Fall Fashion Essentials: How To Layer Your Clothes
Anyone who knows me knows that I love fall. It’s my favorite season of the year, and living on the Northwest coast brings beautiful fall colors on all the leaves and cozy, rainy weather. It’s pumpkin spice and chai season, and it’s time for my annual Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls rewatches. I love lighting candles and curling up with a good book before bed, and to me, nothing is better than fall fashion. Everything from the sweaters, to the fall color palette, and the endless ways to accessorize— if you’re like me, you spent time as early as August making a style moodboard preparing to swap out your beauty outfits from summer with velvet tops, dark jeans, and dark brown Ralph Lauren boots. As it gets cooler and rainier in the Pacific Northwest, I’m transitioning into wearing my cozier fall outfits. To make them more practical, I use different layering techniques to stay warm while maintaining my sense of style. After collecting some tips from my friends and professional stylists, I think I have a solid framework for getting ready in the morning in a way that is quick, but leaves me feeling cute and comfortable for my early morning classes. Let’s dive into how you can upgrade your style this fall while staying practical and comfortable!
Start with the basics
When you are forming an outfit, it’s a good idea to start with some foundation pieces. I prefer a bodysuit or a thin sweater as bottom light layer. I also like to make sure this layer is somewhat neutral. This will make layering easier because you can add statement pieces and pops of color to make your look more cohesive. You also want to make sure the silhouette suits your body type, and that it’s light enough to keep you from overheating. For example, you can wear long sleeved bodysuits to layer under a thicker sweater, or under a sleeveless dress. I would also suggest a button up shirt under a sweater for a more preppy fall look, or wearing tights under your jeans to stay warm or under a cute skirt can make your look amazing and keep your legs from freezing.
Add Depth to your outfit with mid-layers And Outerwear
Your next layer can be something like a cardigan or a sweater. To make your outfit more interesting, you can try different knit textures like cashmere or cable knits. Light jackets are also great to layer over a sweater. For fall, leather and denim are great to bring in a more sophisticated element to your outfits. I also like to use outwear to make an otherwise basic outfit look more elevated. For example, styling a sweater with jeans with a wool blend coat is a timeless and elegant look. You can even try a vest over a sweater, or if you like fun colors and patterns, you can wear a coat with an interesting pattern or silhouette to tie your outfit together and make it more eye-catching. If you’re wearing outerwear, it’s a good idea to make sure it’s slightly oversized so that you don’t overheat underneath all your different layers.
Complete your outfit with accessories
Some of my favorite textures to wear in the fall are velvet, knits, and leather. Suede is very trendy this fall, and autumnal colors like olive green, navy, chartreuse, dark brown, and red are great options to combine with neutrals for a classy look. Adding a blanket scarf can be cute if you’re going for the comfy but effortless look, paired with a sweater and a light pair of jeans and your favorite boots. You can also add a cute belt or jewelry, but I suggest whatever you choose to do, you should keep it minimal to avoid looking cluttered. I am often seen with a dainty gold chain around my neck or an understated bracelet stack or watch on my wrist to complement my outfits and tie all the elements of my look together.
Final Notes
Layering can really be a great way to stay cozy and warm no matter the weather, and it doesn’t have to be boring or leave you feeling frumpy and uncomfortable. Investing in good quality, versatile pieces that you can wear all through the fall and winter seasons is important to keep your style fresh and functional. Do you have any special layering tricks? Feel free to share them with us @itgrlarchive_ on Instagram, or tag us in your looks. We’d love to see you all showing up and looking your very best during fashion’s best season!