5 Simple Styling Formulas to Help You Create Basic Outfits for Fall

by Alyssa Beltempo

I’m sharing my five go-to outfit formulas for fall. These basic outfits for fall can work no matter your style, personality, body shape, or aesthetic. They are such a great way to expand the capacity of your closet without having to constantly shop for new things.

But, before we jump into it, I want to share some tips that will help you get more out of the formulas I will be talking about.

Tips for creating basic outfits for fall

Tip 1 - Play with proportions

The first tip is to play around with proportions. So, for example, if I’m talking about a skirt, you can play around with the hemlines of yours, switching between long, midi, and short.

You can play around with the waistline as well. Also, think about how you’re balancing the proportions on the bottom half of your body with the volume and length on the top half of your body.

By mixing and matching proportions to suit your style, not only will you come up with a whole bunch of different combinations, but you’ll be able to personalize the formula to you.

How to create basic outfits for fall

Tip 2 - Use accessories

Use accessories to really personalize your outfit formula to your taste. Accessories make your outfit feel a little more custom and can also dress it up and elevate your formula or dress it down to make it feel more casual. Accessories are tiny, but they are mighty.

Comfy casual fall outfits

Formulas for basic outfits for fall

1. Matching top + bottom + interesting shoe

I love this first formula because it forces you to find similarities between tops and bottoms that you may never have put together. What makes this look really interesting is the choice of shoe.

Depending on your matching set and the vibe you get from that, I would try to choose a shoe that feels slightly out of place. I’m wearing gray slacks and a gray chunky knit sweater that are in no way perfectly matching or identical.

Cute and cozy fall outfits

I think sneakers work well with this look to really dress down the pants, or a pair of very delicate slingbacks could work with this because there’s already a lot of slouch and oversized proportions.

Easy layered fall outfits

2. Jeans + tee + blazer

It’s no surprise that an outfit formula of mine that includes a pair of jeans. I’m using a pair of straight-leg jeans here, but it’s really whatever silhouette you want.

You can play with proportions on this one by changing up the hemline and the rise of your jeans, and also the length and shape of your blazer.

How to create comfy and casual fall outfits

You can change up the entire vibe of this look by swapping out the denim for a lighter wash, perhaps something that is a little bit more distressed.

Fall colors outfit with camel and plaid

3. Skirt + turtleneck + boots

A high-waisted mini is a proportion that I really like, and to balance out that shorter hemline, I love wearing a nice covered turtleneck with it. I’ve added a very long, bulky jacket on top to really give that tension in the outfit and balance it out visually.

Because this is an open-to-interpretation formula, a skirt with a different waistline and a different hem length would also totally work.

Fall colors outfits with camel and black

If you want to balance out a skirt with more volume and a lower hemline, I would make sure that there is a little bit more skin or something fitted showing on top.

Layered fall outfit with a sweater and dress

4. Dress + top layer + boots

A midi dress, a top layer of your choice, and boots are this next outfit formula. I love this dress, and I think that the proportions can be so different depending on what you put on top, so that top layer is really important for this formula in particular.

How to layer basic fall outfits

Your top layer can be as thin and simple as a sweater, and it doesn’t even have to be worn in a traditional sense; you can just tie it as a scarf if you want.

Layering fall outfits

Or if you want to add a little bit of drama, you could go for something like a long coat, so you’ve got these extra-long layers, one on top of the other.

Wide-leg pants fall outfit

5. Wide-leg pants + blouse + belt

My final outfit formula is a pair of wide-leg pants, a blouse, and an interesting belt. Much like that formula that had the interesting shoe, I think the belt here plays a really big part in balancing out this look.

I chose a blouse for these heavy wide-leg pants to have that beautiful visual balance. I think it’s so neat to have something a little bit delicate paired with something voluminous, and the belt creates a really beautiful focal point.

Basic outfits for fall

Those are five comfy and casual fall outfit formulas for you, with plenty of tips and tricks for how to get them to go the extra mile. Remember to play with proportions, lengths, fits, and layers and add accessories to make your fall wardrobe as versatile as possible.