I’ve always felt that fall is the best season for getting dressed. As the weather gradually gets cooler, I finally get to pull out all the shirts, sweaters, jeans, and jackets in my closet and start layering them again. What I love about fall is actually quite simple: I can change the way I dress depending on my mood without having to stick to one particular style. Some days I want to look polished and put-together, while other days I just want to feel relaxed and comfortable. So for me, a truly great outfit always starts with one thing: I need to feel good in it myself.
Recently, while picking out fall pieces from Nordstrom, I kept this idea in mind. I’m not really interested in clothes that can only be worn one way. I much prefer pieces that I can mix and match over and over again. So this time, I chose four pieces that fit perfectly into my fall wardrobe: a plaid shirt, a pair of wide-leg jeans, a plaid sweater, and a pair of sporty striped shorts. They all have very different personalities, but once I started styling them together, I found the combinations surprisingly fun.
EDIKTED:Plaid Flannel Button-Up Shirt: My Fall Starts with a Plaid Shirt
Every fall, I naturally find myself reaching for plaid shirts, so when I came across the EDIKTED Plaid Flannel Button-Up Shirt at Nordstrom, it immediately made its way onto my fall outfit list. The plaid pattern instantly feels like fall to me, and I especially love the relaxed silhouette. Compared with a more structured shirt that requires every detail to be perfectly arranged, I much prefer something with a little more casual personality.
My favorite way to wear it is as a lightweight jacket. I’ll usually put a simple white T-shirt or tank underneath, pair it with wide-leg jeans, and leave the shirt completely open. When the temperature drops a little, I’ll casually roll up the sleeves and add another layer over it. I really like that slightly undone feeling because it makes me feel like I didn’t spend too much time thinking about my outfit, while the overall look still has plenty of dimension.
Since the plaid already makes a statement, I usually keep the rest of the colors simple. I tend to reach for white, beige, or denim blue to balance everything out. Whenever I wear it this way, I feel incredibly relaxed. If I’m heading to a coffee shop or spending the weekend walking around the city, I don’t feel like I have to constantly adjust my clothes. I actually prefer when the shirt hangs naturally.
That’s probably what I love most about this EDIKTED shirt. It reminds me that getting dressed doesn’t have to be complicated to feel personal. Sometimes the simplest combination can still look like me.
Reformation:Bex Wide Leg Jeans: I’m Really Loving Wide-Leg Jeans Right Now
If I had to choose one pair of pants that I could keep wearing throughout fall, I would immediately choose wide-leg jeans. So when I was picking out fall denim from Nordstrom, the Reformation Bex Wide Leg Jeans naturally caught my attention.
I’ve become more and more drawn to high-rise, wide-leg silhouettes because they give me a feeling that goes beyond simply looking slimmer. They feel free. Once I put them on, I don’t find myself constantly thinking about the shape of my legs, and I don’t feel restricted when I’m sitting, walking, or spending hours shopping. For me, that sense of comfort is much more important than simply trying to create a certain body shape.
I love styling them with a simple white top and the plaid shirt from earlier, then finishing the look with chunky loafers or ankle boots. Since the jeans already have a wider silhouette, I usually tuck part of my top into the waistband to create a little more definition. Once I put everything together, I feel relaxed but still pulled together.
When the weather starts getting colder, I’ll add a long coat on top. I love the way wide-leg jeans look underneath a long coat because the whole outfit creates one continuous silhouette from the waist down. It doesn’t feel like I’m trying too hard to achieve a certain proportion. Instead, I just feel naturally comfortable in what I’m wearing.
Lauren Ralph Lauren:Plaid V-neck Sweater: My Favorite Fall Mood
Sweaters are practically a requirement in my fall wardrobe, and the Lauren Ralph Lauren Plaid V-neck Sweater was exactly the kind of piece that caught my attention while I was browsing Nordstrom. The plaid pattern immediately gives me that fall feeling, and the soft knit texture makes me think of those cool afternoons when the weather is just starting to change.
