To recreate some of that structure, I rely on the simplest and cheapest tool possible: Maybe y NOTES APP. I cannot stress this app enough. You do not need an expensive journal, an elaborate online planner or a colour-coded productivity system—unless journalling genuinely helps your mental health, in which case I completely understand it. I simply write a list on my phone of what I need to do that day. It might include applying for a job, going to the gym, taking a walk or going for a run to clear my head. Writing these things down holds me accountable. If something is not in my Notes app, there is a strong chance it will not happen.

These lists may seem insignificant, but they remind me that I am still moving forward. My days have structure, they get me out of bed and allow me to end the day feeling as though I have accomplished something. Motivation begins with something as small as writing down what you intend to do.

However, the difficulty is that my quiet, everyday signs of progress rarely resemble the success I see online.

The consequences of doom scrolling.

Social media turns exceptional success into an ordinary expectation. Women such as Alix Earle and Molly-Mae are memorable because achieving that level of success at such a young age is unusual. However, seeing their lives on our screens every day can make it feel completely normal. Suddenly, getting a graduate job and living with your parents can look like failure rather than a perfectly ordinary beginning.

This pressure can feel particularly intense for women. We are expected to be wealthy and ambitious, but also beautiful, fashionable, well-travelled, socially active, romantically fulfilled and effortlessly healthy, and eventually build a family. It is no longer enough to build a successful career; your entire life must look desirable.

Though these photos look idealistic …

What we rarely see is everything that might sit behind somebody’s success: money, connections, timing, existing audiences, professional teams and luck. Acknowledging these advantages does not invalidate anyone’s hard work. It simply shows why comparing our lives based on the outcome can be so misleading.

We should not feel ashamed of the envy this content sometimes creates, either. Feeling jealous does not make you bitter or mean that you want somebody else to fail. Envy can reveal what you want from your own life. The danger comes when it starts dictating how quickly you believe you should have it.

Aspirational content is designed to make us want more. Influencer culture can turn someone’s life into a carefully curated storefront, where every apartment, holiday and outfit help to sell a product or lifestyle. Within that system, our dissatisfaction is not always accidental—it can be profitable.

Part of your 20s is learning what you genuinely want from life: what makes you happy, what makes you comfortable and what gives you a real sense of home. That is what you should pursue. I feel slightly hypocritical saying this because I am still learning it myself, but PATIENCE is one of the most important things we can hold on to. I want to be successful and climb the career ladder, and I feel itchy when I am not working towards something. I also know that I enjoy the consumerist things social media celebrates. I love fashion, travelling and beautiful experiences. But I am equally fulfilled by spending time with my friends, boyfriend and family, or simply being alone with a favourite book or a new romcom. Perhaps success is not about rejecting ambition or material things but recognising that they are only part of the life I want. What I am going to say next is therefore advice I need to hear—and repeat to myself—just as much as anyone else.

We need to stop telling ourselves that our 20s are the most important years of our lives. They aren’t a deadline or our only chance to become successful; if anything, they are the years in which we can afford to experiment, change direction and fail. We can choose the wrong jobs, make shitty decisions and surround ourselves with people who turn out to be shitty friends. Those experiences are not proof that we are wasting our 20s—they are the building blocks of the person we are becoming, as long as we learn from them. I hope this article encourages you to slow down, take a breath and stop rushing towards a life you think you should already have. I am writing this for myself as much as anyone else: I need to be more patient, appreciate the life I am living now and feel excited, rather than terrified, about everything still to come.

I hope you enjoyed, and feel more relaxed in your position in life after this !!!

Rylie

Xxx

We say goodbye to floaty dresses, bold summer colours and tasteful little sandals. Enough. I’m personally more than ready to see the back of pink — mostly because it does absolutely nothing for me, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.

Instead, we say hello to rich, warm colours. I want a coat. I want a boot. I want layers upon layers. I want to wear a colour that suggests I may have inherited a crumbling European estate under mysterious circumstances.

And thankfully, Fall/Winter 2026 seems to oblige.

The mood I’m predicting is sleeker, darker, more fitted and considerably more dramatic. Less “quiet luxury woman carrying a woven basket through Provence,” more “woman spotted leaving an excellent restaurant at 11:47 p.m. and absolutely refusing to explain herself.”

Aesthetic explained in collage:

Now, as you can see, what stands out most to us here is the COLOUR.

We are seeing BLUES, GREYS, REDS, BROWNS.

Let’s examine this, firstly the red and brown - or as the fashion industry is calling it:

Espresso brown, burgundy & oxblood

Brown isn’t going anywhere (obvs!), but it’s getting richer.

Think espresso, bitter chocolate, burgundy, merlot and oxblood — colours that sound less like a fashion palette and more like the contents of a very expensive dinner.

Oxblood in particular feels poised for a proper moment. Boots, bags, coats, leather gloves. It has all the sophistication of black but with approximately 37% more intrigue.

Moving on, GREY and BLUE are entering the chat !

After years of beige holding the fashion industry hostage, grey is back.

Charcoal. Dove. Slate. Steel.

And alongside it: blues. Powder blue, smoky navy, icy blue, perhaps even a slightly corporate blue worn in a decidedly non-corporate manner.

Grey trousers + blue knit + oxblood accessories? I fear we may have solved autumn.

Moving on to texture … LACE is everything this winter… we’re keeping the flow from summer but adding (my favourite) LAYERS !!!

