Pumpkin Spice-Up Your Fall Basics

Today is the first official day of hot coffee season. Many will read this with a latte in hand nodding that they too got the memo. Others will hold on to their iced versions with the conviction of that Wilson Phillips song.

“I’ll never let go, Jack,” they’ll cry into plastic cups packed with little icebergs. “I’ll never let go!”

As an iced coffee drinker myself I can tell you that the transition is hard. It takes at least a month (it’s not the same!) but once you settle into your new order, all is well. You’re not sure how you ever withstood brain freeze. You love a foam design. Hug in a mug. Etc.

It’s important to remind yourself that it’s the same thing with fall dressing.

At first, sweaters and pants just don’t sit right. Proper shirts look boring. Closed toed shoes feel oppressive. Ugh, jackets. But in the same way baristas trick us into enjoying cold weather by adding weird stuff into our coffee (consider the pumpkin’s history as a squash; suddenly pairing it with coffee seems gross), we can trick our bodies into accepting fall clothes.

How? By pumpkin spicing them up.

Just not with literal spice, because that’s probably itchy.

Let’s start with our model, Chloe Pang. She’s just your regular 24-year-old girl. However! She’s also a big deal when it comes to the piano. (More on Chloe in the slideshow, but think performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.) See? Something extra. That pumpkin spiced life.

Now, translate it to your clothes.

First: since you can’t teach your wardrobe to play an instrument, take a cue from the SS16 runway and pair your pants (snooze!) with a skirt. Whoa!

Adding denim flares underneath a long pencil skirt like this one from Boden makes the classic shape less austere. The turtleneck on top lowercases the L in “look” so you don’t feel like you’re baiting street style photogs.

Next: flip tradition on its head and wear your staple shirt backwards.

Leave it open in the back, knot the bottoms into a bow and pair with dark purple velvet pants (also Boden) like a rockstar who has a performance followed by a semi-fancy dinner with family uptown.

Finally! Refuse to conform to the pocket and button.

This skirt is “supposed to” button in the front. Just right on down the middle with a pocket to the right. But no! That ain’t spicy! Flip it to the side like you know all skirts are inclined to (that’s why they twist when you walk) and give yourself some of that SS16 runway thigh. Then add a coat — regardless of bucking tradition and weirding-up your classics, it’s eventually gonna get cold.

Especially if you’re one of those iced-only people who never ends up making the switch to hot coffee.

Photographed by Krista Anna Lewis. Model: Chloe Pang.

In partnership with Boden.

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