My favorite way to wear it is over a crisp white shirt, letting the collar peek out from underneath the V-neck. I’ll pair it with wide-leg jeans and brown loafers. The combination has a subtle vintage, almost preppy feeling, but it doesn’t look overly formal. I really like that understated retro mood because it never feels like I’m deliberately trying to imitate a particular aesthetic.
I especially love the V-neck. Fall outfits can easily start to feel heavy when there are too many layers, and the V-neck creates just enough space around the neckline to keep everything looking lighter. When I wear this sweater, I’ll usually carry a simple leather bag and spend the afternoon at a coffee shop or bookstore. Somehow, I always feel completely in sync with the season.
It’s actually hard for me to describe this feeling simply as “looking good.” It feels more like a mood. Whenever I put on the Lauren Ralph Lauren plaid sweater, I naturally slow down a little. I become more drawn to the quieter, softer side of fall. To me, a piece that can make me feel something like that is much more meaningful than something that simply looks beautiful.
Free People:Oversize Stripe Sweatshirt: I Like Adding a Little “Effortless” Attitude to Fall
The Free People Oversize Stripe Sweatshirt is probably the most unexpected piece of the four. When I was choosing fall clothes from Nordstrom, I specifically wanted to add a little more of a sporty feeling to my wardrobe. I realized that if I wore sweaters, jeans, coats, and boots every single day, I might start feeling like I was taking my outfits a little too seriously.
That’s why I love using relaxed striped sweatshirts to break things up. I’ll pair them with a white long-sleeve T-shirt, throw a plaid shirt over it, and finish the look with crew socks and retro sneakers. When it gets colder, I’ll simply add an oversized jacket. The combination isn’t the most traditional fall outfit, but that slightly unexpected mix is exactly what makes it feel like me.
What I love most is the sense of ease they bring. When I wear sporty shorts like these, I don’t spend the whole day thinking about my waistline or whether my outfit looks polished enough. I can simply go for a walk, run errands, meet a friend for coffee, or spend the afternoon outside. Sometimes I won’t even fully straighten my shirt, and somehow I prefer it that way.
I think I’m becoming more and more drawn to this kind of effortless feeling. It’s not that I don’t think about styling my clothes. It’s that once the outfit is finished, I want to forget that I’m even styling an outfit. I love the contrast between the plaid and stripes, and I love the relaxed feeling that comes from mixing sporty pieces with classic fall staples. To me, that feels much more personal than an outfit where everything matches perfectly from head to toe.
What“Elevated”Fall Style Means
After wearing these pieces together, I’ve realized that the fall outfits I love most are actually quite simple. I love the casual feeling of the EDIKTED Plaid Flannel Button-Up Shirt, the freedom of the Reformation Bex Wide Leg Jeans, the softness and vintage mood of the Lauren Ralph Lauren Plaid V-neck Sweater, and the sporty ease of the Free People Oversize Stripe Sweatshirt.
I’ve also realized that I’m not really trying to make every outfit completely different anymore. I’d much rather keep wearing the pieces I genuinely love and change the overall feeling through my shoes, bags, layers, and styling. The same plaid shirt can be worn with jeans one day and sweatshirts another. The same pair of wide-leg jeans can work with a sweater or the simplest white T-shirt.
That was probably my biggest takeaway from choosing these fall pieces from Nordstrom: I don’t necessarily need more clothes. What I really want is more possibilities.
To me, elevated fall style isn’t about making myself look overly polished. It’s about wearing clothes I genuinely like and still feeling completely like myself. I can sit in a coffee shop and relax, walk for miles, or suddenly change my plans without feeling restricted by what I’m wearing.
If I put on an outfit and eventually forget what I’m wearing because I’m too busy enjoying the weather, the streets, and my own mood, then I know I’ve found a good outfit.
And honestly, that’s probably what I love most about fall: the clothes can be a little thoughtful, but the way I feel in them doesn’t have to be.
