13 Zara Pieces to Add to Your Fall Wardrobe—And Still Wear Next Autumn
Turning 40 Has Changed the Way I Shop
I still pay attention to trends. I’m just much better at knowing which ones deserve a place in my wardrobe.
I’m turning 40 this year, and while I can’t claim to have figured everything out, I have become considerably wiser about shopping.
I still follow fashion. I want to know what came down the runways, which colour suddenly matters and why a silhouette I ignored three years ago now looks inexplicably right. What I’m less interested in is buying something simply because fashion has decided I should.
These days, a trend has to pass a fairly simple test: would I still wear it once everyone stops talking about it?
Leopard is the obvious example. It happens to be having another moment, but it has been in my wardrobe long enough that its official trend status is irrelevant. If something already feels like you, there is very little reason to retire it simply because the pendulum has swung elsewhere.
Fall 2026 is giving us plenty to consider: red, lace, ruffles, tartan, brocade and animal textures among them. And Zara, as ever, has translated nearly all of it at impressive speed.
The pieces below are the ones I think have a life beyond this particular season. Fashionable now, certainly. But more importantly, things I can imagine still reaching for several autumns from now.
1. The leather jacket
$139.00
Leather for fall? Groundbreaking.
Still, there is a reason we return to it every year. A good leather jacket makes almost anything look a little more considered and, crucially, a little cooler.
The proportions change. Right now, funnel necks and bombers are everywhere. Last year I bought the viral funnel-neck version and proceeded to wear it almost daily: over sweats for the school run, with barrel jeans and Converse for coffee, and with trousers and kitten heels for dinner.
Few things in my wardrobe have worked quite that hard.
2. The Isabel Marant-ish suede boots
$149.00
If you share my weakness for Isabel Marant, these require very little explanation.
The slouched suede and slightly bohemian shape have that signature Marant ease without looking like an obvious imitation. They would be just as good with denim as they would peeking out beneath a long skirt.
3. The red kitten-heel boots
$129.00
Red may be one of the colours of the season, but a red shoe has never felt particularly dependent on fashion’s approval.
One of my favourite Emily in Paris outfits is still the first look we see Camille in: an oversized blazer, simple denim and a pair of very good red boots. The clothes themselves are almost quiet. The boots are what make you look twice.
That is exactly how I’d wear these: with everything else kept relatively simple.
And if red feels like too much commitment, they come in black. I ordered both.
4. The romantic blouse
$65.90
Lace and ruffles have returned in a fairly serious way, with houses from Chloé to Gucci leaning into romance.
Our screens seem to be conspiring in the same direction. Between Wuthering Heights, The Other Bennet Sister, Sense and Sensibility and yet another reason to revisit Pride and Prejudice, fashion’s current fascination with all things windswept and vaguely English feels rather well timed.
The way to keep lace from becoming overly precious is contrast. Add denim. Add tailoring. Better yet, add leather.
This ruffled shirt plays in the same territory.
5. The croc boot
$319.00
Zebra, deer and croc textures are having a particularly good season, but croc has always sat slightly outside the trend cycle.
In deep burgundy leather, these look considerably more expensive than they are. The kitten heel helps too: elegant enough to change the mood of an outfit, low enough to contemplate wearing them for an actual day.
6. The ballet flat
Gold Ballet Flats
$79.90
Ballet flats inherently carry a little French-girl charm—Sézane has certainly helped cement that—but metallic leather keeps these from feeling too sweet.
I like them precisely because they don’t need an equally interesting outfit. Let them interrupt a grey trouser, dark denim or an otherwise very sensible black look.
Metallics are often at their best when treated as though they were neutrals. If you prefer one without a heel, these silver ballet flats are equally as gorgeous.
7. The countryside trench
$199.00
This might be my favourite of the lot.
The khaki green, checked lining, generous storm flap and gold hardware give it the kind of detail that makes a high-street piece look much less high street.
There is something deeply English-countryside about it. I can picture Sienna Miller wearing it with boots and excellent hair, walking a dog she somehow also makes look chic.
8. The plaid jacket
$139.00
For anyone living somewhere where rain is less an occasional weather event and more a permanent part of the forecast, a trench is a necessity.
This version carries the same heritage mood as it’s countryside predecessor, this time with a checked print and pulls that make it slightly less traditional.
9. The croc shopper
$299.00
No, it isn’t The Row.
But the clean shape, leather construction and glossy croc texture give it the kind of polish that works especially well against very simple clothes.
I would resist the urge to “style” it too much. Denim, a cream knit, a long coat and this tucked under your arm is enough.
10. The floral jacquard bomber
$109.00
Brocade, tapestry florals and antique-looking gold have been appearing across the collections, including at Erdem and Miu Miu.
What saves this jacket from feeling like something found in the costume department is the bomber silhouette. There is a tension between the ornate fabric and the sporty shape that makes both feel more interesting.
With faded denim and a white T-shirt, it has the look of something vintage you happened to find rather than something purchased because brocade is trending.
11. Barrel cargo pants
$99.00
Barrel jeans have been a fixture in my wardrobe for several years now, long enough that I no longer think of the shape as particularly trendy.
What I like about them is the proportion. They make the simplest pieces—a fitted knit, a white shirt, a leather jacket—look more intentional.
This olive pair does the same thing without being denim, and they are surprisingly good with a kitten heel. A slightly feminine shoe against that exaggerated trouser shape is exactly the contrast I want.
12. The argyle knit
Wool Argyle Jumper
$99.90
Argyle is back, although admittedly it never went very far if you spend enough time thinking about old Ralph Lauren campaigns, Scottish estates and excellent knitwear.
This version feels particularly convincing in burgundy and navy, and the fact that it is 100% wool makes it even more appealing. There is nothing flimsy or novelty-like about it.
Not ready to commit fully? Argyle socks peeking out between a loafer and cropped denim give you just enough of the idea.
13. The tartan set
$79.90
Scotland is casting quite a long shadow over autumn dressing this year, and tartan was inevitably going to follow.
What makes this set interesting is the colour. Rather than the expected forest green or traditional red, the blue and brown combination feels sharper and slightly unexpected. It immediately reminded me of the unconventional tartan print Vivienne Westwood used so brilliantly recently.
Wear the pieces together if you’re willing to commit to the idea. Separately, they become considerably easier: the skirt with a black knit, the top with worn denim.
Beyond the Trend
Fashion will always move on. That’s part of the fun. But the pieces worth keeping are usually the ones that still feel like you once everyone else has moved on with it. And these pieces have staying power.