Here are the main pieces making up my simple, casual Fall capsule wardrobe. A few clothes are new but most are items I’ve had for quite a while. I’m recycling them into today’s silhouettes and color schemes to give them new life. Scroll to the end of this post to see details of US retailers stocking some of these items. All retailers have country-specific sites so if not in US remember to change your country after clicking the link (in the image). Note, if you purchase from the link I will normally receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks.
Dressing for the weather
Autumn always means layers, wherever you live. I’ll be moving down to the French Riviera in a couple of weeks to escape the rain here, in south-central France. So I need my trench coat right now but then I’ll be back in short sleeves until about November. From then on I’ll be using those short-sleeved tops as an under layer and putting on cardigans and jackets as the weather gets cooler.
Shoes for Fall
My retro trainers purchased earlier this year are very on-trend right now. We are seeing the end of about a decade of the ‘clumpy foot’ look. So no platform soles. I splashed out on two new pairs of loafers – a pair in tan leather with a lovely sewn sole. And a slightly lighter-weight more flexible chocolate suede pair with a gold front snaffle. They were very inexpensive at my local supermarket (Super U in France) but similar shoes are available everywhere this year. I know I don’t really need two pairs, but I just couldn’t resist. I wonder when I’ll grow up?!
Chocolate – the color of 2025
Chocolate brown is the strongest color trend this Autumn. I bought some wide cord trousers in this color two years ago so I was pleased to see various shoes, tops and jackets in chocolate this year as the color has gained momentum as the year has progressed.
I’ve used chocolate as my main color theme this year. And teamed it up with other shades of brown from ivory through tan. But I’ve added in some blue items. Mid wash jeans, a pale denim blue needlecord shirt and a navy tee and a pale blue one.
As always I’ve restricted the number of patterned items as these get complicated to include in a classic capsule. I’ve used a Brora silk shirt from several years ago and a Brora wool fair-isle cardigan, also from years back. Both have hints of brown and blue making them ideal for this Fall capsule wardrobe. You can see similar items for 2025 on their website: brora.com
Corduroy – because texture matters this Fall
Corduroy has been growing in popularity for a few seasons now. These wide cord trousers are so comfortable to wear and the ample flat front hides areas I’d rather you didn’t see!
This Spring I bought a pair of lighter-weight finer cord jeans in darkish beige. They tone well with my other items but the front creases across my belly fat, so I’ll wear them with a long shirt, a jacket or a strategically-placed tote bag whenever I’m in public.
Suede – more popular than ever in a Fall capsule wardrobe
I first posted about the trend for all things suede in my Best Suede Bags list. It’s back again this year so I’ve included my Spring tan suede jacket in this Fall capsule wardrobe. The jacket marries up two trends, oddly! It has the collarless jacket style we saw starting a couple of years ago and, with large front patch pockets, it also gives a nod to this year’s barn jackets.
I bought a new oversized (man-made) suede blazer too from H&M. I like the slouchy look that works so well with jeans and I hope to be wearing it for years and years.
The chocolate short-sleeved collared cardigan
Knitwear with a collar is popular right now. I love this versatile little cardigan which just laps over the waist or can tuck into a belt at the front. Worn as a tee shirt or over a thinner top, this is one of my favorite pieces this year. You can see more short-sleeved cardigans in my curated list.
The chocolate wide cord trousers
I first wore these cord trousers a couple of years ago. They’re looking a bit smarter in this capsule because I’m wearing loafers or flat-soled retro trainers with them. The look is just a little less slouchy.
The pale denim-blue cord shirt
More corduroy. But this time fine needlecord which gives a shirt just enough weight to hang over jeans and conceal some of my least attractive areas! But it’s still lightweight enough to sit happily as a layer under a cardigan or jacket.
The Fair Isle wool cardigan
This Brora cardigan first featured in my 2020 Fall capsule wardrobe. It has great autumnal colors and I love wearing it. It’s quite short and, I think, works best, front tucked into pants.
The chocolate oversized suede blazer
Jackets have got much larger and slouchier this season. Finding my favorite color and my favorite material in this blazer how could I resist?
