Rachel Zoe Is ‘Here for Fall’ — Her Seasonal Must-Haves Include Bold Nail Colors and Sleek Layers (Exclusive)
Rachel Zoe is fully in fall mode, and her seasonal list reads like a masterclass in texture. The style icon, reality star and Essie Chief Color Director sums the season up herself: “I’m so excited about all the textures.” She is excited about layering textures and playing with proportions this season, and in an exclusive chat she talked about loving fall so much that she wore a big marabou jacket to an event even during a Los Angeles heat wave. The conversation covered her latest Essie collaboration, her personal-style tips, and the fashion and beauty products she is reaching for right now.
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Rachel Zoe’s Must-Have Fall Fashion and Beauty Picks
- Her Go-To Nail Polish: Essie Gel Couture Liquid Diamonds Nail Polish in Drip Drip
- Eye-Catching Fringe: L’Agence Karoline Faux-Leather Fringe Maxi Skirt
- “I’m Obsessed with It”: Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Waterproof Eyeshadow Stick in Bronzed Garnet
- Looks Like a Blouse: Favorite Daughter Surplice Long-Sleeve Satin Bodysuit
- Wake Up Looking Sunkissed: Dolce Glow Acqua Hydrating Self-Tanning Face Mist
- So Many Shades: Lawless Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Gloss
- An Iconic Trench: Favorite Daughter The Easy Trench
- “It’s So Good”: Dr. Barbara Sturm The Peptide Serum
One ordering note, kept exactly as in the source: the summary list above covers eight picks, while the full article that follows also ends with three inspired pieces to replicate her go-to styles. Those three are kept in their own closing section below, outside the summary, exactly as printed.
Her Go-To Nail Polish
For Zoe, nails have always been something she is meticulous about — a different kind of self-expression, and, in her words, a love language. The polish she frequently reaches for is this shimmery white shade, and she was wearing it during the chat. She likes layering everything, and often pairs it with Essie’s Diamond Dust Top Coat. She looks at nail color the way she looks at paint: she was an art student when she was younger, and she loves mixing colors.
Fashion Meets Polish
Zoe hand-selected Essie shades for fall, pairing each one with a favorite fashion moment, so the color worn matches the look exactly. Ballet Slippers, one of Essie’s most-recognizable shades, is paired with a Giambattista Valli couture gown, a gift from him that sits in her archive. You Do Blue is a shade she had never worn before — she wanted it for the launch and the campaign, and matched it with a marabou gown. Special Effects Chrome layered with Marshmallow is a duo she says she will wear nonstop this fall from Essie’s Pro Effects Flash Chromes collection, used to match a vintage Roberto Cavalli gown, one of her favorite dresses she has worn. Highballer layered with Half Full is a rich combination she layered to match a really fun Bronx Banco gown for a dinner that summer at Montauk’s Surf Lodge. These shade pairings carry no buy buttons in the source, so they appear here as text only.
Eye-Catching Fringe
Zoe is obsessed with this faux-leather maxi skirt and says she has worn it nonstop. The article identifies her as a The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, and she also praises the brand’s wide-leg leather pants, recently spotted in them on Instagram. The skirt itself has multiple fringed tiers, a solid paneled waistband and a concealed back zipper, and it is available at Saks Fifth Avenue. For readers who like leather bottoms but not fringe, the article also points to a plainer style of the same kind.
What to Wear This Fall, According to Rachel Zoe
Zoe describes herself as not so trend-based, and psychological about seasonal dressing. She gravitates toward two key fall trends. The first is texture, texture, texture: she enthuses about textures, calls the ongoing mob wife trend a great moment, and recommends big coats, faux fur and chunky knit sweaters, adding that she always loves layering in fall. The second is proportional dressing: playing with proportions, different lengths or silhouettes — she loves the mini-skirt trend worn with a very long coat or sweater over it and boots just below the knee.
“I’m Obsessed with It”
Makeup, like clothes, can create drama, and Zoe is obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury’s new shadow pencils. She has always loved them, she says, and the new ones have just launched — she had the Bronzed Garnet shade on when they met, a reddish-brown, fall-coded hue.
Looks Like a Blouse
This one is technically a bodysuit, though it looks like a blouse — and Zoe enthuses that everybody wants it all the time, calling it the perfect shirt to go with everything. It has a faux-wrap silhouette, a deep V-neckline, a pleated front and elongated two-button cuffs, and comes in black, blush pink or ivory. It is available at Nordstrom.
Take the Trend and Make It Your Own
On fall trends to skip, Zoe believes people should wear what makes them feel good. Fashion is in a good moment, she says, because women are interpreting trends and dressing for themselves more — something she advocates for.
Wake Up Looking Sunkissed
Zoe is in love with this amazing self-tanning face mist, infused with sugarcane, Australian macadamia oil and hyaluronic acid. Her recommendation is to spritz it before bed, so you wake up bronzed.
So Many Shades
Zoe can’t get enough of these plumping lip glosses — she is on about her 30th. The article describes a natural peptide complex that plumps lips and minimizes lines over time, shea butter that hydrates and rosehip oil that softens, across 13 pink, red and nude shades.
Zoe’s Personal Style Tips
Zoe’s three tips for putting ourselves out there more confident and better start with finding inspiration online: if you are starting from scratch or want a total do-over, find people’s style you admire or relate to online — proportion, color, or moving from sneakers every day to a lower heel — little by little feeling good. Next, take the feedback: people in your life — a mother, a sibling, best friends, people at school or in the outside world — saying you look great will start to inspire you, and that is a great place to start. Finally, check the mirror: in a world of fit checks and mirror selfies, you will know when you look good, your outside informs your inside, and a daily mask or costume enhances who you are that day.
An Iconic Trench
Sometimes you just need a great trench, and this lightweight layer is Zoe’s pick, available from Favorite Daughter. Dress it up with a blouse, trousers and loafers, or wear it casually with a sweater, jeans and sneakers.
“It’s So Good”
Treat skin to the peptide serum Zoe loves, available at Bluemercury — she also swears by the brand’s anti-aging serum and face cream.
Keep scrolling to shop more of Zoe’s favorite fashion trends of the moment, with inspired pieces to replicate her go-to styles below. The three pieces that follow are inspired pieces only — the source gives them no descriptive paragraph, no Zoe quote, and no claim that Zoe wears them.
More Inspired Pieces
Chouyatou Double-Breasted Wool-Blend Coat
A long oversized brown double-breasted wool coat worn over black clothing, shown with one hand near the collar.
Trendy Queen Oversized Cable-Knit Sweater
A cream oversized chunky cable-knit crewneck sweater with white pants and a black bag strap, shown in a mirror selfie.
Flygo Faux Fur Cropped Jacket
A cropped chocolate-brown fluffy faux-fur jacket with a wide lapel and a large brown tote, shown in a mirror selfie with the phone covering the face.
