Wearable Color Trends For Fall 2023 For Women Over 60
Every year, brands focus on a few specific colors. They’re often shades the Pantone Institute has called out that I have a terrible time finding… which can be frustrating. Here are the wearable color trends for Fall 2023 for women over 60 that I’m seeing lots of at retailers that you’ll be able to add to your wardrobe.
This fall, they range from a bright cherry red to basic neutrals and many things in between. There’s really something for everyone. Some women love trends and are enthused to add the latest to their look. It adds the fun factor to each season. Others like a small touch of what’s on trend, just to keep looking current and modern. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, never wear a trend that you don’t like or that feels forced because you’ll be wasting your money, and that’s the antithesis of feeling stylish.,
I like to add trends sparingly to my classic wardrobe without going overboard. Let’s take a look at the colors that seem to be popping up often in fall fashion this year.
Red
Red is everywhere this fall, in all different undertones. Tomato red walked down the runways and has been called the “it” color to wear this fall, but retailers are showing lots of variations to flatter all skin tones. I’m seeing lots of bright cherry red at the retailers, which I know many of you love. A tiny pop of red, like with a handbag, goes a long way in most outfits, or you can rock it head-to-toe for maximum impact.
MORE RED FINDS
Ice Blue
Frosty, glacial blue is showing up in lots of places this fall and is especially easy to wear for women with cool-toned complexions. This is such a pretty shade of blue and easy to add. Just wearing lighter-wash jeans will automatically appear on-trend. I think a sweater in this soft shade will be gorgeous all fall and winter. I see it mixed with gray, black, brown, and deeper blues.
Dove Gray
Gray, in all of its derivations, is popular this fall. This season, I’m seeing a proliferation of dove and slate gray at retailers. It’s a perfect neutral for this time of year and a nice alternative to wearing black for women whose personal coloring has softened with age. The darker options like slate and gunmetal give a sophisticated look and make great foundational pieces.
Metallics
Metallics always cycle in and out of trend and are coming on strong for fall 2023. I’m not planning to rush out to purchase a solid gold top any time soon, but I do love a metallic bag, pair of shoes, or belt to elevate an outfit. Mixing metals also continues to be popular, so if you gravitate to one shade or another, try mixing them for a fun look. I can picture myself wearing an outfit with varying shades of gray worn with a nice gunmetal or silver flat.
Neutrals
From white to sepia, neutrals continue to be on-trend this fall and every fall. I’m a firm believer in purchasing your investment pieces in neutral shades, which give them staying power for the long term. Many women, myself included, made a lot of investments in black and may now choose to lighten those options this year when neutrals are plentiful. And on that note…if you’re the woman for which red her neutral, this is the season to stock up.
Although your favorite color may or may not be trending this year, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what is trending. I always encourage you to wear what makes you feel confident and flatters your complexion…but sometimes it’s fun to throw caution out the door and just try something new.
What color are you most excited about embracing this fall?
Nastalgia is calling me.
I sure miss wearing fall sweaters, cardigans, wraps, jeans, boots/booties, closed toe shoes, knit skirts, long sleeve blouses and the like.
Fall was and still is, my favorite season. Was a rite of passage throughout the season changes when I lived in the Washington DC area and out in my native San Francisco.
Without many complaints, I gave up the shoveling snow (and sadly the change of the leaves on the trees and crisp fall evenings) for the warm waters and eternal sunshine of SE Coastal Florida.
I’ve managed to satisfy the urge for the cooler fall/winter weather clothing options/colors by substituting lighter weight fabrics in silks, cottons, linen and other breathable options in the beautiful fall shades. Working so far.
My only regret is having to loose the boots.
There are always tradeoffs. š£
Yes! Thereās always a trade off. Iād miss them too.
Iām weeping in my soup. All these pretty clothes to welcome cooler weather ā¦ which we never get in our region. Hot all year. I can only dream and put on yet another tank top.
Love the colors in these items. and am so glad pants are flattering shapes again.
Enjoy your cozy clothes ladies.
