Pocketful of Joules

As much as I love and believe in secondhand shopping, I’m just as susceptible to the influx of ‘fall is coming… buy all new stuff” messaging. It’s like a couple cooler days hit and suddenly I’m salivating for new jeans, flannel, fuzzy sweaters and boots. But here’s the thing… fall this year doesn’t really look any different than fall last year. Or the year before.

So, to combat that ‘MUST BUY’ feeling, I’m inviting you to do what I do and shop your closet for fall trends.

A couple years ago, I expanded to a walk-in closet, so I admit I have more space than the average bear in my closet these days. However, even if you’re working with a tiny closet like I had previously, you can still do this little trick.

Move all the ‘summer stuff’ to the back and the ‘fall stuff’ to the front.

Yes, this sounds silly. But if you SEE your fall items at the front of your closet you are much more likely to wear them and remember that you own them.

And when I say ‘summer stuff’ and ‘fall stuff’, that doesn’t just mean warmer weather items vs cooler weather items. I can also include colors. If you love wearing pastels in the summer and earth tones in the fall, use this opportunity to switch around your t-shirts. If you’re more of a cardigan girlie in the warm weather and a denim jacket girlie in the fall, make that change in your closet.

Just like ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is a truth, so is ‘front of closet, wear it more.’ Sure, I just made it up. But it’s a thing now.

Wear what you have before buying more.

Ok, now that you have your fall stuff handy, spend the next couple weeks wearing it. If you’re thinking you need new jeans because yours aren’t the ‘cool 2024 shape,’ wear what you have first. Get out those skinny jeans, straight jeans, bootleg jeans… whatever is in your closet and give them a spin. Decide what you like best for YOU. What makes you the most comfortable. What makes you feel the cutest. THAT is the ‘cool 2024 shape.’

After wearing what you already have, you can make a better decision on what you actually need to add to your closet. If you try every pair of your current jeans and you realize that they don’t fit well anymore or you just truly don’t like them… take that information with you when you look for replacement pairs.

Look through your closet for ‘trends’ and try them out.

I searched the internet for fall 2024 trends and apparently these are the big ones:

• Fall colors: olive green, brown, burnt orange and burgundy red.
• Fall fabrics: suede, corduroy, super soft flannel.
• Leopard print is having a huge moment. Again.
• Plaid. Again.
• Wider legged jeans – mini boot cut, boot cut, or straight wide leg.
• Cardigans – ladylike, cropped cardigans.
• Knee-high boots – whether they be moto boots, cowboy boots or something streamlined and classic.

See, it’s the SAME STUFF that is basically always in style each fall. Which means it’s probably the same stuff you probably already have in your closet. Pick the trends (if any) you want to follow and give them a try with what you already own.

Lastly, if you DO feel like you absolutely must have something new… try secondhand first. Like I said, none of these trends are anything we haven’t seen before, so the chances are very high that you’ll be able to find something pre-loved to add to your closet. I highly recommend checking Poshmark or your local thrift stores before venturing out to a retail store.

After a mild and pleasant August, September has been awash with rainy days. With the start of school, busy work time, and an out of town conference, I feel like I blinked and boom September is gone.

Let’s take a look at my September looks:

Okay, here are two outfits that looking back are NOT working for me this month. For the outfit on the left, I love the denim vest look on other people but I think I have to throw the towel in on this look. It’s just not for me and this outfit made me feel frumpy all day long.

As for the outfit on the right, it looks cute in the photo. However, by the end of the day the waistband was just so dang uncomfortable! I think it might be time to let this one go. I have other skirts that look cute without offending me.

I’ve worn both of these outfits before and loved them, so I wore them again with just little changes here and there. The outfit on the left has been paired with basically all of my cardigans and sandals over the years, so I decided to try it with this pearl buttoned cardigan and my new-to-me thrifted suede Madewell booties. Loved it!

Also love the brown floral dress – this time paired with a pair of sandals I thrifted over the summer and a pretty vibrant purple cardigan.

Here are two casual looks:

The jeans outfit was for a work event at an Orioles game – so I went comfy + a little sporty and dug my clear cross-body purse out to meet the stadium rules. Super simple and I’ve basically worn a version of this in my non-work life a bazillion times.

The look on the left was for a fancy brunch event and I was happy to wear my black eyelet dress again, this time paired with a cute chambray top and my orange sandals. I love this dress so much – it was one of my only retail purchases over the summer – and I’m getting as much wear out of it as I can before I pack it away for the cooler months.

My last three work looks of the month and I’m happy with all three of them. The faux wrap dress was a thrifted find that I finally had the opportunity to wear for a work conference/meetings. The other two looks were linen skirts that will be staying in my closet (they survived The Great Purge), paired up with other workhorses that I’ve worn a bunch of times.

New vs. Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 7 items that I purchased retail and 21 items I purchased secondhand!