Girly fall outfits till I die. I mean it, I said exactly that on my Instagram with about six little emojis attached, and I stand by every single one of them. There is something about autumn that makes me want to wrap myself in every soft thing I own and go stand under a tree that is halfway to gold. The ribbons, the cold-air-and-woodsmoke smell, the excuse to layer knitwear over something delicate underneath — this is basically my whole personality from October onward, and I am not one bit sorry about it.
If you are new here, hi, I am Livia, I am a redhead, and roughly ninety percent of my closet came from somewhere secondhand. Fall is honestly the easiest season to dress this way, because the coziest pieces are the ones that thrift the best. So let me walk you through how I actually put a girly autumn look together, coquette bows and all.
The cozy-girl formula I keep coming back to
My whole approach is one soft base, plus one warm layer, plus one little detail that feels like me. The base is usually something floaty — a lace-trim slip, a milkmaid blouse, a pleated skirt in a warm rust or cream. Then I pile on the cozy: an oversized cardigan, a chunky knit, a coat I probably paid far too little for. The detail is where the princess in me takes over. A ribbon tied in my hair, a bow at the collar, a pair of little socks peeking over my boots. It never has to be complicated, it just has to feel like a hug.
Colour is the other half of it. I lean all the way into the warm autumn palette — soft pinks that have gone a bit dusty, caramel, oatmeal, the occasional deep berry when I am feeling brave. Pink in fall is not a contradiction to me, it is the entire point. Coquette does not clock out just because it got cold outside.
Thrifted, upcycled and completely mine
Almost none of this was bought new, and that is genuinely my favourite part. So much of what I wear started as a boring or slightly wrong piece that I took in, hemmed, or added a bow to until it turned girly. A too-long nightgown becomes a layering dress. A plain cardigan gets a ribbon threaded through the neckline. If you want to see the finds that did not make it into a full outfit, I list a lot of my favourites on my Depop, and I film the styling process for YouTube whenever I can. Upcycling is slow and a little imperfect, and I love it for exactly that.
Shoes and finishing touches are where I quietly commit to the whole thing. Ballet flats with cozy socks, a small kitten heel, or my beloved worn-in boots if there are actually leaves to crunch. A soft blush, a rosy lip, a bit of hair left down to catch the light. That is a full girly fall look, and it costs almost nothing when you build it patiently.
If you want more of where all this comes from — the thrifting habit, the soft-and-vintage heart of it — I put a bit of that story on my about page. Otherwise, go put on the fuzziest thing you own, tie a ribbon somewhere, and stand under a pretty tree for me. Girly fall outfits till I die, truly. #liviasloves