I’m thinking: Black lace, cream lace, lace peeking underneath tailoring, lace skirts with chunky knits, lace tops under leather jackets.

A little romance. A little gothic widow. A little “yes, I did receive a mysterious handwritten letter this morning.” Absolutely perfect!

Moving forward — and this one is exciting — the silhouette in 2026 is getting TIGHT.

But before you stress straight away, don’t worry! The oversized era isn’t disappearing. Fashion never gives us a clean break like that. But I do think we’re going to see the pendulum swing towards a more Carolyn Bessette-style, close-to-the-body silhouette. (And yes, we can thank Love Story for giving this a little extra momentum.)

Think straight-leg jeans rather than anything too wide, Wimbledon-style vests tucked under tailored blazers, and more fitted denim and leather jackets.

Fitted knits. Nipped waists. Slim jackets. Long, lean lines.

It’s less about everything suddenly becoming skin-tight and more about clothes starting to follow the body again, rather than completely swallowing it.

Clothes that acknowledge, rather radically, that there is, in fact, a human body underneath them. And I’m very into it.

As you can see from this collage, one of the key themes here is LEATHER JACKETS — my favourite item of clothing, possibly ever. They’re the ultimate autumn/winter piece: endlessly versatile, ridiculously easy to style, and perfect for layering however you want.

And for Autumn 2026, coloured leather is very much making its way back into the conversation. Which means the red leather jacket I bought four years ago shall, naturally, be making her grand return.

Black leather will forever be black leather. We respect our elders.

But coloured leather is where things get interesting for 2026.

Chocolate brown. Oxblood. Burgundy. Deep navy. Maybe even forest green.

Especially across jackets, skirts and accessories, coloured leather gives an outfit that delicious “I found this in a tiny vintage shop in Milan” quality — even if you actually found it while lying horizontally on the sofa with 14 browser tabs open.

On the same theme of jackets - bomber jackets are making a comeback - she’s been away. She’s travelled. She’s developed opinions.

Expect cropped proportions, exaggerated shapes, luxurious fabrics, leather versions and interesting collars.

Basically: less Top Gun costume, more sculptural fashion object.

Although aviators remain entirely at your own risk.

As well as … FUNNEL NECKS !!

This may be the sleeper hit.

Funnel-neck coats, knits and jackets instantly make an outfit look considered without requiring you to actually consider very much. They’re architectural. They’re chic. They keep your neck warm.

Finally, fashion innovation addressing the issues that matter.

The collage:

So, what is Fall/Winter 2026 actually going to feel like?

Dark romance meets polished minimalism, with a slightly dangerous woman at the centre of it all.

Espresso brown. Oxblood leather. Charcoal grey. Lace underneath tailoring. Pencil skirts. Fitted silhouettes. A dramatic funnel neck. A reinvented bomber thrown over the whole thing.

After several years of whispering, fashion seems ready to speak at a normal volume again. And personally? I’m ready to dress like I have somewhere terribly important to be.

P.S. Before I wrap this up - I have to give some honourable mentions ( if I mentioned all of these and the ones above it could be the size of a novel 🥲 which I’m sure no one can be bothered to read all that!):

• Pencil skirts — leather, wool, tailored

• Knee-high boots — sleek, pointed, preferably oxblood

• Loafers — polished, slightly preppy

• Kitten heels — especially pointed-toe

• Structured bags — top-handle and east-west shapes

• Skinny leather belts — the waist is officially back

• Leather gloves — extra points for burgundy

• Sheer black tights — particularly with skirts + loafers

• Silk scarves — necks, bags, hair

• Brooches — unexpectedly chic again

• Suede accessories — especially chocolate brown

• Statement sunglasses — even when wildly unnecessary

• Dark tortoiseshell — glasses, clips, jewellery

• Gold jewellery — chunky, vintage-looking, slightly excessive

• Riding boots — very inherited-country-estate

• Pointed ankle boots — the sharper, the better

So, Fall/Winter 2026? Darker colours, richer textures, sharper silhouettes and a little more drama. Oxblood, espresso, grey and blue; lace, leather and tailoring; fitted knits, pencil skirts, funnel necks and bombers — finished with sleek boots, structured bags and polished accessories. Fashion is getting dressed again, and frankly, it’s about time.

Hope you enjoyed, can’t wait to see everyone’s Autumnal outfits this 2026!

Happy Fashion,

Rylie 🫶💗

I love fashion, travelling, reading, hanging out with my besties, and trying new things. I have big dreams and aspirations, lots of opinions and I tend to overthink a lot!

Expect to see travel stories, fashion finds, book recommendations and honest reflections on post-grad life– but, more than anything, this is a space for anyone who does not quite know what comes next, and how to be comfortable with that. Your twenties can feel like everyone else is moving forward while you are still choosing which direction to head towards. I want to embrace the idea that not knowing is not a sign that you are falling behind; it simply means you have a whole world of choices, experiences and possibilities that are waiting for you.

More than anything, I want this page to reflect what i want from life: a fun, freeing and (hopefully) interesting space where I can stay true to myself. Along the way, I hope it encourages other girls navigating this strange transitional period, whatever that might look like for you– to do the same. Keep dreaming, keep trying new things and, most importantly, keep feeling excited about everything still to come.

Let’s see what happens!

Here’s some fun pics I’ve taken recently - get to know my vibe !!