Stop Buying Clothes You'll Never Wear: 4 Rules for Building a High-Quality Fall Wardrobe

Buying high-quality, ethically made clothing is, paradoxically, becoming more difficult. Here’s how to shop the right way this Fall.

Fall is my favorite season to style, by far. No other season comes close. I find the Autumn color palette more interesting and nuanced than spring or summer, and the cooler weather allows for the re-introduction of interesting layers. As the burning heat of summer begins to wane, the arrival of chilly evenings requires thoughtful outfit planning. And we’re in the sweet spot before icy temperatures require us to lug around heavy winter coats and gloves everywhere we go. Fall weather also means I get to slowly add my favorite fabrics of all time, wool and cashmere, back into rotation.

Almost as soon as the thermometer dips into the 70s, I am packing away my linen shirts and pulling out my turtlenecks and jackets in preparation for the change of season. A few years ago, when sweater vests were hitting a new trend high, I wore a sleeveless, cashmere vest to work in September when it was still hitting 90 degrees Fahrenheit, as if I could simply will colder temperatures by dressing as if they were already here.

It is my style version of “if you build it, they will come” - “If you dress for it, it will come.” Dress for the weather you want, not the weather you have. Right?

I have spent six years building the best wardrobe I possibly can. It is my never-ending passion project.

Here my four tips on how to build your the best wardrobe of your life:

#1 Shop Your Closet

The most sustainable clothing purchase is the one you don’t make. The easiest way to deter needless shopping is to shop from what you already own. This may sound intuitive, but, if you are anything like me, you have to be reminded of this every season or two. If I do not take the time to sit down and physically go through all of my fall clothing items, I will inevitably forget what I own and end up buying something suspiciously similar to something I already own.

Of course there are the staple pieces I remember year-over-year, but there are usually a few items I forget completely. Or an item didn’t quite fit last year ends up fitting this year, meaning I need one less pair of trousers. Or I bought a sweater on sale at the end of last season and stashed it away for future use.

Do not shop first. Trust me, when it comes to a fight of Marketing versus My Brain, Marketing always wins. There will always be things I did not know existed which suddenly become “must-haves”. Marketing always wins.

However, if you shop your closet first, you can briefly interrupt the direct access Saks has to our bank accounts. Spend time laying out each item and performing a full inventory of every piece of clothing in your fall wardrobe.

If you do not store your seasonal wardrobes separately, then pull out the items you typically wear in the cooler months. Just be sure there aren’t any bomber jackets hiding in the deep, dark corners of your walk-in. The goal is to create the highest visibility possible, so your brain can take in exactly what you own (and how much!) and where the style holes are. Perhaps you’re set for sweaters and long-sleeve blouses, but your favorite wool blazer has seen better days. Or, perhaps you thought you could use a new pair of jeans, until you see all fifteen pairs lying on the bed, silently judging you.

For inspiration on how to style old things in new ways, check out Alyssa Beltempo on YouTube. Her “Shop Your Closet” series is endlessly inspiring.

Shop your closet first. The most sustainable clothing purchase is the one you don’t make. If you can eliminate items off your Buy List early, you will save your precious $$’s for other items, and keep one more piece of clothing out of the landfill.

#2 Make A Wish List

Once you have touched every item in your fall/winter wardrobe, you should have a good baseline for what you might need this Fall. I also tune into the emotions each piece brings me as I look at it. Perhaps a navy sweater is past its prime, but it fills a very specific role in my closet. On my wish list, I will add “navy wool sweater” to keep it top of mind if I am able to find a replacement.

Be honest - do you really need another black sweater? If you are anything like me, the answer is “yes”. But, you may not need another pair of jeans or sneakers.

Remember, for every item you say “yes” to, you are inevitably saying “no” to something else. Be certain the list contains only items that deserve your time and money.

The wish list can also be a bit aspirational. Perhaps you have been searching for a cashmere turtleneck in merlot for years, but have never found the right one. Add it to your list to keep the search alive.

Or perhaps you have always wanted a pair of two-tone, Chanel ballet flats. Maybe the budget this season doesn’t allow for a $1,500 pair of shoes. You might be able to find a high-quality, dead-ringer for $300.

Refer to the list regularly and edit it often and with surprising brutality. Your closet depends on it.

#3 Use Your Resources

Once you have your Wish List dialed in, it’s time to use your resources to find the best quality for your dollar. This is where using our modern technology becomes so helpful.

If you aren’t already using AI, start today. It isn’t scary; it’s just unknown. ChatGPT has helped me discover new brands I would never have found otherwise.

