Hello everyone,

Today I am outlining all of the steps I take when planning my wardrobe, fall edition. Sometimes the process can seem overwhelming. I am hoping this post breaks down some helpful tips to make sure your wardrobe reflects you and how you want to dress for the season! Hope you find this helpful

1.INSPIRATION SESSION

The first thing that I do is find out the trends for the season. I do this by searching through fashion magazines and websites. Since there are so many trends each season I like to determine which ones resinate most with my style. This goes back to my post about HOW TO BUILD A CAPSULE WARDROBE AND SHOP FOR FOREVER PIECES where I talk about not giving into trends simply because they are trends. Make sure it is something you would actually wear because if it isn’t it won’t be in your wardrobe for long and you won’t feel your best wearing it.

Based on the trends and how I am feeling towards the season I develop an overall “Vibe” in my mind that I want to go for. I would say my vibe for this season is very natural; simplistic silhouettes with lots of textures and layering. This vibe stays top of mind when I move onto the next step of the inspiration phase, which is to go on Pinterest and Instagram. I use these sites to get inspiration on ways to style this seasons trends as well as just outfit ideas for fall in general. To find outfits that fit my vibe I usually search a key word such as “layering” or “natural textures” and see what comes up. I save all of these to a board on Pinterest or to a folder on Instagram for me to reference. These inso pics act as a guide for what I am going to be wearing and shopping for this season. I will usually print out the board and post it somewhere that I can constantly see it so I can easily get inspiration whenever I need.

ALTG Fall Edit Board

2. PLAN MY COLOUR SCHEME AND LINE SHEET

Once I have decided on my vibe for the season, have looked through and saved my favourite outfit pictures, I then decide on my colour scheme. This question is usually answered for me already through the inso pictures that I save, since I am usually drawn to one colour scheme when I am pinning. However it’s always better to clearly lay this out for yourself as a baseline if this does not happen naturally. You can always get inspiration from outfits but change the colour scheme. I was going for a lot of neutral tones for this season; browns, oats, beiges; with black accents throughout.

I then look at all of the pictures that I have saved on Pinterest and Instagram and make a “line sheet” of the items/colours/textures etc that I want to make sure I have in my wardrobe or that I want to purchase. An important thing to note is even if you know you already have the item in your wardrobe still write it down since it allows you to round up a full list of what will be part of that seasons wardrobe. You can filter through what you have or don’t have in the next step. I do this because looking at everything can get a little overwhelming and of course it’s not possible to buy everything. The key is to select pieces that you like and resinate most with you. I am never looking to recreate the looks exactly but instead pick out parts of it that I know I want to include in my own wardrobe for the coming season. This can be a specific item like an oversized blazer, a texture like a sherpa or a colour like sage.

What’s on my Line Sheet this season (I like to separate it by category)

Outerwear

• Oversized Coat
• Shacket
• Oversized menswear blazer

Tops

• Turtle Neck
• Chunky knits
• Button Down

Bottoms

• Straight Leg denim
• Skinny Jeans
• Utility Pants
• Tailored trousers

Shoes and Accessories

• Unstructred Flats
• Booties
• Chunky Scarves
• Oversized shoulder Bags

Colour Scheme (that I want the pieces to be in)

• Neutrals (oat, brown, beige)
• Black
• Sage green

3. LOOK AT MY CURRENT WARDROBE

This is the step that I mentioned where you are going to go into you current wardrobe and determine what you already have. I go through each piece and see if I already have any of the items that are on my line sheet, for example I already had a pair of black boots so I know I don’t have to buy them. If I do find a piece on my line sheet that I already have I also make sure it is within the same colour scheme and has the correct fit that I want, if not I will put it aside. I will also go through and determine which items will work with the “vibe” I am going for and which ones will not. If they don’t I will go through those pieces and determine if they are worth saving for next season or if I would rather resell or donate them.

5. GET SHOPPING

Now that I have determined what I have, don’t have and what I need to purchase, it is time to get shopping. My favourite part! However before I start I will set a budget for myself and determine what items I am willing to splurge on and which ones I would rather save on. This usually depends on what I feel I will wear most, what I know will last for multiple seasons and what I know is just a trend piece. For example I find it worth my money to splurge on a new coat and boots and save on my flats or basics. Another thing that I always say and want to mention is it’s better to buy 1 high quality item then 5 lower quality items that will last you only 1 season. Of course if its a very “trend” item save on that as it most likely won’t be around next season.

I will look at all of my go-to and favourite retailers first to see if they have any of the pieces I am looking for, in any of the colours I need them in. If I do find any of the pieces I add them to my cart and continue my search to see if there is anything I like better. This is the step were I am searching for hours and I have multiple tabs on my computer open. Once I have looked through all of my favourite retailers I will then compare like pieces to determine which ones I like best and see what fits in my budget. I don’t do this all in one day, I will do it throughout the start of the season till I find the perfect pieces. I would rather find a piece that I love then just buying something for the sake of buying it.

6. REVIEW AND CREATE

Once I have purchased all of the items that I need I will bring all of my wardrobe together for the season in one place. I look back on my boards, and line sheet to make sure I have everything I need to achieve the vibe and create the looks I am going for.

I will then put all of the clothes on a clothing rack and start to put together full looks. I take pictures of each of the looks and save them to a folder on my phone to reference throughout the season. I make sure to do this step when I am feeling most inspired, and I again always refer to my fall board on Pinterest for outfit inspo.

There you have it. That is the process I go through to plan my wardrobe for the season. I made this one catered to fall for the sake of examples but it really applies to any season. In summary I find inspiration, plan my colour scheme and line sheet, look at my current wardrobe, get shopping and lastly review and create. I hope you all found this helpful! Let me know if you use these steps to plan your fall wardrobe this season in the comments. Also if you want any fall outfit inspiration or want to what I am wearing this season follow me on instagram @alittletouchofgold.