Fall, But Make It Interesting: A Dual Citizen’s Guide to the Season
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I live in Texas, but I cut my teeth interning in New York, and that combination means my Western influence comes in whispers, not shouts. I didn’t grow up on a ranch. I’ve never roped a single thing in my life, though I did once volunteer to put a child on a sheep at a rodeo in Utah, which is a story for another time. What I have is a closet that borrows just enough from the West to feel like a nod, not a costume: one buckle, one boot, one fringe moment, worn like I picked up a little of that Texas magic on my way to somewhere else. If you don’t live here, you’re still invited. You just get to be even more selective about it than I am, because you don’t have the zip code as your excuse.
Here’s what’s actually good this fall, and how to wear it like it’s second nature, not a theme.
Western, As a Whisper, Not a Costume
Fringe, pearl snaps, buckles, boots: all correct, all gorgeous, all disastrous the moment you wear more than one at once. This is the rule I live by, pick a single Western detail and let a very city, very tailored outfit carry the rest. A pearl snap top under a sharp blazer (Veronica Beard is basically built for this exact combination). One statement buckle on an otherwise minimal trouser and silk combo. Fringe on a bag, nowhere else. Ralph Lauren is doing this whole “quiet Americana” thing so well right now, it’s worth a scroll if you want to see restraint done properly. The goal is that someone clocks it as a detail, not a theme, like you happened to pick it up somewhere interesting, not like you’re dressing for a specific zip code.
On buckles specifically: go big, go gold or brass if you can, it photographs like money. I’m still working on loving silver, for years it read cheap to me unless it leaned gunmetal, moody and a little dangerous. That’s the silver I’ll take.
Boots are where I don’t hold back. Tall suede, steel toe, straight-up cowboy boot, I’m deep into my Tecovas and Lucchese era, thank you to my husband for quietly funding this collection one birthday at a time. And if you’re working with a short bootie, here’s my move: wear it with a long pant or a maxi skirt so only that gorgeous square toe peeks out. You get the illusion of the tall boot without actually suiting up for a Texas heat wave in suede up to your knee. It’s a magic trick. Use it.
Plaid, But Give It a Pulse
I love plaid when it stops behaving. Not the flat, predictable schoolgirl grid, I want lines that have some dimension to them, color that shifts depending on how the light hits it, a print that looks like it’s slightly out of focus on purpose. That’s the plaid that feels expensive instead of costume-y, and it’s an easy way to wear the trend without it screaming “flannel.”
The Soft Stuff: Silk, Chiffon, Taffeta
Fall gets treated like it’s all hard textures, suede, denim, leather, but I want one piece in the mix that’s delicate and a little whimsical. A silk blouse under a heavy jacket, a chiffon skirt with boots, taffeta doing something unexpected. Reformation has been my go-to for this lately, they always seem to get the drape right. That contrast, tough material next to something that could blow away in the wind, is honestly the whole outfit formula I keep coming back to.
Suede (I Need Your Help)
I am on an active, borderline unhinged hunt for a suede pencil maxi skirt with a slit up the back. If you’ve seen her, designer, vintage, secondhand, doesn’t matter, please holler at me. This is not a metaphor. I will drop everything.
The Palette: Brown, Maroon, Olive, and a Little Rebellion
This season is rich. Lots of brown, deep denim in those inky blue-black washes (rag & bone remains the gold standard here, they just get denim), olive green, navy, and, my personal soapbox, maroon done correctly. If you’re an Aggie, I need you to hear me: it’s merlot, not “gig ‘em.” There’s a version of this color that’s expensive and moody and a version that’s a football helmet. Choose wisely.
I’m also chasing royal blue and a soft mauve/pink to play against my tan and beige base, because listen, as a Scorpio, I refuse to let autumn be dull. Every year somebody tries to convince women that fall means “safe” and “sleepy,” and every year I reject it. Revive the wardrobe. Add a color that startles people a little. Reiss has been nailing this in their tailoring lately if you want proof a “corporate” color palette doesn’t have to be boring. That’s the assignment.
Barrel Jeans, Carefully
We flirted with sweetheart/barrel silhouettes hard this summer, right up to the edge of overdone. My take for fall: keep it subtle. A slight barrel leg, not a full statement. J.Crew has a great quiet version if you want the shape without shouting about it. My current favorites are linked in my ShopMy, go peek, I did the digging so you don’t have to.
Texture Is the Real Trend
If I had to name the one thing tying this whole season together, it’s texture. Suede next to denim, plaid with dimension, a buckle catching the light, fringe moving when you walk. Fall isn’t about one perfect item, it’s about layering things that feel different from each other. That’s what makes an outfit look put-together instead of just… assembled.
So: one Western moment, one soft moment, a color with a little attitude, and boots you actually love. That’s fall. That’s the whole assignment.
Now go find me that suede skirt.
- Dual Citizen