Prep Your Closet For Fall

For fall, pull out the cool weather garments you feel amazing in and absolutely love.

Now, try them on, and if you still feel fantastic, this is your new clothing “standard” for

fall. Add similar stars in your closet to this pile, and it’s the beginning of your fall

wardrobe.

The next task is identifying coordinating items that increase the rotation of these

favorites. When you’ve identified the holes around them, it’s time to shop. Beware not

to get distracted by the lure of plush sweaters and heavier fabrics by overlooking their

bulkiness.

If a sweater’s shoulders aren’t dropped and there’s extra fabric, then the sleeves are

likely too long. Unless you can professionally knit, take a pass. This is true for

velveteen garments—they must be fitted, or risk adding “pounds”. Corduroy is also

challenging: the wider the ribs, the heavier the appearance. Petites should wear

smaller ribbing; and everyone should opt for the flat-fronted pant.

The old rule of “no white after Labor Day” is outdated and I’m a firm believer you can

wear white or lighter colored jeans or pants any time of year, just counterbalance the

colors for the season. Here, tans and olives are the obvious transitional color.

When considering leather and suede, make sure to balance out the amount in an outfit,

particularly if wearing it with boots. If you wear a leather skirt, make sure it’s cut above

the knee so when wearing leather boots, your knees or tights break up the overall

appearance of the leather.

With this exercise and the above guides, you can successfully maximize the wearability

and functionality of your fall wardrobe.

Tammy’s Truism: When seasonally changing out your closet, those lesser-favored

garments, once back in rotation, are harder to discard.