What I’m Wearing, Buying & Bringing Back This Autumn

Right, what’s the plan?

If last week’s ‘What To Do When You Hate Everything In Your Wardrobe’ post - which was really just a Virgo-energy-fuelled organisation post - was part one of my autumn closet rebrand, then this post is the natural part two. My base is solid: my wardrobe feels tidy, refreshed, and ready to be worn, but now I’m ready to dive a little deeper. What do I already own? What do I want to add? Where is my style going?

Consider this part audit and part manifesto as I dig through my rails and assess what’s in there that I’m desperate to wear again and how I plan to put the puzzle pieces together in both familiar and fresh-feeling ways, because MY GOD, can it just be a crisp 16℃ already?!

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I always think the best place to start your seasonal audit is to search through your camera roll for pictures from this time last year. Not moodboarding. Not scrolling through your Instagram Explore page - what were YOU wearing and how were YOU styling it? I was just putting the finishing touches to this post when the Queen of Personal Style herself, Allison Bornstein, said the exact same thing:

Even if you don’t take daily outfit selfies (I personally highly recommend this practice - even if it’s just to log ideas for your own future use), there will still be candid shots of outfits you were wearing, and that’s the data that’s actually helpful. There’s a high chance that what you’re drawn to is still hanging in your wardrobe. So use it! Wear it! Find new ways to remix it to fit the current you. Here's what I'm carrying over from Sept/Oct/Nov 2025…

I shot this look for a piece of work I did with NET-A-PORTER, but I loved the loaned pieces so much that I ended up buying them all (bar the The Row bag for obvious reasons!). I like how the blue-on-blue acts a bit like a Canadian tuxedo. I’d happily wear this exact look again (jumper*/jeans*/loafers*) with this bag*.

Another look from the same shoot, and even though I didn’t buy the clothes, I have such similar pieces - actually, I did buy the jeans, just at a later date* - and the loafers and bag were mine already, so this is 100% a look I’d want to recreate. Ok, maybe like 95% recreate because I’d swap the cream socks for grey ones to avoid looking so MJ-inspired.

I’m taking this photo as a reminder to wear the HECK out of my leopard print ponyhair jacket because it’s arguably one of the most beautiful/fun/outrageous things in my wardrobe. LOOK AT IT!! This year they’ve done a tiger print version*, but there are some other good alternatives here*, here* and here*.

Same with this snake print leather coat. The perfect statement piece to throw on over jeans and a T-shirt - like, it doesn’t need to be that complicated. This one is old Whistles, but they still have the matching trousers available if that’s more your vibe*.

…and the exact same premise again. See? We love outfit repeating round here! White tee + your favourite pair of jeans + a statement coat or jacket. This one again is old Whistles, although still in stock in a few sizes here*, and this one is v.similar*.

This pic reminded me how much I love my Frankie Shop Longline Blazer Coat*. It’s exactly that - an elongated blazer - so any outfit that would work with a blazer layered over it, this would too. It’s a tool I use in my wardrobe to sharpen looks that feel a little too relaxed. Of course I love it most with, surprise, surprise, jeans and a T-shirt.

It wouldn’t be an autumn inspo post without a trench*, right? Where weather allows, I love it worn with a wide-leg and flip-flops, as I did here. The grey jumper, tied around the waist, breaks everything up, and there’s just something so fresh about wearing head-to-toe white in the fall.

I favourited this one because I’m always on the hunt for outfits to wear for school pick-up/drop-off that feel like me but don’t feel too polished, and this is exactly what I’m looking for. That’s it, I’m wearing it tomorrow. T-shirt*/jeans*/jacket*/loafers*.

I recently dusted off this COOR Flannel Shirt (long gone, but this feels similar*), and I loved how it looked here, simply tucked into my barrel-leg jeans*. I’ve since sold the mules as they were ridiculously uncomfortable, but any sort of ballet flat would have a close enough feel.

