Mark My Words: These Are the 5 Most Wearable Trends for Fall

While gearing up for the colder weather, my mind has been preoccupied with trying to figure out which pieces to invest in first. We've seen so many bubble up in the last few months alone (artful prints, shearling backs, and chunky cropped sweaters to name a few), making it even harder to choose a starting point. With trends abound this fall, I figured I'd start with the most "wearable" ones. 

Of course, what's considered wearable varies from person to person and from style to style, but for all intents and purposes, my definition includes trends that anyone can pull off with minimal effort. That means you could buy any one of them right now and wouldn't have to reconfigure your whole closet to make it work. For me, it's all about pieces that are elevated statements on their own but have a quiet yet interesting edge. From ribbed-knit separates to faux-leather wonders, I'm counting down the five trends I'm adding to my fall wardrobe first. Keep reading to see which made the cut.

Faux Leather

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(Image credit: @jen_wonders)

I'm like a moth to a flame when it comes to faux leather, especially when it starts to get cold. It really has a tendency to make the person wearing it look instantly put-together, so I'm stocking up something serious. Shamefully, I've spent a small fortune on faux-leather pieces in the past, but lucky for my wallet, I've stumbled upon a gold mine of affordable pieces, from dresses to polished trousers.

Shop faux leather:

Gussied-Up Collars

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(Image credit: @champagnemani)

Wearing sweaters nonstop in the fall can feel about as thrilling as watching water boil, so I always like to look for pieces with standout details: Here's where cool collars come in. They're not just life-changing on a sweater. An elaborate collar can turn around a boring button-down and make it feel fresh, too.

Shop cool collars:

Cropped Cardigans

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(Image credit: @hannamw)

Cardigans are going short this season, and I'm in love. I find that the higher proportions are way easier to carry and accentuate a wider variety of body types. They also feel more intentional stylistically, and even with jeans or basic trousers, they make your outfit read as more of a "lewk." 

Shop cropped cardigans:

All Ribbed Everything

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(Image credit: @chanelmckinsie)

A shortcut to looking luxurious this season is to embrace all things ribbed. (That also extends to corduroy!) Right now, I'm looking for sweaters, pants, dresses, and skirts with some sort of ribbed detail for days when I can't be bothered to try to squeak out a decent outfit. It's really so effortless and, thus, super wearable.

Shop ribbed pieces:

Creamy Tones

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(Image credit: @thecarolinelin)

If you don't mind carrying around a stain-removal pen, then I'd advise you to go for head-to-toe tones of creamy neutrals this fall. Whether it's a set or two pieces within the same color family, monochromatic shades of white are instant sophistication. Despite their high-maintenance nature, sartorially, it's quite simple to add bright neutrals into your day-to-day uniform. 

Shop bright neutrals:

Up next: I Told My Friends to Try These Fall Trends First, and They're All Under $100

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.