Your Sneak Preview of Everything Brenda Song Is Wearing This Fall

I'm not alone in feeling the pressure to define my personal style. Am I minimal? Eclectic? Polished? Trendy? I love the idea of creating an outfit that feels distinctly me, but during a recent interview with Brenda Song, I began to question why I needed to pick just one category in the first place.

Because Song isn't particularly interested in putting herself in a box. Perhaps that's fitting for an actor who's spent most of her life stepping into different characters and their wardrobes. Song prefers getting dressed based on whatever version of herself she's feeling that day. Some days, she's in relaxed denim, sneakers, and an oversized jacket while running around with her kids. For work, she reaches for blazers, leather jackets, and high-waisted trousers. Given the right music festival, she'd happily go full boho. As she puts it, "I can be all of them depending on what I feel like that day."

That idea is at the heart of the new Marshalls Fall Fashion Field Guide, which Song curated around five distinct fall aesthetics: Off-Duty Icon, Mystical Muse, Vibe Curator, Belle of the Fall, and Polished Powerhouse. The point isn't that every shopper needs to choose one of the five. Maybe one feels exactly like you, or maybe you're a mix of them all. For Song, it's about using these styles as inspiration to make any outfit your own.

Ahead, Song talks to Marie Claire about finding style inspiration at school drop-off, the Running Point wardrobe trick she's carried into her real life, why she's an unapologetic outfit repeater, and the fashion rule we should all stop following.

Marie Claire: We spoke about a year and a half ago, and you said you finally felt like your wardrobe reflected your personality. Has your style changed since then?

Brenda Song: I think it's just matured. I've really found so much inspiration in my everyday life because I want actual wearable fashion. This past year has been about trying on different styles, seeing what feels close to home, and realizing that I don't need to have one defined style.

That's what was so much fun about creating this Field Guide. It helped me categorize my moods, but I don't have to choose just one. I can be all of them depending on what I feel like that day. I've settled into what I like to call the Off-Duty Icon because I'm running around with my kids. I'm a very jeans-and-T-shirt girl, but I'll change the vibe with a blazer, a leather jacket, a beanie, a scarf, or a fun bag. I've really steered into finding silhouettes that I feel confident and comfortable in and accessories that make my outfit whatever vibe I'm feeling that day.

At the end of the day, no two people are going to wear the same outfit the same way, and you shouldn't. Fashion is truly an expression and extension of who you are.

MC: The Field Guide includes many aesthetics. Was there one that immediately felt the most like you?

BS: They were all me on different days, and that's what I really loved about it: being able to put a name to these styles and archetypes. I would not call myself an icon, but I love the Off-Duty Icon: relaxed denim, sneakers, oversized pieces. That's me every day. Work Brenda is the Polished Powerhouse—I love a blazer, a leather jacket, and a high-waisted trouser. Then during music festival time, my goal is to be the Mystical Muse.

And I love fall so much because I love accessories and layering. I love a beanie. I love a scarf. I dress for the weather that I'm hoping for. Give me pumpkin spice 24/7. I'm here.

MC: Where are you finding style inspiration these days? From social media, people-watching, or friends?

BS: To be honest, I've been so inspired by everyday life. What's coming across social media is amazing, but I'm really into wearable fashion. Having two kids and running around, I don't have a ton of time to overthink every outfit. I was at school drop-off, and there's this mom who's so incredibly stylish all the time. She was wearing cargo pants and a plain T-shirt with this incredible fringe scarf, and I was like, Could I pull that off? I went home and immediately started looking for pieces that could give me that same feeling because she just looked so effortlessly cool.

I've been a little more adventurous about finding inspiration and asking, Can I create something that works for me? It's not about following an outfit piece by piece, verbatim. It's about taking that inspiration and finding a version that works for your lifestyle while still feeling like you.

MC: What made your partnership with Marshalls feel like such a natural fit? Were you already a Marshalls shopper?

BS: I've been a Marshalls shopper my entire life. The thing I really love about it is that you go in and you never know what you're going to find, and it allows you to get creative in a store. I really feel like you can be fashionable on any budget, which I think is so important.

What's so special about Marshalls is that you're not necessarily going in looking for one exact item. You can find things that suit your lifestyle and whatever vibe you're going for that day. I honestly felt so honored because I've spent so much time in Marshalls my entire life, whether it's buying clothing, finding stuff for the home, or finding snacks. It's my favorite place.

MC: What's your Marshalls weakness? What's the section you can't resist?

BS: My weakness is always and forever the accessories. I always come out with a jacket, a scarf, or a purse. Oh, and always a snack.

MC: Do the characters you play ever influence the way you dress off-screen? I was thinking about some of Ali's looks in Running Point.

BS: Any character that I play sort of sneaks her way into my everyday wardrobe simply because I become a little bit of her. For instance, Ali is 100% the Polished Powerhouse. This last season of Running Point, we really played with ties, which I think are so fun. I would never have tried them if it wasn't for her. These characters help me step outside of my comfort zone and try new things.

MC: What's one style lesson you wish you'd learned 10 years ago?

BS: Can I tell you something? It's not really a lesson, but I wish I'd taken a wardrobe piece from every long-term character I've played. I have an outfit from [The Suite Life of Zack & Cody's] London [Tipton], but I wish I'd kept something from every character. I feel like it's truly a snapshot of what was happening at that time and who that character was. From now on, I want to keep an iconic piece that I wore all the time on the set.

I'm a serious outfit repeater. If I love an outfit or I love a piece, I wear it all the time. I like my characters to have a pair of shoes or a piece they wear again and again, too, because that's what we actually do. We don't wear a brand-new outfit every single day.

MC: Is there a fashion rule you've completely stopped following?

BS: That things are "out of style." What does that mean? If you love it and you feel confident in it, that is your own personal style. I think saying something is out of style makes people feel like they need to buy an entirely new wardrobe every season, and I don't believe that. It's about taking what you already have and updating it with certain accessories or certain pieces.

MC: What are you happy to spend more money on when it comes to fashion?

BS: I invest in my basics and in my accessories. A great coat, a great pair of jeans you feel confident in, a great white T-shirt, a great pair of trousers—that's where I like to spend my money. I really think you can update those basics with a fun jacket or more trend-driven pieces. If I were wearing jeans and a T-shirt, I could wear an amazing boho scarf and be the Mystical Muse, but if I put an amazing blazer on, I could go to work and be the Polished Powerhouse.

MC: Are you a dressing-room shopper, or do you take everything home and figure it out later?

BS: Here's the thing: I say I don't like trying things on, but I really do. I love that old-school experience of going into a store, grabbing a bunch of things, and spending 20 minutes in the changing room figuring out what actually works. There's something nostalgic about it now.

That's what I love about Marshalls. You're not just going in for one aesthetic. They have something to suit everyone's style, and it allows you to try pieces you might not have thought to try in the first place. Again, it's just clothes, so if you don't like it, you just take it off. I love online shopping, but sometimes when you're online, you're like, No, I wouldn't wear that. This isn't going to look good. It's like, how do you know? Try it on.

MC: Finally, what do you hope people take away from the Field Guide when they're shopping?

BS: Inspiration. That's all I want. I hope people can find inspiration in one of these archetypes and then find a way to make it their own. I wanted to curate this Field Guide to help make fall shopping easy and accessible, but also to encourage people to look around and find inspiration in their surroundings and the people around them. I dress for my mood, so these archetypes you're seeing are really Brenda's moods for her different days. Fashion really can be so fun.