I Gave Myself an NYC-Girl Makeover—See the Pics

Recently, I traveled to NYC for a trip packed with meetings and dinners with friends. Before I left L.A., though, I spent a few nights staring at an empty suitcase. I've actually lived in NYC before, but it was my first time back in almost two years, and I felt a little out of practice dressing for the city. Would I be able to wear my new strappy sandals? Did I need a puffer coat?

The natural place to start, for me, was versatile turtlenecks and cropped sweaters to wear with skirts, jeans, and high-waisted trousers. Here’s the interesting part: I actually didn’t purchase many new pieces for my trip. I just wore pieces from my existing wardrobe along with a couple of new coats I had ordered before plans for my trip even came together. (Obviously, L.A.’s perpetually 70-degree weather hadn’t allowed me to wear them yet.)

The real lesson in reteaching myself how to dress for New York City and a weekend getaway to Baron's Cove in the Hamptons was to craft outfits from buildable layers. But also, to skip the strappy sandals. Even though I packed them, in the end, I didn’t wear them once. It was all about comfortable boots that could get me from the subway, through Central Park, and anywhere else I needed to go walking over 14,000 steps a day through Manhattan. Ahead, see and shop the NYC fall outfits I wore.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

This Réalisation skirt was one of my favorite pieces over the summer, but adding a leather jacket, turtleneck, and boots was the perfect way to transition it to fall in NYC.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

Even though I might have paired this skirt with heels in L.A., in NYC, hiking boots were the practical but on-trend choice.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

Living out my time on the east coast as a true New Yorker, I booked a weekend trip to the Hamptons for a getaway from the city at the beautiful Baron's Cove in Sag Harbor. A perfect cozy fall hideaway from NYC, I threw on leather leggings and a turtleneck to sit by the fire with a book.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

More boots and more layers. I wore a turtleneck and boots practically every day.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

I ordered this coat from Reformation last month and have been waiting for a true fall day to wear it. 

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

Can you get away with crop tops for the fall? You can in my book.

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(Image credit: @kristenmarienichols)

Word to the wise: In the end, fall style really comes down to your outerwear.

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Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.