5 Fall Trends I'm Buying From My Favorite Affordable Retailers

While I have a long wish list for each season, I keep myself limited to a budget—most of the time. There are a few trends that I prefer investing in, but I still like to add a few affordable pieces to my closet when the new season rolls around. (Life is all about balance, no?) If you're also looking to find a few trend-forward pieces to add to your outfit rotation and not spend over $100, then you've come to the right place. Also, trust me when I say that although the picks below may be trendy, I prioritized ones you'll actually want to keep in your closet for seasons beyond this one.

Ahead, I have highlighted five major fall 2021 trends that some of the most popular affordable retailers are doing really well right now. From vests to tonal tailoring, the trends ahead are my current go-tos, and I have a feeling you'll be on the same page as me by the time you reach the end of this story. 

Saturated Shades

While neutral shades may have overrun the fashion scene this past year, it seems like electric shades like kelly green and hot pink have come out of the woodwork. I'll be opting for basic pieces in these colorways, like button-downs or knits so they have more versatility with styling.

Coordinating Sets

It's all about elevated and coordinated sets for fall. I'll be wearing them year-round just because of how comfy and easy they are.

Thick Knits

While thick cable knits are considered a closet staple, I'm seeing them pop up on the market more than ever, which is understandable since they also appeared on many designers' runways.

Vests

Are you a fashion person if you don't own a vest yet? Be it a knit or a more forward, tailored version, it's the ultimate layering piece.

Tonal Tailoring

While tailored suits never seem to go out of style, they tend to be reinvented in different ways. The oversize silhouette is still a fan favorite, but the struggles of finding a matching set no longer exist. Tonal tailoring is popular as ever, and I'm certainly not mad about it.

Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.