To start you off on the right foot with AI, know that 1) giving it the right prompt is key, and 2) remember to be as specific as possible. Its response will only be as good as your prompt.

Here are some examples you can copy and paste into your favorite LLM:

“I’m looking for clothing brands that prioritize quality, ethical manufacturing, and environmental responsibility over trends. Please recommend brands that…”

…produce durable, timeless clothing rather than fast fashion

…are transparent about where and how their garments are made

…use high-quality natural fibers whenever possible (wool, linen, cotton, silk)

…pay fair wages and manufacture in countries with strong labor protections

…produce in small batches or avoid overproduction

…repair, resale, or circularity programs are a bonus

Next, narrow the prompt down to an item of clothing:

“Recommend the best ethical outerwear brands in the world. Prioritize exceptional construction, premium wool, heritage manufacturing, timeless design, repairability, and transparent sourcing. Rank them from highest to lowest quality and explain what makes each one exceptional.”

Finally, tell it to avoid marketing hype:

“I don’t want a list based on marketing or influencer popularity. Evaluate clothing brands critically using independent evidence. Tell me which brands genuinely deserve their reputation for quality and ethical manufacturing, and which brands rely heavily on sustainability marketing without strong supporting evidence.”

Pro Tip: anytime I ask AI to perform research, I remind it to ask me clarification questions before it begins, so we can narrow down the scope. This one step ensures the results will be custom-tailored to you.

We have so many resources at our fingertips to help us consume more responsibly. Let AI do the heavy-lifting, and do not let social media tell you what is worth buying.

#4 Be Ruthless with Returns

Now that you have your list of needs/wants and have a list of excellent, sustainable, ethical brands, it is time to start the fun part: Shopping!

BUT, go forth with caution and with a merciless mindset. Get ready to get picky. If you are not returning 80% of what you ordered online, you are keeping things you shouldn’t.

Here’s why: the first time you put a piece of clothing on is the best you are ever going to feel in it. It is new, unwashed, unworn, and in the best condition of its life. If you do not instantly love it when you look at yourself in the mirror, it should be returned. The love won’t grow over time. The shirt will not magically transform into a flattering color. The proportions will not fix themselves overnight.

I can see you wiggling around in your computer chair, wanting to yell at the computer, “Well, but what if?” “What ifs” are keeping you poor and poorly dressed.

Here’s an outline of the What If trap:

• What if I find the right shoes to wear it with? Return.

• What if I can find the right bra? Return.

• What if I get a tan? Return.

• What if I lose those ten pounds? Return.

• What if my friend who has been dating that guy for a few months gets engaged and I need this specific party dress? Return.

• What if I can’t find anything better? RETURN.

Do not take it as some personal failure that the majority of what you buy online needs to be returned. Those models? They were paid to look as good as physically possible in their outfit. The reviews? Most of the time they are more confusing than clarifying. Not everything you purchase online will not work for your body, your style, and your life. And that’s okay. You are beautiful in unique ways. Of course a blouse made for the masses will not always highlight your best features. There is a blouse out there that will. Don’t settle.

With many online retailers offering free returns and free shipping, at least in the US, the price you pay to return an item boils down to about three and a half minutes to request the return label and slap it on the package like its been a Bad Boy. Some brands will include a return label in the box. Boom. Seamless.

Do yourself, your bank account, and your closet a favor and return most of what you purchase online. It will keep ill-fitting, unworn clothing off your back and out of your closet.

Great wardrobes are not built in a single shopping trip. They are created just as all great things are created: through painstaking trial and error over a longer period of time than one expects.

Start with what you already own. Identify what genuinely needs replacing. Use every resource available—including AI—to find brands that prioritize things which matter to you. Then be ruthless about what earns a permanent place in your closet.

Volume is not the goal; quality is. Use these tips to build a wardrobe you genuinely love wearing season after season.

Until next time,

Elise

P.S. If you want a jump start on a few excellent brands who are focused on conscious creation, here’s my list of favorites.

Sezane - French style at a reasonable price; I own multiple items from them, and they have lasted five or more seasons and still look great. Word to the wise, French sizes run a bit small, as French people tend to be built a bit smaller than us Americans. www.sezane.com

Polene - beautiful, leather handbags with unique silhouettes and high quality; French brand makes all of its bags in Spain. Get ready for compliments. www.polene-paris.com

MARTINDALE - American-made women’s coats and jackets. Shameless plug for my designs. www.martindaleclothing.com

Paige Premium Denim - focused on LA-based production; most of their jeans are cut and sewn in the US; this is a “you get what you paid for brand” where they are not cheap, but they provide high-quality denim in stylish fits, which you will be able to wear for years. www.paige.com