eternal modern look

Like with a LBD you can’t go wrong with black and white in different prints and pattern. The photo below gives you an inspiration how to wear the black and white trend with mixing prints/pattern for fall. When leather is allowed at the office substituting a blazer with a leather jacket for Casual Friday is a grown-up, but modern looking styling do.

When you like these outfit ideas for awesome fall style, and want styling tips for all kind of dressing situation in midlife, buy my book How to Dress for Success in Midlife.

Last but not least

Every woman should have a little black dress that she can wear in at least three seasons. A light summer wool LBD works well from March to November with or without cardigan. A knit dress is perfect for September to February.

When you liked any of these looks, please feel free to pin them to your Pinterest board. It’s a great way to share them with your family and friends.

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Photos: G. Kramm

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