You have now fully planned the foundational layers of your fall wardrobe! We have walked through layer one — classic garments — and layer two — classic shoes and accessories. You’ve made your shopping list for these first two layers, and you are purchasing items at whatever pace you are able to. Now let’s move on and take a look at layer three in my buildable wardrobe strategy for fall— statement garments! (Need to catch up? No problem, you can start here!)

Building this layer is a more relaxed approach than the process of building layer one and layer two. Once your foundational pieces are in place you’re free to be more creative and add things to your wardrobe that are a little more fun and/or experimental for you. Fashion can be a fun way to express yourself. Shoot for a balance between trying new things and living in your favorites. Although this layer does not need to be quite as planned as the last two, be sure to remain conscious of what you already have so that you’re adding variety to your wardrobe rather than duplicates.

To me, dressing is like art. In addition to my basic pieces, I like to add statement garments— unique things that inspire me, are a specific trend, are colorful or a print. My style is always evolving and changing. I like to keep my wardrobe fresh, mixing in trends that I’m excited about and comfortable wearing. With that said, if I’m not into something, I skip it— zero pressure to dress like everyone else and instead, freedom to dress like YOU!

Layer Three: Statement Garments

• Garments that have color, prints, texture, interesting shapes, cuts, and/or details that add visual interest to outfits and may last for a shorter time in your wardrobe. 
• Categories: top layers, shirts, pants, dresses/jumpsuits, and skirts
• Examples: unique vintage pieces, pieces that are very on-trend, classic cuts in bold colors and prints, modern/unique cuts in classic or bold colors.

Red Blouse (old from Target) | Small Floral Blouse (old from Old Navy) | Gingham Blouse (similar) | Black and Tan Floral Blouse (old from H&M) | Bing Sweatshirt | Pleated Jeans (old from Agolde) | Ripped Mom Jeans (same style in a newer wash) | Rainbow Cardigan Sweater | Red Blazer (old from Jenni Kayne – similar)

See something you like? You can shop it and support my blog at the same time by purchasing through the affiliate links in this post.

How to Decide What You need in Each Category of Layer Three:

Make a list of the trends/styles you want to try. For me, this list of statement garments is a bit looser than my list of classic, foundational pieces. An example would be knowing that I want something that is leopard print but not knowing exactly what that piece that will be (i.e. a bag, a sweater, shoes). This list is a guide in the back of my mind (and possibly in a note in my phone) as I look around at things. When I find the right piece, I will just know and then that item gets checked off of my list. I don’t organize this list by category, but rather just make it one running list. I also allow myself to buy things on a whim that I wasn’t planning for but really speak to me!

Remain true to your style and also experiment. Your lifestyle and style preference should always be considered through every step of building your wardrobe. If a garment does not align with those things— don’t get it. This isn’t about a checklist to just fill space, but rather a strategy that uses intentionality to build a wardrobe that you feel good in. With that said, I would also encourage you to take steps (not leaps) out of the center of your comfort zone and expand on your wardrobe in ways that work for you. If you only love neutrals, then I suggest experimenting with different shapes, details, and textures. If you prefer only classic cuts, then I suggest challenging yourself to expand the colors or prints you buy. Maybe this layer will be really small for you, and that is totally fine!

Outfit research. As with layer one and layer two, looking for inspiration for statement garments on Pinterest, Instagram, in magazines or on style blogs, is a super helpful tool in giving you ideas and clarity on what you want to add to your wardrobe.

How to determine how many garments to have in this layer:

I mentioned in a previous post that there is no exact number of garments and that part of this process is being intentional to discover what works for you and your lifestyle. Maybe you prefer a small, minimal wardrobe or maybe you like to wear every trend and have countless options. Wherever you land on the spectrum between those two things, I think having the categories defined and represented is more important than the depth that you have in each category. Variety is what allows you to make more outfits.

