The Fall Fashion Trends Fashion People at Every Level Need to Know

Welcome to our new podcast, Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr. Think of it as your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the fashion-and-beauty world. Subscribe to Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week's podcast is a party, an editor party that is. We kept it all in the Who What Wear family by inviting our own editors in as this week's guests to discuss the upcoming fall fashion trends you need to know. In case you missed it, we launched our best-kept secret, the Who What Wear Collection, just a couple of weeks ago, which these folks worked tirelessly on. Listen in as Hillary is joined by Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen, Market Director Bobby Schuessler, and Editor in Chief Kat Collings (who is also the creative director of Who What Wear Collection).

As the editorial masterminds that you all are, I want to know the top three trends that we all should be on the lookout for this fall.

Kat Collings: I've got the number one trend, everyone. It is the aughts aka the early 2000s. This trend might make you shudder, or it might bring you fun, nostalgic joy. There's really no in-between. This trend kind of encompasses a lot of things. I'll just rattle some of them off. Newsboy cap, babydoll dress, trucker hat—Von Dutch, anyone?—halter tops, platform flip-flops, like a Rocket Dog moment. And then to continue on the accessory train, there are those sunglasses. Picture J.Lo in the early 2000s. They're rimless. They're translucent. Sometimes, they're a tinted color, kind of shield shaped, and they might have a butterfly rhinestone on the side or in the lens. It's strong, strong nostalgia, kind of Lizzie McGuire vibes. But the early 2000s train, as one of our editors pointed out, truly stops for no one. So you just got to pick your poison and get on board.

Lauren Eggertsen: One of my favorite trends, we're calling it tonal tailoring. This is about layering your more tailored, elevated basics that are all within the same color together. So picture a cream or bone-colored button-down with a blazer and then maybe a jacket or a longer coat with trousers. It's all sort of a monochromatic look, but I think it reads so expensive. I love it particularly because I think it can be done with pieces you might already have in your closet. And if you don't already have them, they're all pieces that are never really going to go out of style. So you're buying into a styling trend versus particular pieces. And it's all about proportions. I prefer a relaxed silhouette when it comes to this trend, so you don't need to layer like 500 things together. I would suggest—maybe if you're a little bit nervous—starting with an oversize button-down, relaxed trousers, and a blazer all in one color.

Bobby Schuessler: I'm going to talk about the other end of the spectrum. If neutrals aren't your thing, this is your thing. It's actually the opposite of what I normally would like, but I'm feeling it. It's saturated colors, like the boldest purple, pink, orange, blue. As vibrant as you can get, that's what matters for fall. I find it very refreshing. It kind of brings that sense of joy and optimism back into fashion after everything that we've been going through over the last year and a half. And it's definitely that look where you dress to be seen. If you're starting to go out a little bit more and you want to have your moment, this is it. You can do a bold orange sweater or a purple blouse and pair them with your favorite Levi's or do a bold-colored skirt with just a white T-shirt and sandals, and you've kind of mastered the trend. I think it's pretty versatile.

Let's hit on the trend tiers. What trends would you recommend for someone who is kind of into fashion but is maybe a little bit hesitant about something super trendy versus someone who is down to get a little bit more experimental? If you're not that into fashion, if you're not that into shopping, if you are a little bit nervous about new trends, what should we try?

LE: If you're into fashion just a little, maybe you're looking to find one thing to add to your wardrobe that you feel good about that'll make you excited to get dressed every day. I'm gonna say looser-fitting jeans. Not the ones where your whole midriff is exposed, but just a more relaxed fit. In general, relaxed fits across the board, whether it's a trouser or a blouse, they're really trending right now, and I feel like they're becoming a more basic part of your wardrobe. Looser-fitting jeans are a great place to start if you're just looking to spruce up your wardrobe a little bit this season. You can keep them in your closet forever. They're not going to be something that you're going to have to part ways with or feel like it wasn't worth the investment. My favorite silhouette right now is a straight leg, like a mid to high rise. Agolde does this flawlessly. Also, Re/Done is a great one for that, Good American.

Great. I love this level one, the 101 for fashion trends. Refresh your jeans. All you need is one pair, and you're good to go. So what about like a 201? What if you are interested in fashion at sort of an intermediate level?

