42 Fall Basics Our Editors Are Obsessing Over Updated For 2025

We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. I was recently on a call with our Design Editor, Kristen, who declared she was entering her “fancy girl era.” Immediately, I wanted to adopt the same mantra—and it’s clear I’m not alone. After years of sweatpants reigning supreme and Y2K-inspired trends cycling through, there’s a renewed appetite for pieces that feel timeless, elevated, and intentionally chosen. Think of it less as a fleeting trend and more as a return to the long-standing appeal of quiet luxury: investing in clothes that look good now and years from now. Luckily, the best fall basics achieve exactly that, letting you curate an autumn wardrobe you’ll love wearing from now until spring. I’ve experienced quite the glow-up over the years.

And while some of that is the result of a bit more disposable income since graduating college, I’d attribute it mostly to intention. Nowadays, I’m choosing to keep my closet edited down to pieces that align with the three words that describe my personal style: elegant, feminine, and understated. By refining my style goals to what makes me feel most myself, it’s easier to say no to what doesn’t fit. My Pinterest style board has become my go-to source of inspiration for these sartorial shifts. I’ve made it a monthly ritual to sift through and delete images that no longer spark joy, while eagerly importing fresh looks from my Instagram saves. This consistent practice has not only helped me define and evolve my personal aesthetic but has also streamlined my shopping list.

The process is simple: gather your favorite inspiration images, crank up a fun playlist, and see how many looks you can recreate with your current fall wardrobe. Trust me, that’s where the best fall basics shine! Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. We've spent years looking for the perfect version of closet staples like white tees and jeans. Here's what we've found.

On any given day in the Bazaar fashion closet, you'll see us talking about “the good rack”—a stand that holds our edit of the best basics we've ever found. The good rack is an island of stability in the flurry of runway samples getting dropped off and returned. We use it whenever we need a wardrobe essential for a shoot, whether it's a classic T-shirt, a vintage pair of straight-leg jeans, or the perfect silky triangle bra. We take pride in our curation of the best basics in our wardrobes, too. A lot of our editors (myself included) are uniform dressers, meaning you’ll often find us in the office in the perfect button-down shirt with classic tailored trousers, or the best t-shirt with seamlessly fitting... With fall on the horizon, there’s no better time to think about updating your own rotation of essentials.

I always recommend starting with universally well-fitting separates, and investing in mix-and-match styles that you can wear on repeat. Below, you’ll find a concise edit of the best basics that we’ve test-driven at length across six key wardrobe categories. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. If you're thinking that saying something is dated and should be removed from one's closet immediately is a bit dramatic, I don't disagree with you. I think that people should wear whatever they want and that the rapid pace of the fashion cycle can be kind of annoying.

But I also think that sometimes people want to be informed about what's in and out as opposed to taking the time to research the runways and what celebrities and fashion people are wearing. That's my job, so I'm here to make it easy for you. The category? Basics. The good thing about basics is that they tend to cycle through at a slower pace than trendier items, and some are immune to the whole "in" and "out" classification, such as white crewneck... As I do at the start of every fall, I recently took stock of my basics to see what I'm in need of, and while doing so, I came across a handful that simply...

That said, I'm sure all of these basics will make a comeback and could currently be styled in ways that feel fresh. Do with this information what you will. Keep scrolling to see the dated basics I removed from my closet and the ones I kept in action and shop them for your own fall wardrobe. Perhaps I'm a bit biased because I've never been particularly fond of cargo pants, even if I have worn them from time to time over the years. The style you definitely won't catch me wearing anytime soon is cargo joggers. In my opinion, they're best kept separate.

On the flip side, the pants that have a permanent place in my closet are wide-leg pull-on styles. They can easily be dressed up or down, and there are plenty of material options—from poplin to satin to linen. I don't necessarily think distressed jeans are out, but elegant denim looks a lot more 2025, and dark-wash jeans are leading the charge. Any outfit that includes inky jeans looks 10 times more elevated than it would with ultra-casual ripped jeans. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Olivia Hancock is the senior editor at Byrdie and has over five years of experience writing for digital media platforms.

While summer is often dubbed the busiest season, fall always seems to be the most jam-packed time of year for Team Byrdie. From September through December, our calendars usually fill with back-to-back events—and this year is no exception. Think invite-only New York Fashion Week parties, dinner reservations at the city's hardest-to-book restaurants, and plenty of other hotspots in between. With so many places to be and people to see, we're already mapping out the fashion and beauty looks we'll be wearing. Whether it's trend-forward footwear made for a night out or bold fragrances designed to turn heads, every detail is intentional. Ahead, get into this month's editors' picks roundup, breaking down the events we're going to this fall and the fashion and beauty pieces we're wearing there.

When I'm heading to one of my favorite spots—particularly Café Chelsea and Bar Pisellino come fall—I like to pack a warm, sensual fragrance. This one, with creamy sandalwood and gardenia, is irresistibly joyful and bold. I use it to match my energy when I head out for a night of elevated fun. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. I was recently on a call with our Design Editor, Kristen, who declared she was entering her “fancy girl era.” Immediately, I wanted to adopt the same mantra—and it’s clear I’m not alone. After years of sweatpants reigning supreme and Y2K-inspired trends cycling through, there’s a renewed appetite for pieces that feel timeless, elevated, and intentionally chosen.

Think of it less as a fleeting trend and more as a return to the long-standing appeal of quiet luxury: investing in clothes that look good now and years from now. Luckily, the best fall basics achieve exactly that, letting you curate an autumn wardrobe you’ll love wearing from now until spring. I’ve experienced quite the glow-up over the years. And while some of that is the result of a bit more disposable income since graduating college, I’d attribute it mostly to intention. Nowadays, I’m choosing to keep my closet edited down to pieces that align with the three words that describe my personal style: elegant, feminine, and understated. By refining my style goals to what makes me feel most myself, it’s easier to say no to what doesn’t fit.

My Pinterest style board has become my go-to source of inspiration for these sartorial shifts. I’ve made it a monthly ritual to sift through and delete images that no longer spark joy, while eagerly importing fresh looks from my Instagram saves. This consistent practice has not only helped me define and evolve my personal aesthetic but has also streamlined my shopping list. The process is simple: gather your favorite inspiration images, crank up a fun playlist, and see how many looks you can recreate with your current fall wardrobe. Trust me, that’s where the best fall basics shine!

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