Transition to Fall with Amazon’s Try Before You Buy

Today we are sharing pieces to help transition to fall with Amazon’s Try Before You Buy program. Who’s ready for fall outfits? We are!!! Good-bye tank tops and pastels. Bring on the sweaters and the richer hues!

To help with the transition to fall, we’re sharing some outfit ideas we’ve put together using tops and layering pieces we found through Amazon Prime’s Try Before You Buy. These items will pair well with your favorite jeans or leggings, and get you started for fall with some on trend fall inspiration.

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WHAT IS TRY BEFORE YOU BUY?

With Try Before You Buy, you select up to six on-trend styles that you’d like to try on. Amazon ships them to you for free and you have seven days to try them on. It’s kinda like the Amazon version of Stitch Fix, except you get to choose the items! You’re only charged for what you keep and returns are easy using their prepaid, resealable box.

  • You can select from clothing, accessories and shoes for the whole family.
  • Try Before You Buy is only available for Prime members. If you’re not a Prime member, you can join here.
  • Try Before You Buy will ship everything together in one box, so shipping may take 4-6 business days.

Look for products marked “try before you buy”. When you have that turned on, you can click the “Add to Cart & Try for Free” button to add them to a separate shopping cart. Add up to six items to your “try before you buy” order. You can also have saved “try before you buy” items.


TIPS FOR TRANSITIONING TO FALL

Transitioning from one season to the next can be challenging for many of us! When looking to make the shift in your closet from summer to fall, think about layers and colors.

  • Try light weight sweaters and long sleeve blouses. A fall floral blouse is a must-have this season.
  • Layering pieces, like a light jacket (jean jacket) or cardigan, extend the wearability of your summer sleeveless tops and dresses, and work on days that start off cool but warm up.
  • Swap out your summery light blues and pastels for fall colors like navy, charcoal, olive and rust.
  • Leopard and snake print are good fall patterns to mix in with neutrals.
  • For an easy outfit formula – look for items that can work now with white jeans and later with black jeans. Try a lightweight camel sweater.
  • Switch up your shoes for a darker color – sandals probably still work, but maybe try a pair in a dark cognac color. (Pro tip: Brown is on-trend this season.)

Before you shop for anything new, take a quick inventory of what you already have in your closet – it’s easy to forget what you wore last year!


CHRISTA’S “TRY BEFORE YOU BUY” PICKS

Three of my six pieces were definite keepers from my “Try Before You Buy” haul. But I think I got ahead of the season with my selections — these items will be much better when it is truly fall and cooler outside.

1 The Drop Women’s Long Sleeve Knit Moto Jacket

I have seen this jacket many times online – it’s part of “The Drop” collection by blogger Caralyn Mirand – so you can say I was influenced! I finally ordered it and it did not disappoint! Comfy, not restricting, not too heavy, great for layering. For you athleisure girls, this would be great with leggings.

How I’ll style it: I plan to wear it with everything – most likely all my denim and a t-shirt or cami underneath. It would also be great with a dress or a cool athleisure look.

I did not size up – I bought the large and it had plenty of room with a layer underneath. Also available in black and navy.

2 Women’s Casual Crew Neck Side Split Pullover Sweater 

Love this sweater. (Yes, Megan, it is similar to other stuff I own!) The longer length on this one makes it a good option with leggings. Also great with skinny jeans (I am NOT giving up my skinny jeans yet!). It’s a loose fit and the side slit detail is nice. It’s the perfect weight for those early fall days.

How I’ll style it: This cranberry color works nicely with black. I’m planning to pair it with some black distressed skinny jeans I already own and some wedge sneakers for a more casual look to run errands. Megan recommended the black faux leather Spanx leggings!

Available in about a dozen colors, plus a turtleneck style.

3 The Drop Women’s Cropped Cardigan

I was surprised I liked this sweater because it does run a little shorter. (It reminds me of a pricey Jenni Kayne sweater.) It has a boxier shape than I normally buy, but when I tried it on, I knew it was a keeper. It is a little heavy, so it might not necessarily be a “pre-fall” look, but definitely late fall and winter.

How I’ll style it: I’ll wear it with a cream or white tank/cami, some taupe block-heel booties and my darkest blue jeans (like the new itty bitty boot cuts we love!). This outfit is “my formula” for dressing from fall until early spring!

Also available in black and winter white.

sweater // jeans (old, WHBM) // booties (similar)


WHAT CHRISTA RETURNED

The items I did not keep were:

  • Nic + Zoe Bundle Up Sweater – I hoped to wear it with leggings but it was a little too short for that on me.
  • Women’s Print V-neck Blouse (black) – this was my favorite item when I placed the order, but the fabric on this blouse is very scratchy and it was a little too big.
  • Chiffon Blouse – definitely NOT a keeper – the sleeves were more puffy/gathered than I expected and this had an odd chemical smell! I like the color for fall (I ordered brown which was closer to a rust color), so I may look for something similar elsewhere.

