The Trends I am Buying this Fall (and the Ones I am Leaving at the Store)

I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a trend person. I’ve built my whole approach to dressing around the opposite idea, buying things slowly and deliberately so my closet doesn’t need a seasonal overhaul every time the fashion police decides what’s next. But every September the trend reports still land in my inbox like clockwork,  and this year I decided to hash it out with two women whose opinion I genuinely trust, Susan from Une Femme and Jennifer from A Well Styled Life. The three of us are each sharing our own take, the handful of trends we’re genuinely willing to let in and the rest we’re politely declining.

What I’m Embracing

Olive and moss, head to toe !

These greens are having their moment this season, and I could not be happier about it. They’re warmer and more interesting than a straight neutral, they can be mixed with a pop of chartreuse, and they play beautifully with the Native American, and tortoise pieces I already love.

Shop Olive Looks

Suede, everywhere.

Suede loafers, suede jackets, suede bags. There’s something about the texture that photographs like luxury even when the price tag doesn’t. I’ve always gravitated toward interesting textures over flat leather, so this one feels like the trend forecasters finally caught up to me.

Shop Suede Faves

Zebra and leopard.

This isn’t new for me. I’ve been collecting hide bags and shoes in animal print for years, and I’m delighted the trend cycle has swung back around to validate what was already in my closet. A great zebra tote does more for an outfit than almost anything else I own. I am coveting this one.

I absolutely adore these jeans from Chicos and the blazer. Of course I combined them with tortoise accessories and my much loved velvet birdies.

Shop the Look

https://go.shopmy.us/p-87209039

Western Influenced

I love how a great pair of Western-inspired boots or a suede fringe detail feels a little unexpected without tipping into costume. It’s the rare trend that doesn’t read as “trend” at all, it just reads as good taste that happens to be in fashion right now. A jacket with just a bit of fringe, vintage Ralph Lauren, or a pair of boots with some real character is the kind of thing i have been wearing for decades.

This great Rails jacket was a purchase thanks to my partner in crime on Signature Style Kim. She gets me into trouble often. I did find mine on super sale (wearking a medium as the small was sold out) Kim said she didn’t notice much difference between the two (linked below). I love it because it doesn’t scream cowboy. I could have worn it with my cowboy boots but did not choose to.

Get the Look

I “rangled” this vintage serape coat by Ralph Lauren a couple of years ago. I probably spent two years searching for it. The skirt is old from Zara, similar linked below. To keep this outfit from looking to “ranchy” I paired it with comfy Kenneth Cole booties, and a Poshmark find years ago of the Rag and Bone bag that I still adore.

Get the Look

Shop Western Influenced Favorites

Slim Loafers with a little texture or hide.

I’ve always loved a loafer in an interesting texture, and this season’s filled with options. Comfortable and a little bit cool. That’s the whole game at this point in life.

Shop Loafers I am Coveting

What I’m Not Buying

Gold anything.

I have never worn gold hoops and I am not starting now because a trend report told me to. Silver hair & gold jewelry are not a good mix for me. My jewelry drawer is tortoise, vintage silver, Native American, and the occasional bone or horn piece, and that’s not changing for a trend.

The pencil skirt revival.

I never understood these the first time around. I understand the appeal, there’s a whole nostalgia wave built around that slick, minimal ’90s silhouette, but they simply are not comfortable. My closet is built for movement, for wine tasting, travel and long lunches that turn into long afternoons. A pencil skirt has never once accommodated any of those.

Ruffles and Bows .

I understand the romance of it, but the moment a blouse starts looking like it’s wrapping itself as a gift, I’m over it. It reads sweet on someone in their twenties and costume-y on me. I’d rather purchase soemthing with a little attitude.

Heavily cuffed pants. T

This one seems to be gradually fading. Thank god. All that fabric stacked at the ankle can look great on someone with legs for days. On those of us who weren’t blessed with long legs, it just shortens everything further. I’ll take a clean hem or a proper crop, thank you.

Skirts and dresses that look like underwear.

Slips-as-dresses, barely-there minis, anything that looks like it wandered out of a lingerie drawer by mistake. Adorable on the 20-something crowd. Not my chapter, and I’m perfectly at peace with that.

The Real Point

None of this is really about trends at all, is it? It’s about knowing your own silhouette, your own coloring, your own life, well enough that you can look at what’s “in” and sort it instantly into yes and not for me, without a moment of insecurity about the no pile. That’s the whole idea behind the Collected Look. You’re not chasing every season, you’re adding, slowly and deliberately, to something that’s already yours. The moss green suede jacket earns its place because it works with what I have and how I live, not because a runway said so in February.

So that’s my list this year. A little moss, a little suede, the animal print I never really left, and a firm no to gold hoops, pencil skirts, and anything that belongs in a lingerie drawer. Be sure to click over to Susan at Une Femme d’un Certain Age and Jennifer at A Well Styled Life to see where they land on this season’s trends, I promise the three of us don’t agree on everything. What’s on your list?

Further Reading:

Who What Wear Fall Trends That are in and Out

Vogue 6 Key Fall Fashion Essentials

Who Says What Women Over 60 Should Wear