From doing this exercise, I’ve added a list of formulas to my Notes app for easy access to refer back to whenever I’m feeling a little stumped over the coming months:

• Blue cashmere jumper + jeans + tan loafers + brown raffia bag

• Grey jumper + indigo jeans + black loafers + leopard print bag

• Black/white T-shirt + blue/white/black jeans + statement coat (colour/leopard print) + loafers/ballet flats

• White T-shirt + vintage jeans + black loafers + long black blazer coat + leopard print bag

• All white base + grey jumper around waist + trench coat + flip-flops/ballet flats

• White T-shirt + barrel leg jeans + tan loafers + green barn jacket

• Flannel shirt (tucked in) + barrel jeans + some kind of refined shoe

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I did a pretty major clearout of my wardrobe back in May, and one thing I noticed while doing this exercise is that, from the outfits I wanted to revisit, I still had every single piece hanging in my wardrobe. Whereas the outfits I scrolled past that didn’t feel quite right often had an item or two from the look that had since been sold.

It’s unsurprising; the things you actually wear continue to earn their place in your wardrobe. But I guess the lesson here is that if there are things in your wardrobe that you’re unsure about, take a look back through your past outfit photos - did you even wear it? And if you did, do you like how it looked? Did it make you feel good? It’s just another sense check that might help you break up with it once and for all.

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Just like it’s beneficial to notice what you’re drawn to, what are you shying away from? Anything you wore last year that you don’t want to repeat? Or are there items you’ve tried and tried, but can’t make work?

Personally, I have two things that I’m cooling on. Firstly, suede. I KNOW. That’s a shock coming from me. I love suede and have a pretty hefty amount of it in my wardrobe. It’s not that I’m pulling away from anything that I own; I just don’t feel the need to add more. I have a fringed jacket. TICK. I own a few pairs of suede shoes. TICK. I have a vintage swing jacket. TICK. And a tighter-fit Armani-esque one. TICK. You see? I’ve covered all bases. I’m good.

Last year I tried to make suede trousers work, and even though I loved them and often look at the photo below and kick myself for not trying harder, I had to accept that I am not the right candidate for suede in trouser form. I eat far too many greasy foods and sweat way too much for suede to be a practical bottom-half option for me. Plus, I found them physically heavy. They dug into my hips and were just uncomfortable to wear. Whilst I love how they looked, I couldn’t wait to get them off, and that’s not the kind of thing I want hanging in my wardrobe.

RIP suede trousers. You are missed. 😢

In lieu of golden suede trousers, I thought golden cords could be the answer. SPOILER: It was not. The reasoning made sense. If the colour was the thing that I loved, then I could just sub in a corduroy pair; a fabric far hardier and more immune to my grubby mitts. But in truth the richness and depth of my OG suede pair couldn’t be replicated. The cords I picked up were too pale and beige, and I felt like I looked naked whenever I wore them. I attempted to make them work for a few months before admitting my mistake and selling them to their new home.

To be honest, it wasn’t my first foray into coloured cords, but my third. I’d first tried a deep burgundy, before attempting an army green and then finally this tan pair and all ended up on a to-sell pile. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why (although I have some ideas below), but I’d hazard a guess that it’s because of a trap that I often fall into, and that’s to have ‘options’. Instead of accumulating and investing in pieces that I really love, I’m thinking more about what’s an easy alternative, and neglecting to dig into the why. I’m adding breadth and giving myself a variety of options, but deep down I just don’t really like wearing them all that much.

The cord trousers that just weren’t meant to be.

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So we’ve established what’s staying and what’s going, but what’s coming in? I’ve used a whole host of wishlisting tools in the past, but I’ve found two ways that work for me. Whenever I spot something online that gives me that ‘I NEED IT NOW’ pull, I add it to my latest ShopMy wishlist*. It feels helpful because I’m adding to the list I tend to pull from for my weekly Style Edit posts, and it makes everything easy to find because the links all live in one place. I just update the list monthly.

That’s how I track things I like, but they aren’t often things I need. With pieces I see more as an actual gap in my wardrobe, I take a note of them, again in my Notes app. There I keep a list of items that, when I’m putting outfits together, would feel like a useful tool to have on hand. It’s real-time problem solving, and really those are the purchases I tend to hone in on.

Notes from my Notes app.

