Autumn has always been my favorite season. I love the feel of a slight chill in the air, a rainy day, the changing of the leaves and the smell of a nearby fire. Of course with the arrival of these things also come fall fashions and just in time! By now I’ve grown tired of my summer attire and I am more than ready to get back to my “uniform”, jeans, Ts and boots!

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now, but until this past week it hasn’t really felt much like fall in the Bay Area making it hard to think about wearing cool weather clothing. However, stores have been in fall mode for a number of months now and I must admit I’ve been tempted to pick up few new items here and there…

Of course before you go crazy purchasing the latest greatest, its helpful to have some basics to build on. With just a few items you can create a multitude of outfits all of which go together and then have fun adding in a bit of this and that to dress them up or down depending on the occasion! Lately I’ve been pairing dressier items with ultra casual pieces!

The Essentials

Three pair of pants: denim, green and black.

I’ve chosen a dark wash denim as it’s easier to dress up, a pair of dark green cords and a pair of black “jean” style pants with some leather detailing. All of these can be worn, with flats or boots.

Two Jackets, Two Over shirts and Two Ts

Living in California means that even when the calendar says fall we still have pretty warm days, so layering is a good idea. Basic t-shirts in black and white go with everything, but its fun to add a little interest with a graphic of some sort, that way if you do peel off some layers it won’t be boring!  I also like choices so I’ve got a jean jacket which goes with everything and for those days when it’s nice to have something a little heavier I recently picked up a utility style jacket in a camo print. The latter is turning out to be just the right weight, especially when paired with a cardigan or an open front shirt. I tend to gravitate toward black, white, and grey because everything matches, but I like a pop of color too!

A Dress!

One can’t always wear jeans and you can’t go wrong with basic black dress! I’m choosing to pair it with an open front shirt to give it a more casual look, but adding a bit of jewelry and a cardigan would dress it up!

The possibilities Are Endless

Here I’ve mixed and matched to create a few examples, but throw in some jewelry, shoes, and other accessories and the sky is the limit!