Colors to Wear this fall

How to turn those trendy fall runway colors into ready to wear staples

Red

We’re talking Crimson, not maroon. Fire, Bold, Charismatic, Captivating, and undoubtably sexy. Red will be the biggest color you’ll see this fall. Head-to-toe red graced nearly every fall runway. It was featured in collections such as Stella McCartney, Versace, Gucci, Tom Ford, Dolce and Gabbana, Wiederhoeft, Tory Burch, Hermès, and Bottega Veneta. Just to name a few.

There are so many way to incorporate this into your everyday fall wardrobe, just be sure to avoid a few pit falls. Red can be overwhelming when worn head-to-toe, instead, go with a single statement piece. It can also look dangerously Christmasy if paired with silver, green, or gold. Instead, pair red with neutrals or black to allow the piece to be center stage. This color works well with our other big fall trend. Prep. Yes, you read it right. We suffered through the return of the 90’s and Y2K and we made it to the light again! The polished, chic 2010 preppy style is back with a modern flair.

Butter Yellow

Butter yellow will be another great fall trend. Butter yellow is not a yellow that should scream YELLOW! Rather, it whispers it, like the wind whispers with the leaves. Its a soft yellow that a first glance might look like off white. Look for this color in items such as shirts, sweaters, scarves, and skirts. Consider pairing with traditional autumn colors like copper, rust, white, tan, denim and our next fall color… olive.

Olive green

If you are familiar with my blog, you can probably tell I love the color green. Green is a color that conveys a sense of calm and serenity, maybe because it reminds me of the forests. Olive green is going to be one of my favorite trendy fall 2023 colors to play with. This shade of green pairs so well with that beautiful butter yellow and most of our other fall hues likes the yellows, browns, and maroons. I would avoid wearing this trend with orange or crimson red.

Black + Navy

You know the fashion rules your grandmother lived by? I’ll bet you have at least heard of, “No white after Labor Day”. Well, there is another age old fashion adage, “No wearing black with navy”. Yet on every runway we saw this rule diced to pieces. We saw this trend on as many runways as we saw the red. This color combo is riding on the tails of another fall trend, tailored fashion. We saw many designers playing with professional attire like pant suits, pencil skirts, and structured blazers. Look for tailored fits in navy and black and try mixing and matching this fall.

Tartan (plaid)

Tartan is a old Scottish pattern, what you might see on a kilt. It’s plaid for those you of you that can’t picture it. We saw this pattern in the Dior, St. Laurent, and Burberry collections. This pattern would look so cute on a skirt or scarf. If you want to get bold, try this pattern on a pair of booties.

Silhouette – Hourglass

And the pieces you’ll need to create it

Peplum

Remember when I said the 2010’s are making their grand comeback now? Knowing what I wore in high school is now a retro fashion trend making its comeback really makes me feel my approaching 30th birthday… I can’t say I mind this reemergence. I much prefer the tailored, chic, femininity of the 2010’s over the grunge, baggy look of the 90’s or even the tackiness of the Y2K comeback. I think the updates 2023 version of the peplum, will be seen in our wear like sweaters or coats. I don’t think we’ll see as many blouses, but we shall see.

Cinched Waists / Belts

The 2010’s were all about clean lines, and feminine silhouettes. As with the peplum tops, the cinched or belted waist creates the same desired hourglass you see with the peplum. Try wearing a baggy sweater dress and pair it with a belt to give it some shape. You could also pair a fitted sweater with a plaid or corduroy skirt and belt the waist.

Off the shoulder

We’re staying on that theme of quiet femininity and silent luxury. Off the shoulder sweaters will make an appearance this fall and winter once again. I have a few shoulderless sweater dresses that I know will be getting worn this fall. Try this look for your fall date night and give your honey a reason to stare 😉 You may be able to create this look with an item you already have. Check your closet for a sweater with a wide boat neck and drape one side off your shoulder.