LE: I'm going to say you should be buying knit matching sets. They're not necessarily the newest trend on the block, but they were still very, very prevalent this season. Pucci did an amazing array of knit sets. ACNE Studios, Fendi, just really fresh takes on the runway. This is going to make you look like you care about fashion without being too over the top or too risky. Also, it's very comfortable. I love when you can buy two pieces that go together but can wear them in an array of ways. You can wear the top with jeans, or you can wear the bottom with a blazer. Very much getting the most out of your wardrobe. One that I'm very excited about is coming out in the Who What Wear Collection. We have a beautiful matching little knit blouse with pants. So many fun takes across the board.

Emilio Pucci F/W 21 collection

For our extreme fashion enthusiasts—the people who love a trend, who can't wait to try something very cutting-edge and new and fresh and directional—what should they be buying?

LE: I'm going to suggest gloves/arm warmers/detachable sleeves. I couldn't decide between the three because they're obviously all worn on your arms. But whichever one you choose, it's the kind of thing where, if you see somebody wearing it, it's telling the world you're a fashion girl without telling the world you're a fashion girl. It's very, very trendy. It's so forward. My personal favorite way to wear these … I have a couple of weddings coming up, and even if you just have one black dress that you love, if you put on an elbow-length black glove with it, it just takes [the outfit] to a whole other level. You'll be looking stylish, on-trend. A thousand people will ask you about your gloves, and it'll spark conversation, which I personally love about trying a riskier trend. You want to talk about it; you want people to notice it. It's just such an interesting, eye-catching thing that adds to your outfit. Altuzarra did a really interesting version of this where they paired a knit maxi dress with a matching knit glove and a crazy knit beanie/hat situation. That was a more relaxed, casual way to wear it versus the Emilia Wickstead look where it's sleek gloves [with] a tight dress. You can wear it casually or formally, which I think is great because it gives you options. It's really all about the styling.

Altuzarra F/W 21 collection

I also want to talk about the launch of our very own Who What Were Collection, which is officially available online as of August 5. I know you all have been working so hard on it, and I would love for you to tell our listeners why we decided to bring our very own line to life like this.

KC: I've been living and breathing the line for quite a while now. Who What Wear has an audience of 20 million people a month, and we're constantly chatting with them about everything shopping. They kind of helped us identify this white space. What are they missing in the shopping landscape? It's quality, on-trend design at mid-market prices. Think of a piece that wears like an investment, feels like an investment, you'll have it for a long time, but it doesn't quite hit your wallet like one. We really tapped our editors to help bring this to life. All our editors are always in search of a perfect thing, and this line is sort of an expression of that.

I know I have my favorite pieces. What pieces do the three of you really love from the collection? How are you planning on styling them, or how would you suggest styling them?

KC: I selfishly named my favorite dress after myself. It's the Kat Dress. It's a two-piece dress that comes with this little bralette that has scrunch details and has a piece that's layered over top. It has pockets. You can wear the bra on its own. You can wear the dress together. It's got that versatility angle. I feel like it's the kind of piece that you could wear very casually with sandals and also dress it up for a slightly more casual wedding or something like that. So that's my piece, said and done.

LE: My favorite piece is also one of my favorite items in the collection, and we named it after me. I'm very excited about the Lauren Dress. It's sort of a lengthier dress. It's so cute. It has it's a short sleeve, it has this beautiful scoop, the top part is black, and it has this tiny peep cutout right underneath, like right up on the very top part of your rib cage. And then, the skirt is white. It's this beautiful black-and-white moment, it just looks so expensive, and it's so striking. I love this slight cutout because it makes it feel a little bit trendy, but it just so happens that cutouts are really cool right now.

BS: I'm going to continue on the same train. There's a cute little tank obviously named after me, the Bobby Tank. It's really good. There's also a separate coordinating cardigan. It's a cropped cardigan. I would suggest styling it… Obviously, you can wear the tank and the cardigan over as normal, but I love the idea of wearing the tank with the cardigan either tied around your shoulders or half tied for a very forward look with a pair of jeans. Then my second one, which I'm actually also personally going to wear, is this swirl-printed button-down shirt. It looks so expensive. It's a beautiful shirt, and there's also a coordinating skirt and shorts that you can do for that matching-set moment. But I'm definitely gonna wear the shirt with a black T-shirt underneath and a strand of pearls. I'm feeling it. I'm actually really excited to buy it.

Shop the Who What Wear Collection

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next up, check out our previous episode featuring our August cover star, Sydney Sweeney.