Brian Maynor September 26, 2013

By Brian Maynor
September 26, 2013

 

Fall has officially begun, and with the layers and deep rich colors it is no wonder why it is the favorite season for most people.  We have talked about transitioning from late summer into fall, but now that fall is here we can focus entirely on the cooler mornings and evenings and milder days.

If you are ready to break out and dust off your complete fall wardrobe there are a few key pieces and elements you want to include.  Here are two inspiration outfits that embrace some of fall’s favorite things: 

1.    Color.  When you think of fall you think of the leaves changing color and no fall wardrobe would be complete without including those very colors.  Just like each season has qualities and characteristic so does each seasonal palette.  Autumnal colors are warm, rich and deep and tend to be muddled with a yellow undertone.

If those aren’t your best colors you can still include them in your wardrobe with pants, skirts and accessories.  As long as the color isn’t around your face you will be fine.

2.    Texture.  No fall wardrobe would be complete without wool, tweed, flannel and cashmere.  These fabrics add a level of sophistication and elegance to the most basic of pieces.  Additionally, the material adds elements of depth and movement to a solid-colored piece keeping it interesting and elevated.

3.    Patterns.  Houndstooth is a quintessential fall pattern that will dominate the wardrobe landscape this year.  Walk into any store or department and you will see it in various iterations from skirts, dresses, blazers, ties, scarves to shoes.

Like every other pattern pulling off houndstooth successfully means keeping the proportions aligned with your stature and placing it only where you want attention.  This skirt has a larger houndstooth pattern so it will definitely draw focus and attention to your lower body.  

4.    Double-breasted blazers.  This style returned to popularity a few seasons ago and is still going strong, but note they are not the same blazers your father and grandfather wore.  Today’s double-breasted blazer is tailored to keep the waist defined and the buttons are higher to extend the torso.  

Look at vintage blazers and you will see the buttons start below your chest and continue down the front of the jacket to the bottom.  This coupled with the boxy cut made your torso look short and square.  By starting the buttons higher we keep and actually add length to the torso and by coming in at the waist we create and define that athletic shape everyone is working so hard to develop.

Fall is in the air and soon rustling leaves will be too.  Use your wardrobe to embrace the season with color, pattern and texture.  If you are daring, try incorporating all three in one outfit.

Click on the images below to find out more about the outfit.