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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWindsor chapter.

Well, it’s that time of year again – fall. A time when the leggings and Uggs reemerge from your closet, pumpkin spice everything comes back in stock, and your Instagram  becomes filled with aesthetic fall pics. Another thing that happens in the fall is everyone’s “Basic White Girl”energy returns, whether a little or a lot and whether they like it or not. In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to embrace it, so you can have the best “Basic White Girl Fall” you’ve ever had!

Fall Entertainment

The fall season is always a time to get cozy – either pop on some classic fall movies and shows or open a good book. Now that you have your blanket and a cozy fall drink (more on that later),  you’re just missing your show or movie. First, I would like to explain what I call “The Holy Trinity” of fall movies and shows. This includes the following: Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls, and any classic Halloween movie Imaginable. When you scroll through Pinterest, this will be exactly what you see plastered on everyone’s laptops and TVs. Harry Potter and Gilmore Girls are the more specific choices within this trinity. In case you haven’t heard of them, Harry Potter is a 8-film movie franchise showcasing the adventures of the wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Ron and Hermione, as they spend their years at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry. On the other hand, Gilmore Girls is a 7-season coming-of-age TV series about the mother-daughter duo, Lorelei and Rory. As we watch Rory grow from a high school student to a university graduate Lorelei teaches her daughter lessons about life, with numerous relationships and obstacles along the way for both women within the town of Stars Hollow. Finally, the most basic Halloween movies to add to your watch list includes Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloweentown, Twitches, and Hocus Pocus. These sound pretty appealing, huh? If you need more content, I’d suggest checking out these titles as well:

  • The Fantastic Beasts Franchise – Prequel to the Harry Potter series
  • Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life – Sequel to Gilmore Girls
  • Knives Out
  • When Harry Met Sally
  • It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

And if you’re looking for a fall playlist, check out HC UWindsor’s “Autumn Audio” playlist.

Food and Drink

Three Words: PUMPKIN. SPICE. EVERYTHING! The amount of pumpkin spice items that come out during the fall is insane. I had some amazing pumpkin spice cookies a few weeks ago, but pumpkin spice muffins are also a yummy alternative. I’d personally recommend the “Pumpkin Spice Timbits” at Tim Horton’s right now, which are so good! Not that into pumpkin flavours? Never to fear, Apple and Cherry Pie are the perfect fall desserts, and we cannot forget cinnamon sugar donuts. The ones from Calosantis’ are to die for, but you could also make your own..

Now, I know you know what’s going in the drink section, the iconic pumpkin spice latte. But, if you are personally not a pumpkin latte lover, Starbucks also launched the “Apple Crisp Macchiato” for the apple lovers, which I’ve heard is very good. As for my favourite fall drink, it’s pretty niche, but warm ginger ale is 10/10 if you want something  decaffeinated.

Clothing Essentials

In this section of the guide, I shall now list all the basic clothing essentials to make it through the fall season. These include the following:

Flannel

Preferably boyfriend flannel so that it looks bigger and cozier. I love the flannel options at Bluenotes & Forever 21

https://blnts.com/products/aero-girls-flannel-plaid-button-up-shirt-1
Basic Neutral Tops

These include t-shirts and long-sleeves, as well as tanks that you can use for layering. Good colour options are white, black, grey and orange. For stores I would recommend Dynamite, American Eagle, and Garage

Leggings (duh.)

I always get my leggings at Aerie or Garage!

Dark-wash or black jeans

 Preferably jeggings or skinny jeans, but choose what you’re most comfortable in. My go-to place for jeans is American Eagle.

Boots

Ankle boots (or Uggs if you want to be extra basic) are ideal, or knee-high boots if you prefer less leg! Globo comes out with amazing boots for the fall every year!

jacket

Leather or denim jackets are a staple (I’m still trying to find good stores for these myself so send me your recommendations)!

Cardigans

Short, long, I don’t care – you need one. I get all my favourite cardigans from Garage!

Hats

 Extra basic suggestion: one of those big fall hats. The one I linked here is from Amazon!

Best Photo Locations

Finally, the only way you can truly be basic is by getting some aesthetic fall pics for your social media pages. Here are some ideal spots:

  • An apple orchard or pumpkin patch: Thiessen’s Orchard, Wagner Orchard & Estate Winery, Pepe’s Pumpkin Patch, Allsop Farm Pumpkins and more
  • Photos: Picking an apple, holding a pumpkin, Riding in the wagon, sitting on a bale of hay
  • A café: March 21, Taloola café, Carrot’s N’ Dates
  • Photos: Meal pic, latte pic, photo of you drinking your fall drink
  • A bookstore: Biblioasis
  • Photos: Bookshelf pic, You reading a book

I hope that this guide helps you to bring out your inner “Basic White Girl”. Happy Fall!

Mya Bezaire is the Co-Campus Correspondent at the Her Campus UWindsor Chapter. She is responsible for overseeing all administrative aspects of the chapter, from member onboarding to article scheduling. Prior to this, Mya was the social media director (2021-2022), and she currently still helps with posting on social media. She also is a writer who’s content typically focuses around career development, entertainment, and self-care. Beyond Her Campus, Mya is a freelance digital marketer for her own business titled Market with Mya. As a freelancer Mya has worked with small-to-medium business clients based in Canada & the US to help elevate their digital presence through content creation, social media management, and design. Currently, Mya is a Senior at the University of Windsor in Communication, Media, and Film, with a minor in Information Technology. Mya is also the president of the Communication Student Association, where she oversees all marketing & events efforts to create a vibrant space for Communication Students on campus. In her free time, Mya loves immersing herself in TV and Film. She’s a reality TV junkie but also loves a good romcom or thriller-drama. She also loves prioritizing her wellness, and you can often find her journalling, listening to her fave podcasts & YouTubers, or going on a hot girl walk.