Chin up, your climate has fabulous clothes too š
Same here Penelope. SE Florida requires lightweight clothing all year. We can still find beautiful fall color options throughout our area (and anywhere in the warm Southeast) in those lightweight fabrics. Farm Rio comes to mind as does many other eternal summer websites who’ve migrated into fall colors. No need to live in the summer pallet with the options out there. Hope this helps you.
I love all these colors. I am excited about Fall because I can not stand this heat any longer. I want the cool weather of 70 degrees where I can wear a sweater and be comfortable. Wear sandals or shoes and little boots. I guess that is why I love New England and the different seasons.
I’m tired of hot wearther too!
Sadly red is a color I cannot wear but do admire it on others and only choose it for accessories. As to the inspirations you provided do like all of them and on the same subject as you often include earrings; what I have noticed as I have aged (now 76) my choice in pierced ones are more selective due to the loss of elasticity (collagen and fiber breakdown …. yes even in the ear lobes ladies … āŗ) am finding the best styles are those with a post for fastening and not heavy in weight for symmetry. Just thought I’d share my experience with those that might being investing in some. -Brenda-
Yes!! The earlobes do soften. I’m so glad I never wore heavy earrings. I use these earring backs which help keep my ears flat and upright.
Iām a longtime red lover, but, as I go gray, reds donāt look great on me any more unless they are to the pink side. Light blue is not good, but a deep cobalt works. Iām happy to see silver back, as well! Your neutrals are great!
I had my fall travel wardrobe all ready for a trip to Central Europe, September 16-30. Excited to wear some pretty grays with some sepia, cobalt and that yummy deep green that is popular this fall. Alas, September is much warmer than usual in Europe, as it is many places. Days are upper 70s to low 80s. Nights are upper 50s to low 60s, which is a bit closer to normal. This puts me in a pickle of trying to look seasonally appropriate without being dressed too warmly. Any ideas? Loving your posts, Jennifer!
Try wearing fall colors in lightweight layers. Natural fibers helps as well. I suffer with this every fall because we don’t cool off until early Nov.
I like sepia as a neutral. Not brown, not red, it’s a nice change from the usuals.
Yes, agreed.
Thanks for an interesting post Jennifer! The red trend has me thinking about the small red crossover bag I bought in Italy 5 years ago, or maybe the bigger bag in a faux crocodile texture? And I have two ice blue tops to wear with gray, adding saddle brown accessories is a new idea. And I just ordered those cute silver sneakers you featured from Chicos, looking forward to wearing them a lot this fall. Enjoy your week!
I want to add some chocolate to my wardrobe but I’m not sure how well it will play with all my gray…I have to experiemnt a bit.
This is a great summary of the trends Jennifer. Thanks for doing this. It is starting to feel like fall here – temperatures overnight are going down to 9 degrees celsius. – that’s cold! If I find a red bag that I love, I will add that. The only other items left on my list is a pale grey scarf and one or two basic lightweight sweaters – perhaps the forever sweaters from BR. I was very organized this year and made a list and shopped early, which I never do, but the weather was cool in August and got me in the right frame of mind.
I’m sorry to hear you having problems with your hip. I hope that you have a wonderful, relaxing vacation in Portugal. My sister and niece were there last spring and highly recommend it.
I love those forever sweaters!
Youāve put together some excellent ideasā¦I especially like the first with tomato red paired with siennaā¦definitely my colours. As our days shorten and become a bit chillier here on Vancouver Island, itās time to consider whatās in my closet and cupboards for autumn outfits. Have metallic booties waiting for me to wear again .
Ice blue isnāt the best blue for me, and most of it has gone to consignment, but one reversible fused wool blue / cream Max Mara Weekend 3/4 coat can be turned out to the cream side and worn with warmer coloured scarves. I cannot give it up! I just have to come up with a different plan to enjoy it.
Good Morning,
The link to the red sunglasses is not correct. It goes to completely different ones.
Could you look into this and print the correct link?
Thank you.
If you hit “see all 90 options” on the bottom right on the Amazon screen, it will pop up and scroll down to the red option.
I think the light blue sweater is very pretty.
