Alright, ladies. I have a confession. When I wrote that last post, I was totally planning on skating by this week with a few links of “closet basics” here and there, but I had a small (yet ENLIGHTENING!) revelation. Are any of you actually going to take the time to shop your own closet if the one person who is talking it up doesn’t do it herself?

No, I think not.

So, here I am, ready to dig in and do it for the team. I’m ready to show you what eight pieces I found in my own personal closet to wear during the upcoming season.

For the record, the thought of choosing ONLY eight pieces from my closet sent shivers down my spine. Eight pieces? How can I possibly base my ENTIRE LIFE on eight pieces? Tell me I’m not the only one. For those of you on the same page, I’ve created some loose guidelines to follow.

1. Remember, you are picking eight pieces as a basis for the upcoming season, not for the rest of your God-given life. Relax for crying out loud. (Do you hear that, self??)

2. When you decide on those eight pieces, don’t fret about the ones you’ve left out. Tim Gunn isn’t going to magically appear in your bedroom with plans to throw a black bag over your head and run off into the night with your remaining wardrobe items. (I think.)

3. There are no rules for what items of clothing you need to include. Everyone’s daily wardrobe situation is different. As a mom who works from home, my pieces might be far more casual than those who work from an office.

4. Don’t worry about accessories, shoes, outerwear, etc. Those will be added into the mix later. Focus on articles of clothing.

5. Just do it! It’s not as daunting as it might seem.

Let’s take a look.

Contrast-panel shirt, James Perse

Plum sweater, Old Navy

Tunic Sweater, J. Crew

Cropped jacket, Old Navy

Skinny jeans, J. Brand

Trouser jeans, Citizens of Humanity

Sweater dress, H&M

Navy dress, J. Crew

Done!

Now, what was the next step again? Oh yes, Step 2: Lay your choices out and take a good look. What do these items say about me? (Ummm…)

I think these items reiterate that I’m a fan of neutrals with occasional punches of color, I mix price points across the board, and my daily goal is to look casual yet chic.

This exercise did force me to think about what kind of palette I wanted to convey during this upcoming season, and gave me a clear starting point. Now, it’s your turn. Are there any items in your closet that are definites this fall? Or have you seen something shopping that would translate well with your fall basics?

Coming up next week - accessories and shoes and creating outfits, oh my!