Fall Musings
Burgundy for Fall? Groundbreaking.
Hello my friends!
I’m writing to you from my kitchen, wearing a recently thrifted sweatshirt (Roots, 1/4 zip, butter yellow), my favourite soft pants (barrel leg, grey, flannel), and my cozy slippers (shearling, no socks), with a hot cup of tea (Tetley, oat milk, honey) steaming on the window sill. It feels like Fall, so I think it’s time we talk about my musings for the season.
My moodboard and musings always begin in my notebook. My keywords for Fall 2024 are…
Nostalgic. Personal. Kooky
And as a refresher, here are my overarching style goals for the year.
I’m not striving to reinvent the wheel this Autumn (or ever), and most of my inspiration has come from my camera roll and my closet. There are always a few new sartorial tricks that I want to explore at the beginning of a new season, but more than anything I’m craving the feeling of coming home to the colours, textures, and silhouettes that feel most like me.
I like to have a collection of imagery as well as random thoughts and ideas to help me build out my story for the season, so I get a Pinterest board and a Notes app list going simultaneously. I pull the images that still resonate from the previous year’s Pinterest board, and grab anything that feels relevant from my general inspiration board. I organize this collection into my different Personal Style Themes to see how each of them will be represented in this new season. My goal is to continue building upon the story that I’ve been trying to tell with my style, so I recycle a lot of images season over season. I like to have a few new ideas to try, but for the most part it’s more about refining the narratives already at play in my wardrobe. For the last few seasons I’ve been making seasonal collage (I use Pinterest for this!). I include outfits that inspire me (this time around I focused on my own outfits from seasons past), art that speaks to my colour palette, sometimes a little phrase or handwritten note, something kooky, specific items I’m hoping to track down, and at least a few bits and/or bobs from my personal collection.
I love having all (or almost all) of my touch-points for the season in one image, and I find the process of creating the collage helps me to distill my ideas. This season I split my inspiration list into general vibe ideas and style specific ideas, purely because it was too long to fit nicely into one 4:5 screenshot.
Let’s tease out some of the style ideas a bit more. I always break my big picture inspiration down into these 3 elements: Colour, Texture, Silhouette.
Colour- I’m bringing stick-of-dynamite Summer into Fall. I love the way bright red plays with my core Fall colours; brown, olive, and navy. I’m also interested in burgundy, specifically paired with hot red, pale blue, and butter. I had lots of burgundy/oxblood tones on my radar in Fall 2022 and 2023, but I never really did anything about it. This year I feel ready to take the plunge and intentionally source something in this colour- I’ve already got a classic JCrew roll-neck sweater (currently in the mending pile), so I’m planning to focus my search in the accessories category- maybe a bag?
Texture- My Fall standbys include cozy knits, waxed cotton canvas, denim, flannel, and corduroy. For Fall 2024 I’m curious about studs (still thinking about those clogs), fringe, Mongolian lamb, and shine. We’ve all seen that glossy red Sèzane tote making the influencer rounds lately, and I love the juxtaposition it creates with the cozier textures we know and love for Fall. I’ve been stalking vintage Jack Gomme bags on Ebay to get a similar feel with a bit more crinkle, and I would also love to explore a shiny raincoat situation. I’m definitely intrigued by the sheer and lace elements I’m seeing everywhere, but unsure of how they would factor into my actual wardrobe- I think I’ll put that idea on the back burner until Spring.
Silhouette- I’m not straying from my usual slouchy silhouettes any time soon, but there are a few ideas within the world of slouch that I want to play with this season. I’m really into a shawl or a poncho situation, and I’m currently plotting to DIY a pair of freaky jeans inspired by these ones from BSides.
Styling Notes- A few of the tricks I’ll be employing to bring some freshness to my wardrobe this season, using what I already have.
Shirts tied at the waist- I tried this recently with a sentimental plaid shirt (that I never, ever wear) and it opened my eyes to a whole world of possibilities. I love this trick for adding just a touch of a colour/texture/print to your wardrobe and I’ll be leaning on this to spice up my simple WFH outfits.
Elevated Soft Clothes- I’m so into vintage sweats right now (she keeps saying), and once the weather properly cools down I want to style my cozy hoodies, pullovers, and sweatpants with more elevated pieces to bring some tension into the mix. I’m talking adding a couple of brooches to a hoodie, pairing a rhinestone necklace with a rugby shirt, styling sweatpants with a cashmere sweater and long wool coat- you get the idea.
Mixed Metals- This is a cornerstone of my personal style (my literal wedding rings are mixed metals), but I really want to push it this season. I find that I tend to wear a bit more jewelry in the cooler months and I want to play with mismatched earrings and simple but impactful necklace stacks.
Personal Touches- I’m obsessed with Linda’s boat shoe beads (below) from CPHFW, and I want to play with something similar on sneaker laces. If you’re not following Linda already, please fix that immediately. In 2020 I was deep into hoodie string beads, and I think I’ll bring it back to tie in to my elevated soft clothes idea.
I hope these Fall musings can serve as inspiration for you to think about the shapes, colours, textures, and ideas you’d like to explore this season. Remember that everything old is new again, and the majority of the trending items that you see online can be found secondhand (*cough* barn jackets *cough*)****. I encourage you to take some time to hang out with your clothes as the seasons change and find ways to translate your various points of inspiration through your own lens.
****Jumping back in to say that this is advice for my straight size readers who are able to choose between secondhand and fast fashion. Readers who wear plus sizes do not have the same access to secondhand clothing and often rely on fast fashion for personal style expression. If you are a reader who wears plus sizes I hope you will feel encouraged and supported to explore your style in whatever way feels sustainable + attainable for YOU, including shopping fast fashion when necessary.
BITS/BOBS etc.
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As always, thank you for reading my sweet friends! I’ll be back with more sustainable + attainable style for you soon :)
I really appreciate the disclaimer at the end re: plus size thrifting. I get so exhausted by that advice when it is not always accessible for many of us! Anyhoooo I love breaking down the season by the three elements of an outfit and I think it is going to help me shape my overflowing inspiration.
I think your idea of style themes is so clever, and I've been meditating on my own. Thus far I have:
- the shade of it all (monochrome lewks)
- 7 layered fit (I couldn't think of better word play and just really like chip dip, so this is my way of saying more layering for fall)
- keep it simple