50+ Fall Outfits You Already Own: How to Recreate the Look From Your Closet - Nada Manley

One of the easiest ways to get excited about your wardrobe again is not necessarily to buy something new.

Sometimes you simply need to see what you already own differently.

That is exactly what inspired this collection of more than 50 fall outfits. I looked at outfit inspiration from some of our favorite retailers and broke the looks down into simple formulas that most of us can recreate with pieces already hanging in our closets.

The goal isn’t to duplicate every outfit.

It is to understand why the outfit works and then make that formula work for you.

How to Shop This Video:

Shop all of the outfits here: https://hueandstripe.com/catalog/306H-SQ4tFKd6h?s=1908848
Shop by Section: The Outfit Formulas and Outfit Pics are linked.

Don’t Shop the Outfit. Copy the Formula.

This is the biggest shift I want you to make when you’re looking at outfit inspiration.

Instead of seeing a camel sweater, navy trousers and cream shoes and deciding you don’t own the right pieces, break the outfit down:

Medium neutral top
Dark neutral bottom
Light neutral shoe

Now translate that formula into your wardrobe.

Maybe yours becomes:

Olive sweater
Black trousers
White shoes

Same idea. Completely different outfit.

And much more importantly, it is an outfit that suits you.

Know Your Light, Medium and Dark Neutrals

One of the easiest ways to create more outfits from fewer clothes is to identify the neutrals that work best in your wardrobe.

Light Neutrals

Think of these as your version of white:

Ivory, cream, optic white, pale gray or even a very pale blush or yellow depending on your coloring.

Medium Neutrals

These are some of the hardest-working colors in a wardrobe because they connect your lighter and darker pieces.

Think:

Camel, taupe, olive, medium gray and denim blue.

Dark Neutrals

These create depth and can anchor an outfit:

Navy, chocolate, charcoal and black.

Once you know your own versions of these colors, you can look at almost any neutral outfit and translate it into your palette.

Adjust the Proportions — Don’t Reject the Outfit

The outfit you see online is usually being shown on a tall model.

That doesn’t mean the idea isn’t for you.

I’m 5’2″, so I have been mentally altering clothes on tall models my entire life!

If an outfit feels overwhelming, ask what needs to change.

A petite woman might choose:

A slightly shorter jacket
Less overall volume
A narrower wide-leg pant
A shorter midi length

If you want more waist definition, you might add:

A tuck
A belt
A shorter layer
A more shaped jacket

If you prefer to skim the tummy rather than emphasize the waist, you might choose a softer front, less bulk at the waist and a longer uninterrupted line.

You don’t have to copy the exact hemline, rise, width or jacket length.

Keep the idea. Change the proportions.

Look at the Clothes — Not the Model

This may be one of the most important style skills you can develop.

Retail models are generally tall and slim, and many are considerably younger than the women shopping for the clothes.

That does not make the clothing irrelevant.

Look past the person wearing it and ask:

What do I like about this outfit?

Is it the color combination?

The proportion?

The contrast between something feminine and something relaxed?

The way the shoes change the mood?

The layering?

Once you identify that, you can recreate the part you love in a way that suits your coloring, body and personal style.

The model does not need to look like you in order to determine whether the outfit might be an option. We can use our imaginations to picture ourselves in the clothes.

Easy Fall Outfits With Jeans

Jeans make some of the easiest fall formulas because denim can function as a neutral.

Light-to-medium neutral top + dark wide-leg jeans + dark ankle boots

Fall Outfits With Trousers

Once you have trousers in your best light, medium and dark neutrals, outfit building becomes incredibly simple.

Fall Outfits With Skirts

Skirts are particularly strong this fall.

Midi pencil skirts, column skirts, suede and leather skirts, pleated skirts and even kilts are all showing up again.

Make Your Dresses Feel Like Outfits

A dress can sometimes feel like a one-and-done piece.

The trick for fall is to style around it.

Try adding:

Tall boots
A sweater tied around the waist or shoulders
A great fall jacket
Suede texture
A belt
A substantial bag

Those additions can make a simple dress feel like a complete look instead of something you simply pulled over your head.

Let Accessories Bring the Personality

If the foundation of your wardrobe is versatile, accessories are one of the easiest places to make it personal.

Change the shoe and you can change the personality of the entire outfit.

A sneaker makes it sporty.

A loafer makes it classic.

A ballet flat makes it feminine.

A statement shoe gives a neutral outfit a cool, unexpected twist.

The same is true of bags, scarves, belts, jewelry and even socks.

The simpler the outfit, the more room you have to use those details to make it feel like you.

Your Fall Closet Challenge

Before you shop for anything new this season, choose three outfits you love and recreate them from your closet.

Don’t worry about making them exact.

Ask:

What is the formula?

What are my versions of these colors?

What proportions flatter me?

What could I add that makes this feel like my style?

That’s the difference between using outfit inspiration as a shopping list and using it as a styling tool.

And the second one will give you far more outfits.

If your experiment reveals some genuine gaps in your wardrobe, download my free Fall Modern Classics Wardrobe Guide at nadamanley.com/modernclassics

It will help you identify the versatile, modern pieces that can fill those gaps without starting your wardrobe over from scratch.