How to Avoid Looking Frumpy in Fall Fashion This Year

But let’s be totally real for a second. With the cold weather comes the absolute biggest fashion struggle of the year. I am talking about the dreaded transition into fall clothes. I literally pulled my winter storage bins out from under my bed yesterday. I was so hyped to see my old sweaters. But then I put one on, looked in the mirror, and deadass stared at myself for five minutes. I looked like a literal potato. A cozy potato, but still a potato.

Why does this happen to us every single year? We see these gorgeous, layered Pinterest outfits online. We try to recreate them, and somehow we just end up looking super frumpy, bulky, and like we are drowning in fabric. It is the most frustrating thing ever.

But do not panic! I refused to accept defeat this year. I sat down, poured a huge cup of coffee, and figured out the exact science of why our fall clothes are making us look boxy. And more importantly, I figured out how to fix it immediately.

So, here is my ultimate guide for me and you. This is how to avoid looking frumpy in fall fashion this year, without having to freeze or sacrifice our comfort. Let’s get into it!

1. Stop Cutting Yourself in Half (The Rule of Thirds)

Okay, this is probably the biggest mistake I see everyone making, and I am so guilty of it too. When we dress for fall, we tend to wear long sweaters over our jeans. It is comfortable, right? But here is the problem.

When your sweater ends right across the widest part of your hips, and your jeans take up the rest of your legs, you are visually cutting your body into two equal halves. It completely erases your natural shape and makes you look super boxy.

I learned this the hard way last October. We went to that big apple orchard, remember? I wore this massive, long chunky knit tunic and these mid-calf boots. My auntie took a picture of me standing next to the cider stand, and I was horrified when I saw it. I looked exactly like Spongebob Squarepants. Just a walking rectangle. I had zero shape, and the long sweater just swallowed my legs whole.

To fix this, you have to use the rule of thirds. You want your outfit proportions to be one-third on top and two-thirds on the bottom.

How to fix it right now:

• The French Tuck: Just take the very front hem of your chunky sweater and tuck it slightly into your waistband. It instantly shows where your waist is and makes your legs look miles long.
• Cropped Cardigans: Swap the long, knee-length cardigans for slightly cropped ones that hit right at your natural waist.
• High-waisted everything: A high-waisted trouser with a tucked-in turtleneck is basically the blueprint for not looking frumpy.

2. You Cannot Do Baggy on Baggy

I know, I know. I love being comfortable just as much as you do. When it is raining and cold, all I want to do is wear my giant sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. But if we are trying to actually look put together and avoid the frump, we have to talk about contrast.

If you wear a huge, oversized sweater with wide-leg, baggy jeans, your body gets totally lost. You just look like a pile of laundry walking down the street. It adds visual weight to your entire frame.

The secret is balance. If you are going big on top, you have to go sleek on the bottom. If you are wearing those trendy, massive wide-leg trousers, you need a fitted top.

I was experimenting with this last week. I bought this huge, gorgeous vintage men’s flannel shirt from a thrift store. At first, I wore it with my baggy cargo pants. It was a disaster. I looked like a lumberjack who had just given up on life. But then, I swapped the cargos for my favorite straight-leg denim and a tight little bodysuit underneath the open flannel. The difference was insane. I looked so intentional and cool, instead of just messy.

Balance your silhouette:

• Skinny isn’t totally dead: This is exactly when you pull out those slim-fit or straight-leg pants. They perfectly balance a giant chunky knit.
• Fitted turtlenecks: Buy a few really good, tight ribbed turtlenecks. Wear them under your wide-leg overalls or big trousers.
• Show your shape: Let at least one part of your actual silhouette show through the layers.

3. Define Your Waist (Even Under Three Layers)

When it gets really cold, we just start piling things on. A shirt, a vest, a cardigan, and then a coat. By the time we leave the house, we look like a walking marshmallow. The easiest way to stop looking frumpy when you are heavily layered is to bring the focus back to your waist.

You have to create a focal point.

I actually have a funny story about this. A few weeks ago, I was getting ready for a family dinner. I was wearing this flowy, oversized midi dress with a big cardigan over it because the restaurant is always freezing. I looked in the mirror and sighed because it just looked so heavy and shapeless.

Then I remembered this gorgeous piece I have. It is this amazing, heavy silver concho belt that belonged to my grandmother. It is such a special piece of my Native heritage, and usually I only wear it for specific events. But I grabbed it and fastened it right over the cardigan and the dress at my natural waist. Girl. The outfit completely transformed. It went from “frumpy librarian” to “effortless boho chic” in two seconds. Plus, it felt so good to incorporate a piece of my family into my everyday style like that.

