Four Fall Closet Essentials

It has been so hot in Los Angeles. I’ve been stalking my iPhone’s weather app for weeks now to see when it will cool off, so when I saw under 70 degrees for this week, my heart sang. My mind basically blew up thinking about all of the fall outfits I could (maybe) begin to wear. I’m going to need some scissors to finally cut those tags off everything! Yahoo!

I am a big believer in spending money on a handful of nice pieces every season that are more quality pieces over trendy ones. These are my top four fall closet essentials that I think every woman should have in her closet.

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1. Black High Waisted Jeans – I used to work in the denim industry and so I have over 40 pairs of jeans, but most of the time in the fall I reach for these black J Brand jeans. They are just high enough of a rise to tuck a shirt in with a belt when I want to feel polished, but I can wear them with a t-shirt and sneakers, too. They are also so perfectly skinny enough to tuck into booties, to wear with flats, or to roll a cuff (here and here).[wc_spacing size=”40px”]
2. Black Leather Jacket – This one never went out of style, and I don’t think it ever will. Not only does a black leather jacket instantly add some effortless model-off-duty look, but it goes with literally everything, from said jeans above to a maxi dress. Look for jackets that are slightly cropped so that it fits to your body for a flattering look and avoid anything boxy.  Wear this over something longer like a lightweight cardigan or vest for a cool layered look (and for a little bit of extra warmth if you need it). Here in black and 3 other colors.[wc_spacing size=”40px”]
3. Cable Knit Sweater – I love sweaters and I especially love ones that have incredible texture like this Madewell one (similar ones here, here and here). I just love that even though it’s white, the texture adds an element of detail to my otherwise pretty minimal looks. It obviously goes great with a pair of comfy jeans, but you can also dress it up over a dress or skirt. It doesn’t ever get so cold here to go full eskimo so I normally wear it alone, but it’s a great layering piece. You can wear it under a coat or add a crisp white shirt under it for a classic combo. Which leads me to my last piece…[wc_spacing size=”40px”]
4. The Crisp White Button Up Shirt – This one from Theory (similar ones here and here) is an updated take on the classic work version. It is more modern in its fit because its longer and not so fitted, but still crisp enough to have some architectural shape. This shirt to me is gold because 1) it is long enough to wear over leggings (in this case I would button it all the way up and wear with pointy flats), 2) you can rock the half tuck with those high rise jeans I mentioned above and a killer belt (wear it unbuttoned at the top to avoid looking too uptight), and 3) you can even go 90s with it, open it up, and wear a t-shirt under it ( with sneakers only, please).[wc_spacing size=”40px”]

All four of these “investment” pieces are within my no-color color palette, so not only can you mix and match them with each other, but you can virtually wear any other color you’d like with them. How easy is that?

I didn’t want to leave you hanging and not give you any fall show inspo, so here are my latest faves that I will be wearing once the Los Angeles weather stays at a steady level. FYI, all of them will, you guessed it, match with every piece above.

On a good day when I’m feeling really cool I’m going to throw these onto my feet. You can’t tell here but they are over the knee and a little slouchy and they just look great with my black skinnies and a baggy top (other colors here).

But because on most days I am lazy, I will throw on a pair of one of these sneakers and call it a day (here, similar here, and here). 

What are you fall essentials?