How to Mix & Match Fall Basics & Transition to A New Season

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of the Lifestyle Bloggers Collective (#LLBLOG) and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

If you’re like me, you have several basics in your fashion arsenal that you like to mix and match at the start of each season to sort of refresh your look as the weather changes. And this season is NO exception, as I got to add three awesome accessories that’ll no doubt help me–and YOU, hopefully :)–find even more outfit ideas for work, play, or both!

 

For this assignment, Macy’s sent me a rad hat, a really cute necklace, and a match-with-everything scarf. On this post I’ll show you tips for properly mixing and matching basics similar to those so that you, too, can look fabulous this Fall!

WHAT NOT TO MIX

If you look at all the pictures throughout this post you’ll see two sets things I never wore together: The hat with the scarf (all wrapped up) and the necklace with the scarf. In fact, I made it my mission to NOT EVER think of them as complimentary because, regardless of pattern, they seem to clash, size-wise.

Think about it: The scarf would hide the beautiful necklace, and the hat would hit the scarf, obligating the wearer to always have their head positioned a certain way so it’s  not as uncomfortable. (Just thinking about the latter makes me a bit claustrophobic!)

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Proportions are KEY when it comes to mixing and matching basics during any season, and I made sure to play with them for this assignment.

For instance, you’ll see that I wore three other (Fall) basics in addition to the ones Macy’s sent me: A flattering poncho (I know this sounds oxymoronic but believe me, they do exist!), leggings, and a cami. (Okay, four, if you count the boots.)

Proportions and location refer to flaunting your assets while concealing those parts of your body you’re not 1000% in love with. So instead of wearing baggie all around, for instance, I like wearing all form-fitting plus one loose item, like the picture below shows:

In fact, all throughout this post you’ll see I’m wearing either the scarf OR the poncho, and that’s because I didn’t want to add too much bulto (or “bulge” in English).. I don’t know about you, but I like my body and I’m not a fan of hiding it :), #noshame.

So I did one “bigger” piece (again, poncho OR scarf) in each case, and either dressed it up or down, depending on the starting point.

[Tweet “THIS is how you mix & match a few basics to get unforgettable Fall looks!”]

Complimentary

I also made sure to keep it monochrome, wearing all black underneath the poncho or scarf. Had I worn any other color, I’d have taken attention away from the new great pieces. So do wear black when you want to highlight something in particular!

In case you hadn’t noticed, the poncho was itself tri-color: black, cream, and gray. Look at how it picked up the gray and the black of the hat above! Its color scheme made it very easy to pair with that hat and the necklace.

But if you look at the photo below, the story changes somewhat: The gray and black of the hat get picked up by the subtle hints of black of the scarf, and of course, the black basics underneath.

Multitasking!

Playing with proportions also allowed the non-Macy’s basics I wore to multitask big time, so that if I have to be somewhere but lack a lot of time to throw on an entirely new outfit, I could just replace a couple of items. Easy peasy!

As I mentioned above (and as you can also see throughout), I either dressed up or down, depending on what I was starting with: The poncho meant dress up and more covered up, in case it was chillier; the scarf meant dress down, and less covered up, in case it wasn’t as cold. The great thing about the hat was that it went with either scenario!

And that’s how I transition to Fall, while keeping it basic, with the help of some great basics from Macy’s.

(And in case you wanted even more ideas from Macy’s, here’s a video with some cool 70s-inspired fashion>>

 

 

 

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**Tell me: How do YOU transition through the seasons? What are your favorite indispensable basics?**

PS- Shout out to the site where all these photos were taken, our beautiful State Capitol! A perfect basic for every season :).