Fall Fashion Forecast: Finding Your Style Groove

“If you haven’t worn it in over a year, there’s a reason,” says Baille Benemelis, executive director of Couture Circle.

According to the fashionista, it’s one of several telltale signs you might need to refresh your wardrobe — and there’s no better moment to reevaluate your style than the start of a new season.

Autumn is a time to renew your love affair with wool, thick-patterned wraps and waxed all-weather jackets. For many, it’s a reminder of how jaded they’ve become with their closets.

Over time, motivation to dress well is replaced with frustration and creative stagnation. Many struggle knowing what to do when the excitement of going on a first date, stepping into an interview for your dream job or feeling reenergized by a new season is gone.

Benemelis believes it’s critical to get to the root of your style slump and shake things up.

“Maybe your clothes don’t fit anymore or you’ve been wearing all black every day and you’ve been doing it for too long. Maybe you’ve gone through a major life event and just need a change. [Identifying] whatever “that” is — that’s really the first step.”

Remaking and owning your style requires pinpointing and investigating the external and internal forces influencing your fashion habits. And as Benemelis articulates, the intuition that it’s time to try something new shouldn’t be ignored.

“You should never feel you don’t have something to wear,” Benemelis declares.

Getting out of your rut is about recapturing your confidence — the confidence to bring your best self to any occasion with your own unique flair.

So, you’ve nailed how you’ve lost that loving feeling. Resist the urge to declare a five-alarm fashion emergency; instead, Benemelis suggests taking a measured approach: a closet audit.

It’s an opportunity to jettison things that no longer fit, have seen their best days — the shrunken, tattered, ill-fitting regulars in your rotation — or take up valuable real estate in your closet, potentially overshadowing pieces that still fit and you enjoy wearing.

Though, an intensive purge isn’t a catchall solution.

“There’s an alternative: maybe you need to switch things up because the pieces you have are great but you’ve been wearing the same combination of clothes over and over, rather than shopping your closet and putting new combinations together.”

According to Benemelis, building your look around a favorite pair of shoes, which she describes as dressing “from the ground up,” or hunting for new accessories can reinvigorate your closet.

“Maybe the best place to start if you’re looking to switch things up is going shopping for new accessories that make a statement or have really unique details — something that feels special.”

The other suggestion is to embrace seasonal trends that complement your closet while focusing on making the trends your own.

“Pick one to three trends each season — something that’s fun, that’s exciting, that you can take a risk with,” Benemelis suggests. “And then weave [them] into your personal style.”

Regardless of which direction you go, one easy way to organize yourself is by making a Pinterest board.

 

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A post shared by Baille (@baillekg)

“As you’re getting into this new way of dressing, you can look back and remember things you want to try,” Benemelis says, adding that Instagram and TikTok are resources for locating fashion bloggers who fit your style ethos, whether it’s sustainability, vintage or luxury.

Benemelis also suggests you can stay loyal to brands you love while exploring boutique brands — as long as the pieces reflect your new visual and stylistic vantage point. Additionally, fast fashion has its place as a means to enhance, not replace, staple items.

When asked what’s trending this fall, Benemelis notes the return of stilettos — which she hopes are here to stay — and bold colors are setting the pace for women’s fall fashion.

“Grass green, lime green, orange, hot pink — those really bright colors are a big trend right now,” Benemelis says. “If you want to be bold, mix them all up together. Do some color blocking, choose two to three and put them together.”

Benemelis offers the latter option for those looking to really make a statement. For the less avante-garde, pairing bolder colors with white and black or using brighter accessories (headbands, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings) might be a better way to ease into the season.

The most important goal, she insists, is to have fun and remember “being on trend” does not make it “necessary.” It’s better to invest in timeless investment pieces like a good trench coat, blazer or motorcycle jacket.

“You have to be true to your style. I would never say buy something because this is a trend. If you don’t think it’s something that fits who you are and you can’t incorporate it into your wardrobe and wear it over and over again, don’t buy it.”

While the fall is the opportune time to shake up your wardrobe, constantly evolving is key.

“You can get inspiration from anything. That’s what really keeps me excited and evolving my style all the time; I am consistently looking for [inspiration] everywhere.”

Follow Benemelis on Instagram @baillekg. Check out Couture Circle at couturecircle.org or on Instagram @couture_circle.

Andrew J. Williams III