Preppy capsule wardrobe for fall 2024

5 different preppy styles – 5 different wardrobes

When the air gets cold and the leaves shift color, it’s time to go back to school and get serious about studying. Preppy style is perfect for fall, it’s all about being cozy while still looking chic. It doesn’t matter if you are a student or not, preppy style is for everyone. Here I present everything you need to know to build a preppy capsule wardrobe for fall.

What is preppy style?

Preppy style originated among the posh students of America’s Ivy League colleges. It is all about taking classic clothes and giving them a scholarly vibe. Plaid, tweed, and cable knit are all popular materials. Accessories with a pair of loafers and a bag inspired by a classic schoolbag.

If you want to learn more about being a prepp and preppy style, make sure you get a copy of The official preppy handbook, the book that started it all.

Preppy style is also about how you live your life

Preppy style is also about reading and studying and digging into classic knowledge. Combine your scholarly pursuit that with a dose of sportiness from tennis and lacrosse and you get preppy perfection.

preppy capsule wardrobe nr 1 – Classic style

Upper row: Grey duffel coat. Grey tweed blazer. Argyle cardigan. Camel cable knit sweater.

Middle row: Camel knitted polo shirt. White shirt. White blouse. Vest. Sweater vest.

Bottom row: Tweed pants. Pleated skirt. Tweed shorts. Grey skirt.

A classic preppy capsule wardrobe

Here we have all the top picks when you are wondering how to create your very own preppy fall capsule wardrobe. This is the fail-proof, easy to style, version.

I recommend getting a white shirt and a white blouse. A cardigan and a blazer should be next on your shopping list.

13 items – Countless outfit options

With just these 13 items, you can create many different outfits. One of the reasons is the classic color palette. In this capsule wardrobe, I choose to work with white, grey, camel and brown. Those are the most classic colors for getting a preppy style.

But you could also pick navy and black and get the same cohesive result.

Becoming a master at creating capsule wardrobes

Creating a capsule wardrobe is a good way to get impeccable style and also to learn about what you like and discover what is truly your style.

Read my article Fall capsule wardrobe for women over 40, fall 2023. Don’t worry if you are not over 40, the principles work for everyone.

preppy capsule wardrobe nr 2 – Colorful style

Upper row: Plaid coat. Tweed blazer. Burgundy hoodie. Burgundy cable knit cardigan.

Middle row: Colorful cardigan. Green knitted vest. Green rugby shirt. Burgundy top. Cream turtleneck.

Bottom row: Tweed pants. Orange courdury pants. Plaid skirt. Orange corduroy skirt.

Embrace color to create a fun preppy fall capsule wardrobe

Preppy style is not only about neutral color. With this capsule wardrobe, I wanted to show that joyful colorful side of preppy style.

If you want a bit of color in your capsule wardrobe, I recommend choosing one or two accent colors. Green, orange, and burgundy are all great examples of colors that work well with a preppy style.

Sporty style

Preppy style is also heavenly inspired by sport, and thus if you want a more casual preppy style opt for a hoodie, a college sweater and a rugby shirt.

Ground your colorful pieces

As you can see, I also picked a cream turleneck and a pair of tweed pants and a tweed blazer to balance all of those joyful colorful pieces.

Get some corduroy

This capsule also has a pair of corduroy pants and a corduroy shirt, this material is classic preppy style, so get one or two pieces. And no, they don’t have to be orange.

Learn more about preppy style

If you want to learn more about preppy style, read my article Preppy fall outfits – 16 outfits channeling old money aesthetic.

preppy capsule wardrobe nr 3 – Sporty style

Upper row: Plaid coat. Field jacket. Quilted down vest. V-neck navy sweater.

Middle row: Half-zip sweater. White college sweater. Striped shirt. Polo top. Sweater vest.

Bottom row: Jeans. Cream jeans. Black pants. Navy corduroy skirt.

Get a classic and sporty capsule wardrobe with these items

If you are leaning more toward the sporty side of preppy style, this is the fall capsule wardrobe for you.

Here I choose to work with navy. I added some classic pieces such as a pair of jeans, a pair of black pants and a striped shirt.

Outerwear

Deciding which kinds of jackets you want to include is a good starting point when you create your capsule wardrobe. In this example, I decided to include two jackets and 4 bottoms.

I recommend this formula when you create a 13-piece capsule wardrobe. 4 bottoms and 7 tops give you plenty of options. Make sure that the two jackets work with most of your outfits.

A lot of tops

When you pick your tops, I like to go from the warmest one, for example, a blazer, to the one with the least amount of coverage. This way, you get a wide variety of tops for different situations.

preppy capsule wardrobe nr 4 – Brown and burgundy style

Upper row: Plaid brown coat. Brown tweed blazer. Brown cable knit sweater. Burgundy cardigan.

Middle row: Camel mock neck. Plaid shirt. Burgundy blouse. White blouse. Brown short-sleeved polo.

Bottom row: Tweed pants. Long burgundy skirt. Brown skirt. Brown and camel tweed skirt.

Start with the color palette

Another easy trick to building a cohesive, practical capsule wardrobe is to choose a color palette. Here I decided to work with burgundy and different shades of camel and brown.

Adding a lighter color

When you choose this formula, you can still throw in one or two white pieces. Adding a lighter color gives you the feeling of having more variety, in this capsule wardrobe, the light camel sweater also fills that function.

Accessories

I particularly like to add pearls as nice preppy accessories in my outfit, a velvet bow or a velvet diadem is another good styling option.

preppy capsule wardrobe nr 5 – Love Plaid style

Upper row: Plaid jacket. Brown corduroy blazer. Grey cable knit sweater. Grey polo top.

Middle row: Balck turtleneck. Camel cardigan. black v-neck sweater. Pattern sweater vest. Blue shirt.

Bottom row: Brown corduroy pants. Plaid pants. Black pleated skirt. Plaid skirt.

Combining black and brown

In this capsule, I chose neutral colors, and instead of an accent color, I added plaid as an accent.

Plaid is the most classic preppy material of them all. Just adding a plaid scarf will make all your outfits look preppier.

Don’t be afraid to mix black and brown. It is two nice easy neutral.

A splash of grey

To lighten up this capsule wardrobe I added grey, it’s such a sporty preppy color. I also added a camel cardigan and a blue shirt. Not everything you put into the capsule wardrobe needs to adhere to the color palette.

Just make sure that you can create a lot of different outfits from the clothes you add.

A final note on preppy capsule wardrobe for fall 2024

Preppy style is one of the biggest trends for fall 2024. Even if you don’t want to go full Ivy League student in your outfits, choosing a couple of these pieces will keep your look fashionable.

Preppy style is about looking put together. Cardigans, shirts, and blazers are all staples.

It is about classic items in classic colors, combined in a way that is both comfortable and cute.