You don’t need a heavy silver belt, obviously. Any belt will do the trick.

Waist-defining tricks:

• Belt your blazers: If you are wearing an oversized blazer or coat, strap a leather belt over the outside of it. It looks so high fashion.
• Tie it up: If a sweater is too long, use a clear hair elastic to tie it in a little knot at the front or back to crop it.
• Color blocking: Wear a dark top and a light bottom (or vice versa). The line where the two colors meet will naturally define your waist.

4. The Shoe Gap Dilemma

We really need to talk about shoes. I am convinced that the wrong shoes can absolutely ruin a perfect fall outfit and make you look instantly frumpy. The biggest culprit? The weird ankle gap.

You know exactly what I am talking about. It is when you wear a pair of jeans that are just a little too short, and a pair of ankle boots that are just a little too low. You end up with this awkward two-inch gap of bare skin or weird sock showing. It totally cuts off the line of your leg and makes you look shorter and stumpier.

I literally did this on a coffee run the other morning. I threw on my cropped jeans and my Chelsea boots. I caught my reflection in a store window and my proportions looked so crazy. My legs looked about two feet long.

The fix is super easy. You either need your pants to cover the top of the boot completely, or you need the boot to go up higher under the pant.

Shoe rules for fall:

• Tall boots under skirts: If you are wearing a midi skirt, pair it with a knee-high boot so there is no awkward gap of skin. It looks so much more elegant.
• Match your socks: If you are wearing loafers and cropped pants, wear a sock that matches the color of the shoe or the pant to keep the line continuous.
• Shaft height matters: Invest in boots with a higher shaft that tuck smoothly under your straight-leg jeans.

5. Let the Outfit Breathe (Flashes of Skin)

Okay, this might sound counterintuitive because it is cold outside, but hear me out. If you are covered from the very top of your head down to your toes in thick wool and denim, you are going to look suffocated.

You need to let the outfit breathe just a little bit. Showing just tiny, strategic flashes of skin breaks up the heaviness of fall fabrics. It makes the outfit look styled rather than just throwing on clothes for survival.

I am not saying you need to walk around in a crop top in November. That is crazy.

But think about your neckline. If you are wearing a huge, chunky, heavy cardigan, don’t wear a thick turtleneck underneath it. Wear a scoop neck or a V-neck t-shirt. Showing your collarbone instantly makes a bulky outfit look delicate and feminine.

Another super easy trick is just pushing up your sleeves. I do this constantly. If I have a massive sweater on, I push the sleeves up to my forearms. Showing your wrists is so flattering. It is the skinniest part of your arm, and seeing it tricks the eye into realizing that there is an actual, normal-sized human hiding under all that wool.

How to let it breathe:

• V-necks are magic: They draw the eye down and elongate your neck, which is crucial when you are wearing a lot of layers.
• Roll the cuffs: Roll up the sleeves of your jackets, flannels, and sweaters. Add some rings or a watch to draw attention to your wrists.
• Hair up: If you are wearing a massive scarf or a high turtleneck, throw your hair up in a messy claw clip. Getting your hair off your neck stops you from looking like a floating head.

6. The Fabric Quality Check

Listen, we have to be honest with ourselves about our fabrics. Sometimes, an outfit looks frumpy not because of how you styled it, but because the clothes themselves are just tired.

Fall clothes take a lot of wear and tear. Sweaters get pilled and fuzzy. Cheap knits lose their shape and start bagging out at the elbows and the hem. If your sweater has lost its structure and is covered in those little fuzz balls, it is going to look messy no matter how perfectly you tuck it into your jeans.

I spent an hour last weekend just sitting on my floor with a fabric shaver. It is honestly so therapeutic. I shaved all the little pills off my favorite grey cardigan, and it seriously looked brand new again. It went from looking like a rag I would wear to paint my apartment, to a chic piece I could wear to a meeting.

You don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe, you just need to maintain what you have.

Fabric maintenance tips:

• Buy a fabric shaver: Seriously, spend the ten dollars. It will save your entire fall wardrobe.
• Check the drape: If a piece is so stiff that it stands up on its own, it will make you look stiff too. Look for fabrics that move with you, like soft cottons and decent wool blends.
• Steam everything: Wrinkles make thick fall fabrics look immediately cheap and frumpy. Steaming a sweater before you wear it makes a massive difference.