I’m most excited about red! I feel like it hasn’t always been popular but I continue to wear it. It just makes me happy. Actually I’m excited about all these colors. This will be a fun year of color for me.
Just ordered those blue sodalite and pearl earrings from Talbots (and a couple more things š). Great look with jeans and a crisp white shirt. Thanks for your wonderful tips. Hoping your pain is resolved soon.
I think those are sooo pretty. Thanks Sharon
I love all the colors you’re showing in this post! The ice blue is such a great color for me. All the metallic colors mixed together are fun and would go with most things. I like a splash of red too. Lots of choices to choose from.
All of of your inspiration outfits strike a lovely spot for me. I LOVE icy blue and periwinkle. I might have too much of that in my closet, but can you ever really have too much of a favoriteš Great job on putting together really classic looks.
Pretty outfits! I hate when summer ends, but love fall clothing and the colors. Do you have a packing list for travel? Thanks!
Karen
I haven’t even thought about what to pack! Yikes, I need to start.
Love the neutral clothes and the red purse!
Maybe, I would consider a red sweater for the holidays but it would not be an investment piece. I am most excited to see all the options in shades of brown that are available this fall. I already added a rich brown
gauze shirt and several long sleeve tshirts to my rotation that are a soft brown.
Since retirement,I donāt need to add a lot to my wardrobe every season. In the past, some impulse shopping has proved to be very disappointing. Iād like to think that Iām a bit smarter today.
I’m trying to be more deliberate with my additions to my wardrobe too.
All of the red – true winter red. I know to stock up when itās in! And Iām excited silver is making a comeback! There really is something for everyone this fall!
I agree!!
Good morning,
My favorite color is red so I will be looking for new additions to my wardrobe.
I use to wear alot of gray colors when I colored my hair auburn. Fast forward 5 years, my hair is gray and I have avoided wearing gray cause it seems like it’s too much. Gray head, gray sweater…….do you wear gray?
I do wear grey. I love it but may be adding some more color to it this year.
YAY! At long last RED is back! Now to find the perfect pair of red loafers or oxfords!
Thanks for this great review of whatās on trend. The examples and links are so helpful!
I love icy blue and sepia. Have a lot of both. Now, I’m going to pair them so thank you for the inspiration!
I love these colors, especially red. I hope to purchase a couple more red items this fall. Purple question??? I have a St. John knit 3 piece suit from 2004 that still fits and is comfy. But it has those big shoulders and is purple with gold metallic flecks. Maybe purple was last year. I am considering wearing it to a fall wedding requesting cocktail attire? Or should I donate for some young gal to wear as vintage?
It sounds pretty dated to me. You might look for something newer. The fact that you asked, leads me to think your intuition is telling you the same thing.
Hello Murdra,
While I canāt see the suit, I wonder if a talented taylor could work some magic with you pieces. And shoulder pads. The fact that it still fits well is a big plus! Before moving on from what sounds like a beautiful suit, check in with a talented seamstress
If you have a stylist in your area, that could be another person that could help you give it an updated look while respecting the beautiful suit. You might be the best dressed woman there!
All the best,
Annie
Why not consider keeping some of the purple outfit? Particularly if you like it and it is an outfit you only wear occasionally. A new gold jacket, or maybe a nuetral brown or beige one, with purple can be lovely. Clothes are getting expensive and mixing older and new can make for a more modern look.
@Murda: Not to overstep Jennifer’s sound advice that ‘your intuition is telling you the same thing’ but having a friend who faced a similar dilemma and what she did was upgrade with new accessories. That being said; from the description you give of your outfit is there a possibility that you could do the same as broad shoulders are current (Milan/Paris/New York) as so are metallics and/or gold embellishment. Also there is always the option of changing out just the bottom. i.e.: St. John’s, Maire pants or their stretch Crepe pant. Just a thought!
-Brenda-
Great ideas, Brenda
Good morning Jennifer, so looking forward to the weather turning cooler to enjoy the coziness of the new fall colors and outfits. Great selections today. Have a great day
Good morning Pat! Iām excited for fall too.