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Well, reader, you’ll be unsurprised to hear that I’ve already made a start on filling the gaps - I am nothing if not efficient - and I can imagine you’ll be tickled that I decided that one of the gaps was, well, CORD TROUSERS. HA! I have some explaining to do here.

I think two things were wrong with my previous corduroy purchases. One, the colours didn’t work. On paper, I love burgundy, green and beige, but they aren’t colours that I classically wear in trouser form. In shoes, or bags, or jackets? HELL YEAH. But in trousers? I’ve already established that they are destined for Vinted. And two: the cut. Two pairs were straight-leg, and one was barrel. It’s not that I struggle to style these; it’s just that my jeans already cover those categories pretty extensively. If I had to pick between the two, then I’m always going to reach for what feels easiest and more like me, and that’s denim.

So, this time round I’ve changed tack. I found myself repeatedly revisiting the page for a pair of navy (aka very denim-adjacent) wide-leg corduroy trousers, and even on the first try-on, they felt different. Could they be the ones to lift my corduroy curse?

I linked them before in a newsletter and influenced myself*. HA! I’m usually anywhere from a 29-31 in denim and wear these in a 30. I could squeeze into a 29, but they felt a little tight on the butt.

I recently sold a leather jacket I’d had hanging in my wardrobe for years. I liked its shacket-fit and the brown leather, but it wasn’t lined and that just meant that it wasn’t the most comfortable thing to throw on over bare arms. So we parted ways, and I went on a leather jacket hunt for one with a similar cut, but also that all-important lining. I spotted Reva recommend this Nour Hammour one*, that looked deliciously weighty, but the price tag has me wincing. So when this Massimo Dutti Leather Jacket* came across my desk, in a very similar style, but at a third of the price, I had to see what it looked like on. Turns out it was exactly what I was looking for. You know when you want to wear it straight away? That’s when you know you’re onto something.

I’d say it runs true to size - I’m wearing a medium here*.

I never had these on an official list, because finding a proper, hefty loafer had been on my mind since the start of the year. I would have LOVED The Row Soft Leather Loafers*, but I didn’t love the £1.2k price tag, so it was back to the drawing board. I’ve probably tried on a good 15 pairs over the past nine months, but they were never right until this pair came along*. It’s like someone sat there and said, ‘Right - how do we make loafers you can do a 10k step day in?’ The cushioning!? MY WORD. The supple glossed leather adds much-needed edge to an outfit, but feels oh-so-soft on my feet. I’ve just got them back from the cobblers (who added on a non-slip sole), and I haven’t taken them off.

They run true to size. Anklet linked here because I’m guessing a few of you might ask*!

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As I write this, rain is hammering against the window, and we’ve just discovered a new leak in our forever holey kitchen roof (FUN!), but that didn’t stop me from pulling a few ideas together from my wardrobe off the back of this post. If the audit is complete, then this is my manifesto. Here’s how I want to be dressing for autumn:

See, I told you I just wanted to wear my new leather jacket all day, every day*. I just threw it on here with these jeans* and this baby tee* and flip-flops, although I can imagine ballet flats will become the more practical choice as the months go on. A real grab-and-go kind of outfit.

Riffing off a similar outfit from last year: same trench* just with my LESET tee* and trousers*. I like the Kelly Klein ‘throughline’ idea of wearing all black accessories to tie it together. The kind of thing I’d want to wear on a non-rainy errand day.

This outfit popped into my head the other day, so I made a note on my phone of all the elements (seriously, my Notes app is BULGING). I so often do head-to-toe black or white, but what about grey? This cashmere knit is so good*. I funked it up with my leopard print shoes (there’s a load secondhand here*).

A colour combo I always feel good in: black + white + tan + burgundy. The jacket is vintage Jaeger (I recommend searching on Vinted using that term to find some real suede gems).

I was playing around with shorts here to think up an alternative to knitwear + jeans + sandals, which is one of my favourite autumn formulas. It’s not one we can wear all season long, but for the days that it works, it’s a different combo to try.

The countdown is ON! New York in three days. I’ve got one dinner spot free, and I’m staying in the LES. Takeout, dine-in? I’ll be taking notes on your recommendations.

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