How to Add Fall Trends to Your Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget

A white background with 26 pieces for building a fall capsule wardrobe with trends.

Tank Top | T-shirt | White Blouse | Wrap Shirt | Blue Blouse | Sweatshirt | Striped Sweater | Cardigan | Blazer | Leather Blazer | Cargo Pants | Jeans | Trousers | Slip Dress | Green Dress | Trench Coat | Necklace | Sunglasses | Animal Print Purse | Yellow Purse | Red Purse | High Boots | Moto Boots | Flats | Loafers | Sneakers

Let’s face it, in the grand scheme of wardrobe longevity trends are a flash in the pan. But if you want to maintain a modern capsule wardrobe and embrace some seasonal trends there are ways to do it inexpensively.

When we work with a small wardrobe it can sometimes get monotonous, boring, and even uninspiring.

One way to avoid this is to sprinkle in some seasonal trends to keep things fresh, and keep you creatively inspired to maintain a capsule wardrobe.

It can be harder in the summer months since you wear less overall clothing, so often you have to use accessories to get the trends in.

But bring on the colder months, the options are unlimited.

First thing to mention is that you don’t want trends to take over your wardrobe.

It should be on average an 80/20 rule with trends, which means only 20% of the things in your wardrobe should be trends.

The line is kind of blurred here a bit because there are items that are deemed trends, but are also considered wardrobe staples which I will get to in a moment.

I wouldn’t necessarily count those as trends.

For instance, wide-leg trousers, white tanks, and oversized blazers have been in and “trendy” for quite a few seasons now, but they also have integrated themselves as a new silhouette of what is considered wardrobe staples.

So obviously you will bring those over from your previous seasons into your fall capsule wardrobe, which I did with this one.

You just need to find new ways to wear them, and pair them with the new trends.

Second, because trends have a shelf life, some much shorter than others, I wouldn’t pay a lot for them unless you are either:

a) wealthy and a wardrobe budget isn’t a factor that you need to consider, or

b) you want to invest in a piece that you think will have a longer shelf life than other trends.

There is also option c) which is that you found it secondhand and are paying a fraction of the full price.

I would be all over Tibi clothes if a budget wasn’t a consideration. I love their stuff and their creator Amy is one of my favourite Instagram follows.

Such creative, versatile, and inspiring pieces. And her style vibes with mine which is maybe why I love it so much.

Her Creative Pragmatist speaks to me. That’s how I feel, and my wardrobe thought process.

So what I have done today is put together a basic fall capsule wardrobe. It is kind of like last week’s Early Fall Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget post, and I added some trends.

You need to think about which trends are more you and integrate those.

Don’t waste time or money trying to make a trend work that just isn’t you. Not all trends are for everyone, and not every trend needs to be worn.

Feel free to ignore as many as you would like.

The point is to make the trend you, not have the trend wear you.

There is always an awkwardness and phoniness when you try to force a trend, but it can also be fun to step out of your comfort zone, so go as far as you feel comfortable with.

The trends that I have carried over from previous seasons in this fall capsule wardrobe are the collegiate trend (the sweatshirt), a white tank top, wide-leg trousers, and chunky sneakers.

For fall trends I went through and picked which ones would work with what I already had.

I went with: moto boots
Biker/leather jackets
Bright colours for a dopamine kick
Oversized
Romantic/feminine
Cat animal print (I also have a flatter version that costs less)
Bright handbags, and top handle bags
Cargo pants
And 90s minimalism which is more about how you wear the pieces than the actual pieces.

For some of these trends I was also able to use one piece for several of the trends like getting in colour along with the top handle bags.

Another good way to add colour is through socks. I recently bought about 12 different colours from the Uniqlo 50 coloured socks selection.

So here is the gist, every season is going to have new trends, but they are also going to have old trends so embrace ones that you already have.

Be picky with which trends that you want. Too many trends in one outfit looks more like a trend follower than someone who knows their unique style.

Don’t be afraid to ditch a trend if it isn’t working or feels wrong. The goal is to feel confident, comfortable, and like you.

If you feel like anything else then you probably need to rework your wardrobe again.

I’m here to give ideas, options, or suggestions, but you aren’t going to like everything that I pick.

Use it as a starting and build and tweak it until it reflects the look and feeling that you want to put out there.

You are dressing for you, not anyone else.

Stay safe.

Fall Outfits

A white background with 12 outfits from building a Fall capsule wardrobe with trends on a Budget.

Casual Fall Outfits for Women

A white background with 12 outfits from building a Fall capsule wardrobe with trends on a Budget.

Tank Top | T-shirt | White Blouse | Wrap Shirt | Blue Blouse | Sweatshirt | Striped Sweater | Cardigan | Blazer | Leather Blazer | Cargo Pants | Jeans | Trousers | Slip Dress | Green Dress | Trench Coat | Necklace | Sunglasses | Animal Print Purse | Yellow Purse | Red Purse | High Boots | Moto Boots | Flats | Loafers | Sneakers

You might also like:
An Early Fall Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget
A Romantic Style Summer Capsule Wardrobe
How to Build a Cool Summer Colour Palette Capsule Wardrobe
How to Build a Summer Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget
How to Bring Dopamine Dressing into your Summer Capsule Wardrobe
How to Start Adding Colour to Your Summer Capsule Wardrobe
How to use a Colour Wheel to Help You Build a Summer Capsule Wardrobe
The Ultimate Summer Capsule Wardrobe 2022
How to Build a Colourful Summer Capsule Wardrobe

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Sara

Sara is the founder and creative behind livelovesara. A George Brown College Fashion Styling Graduate, she provides advice on finding your personal style regardless of age and budget. She is always on the hunt for the perfect wardrobe piece and is a vintage and thrifting enthusiast who can't wait to share her newest finds. She is also trying to learn French.

2 Comments

  1. I’m all about the statement sick after finding a fashion youtuber named Emily Wheatley. I like patterns more than solid colors, my personal favorite brand is Chatty Feet, they have loads of art and science themed socks. So far I’ve got Mad Jemison, Ada Lovelace, Stephen Hawking and Basquiat. I still want to get David Bowie, Mondrian and Roy Lichtenstein socks.

    • I have some like that too! They aren’t Chatty Feet because I don’t think we have those here, but they are the same idea. They sell them at my favourite comic book store and I always grab a pair when we go. Fun socks are one of my favourite things.

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