Fashion Editor Math—30 Under-$100 Nordstrom Basics That Pay for Themselves

Woman wearing a tan crewneck sweater.

(Image credit: @annelauremais)

Fun fact: As an editor who lives for the start of the fall fashion season, I didn't spend much time in New York this September. In between work trips and vacations abroad, I was soaking in the last remaining days of summer as much as I possibly could. Now that I'm back in New York, true chilly fall weather has begun to creep in. Even though this will be my second fall living in a city that *actually* experiences seasons, I've still been unable to master the art of fall dressing on a budget. Sure, I have my trusted array of trendy denim and long-sleeve coats that will make the next few months bearable, but all in all, my closet is still majorly struggling for fall—especially when it comes to my limited budget. Thankfully, that's where Nordstrom comes in.

After spending four hours on the site and doing more damage than I care to admit, I've found the must-have fall essentials well under $100 that'll seamlessly take your closet from summer to fall. With high-heat sweaters, ankle booties, and dark-wash denim I can't seem to get enough of, prepare to live out your Pumpkin Spice Latte, Rory Gilmore–era fall fantasies with these adorable, well-priced basics. Try to resist the temptation to buy every single one of these 30 cute buys.

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Assistant Shopping Editor

Ana Escalante is an award-winning journalist and Gen Z editor whose work ranges from dissecting size inclusivity at fashion week to discussing how American Girl Doll meme accounts are the the answer to society's collective spiral. She's covered it all: Queen Elizabeth II's corgis, Roe v. Wade frontline protests, and the emergence of jorts (or jean shorts for the uninitiated). At Who What Wear, Ana is responsible for delivering smart, insightful, personality-driven shopping guides and trend features for a digital-first generation.Before joining Who What Wear, Ana was Glamour magazine's editorial assistant, where she focused on daily news and special packages, including leading the brand's 2022 Met Gala coverage. For more than half a decade, she has covered style, beauty, and digital culture for publications such as Paper magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Japan, and Allure, among others. Ana has been called a rising star in media by publications such as Nylon and Teen Vogue. (Her mother, meanwhile, calls her "the coolest person" she knows.)