Fall Essentials: Three Rompers Styled Three Ways

One of my more superficial goals this year was to get better at outfit preparation. While I don't think I'll ever be the type of person who lays out their outfit the night before, I've gotten good at only purchasing items that are multipurpose, and that I can easily dress up or down. My favourite thing to do this summer was to wear a romper because it made getting dressed so much simpler (a.k.a. I never had to waste 5 minutes worrying about whether my top went with my pants, or went too well with my pants), and it was easy to make more formal on the fly if I was going out at night. Even though it's officially fall, it's been sunny and warm with blue skies in Toronto, so I thought I'd share my favourite three rompers with you, and three ways I style them.

Rompers have been tough for me in the past because I find they're either super tailored towards current trends, or too expensive for my purposes. Even though I've expressed my lack of interest in online shopping before, rompers are the one clothing item I'm more inclined to buy online because they're so much easier to locate. There are no romper-only stores (to my knowledge), and there aren't many stores that consistently sell them. 

The three rompers below are all from Tobi because a) they almost always have a sale on and b) there are tons of styles to choose from. There's no rhyme or reason to the looks below - some show a range of transitioning a romper from a casual day look to a dressier night look, while others simply show off some fun ways to accessorize. Obviously you don't need these exact rompers to replicate the looks below, but I've provided the links to all of them, and tried to include the info for everything else I'm wearing. 

ANALEE HALTER NECK ROMPER

Romper: Tobi

Jacket: Abercrombie

Shoes (Pictured Below): Ted Baker

Hoop Earrings: Claire's

Lipstick: Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Matte Lipstick 

Even though this look is nothing special, this romper is so nice on its own that I think a lot of people would be surprised that it works so well for a super casual look.  Also yes, this jean jacket is from Abercrombie. In my defence, I wanted an oversized jean jacket but didn't want to spend much on it, and it was on sale for $20 which was too good to pass up on my student budget.

Also, I have to give a special shoutout to these shoes. You'll see them in other outfits below because I'm OBSESSED. They're from Ted Baker, but they're from last fall so I'm not sure if they still have them. I get so many compliments on them and they make any plain/ordinary outfit so much more fun.

Romper: Tobi

Blouse: Charlie Jade (?) from Nordstrom

Shoes: Nordstrom

Hoop Earrings: Claire's

Purse: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: Links of London

I've always been really into wearing a silk (read: any material that's not spandex) tank top and throwing a blouse on top of it, so I started doing the same thing with my rompers. I like this look because it's still comfortable, but looks a little more put together than the jean jacket, or one of my sloppy cardigans. ALSO, these shoes deserve an honourable mention. This photo doesn't do them justice at all, but they were truly my summer MVP. They go with any kind of outfit, and are the only pair of heels I've been able to wear for a full day, and walk a mile in.

Romper: Tobi

Blazer: Aritizia

Hoop Earrings: Claire's

Purse: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: Links of London

The is the most formal outfit I wear with this romper. It was perfect for summer, and any dark blazer makes the taupe romper fall-appropriate. There are no shoes pictured here because honestly any pair of heels or sandals pairs well with this outfit. The purse pictured below is the one I used most of the time with this combo, but depending on your thoughts on white after labor day or whatever that rule is, I wanted to give you the full range.

Cherry Blossom Floral Print Romper

Romper: Tobi

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Sunglasses: Quay 

Most looks with this romper are on the more casual side, and have less accessories than the one above. I feel like this romper has a lot going on with the print and the cold shoulder look, so it didn't really need much from my end. This was an every day outfit for me which is why its so simple. I'd literally just throw the romper on, pick a pair of boots or sandals, grab my sunglasses, and run out the door. These are also the only pair of sunglasses I've ever loved; they've broken so many times but they're discontinued, so I've literally glued them back together. They're called Tainted Love. I think Quay has a new pair that's similar, and there may be some on eBay too.

Romper: Tobi

Purse: Coach

Hat: Urban Outfitters

This is quite literally the only outfit I wear a hat with regularly. I am not a hat gal, but I feel like it goes well with the cold shoulder look. Also, if you follow me on Instagram, you've definitely seen this purse before. For those of you who don't and need to be caught up - Coach rebranded last year and went back to its roots. This purse is the perfect wine colour, matches the colour of the flowers on the romper perfectly, and the inside of it is bright red which is irrelevant to this post but just something I love about it.

Romper: Tobi

This was my "night" or "dinner" style for this romper. I can't link the jacket because it's from a tiny shop in the middle of Florence, but obviously any leather jacket does the trick. The boots are from the Bay but I can't for the life of me remember who actually makes them. They also matched the floral print perfectly (despite what this photo shows), and I liked that they appeared so bold in contrast to the dark outfit. 

Side Note: go the Bay in March/April because they pretty much start to give boots away and you can get four pairs for the price of one.

JACKIE LAYERED ROMPER

Romper: Tobi

Jacket: J. Crew

This is my favourite romper because its black, simple and you cannot go wrong with it, but it's SHORT, so it's likely not something you're going to want to wear to work. This was one of my dressier looks and as you can see, it's still super simple. I throw on a fitted jacket and boots and I'm good to go. Heels dresses it up a little bit more but hey, walking to the subway in flat shoes is way more enjoyable. This jacket is another one of my favourites and I'm so sad they don't sell it anymore; it's a beige colour but the zippers are all gold with a bright burnt orange trim which lightens up an otherwise all-neutral outfit so nicely. 

Romper: Tobi

Cardigan: Wilfred (Aritzia)

Shoes: Ted Baker

Purse: Kate Spade

Aaaaand the shoes are back. This is another casual outfit that made the romper-look appear a little more polished. Again, it's a more subdued look, with the shoes and purse adding pops of colour.

Romper: Tobi

Plaid Shirt: Garage

Shoes (Pictured Below): Converse

Finally, another casual alternative is just throwing an oversized plaid shirt overtop which is perfect for fall. Garage is a great place to get cheap plaid shirts that are thin enough to survive the summer with, but are durable enough that they can survive the laundry machine. I love this purse because it reminds me of something I would've owned in 2005 with the stitching and the gems. I bought it while I was in New York a couple of weeks ago and I can't remember where it was from, but I couldn't not feature it. Also, I usually pair this look with red converse. I know there was a mass movement to white adidas running shoes, but you can still never go wrong with a good old pair of converse.

I hope this post inspired you to whip your rompers back out for fall, or try styling them differently. Admittedly, nothing in this post is life-changing, but sometimes it's nice to see how multipurpose something can be, or how it looks for different occasions, before you buy it. Happy accessorizing! 

Disclaimer: I purchase most of the products I review on my blog myself, but sometimes I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to try and review products sent by brands for consideration. I'm also lucky to have some amazing friends that may give me a gift or two from time to time. That being said, any thoughts and views expressed are always 100% honest and straight out of my own crazy brain.