Where I Shop For Statement Garments:

When I shop for more unique and trend items, I generally shop at less expensive retailers. I don’t go to thrift stores often, but if you do, shopping second hand is a great way to find unique, statement garments for less money. Now, shopping second hand is even easier with so many great online re-sell sites like Poshmark, Etsy and The RealReal. Some of my go-to’s for shopping for garments in this layer are:

ZARA. I find this store to be the fastest on trends when it comes to affordable retailers. Whether it is dresses, pants, tops, shoes or handbags— they are on top of making affordable versions of what designer labels have out on the market. I really like the way their clothes fit, the detailing on all of their garments, and I find the quality to be good. If you want to see their commitments and timeline for environmental sustainability, you can read about it here.

Standout favorites: pants, dresses, all tops

H&M. This store is incredibly affordable and also fast on trends. It is a fast fashion retailer, but they make a line of clothing called “conscious” that is made of at least fifty percent sustainably-sourced materials. You can read about it here. I love the styles they make for the price point. I find that the garments are well-made, but the quality of the material varies from garment to garment.

Standout favorites: graphic tees, dresses, shirts/blouses, sweaters, maternity clothing

MANGO. This store feels fast like the other retailers I’ve mentioned, I think it feels a little more chic or elevated overall than the others. I really like all of the categories here!

ASOS. This website has a mix of branded items, and items from their own private labels, so the prices really vary. The Asos labels are really affordable and fast when it comes to trends.

Standout favorites: jumpsuits, dresses, maternity clothing

URBAN OUTFITTERS. Hipster paradise. : ) They carry a lot of great brands and overall embody an cool, edgy, casual, street vibe.

Standout favorites: graphic tees, denim, sweaters, tops, dresses

TARGET. Who doesn’t love this place? It is a super accessible and affordable. They have created various private labels that cover a variety of styles. They make a lot of dupes of items from mainstream retailers and name brands. I have to say that I personally cannot recommend bottoms from here. I never like the fit on me and I find the material quality usually lacks. This is one of the stores that I really like some categories and completely avoid others. This is just my perspective and experience— if their bottoms work for you, that is great!

Standout favorites: sweatshirts, sweaters, tops

MADEWELL. This was on my list of places to shop for classic pieces and it’s landing here too since it is well-rounded and one of my favorites. It is not super edgy and fast, but rather modern, on-trend and just plain cool. I like the colors and prints that they offer.

Standout favorites (for this layer): shirts, dresses, sweaters

Layer Three Outfit Ideas:

For the sake of defining the layers, I’m showing you outfits made fully of items from each layer. However, as I put together outfits throughout the fall season, I mix up all of the items in my wardrobe. I often wear classic garments and statement garments together. Mixing them makes for lots of interesting outfit ideas! For daily outfit ideas, you can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and the LikeToKnow.It App. Or, you can check out the Shop my Outfits page on my blog, or follow my weekly blog posts that share what I wore each day of the week.

1.) Graphic Sweatshirt + Ripped Mom Jeans + Sneakers

Sweatshirt | Earrings | Jeans (newer wash – I’m 5’7″ and I got the long inseam) | Sneakers

2.) Solid Color Shirt + Balloon Jeans + Cheetah Print Mules

Shirt (old from H&M) | Jeans | Earrings | Shoes

3.) Printed Blouse + Pop of Color Bottoms

Shirt (old from H&M – similar) | Earrings | Bracelet | Shorts ( made by me from Anna Allen Clothing’s Pomona Pants & Shorts pattern, fabric from Two O Nine Fabrics)

Now that you’ve made a plan/shopping list for building your statement garments in your fall wardrobe, you can move on to planning your fourth layer— statement shoes and accessories! In the next post, I’ll go over what kind of items are in layer four of my buildable wardrobe strategy for fall. I’ll share examples of items that I have in this layer, where I shop for items in this layer, and how the items in layer four work into my outfits!

P.S. Here are the table and basket you see in some of the photos in this post!

***This post was originally published on August 25, 2020 and was updated on September 8, 2021.***