CHRISTA’S OUTFIT IDEAS

one // two (each size is a separate listing here) // three (just like the Wit & Wisdom itty bitty boot cut we love!) // four (highly recommend these!) // five // six // seven (grab a new shade for fall!) // eight // nine // ten // eleven


MEGAN’S “TRY BEFORE YOU BUY” PICKS

Funny story, when my thoughtfully curated box of Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy items arrived I knew at least two of them would be winners. Why, you ask? Because as soon as I pulled them out of the box I realized I already owned them. Meh – what can I say? At least I’m consistent.

1 Over Sized Knit Tunic Sweater

I love this sweater so much I bought it twice, in the same color. Not sure what else needs to be said about that. Size down one or two sizes. At $37 this sweater looks way more expensive than it is. Just the right price for a trendy piece and I found myself reaching for it more often than I thought.

How I’ll style it: Since I have the benefit of already owning this piece, I can tell you I have styled it with light denim, dark denim and faux leather leggings. It’s a great tunic length. Because it is loose I would pair it with a structured pant (skinny or slim straight jeans or legging).

2 Puff Sleeve Crew Neck Tee Shirt

I threw this in my cart kinda last minute and it might be my favorite item from the order. Gives that Rails/Veronica Beard vibe. Runs true to size and the quality was surprisingly good. It’s from “The Drop” collection.

How I’ll style it: I’m already wearing this! Styling with an elastic waist midi skirt, jeans and shorts. Will be perfect under a jean jacket or a leather jacket. Would be office chic with black slacks for work.

3 Amazon Essentials Striped Top

I would put this in every capsule wardrobe as a basic. This particular top has 3/4 sleeves and a boat neck that made it a total win for me. TTS and for $16 what are you waiting for?

How I’ll style it: I’ve worn this 4 times in August with shorts. Heading into fall I’m going to wear it with my wide leg khaki pants and a jean jacket, jeans and a trench (so classically French!). Would also be cute with white jeans and trench coat. What about pink or Kelly green cords with this striped top? And how could I forget this top with my beloved army green pants. Eeeeek the possibilities are endless with this staple.

4 Levi’s Denim Western Shirt

We’ve arrived at the second item from the order that I already owned. This Levi’s denim shirt is old school cool. Runs slightly big, like a 1/2 size big and washes up really well. This was the most expensive item in my order at $46.

How I’ll style it: In August I’ve been wearing this shirt as a light jean jacket, over sundresses. I’ve worn it tied at the waist with white jeans and a white tank. I’m going to try the denim on denim looks this fall. I might need a sweater or sweater vest over it as an ice breaker. Stay tuned on that one.

Amazon top // Gap skirt (old – similar) // sandals (similar)


WHAT MEGAN RETURNED

I ordered five items from Amazon Try Before You Buy. I already owned two, kept two and sent back one. So what didn’t make the cut? This long navy cotton cardigan went back. You know I love a coatigan, I have several of the JCrew Juliette cardigans. It was one of our most popular Style Among Friends items all spring! This particular cardigan ran large (a whole size large) and it was for a much taller person. Just didn’t work for me. No love lost.


MEGAN’S OUTFIT IDEAS

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten


OUR SHOPPING TIPS

  • Let’s be honest — Amazon is a hard place to shop for clothes. It is possible though — just takes a lot of patience (and returning). The quality really varies. Stick with brands you know (or that we recommend) and read the reviews to help minimize the returns.
  • Use the search filter when shopping and select “premium brands” and “popular brands” to see only the higher quality items.
  • The Drop brand from Amazon is new to us and we really liked the quality of what we ordered. We’ll definitely be ordering more and sharing them with you. The Drop is Amazon’s influencer collaboration, where pieces are made-to-order and only available for 30 hours. Popular pieces do get restocked and they also have a collection of staple pieces, shoes and accessories that are regularly available. It’s designer looks without designer prices.
  • We both agreed that we’re not sure there was a huge benefit to buying with the “try before you buy,” although the shorter (seven day) return period forced us to try on everything right away and send back the rejects right away. (Christa’s tip: I also liked that all six items shipped together – sometimes with Amazon everything ships individually at different times and that seems wasteful.)
  • Try on your new items the way you plan to wear them – it’s a little more work, but you get a better sense of the fit and style when you try tops on with the right bottoms, shoes, and jewelry. It helps you see how it will look, and also if you need to purchase anything else to create an entire outfit. (This is one advantage of online shopping.)

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