My week was supposed to be a soft landing. I came home from Italy to crisp fall air, a city that had just slipped back into its back-to-school rhythm, and a desk full of work I’d left behind. Instead I got a virus. Urgent care, a cancelled dinner, a weekend of rest — the classic September twist.
But a slow week has a use. I finally sat with my fall wardrobe, tried on what I’d been saving, and let myself keep only what earns its place. Here’s what survived the edit.
First: the week in three sentences
I finished the last touches on my Fall Shopping Guide, an annual PDF of the best of the best of fall fashion. It’s out next week for paid subscribers of my newsletter, The Noteworthy Edit — and right now I’m offering 20% off annual subscriptions, a discount I almost never do. If you want the guide when it drops, upgrade before then.
I also shared what went wrong on my trip to Italy, and I spent a day restocking the “Right Now” section of my shop with the newness I actually wear. If you’ve been curious what I’m buying right now, that’s the place to look.
The outerwear I couldn’t stop touching
I popped into Zara in Milan to buy a baby gift and left completely distracted by the outerwear wall. I didn’t plan to buy anything — I just kept trying things on. The rule I tell my clients: fall outerwear should feel like a soft structure, not a uniform. So here’s what actually made the cut.
The under $100 faux suede jacket is the one. It has weight without stiffness, and it makes a plain shirt and jeans look put-together before you’ve even finished your coffee. There’s a suede stunner in the same edit that I tried on and immediately sent a photo of to a friend — that reaction is the test.
For the colder stretch, a 100% wool coat is the piece you’ll thank me for at 4 p.m. in November. And I did buy the satin number — it’s the one that turned a tired outfit into a dinner outfit with zero effort.
The Confidence Formula: One good jacket + one neutral base = a whole week of outfits.
I’ve added a variety of these favorites to my Under $200 shop, where everything is priced to disappear before the real cold arrives. If you’re rebuilding a capsule for fall, start there — a few versatile layers will outlast a rack of trends.
The sale pieces that passed my eye
Madewell’s latest collection came through with a few pieces I’d genuinely re-wear for years, and they’re all on sale in their Insider Sale. The plaid blazer (size M) is the interview-and-date blazer: structured shoulders, zero drama. The chocolate satin trousers (size M) are for nights when you want to look like you planned to look good. And the tailored jacket — so chic I sized up to a 10 so it lays flat across my chest when buttoned — is the fit lesson of the week. The jeans (size 29) fit like a dream, which is the only standard a pair of jeans has to meet.
One small note on sizing, because it comes up in almost every consult I do: sizing up a jacket isn’t a defeat. A layer that buttons without pulling is a layer you’ll actually wear. The right size is the one that lets you move, not the one that looks smallest on the tag.
Small things I’m buying anyway
A few smaller finds, all of them things I’d repurchase without a second thought:
The new olive shade of one of my most-worn sweaters (I wear an L) is so good it’s replacing a habit, not joining one. The new fall fabric of my forever-favorite midi dress — I wear an 8 — is the dress that carries a whole weekend. And the DL1961 Hallie jeans in a new dark wash: I wear a 29 in this style, and the dark wash dresses up exactly where I need it to.
Two reminders I give clients every single fall: stock up on good camisoles to wear under your favorite knits — I have a bigger chest, and a camisole helps knits lie flatter — and keep one flat, quiet shoe on rotation. Sarah Flint’s new espresso calf shade of their Natalie flat is the kind of shoe that disappears into every outfit and never competes with anything.
The Confidence Formula: Fit first, fabric second, trend third. In that order, every time.
Reading I’d keep in your pocket
A sick week is a reading week. These are the pieces I bookmarked and want to come back to: places that feel like old-school New York, the underrated cities of Europe, and the quiet case for staying invisible less often than you think you should. One essay on what it costs to stay invisible hit me harder than I expected — we talk about presence in consults a lot, and it’s not only about posture.
And a hotel note, no strings: Auberge has opened bookings for Cambridge House, their first UK hotel in London. I had a sneak peek of the property earlier this year and I can’t wait to see the finished space when it opens next year. If you’re planning a London trip, it’s worth putting on your list.
What to read while the cold sets in
A few things from my recent posts that pair well with a slow weekend:
→ What to Wear on a Long Flight
→ Everything I Pack in My Carry On
→ What to Wear in London
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the work.
A note from Isabelle — the best edit isn’t the biggest one. It’s the one where everything left in the wardrobe still feels like you. Rest this weekend, try one thing on that you’ve been saving, and tell me what you kept.