The knitted bomber cardigan
The bomber jacket shape is starting to trend in 2025 but I need something softer than a leather or canvas jacket. I can easily look like a small balloon in a bomber jacket. I though I’d give this soft knit with a front zipper a try.
The collarless suede jacket
Very easy to sling on over most clothes, this suede jacket with fashionable soft shoulder line is a useful layer. The color is a tan that lies somewhere between the shades shown in these two photos. You can see it as part of my Spring Capsule 2025 with Beige. It’s from Jaeger at marksandspencer.com but now sadly out of stock.
The ivory trench raincoat
A staple in many French women’s wardrobes, the trench is a recurring feature in my try-ons. This year I’ve noticed trench jackets are selling well – same style, different length.
The fine wool scarf
I have various little scarves at the ready, to ‘lift’ autumn outfits. Here I’m wearing a larger scarf to match the bulkiness of my new suede jacket. The orange adds a pop of color in an otherwise rather dark look.
Re-use and restyle your clothes in your Fall capsule wardrobe
Fashionistas and their gods, top-end retailers and designers, like to give us the impression that everything changes every year. But if you are a casual classic type, as I am, then you’ll have learnt that good style lasts a long time, even in our super-fast world. A successful capsule wardrobe recycles your clothes into up-to-date outfits with just a few new additions.
Unlike good style, fashion is always changing until it runs out of ideas and comes full circle. Looking at this set of photos I realize this could be me 50 or even 60 years ago – same clothes, same silhouettes, same colors. The only real difference is that there is now 25% more of me!
Clothes showing on H&M and M&S US websites
What to read next
If you’re thinking about Fall clothes then why not take a look at my selection of the most attractive raincoats for this season: The Fall Raincoat that Always Looks Stylish on Older Women.
I am sorry to hear that your Pinterest acct isn’t up to the views you would like. I truly enjoy the emails you send out. Although you live in Europe and I in South Florida, we are the same age with similar body type and sizes. Our weather couldn’t be more different, so some of your choices wouldn’t work for me. But colors and types of clothing do give me ideas. I look forward to opening your posts when i receive them. Thank you and I appreciate you sharing your choices.
Hi Kathleen. Thanks for the positive feedback! Oooh Florida…yes my thick cord pants wouldn’t work there hahaha. Joni
Oh Joni! None of your pictures will open for me here in Colorado! I use Google Chrome as my server. Please change my email from mollymist95@charter.net to haskellsyd71@gmail.com. I’m having trouble with that old email server. I will sign up for your blog again with my Gmail account. That may be the problem. I loved hearing all of your ideas for blending old and new. I can only wea cool colors near my face so I wear pale blue with dark brown bottoms. It is still sunny and in the 80s here so not fall yet even though some of the trees are turning gold. Hope to be able to see your fall capsule soon.
Hi Sydney. Pictures use a lot of data so the more pictures I include the slower the page will load. The try-ons generally have the most pictures so these posts will ask more from your bandwidth than other posts. You could google how to get pages to load faster. Myself, I find reducing the number of tabs I have open makes the most difference.Then clearing history and cache. Sometimes your server or wifi connection or phone connection is just going through a busy time or is being updated etc. I usually find that viewing on my phone loads faster than on my laptop. Joni
While I enjoy all your posts, this one was particularly striking. The last pic, with the dark brown jacket, jeans, and that GORGEOUS scarf, is a beautiful outfit and makes you look 40!!
I think you look spectacular in these fall colours, but I look terrible in any kind of beige/tan/brown close to my face. A chocolate brown might be OK. Guess I’ll have to try it!
Hi Jan. You are tooooo kind! (but you’ve put me in a good mood for the rest of my day) I’m very pale and even though I usually get a warmer look by Fall, this year I’ve found it simply too hot to be outside most of the sunny days so in these pics I’m still very pale. That’s why I use the scarf (bought cheaply at a street market years ago). I rarely wear makeup these days which I used to use to make my face look less pale – I just put on a brush stroke of blusher today. So I know what you mean about beige! I think oatmeal (which I adore) is probably a no-no for me without a darker or lighter contrast at the neck – collar, under-layer, scarf etc. But I find pale cream/ivory then darker tans and browns are still wearable, despite my pallor. Joni