Full midi skirts

Think a high-water maxi skirt. The midi skirt hits mid calf and looks effortlessly chic. The ultimate fall 2023 version is one with a very full, round, hemline and a tailored waist. It gives off an air of old money, the real version, not the tacky gen Z, TikTok version of it. (Please stop wearing socks with maryjanes)

Sweater dresses

Sweater dresses are a classic and will never go out of style. If your unsure on how to pull of the trendy fall colors, try looking for a sweater dress in one the top colors. Its simple and easy and makes an untraditionally fall color look perfectly themed for the season.

Styles

Elevated Basics

Mui Mui is a designer known for bold patterns and layers yet even that runway featured simple elegant basics. Think a pair of joggers paired with a slim sweater vest and a sleek camel coat. Think tailored wide-legged pants with a neutral turtle neck and a belted waist. The greatest part about this trend is the simplicity of it. This is one the of the easiest fall trends to emulate. You don’t even need to spend a lot to create the appearance of it. H+M, Old Navy, Target, and Amazon are great places to look for these elegant basics. Dillard’s and Nordstrom are great places if your looking to spend a bit more for something to keep around You can great deals on basics at dillards when shopping out of season. Some of my favorite brands are Antonio Melani, Chelsea and Violet, Gianni Bini, Vince Camuto, Free People, and Ralph Lauren. Express is another great choice for investment pieces.

Prep

I’ve spent most of this article referring to this fall style. Prep is classic and timeless. When I look back at photos from this period, most styles are still things I would wear today almost 15 years later. The trick with this, and any trend, is to dip a toe in rather than diving in. You don’t want to were sweater vests and loafers all fall, that would be a fad. There is a big difference between trends and fads. Barbie core, Grunge, Y2K are fads and if you go all in…. You’ll definitely be burning photos in a few years. Instead take the common runway trends and adapt them into your wardrobe in a way that is true to your own personal style and something you’ll still wear for years to come.

Tailored

If you work an office job this look is for you! This is the power suit era. This fall, embrace your strength and go out there and show the world what you are made of. Try this trend in combination with our other fall trend of navy paired with black. It will create a striking contrast that eludes to your might and capability. Dress it down as well and pair an oversized blazer over a sweater with jeans for your day errands.

Old Money

Gen Z has butchered this trend and turned it into a fad. Please don’t wear a pleated skirt with a sweater tied around your shoulder with ruffled socks and Mary Jane shoes. You may have seen this on TikTok but its not what I am talking about. Old Money is the simple elegance seen with the Kennedy’s, Vanderbilt’s and Rockefeller’s of the world. Silent luxury that doesn’t depend on a brand logo or a fad.
For this style, you want well fitted pieces, as though they were tailored just for you. Solid colors over patterns. You don’t need your clothes to grab people’s attention, you already have it. Get it?

Shoes

I think for boots this year, we’ll be seeing a lot of tall, over the knee boots and a lot of kitten heals (2in). Kitten heals have been making a reappearance for a minute now and they’re not going anywhere this fall. Many designers featured runway looks that were completely pant-less with their legs covered by tall boots in lieu of pants. While I am not advocating for going pant-less, I do think we will see a lot of tall boots because of it. Given the prep trend, we will also be seeing quite a few ballet flats, loafers, and riding boots. Fashion is a pendulum, we swung far to the left with the chunky sole boots of last fall back to the right now with slimmer feminine styles. I will likely skip the ballet flats for so many reasons and I would instead opt for the loafers and riding boots.

Accessories

Scarves

Mixed metallics

We’re breaking more age old rules here. Don’t be afraid to mix your silver and gold pieces this fall. Keep jewelry light, airy, with a delicate grace. Avoid distracting statement pieces and instead just opt for a subtle feminine touch to accentuate the shoulders you’ll be showing off on date night. You’ll see a lot of lace and bows in accessory items as the romantic Victorian look is also very trendy this fall.

Belted waists