If Your Fall Wardrobe Screams “Millennial,” Here Are 9 Easy Swaps To Refresh All Your Outfits

While fashion is, of course, subjective, there is something about fall that has millennials still reaching for tried-and-true fashion items that, unfortunately, scream 2016. And while olive green army jackets and faux suede thigh-high boots had their moment, they are, in fact, not timeless and will date you faster than having 19- as your date of birth on your driver’s license.

Take or leave these suggestions, because, at the end of the day, you should wear what you want to. Plus, with how fast trend cycles move these days, give anything a year or two, and honestly, they’ll probably be back in style. However, if you are someone who is having a hard time relinquishing your distressed dark wash jeggings, here are some easy swaps you can make to update your wardrobe to this decade (sorry, we’re all about brutal honesty here).

If wide-leg jeans have you lamenting how on earth you could possibly tuck them into your boots the way you did with skinny jeans, I have a middle ground for you: straight-leg jeans. Not quite as much of an adjustment is needed to incorporate them into your wardrobe, but a vast improvement. I hate to say it, but until skinny jeans are revived — don’t fret, it’s only a matter of time — they are now the unironic mom jeans.

Why we were all enamored with those thigh-high faux suede boots, I’ll never know. They always slipped down and were also made of such a strange material that looked more like the felt from art school class or a cheap Halloween costume than actual leather or suede. The update? Knee-high boots that would make Rachel Green ask where you got them from. Bonus points if they have a kitten heel (which is also pretty comfy to wear).

Nothing screams millennial fall quite like a shacket. Though they are incredibly comfy, the name alone should tell you where this falls on the fashion scale. Nothing good comes from a portmanteau (see: tofurkey, jorts, chillax). I see your lived-in plaid shacket and raise you two trendier options: suede or barn jackets. Both are generally neutral palettes and, let’s be real, are going to keep you warmer anyway, without resorting to full cold weather regalia like down jackets.

The infinity scarves have to go. Why they were ever a closet staple in the first place beats the hell out of me, considering even when you doubled up, they were too loose to actually keep your neck warm and were just as liable to get caught in your jewelry and rip out a piercing. The no-brainer upgrade: cozy, chunky scarves.

Ankle-toe almond boots with chunky block heels had a chokehold on fall fashion for a good minute there, but in Googling those heels to remember what exactly they were referred to as, it took me a minute to even find what I was looking for, which I think says everything. Block-heeled boots are still in, but the silhouettes have been updated. Think of rectangle block heels, like Lorelai Gilmore would wear, that hit mid-calf at about the length of crew socks, as opposed to the booties that hit just below the cuffs of your skinny jeans. Or, if you must have that ankle bootie length, try it with a kitten heel.

Ahh, the skater skirt. I do miss your flattering (and forgiving) silhouette. However, they are incredibly hard to style in a way that gives elegant or chic because no matter how you dress them up, they always have an element of Jessica Day-style whimsical twee. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it is nice to have options. The swap for the skater skirt? Still mini skirts, but this time to a throwback silhouette: the ’90s mini. Honestly, the best inspiration here is Fran Fine from The Nanny, who hit it out of the park with every outfit.

There was a time when the olive green army jacket might as well have been the unofficial millennial uniform, it was so ubiquitous it almost gave millennial pink a run for its money. Olive is a great neutral color, but why not switch out for a slightly more elegant silhouette: the trench coat? Just as lightweight and versatile, but way more put together.

Let’s be real: the loose, drapey cardigans of the waterfall variety that were so popular a decade ago look exactly like backward Snuggies. The easy swap is another throwback silhouette: lady-like cardigans. They even double as an accessory themselves if you tie the sleeves around your neck because the “old money” aesthetic is still going strong. If it was good enough for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who are we to knock it?

Okay, lastly, we need to talk about sweater dresses. Before you come at me with pitchforks from your autumn maze haystacks, sweater dresses are NOT out. However, the update in this case is how you style them. The last couple of years have seen fashion girlies embracing longer hemlines, which, hi, a maxi sweater dress and long boots (so you’re actually covered in cold weather) is a million times more cozy anyway.

Will you be trying any of these fashion updates, or do you hate the idea? Let us know in the comments!