a Fall 2023 Color Trend & How to Prepare

I know, I know. We’re not ready for fall. We’re still enjoying the long, warm (hot?!?) days of summer. But it doesn’t hurt to think a little on the coming season and the fashions trends on the horizon. That way you can decide strategically which ones you’ll participate in. And you can build your wardrobe accordingly. So today I’m sharing a fall 2023 color trend I’m excited about how you can prepare to wear the colors that interest you.

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Yes, I am sharing recent purchases from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale…because that’s pretty much all the fall clothes out there. Ha! Plus, the sale is now open to everyone and it’s a great time to prepare your fall closet with some great buys.

But when I saw that some of my favorite brands were offering items in the fall 2023 color trend I had already decided to wear, I definitely included many of them in my NSale purchases. I won’t keep all of these. But I did put them on in my home and snapped photos to share with you.

The color trend? This deep, rich red that we’re going to be seeing everywhere this fall.

It’s not quite a wine or Bordeaux, but definitely richer and brighter than your everyday red. I love wearing true red, and have done so for years. But this fall and winter I plan to put most of those items away and wear this hue instead. I just felt like it was time to change things up a bit. Speaking of changes, I’ll also be wearing mauve this fall and winter, a color I’ve steered clear of in recent for years, why I do not know. So no true pink for me this year. I’m swapping in a rosy mauve I can pair with the Viva Magenta (as Pantone calls it) instead

By the way, since these are {mostly} Nordstrom Anniversary Sale finds, some are sold out. But keep checking in if you’re interested because returns are coming in and every day I see items restock, but usually only for a very limited window of time.

Outfit Notes: Everything above fits true to size, but I am wearing the Vince tapered pull-on pants (TTS) (available in plus sizes) in a size large. The medium fit but just felt a bit uncomfortable, so I tried the large and may have them taken up a little.

But I realize that while I love this deep, intense red, not everyone will. So instead of me just showing you my red clothes (ha!), I thought I’d take you along with me by sharing how I’m preparing my closet to wear a new-to-me color or two. You can take these principles and apply them to the colors you choose to wear.

Color Prep Step #1: Choose the colors you want to wear this fall.

I’m a firm believer in a limited color palette. That doesn’t mean I think there are colors you shouldn’t wear. Instead, I simply think it’s a good idea to narrow your own color selection in your closet for each season so that you can be more intentional with your selections and build a mix-and-matchable collection of clothes that really work for you.

So instead of just adding colors to my closet all willy-nilly, I generally select 3-5 colors I’ll wear for a season (or two) and 2-4 neutrals I’ll stick with. For fall and winter I’ve already chosen this deep red, mauve and lavender, all three of which are pretty new for me. I’ll also wear some shade of blue. And that will probably be it for the colors. My neutrals will be black, soft tan or camel, grey and brown. I tend to wear more neutrals than colors anyhow, so I’m fine with four colors and four neutrals.

Color Prep Step #2: Choose neutrals to wear with each color.

Once you settle on a color, make sure you also have neutrals in your closet that pair well with it. For instance, I know that this deep wine red will look nice with grey and black. But I’ve also discovered it looks nice with camel and even a dark chocolate brown.

But I could also easily wear this vibrant red with navy.

Color Prep Step #3: Look for garments in a tone that works well with your coloring.

I really believe that most of us can wear any colors we enjoy (to a degree) as long as we look for those colors in tones that work well with our coloring and undertones. For instance, I love to wear camel. But I’ve noticed that camel comes in a wide range of tones from warm to neutral to cool. I look best in camel with a neutral undertone because I have neutral undertones. (See the camel or beige cap sleeve silk blend blouse above.)

Likewise I look best in reds that have neutral to cool undertones, and I like to steer clear of reds with more of an orange cast.

Bottom line, make sure you collect items that are not just in the color of your choice, but also in the tone that works best for you. You might even want to create a few swatches to carry in your handbag so you won’t purchase items in the store that don’t really work with the others you have in your closet.

Outfit Notes: You may remember I showed this pretty surplice top and skirt in this previous blog post and this one. See how versatile it is because I’ve intentionally narrowed down my color palette for the season?

Color Prep Step #4: As you accumulate pieces in your color, be aware of the role they’ll play.

I don’t necessarily suggest you set out to purchase, say, two sweaters, one dress, one coat and one handbag in your color, although I guess you could. I think it’s hard to be that strategic, and maybe a little frustrating.

But I do think it’s smart simply to pay attention to the things you’re adding to your closet so you don’t end up with five sweaters in that color, but no accessories or coats or jackets, etc. Ideally, you want a balance, especially if you really plan to wear that color a lot.

Color Prep Step #5: Think through how the chosen color will play with the other colors in your palette.

Every color in your wardrobe does not have to play well together. But it is nice to be able to pair each color with at least one other that will work nicely with it. For instance, I can wear this deep red with the soft mauve. And I imagine I’ll also be able to wear my lavender pieces with my blue ones.

So once you find a pairing that will work nicely, keep that pairing in mind as you develop your wardrobe. There’s no need to have every item in both colors. For instance, I have the mauve leather jacket above and that deep wine wool & cashmere cardigan shown below. So I don’t also need a mauve cardigan or deep red jacket.

Color Prep Step #6: Don’t be afraid to go tonal. In fact, prepare for it!

Tonal or tone on tone dressing continues to be so on trend. And it’s very slenderizing and a little elevating as well. So I love to load on the color, stacking it in multiple textures and garments.

You can layer tees under jackets of the same color, dresses under coats, tops under cardigans, etc. And you can go tonal just up to, as I did above…

or top and bottom, as I showed above. One of the best tips for wearing tonal outfits is to vary the texture of the fabrics and throw in some accessories that also add balance and texture.

Color Prep Step #7: Don’t forget accessories.

Accessories help tie an outfit together, so it’s important to have at least a few accessories in the color you’re bringing into your wardrobe. I don’t have plans to purchase red shoes (but you never know!), but I think a smart red tote will really come in handy for pulling together outfits with my new deep red.

Of course you could certainly consider shoes in your color of choice. But also definitely think about scarves, socks and maybe jewelry in your color.

Color Prep Step #8: Consider how you’ll wear the color with jeans.

Maybe this step should have been earlier. Hmm. But the point is, especially if you wear denim frequently, you’ll want to give some consideration to how your new color will work with your jean selection. Some colors just work better with different washes, you know?

I love how this wine red works with black and grey (or faded black) as shown above.

Outfit Notes: Those straight leg ankle jeans in faded black (Size Up) are one of my favorite purchases from the Anniversary Sale, and they are still available. They have a very on trend raw edge hemline and a classic straight leg silhouette. I’m wearing the outfit below with the jersey blazer in storm cloud blue, but the color really reads more soft grey.

But I can also wear this deep red with blue jeans. I’ve paired it here with a lighter wash denim.

But I think, from taking this photo, that I will enjoy wearing the deep red more with darker wash jeans. I prefer a low contrast in intensity in my outfit composition. So to achieve that with this dark red, I’ll need to wear dark wash or black denim. So that’s the kind of consideration I’m talking about.

Color Prep Step #9: Don’t forget to add some prints!

Finally, don’t forget to add some prints to your closet that feature your chosen color. Having a few floral, stripe or plaid prints with your color will help stretch the use of your solids.

And they’ll give your outfits more interest, too.

What colors will you be wearing this fall? Or is it just too early to think about that? Ha! Well, if you’ve given it any thought, I’d love to hear your color choices. And let me know if you’ll be wearing any new-to-you colors like I am or if you’re sticking with your old faithfuls. And will you wear a new fall 2023 color trend?

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