If you’ve been reading here for awhile, you know I like to talk about how to transition your wardrobe from season to season. That in-between time when it’s not quite the next season but you’re sick of the current one is by far the hardest time to know how to dress. While summer doesn’t technically end until mid September, you’ll see half the population in flip flops and tanks, and the other half in scarves and boots. Let’s talk about how to transition flawlessly into the next season.
Consider the weather and the time of year. This is my number one rule for dressing in between seasons. If it’s still really hot out but past Labor day, I’m forgoing my Lilly Pulitzer dress in favor of a navy shift. If it’s unusually cold, I’ll wear a sweater with pants, but I keep my pants white and my sweater more neutral. It’s a skill learned over time that becomes easier to master when you’re trying to dress both for the weather and the time of year.
Adding in items slowly is key to making this process smooth vs. shorts and a tank one day and pants and a sweater the next. I store my off season clothes, so this time of year I’ll go through them and pull out a few things I can see myself incorporating into my summer wardrobe, and then I’ll put things away I know I’m not going to wear again.
Speaking of adding in items, I used to change over my wardrobe from summer to fall in one day. It was a big task that was time consuming since it meant making a million mini decisions, taking things off hangers, and taking the time to properly store the off season clothes. Now I break it up into smaller tasks and I have an order I tend to follow. I start first with shirts and sweaters since they’re easiest to tie into my summer wardrobe (think olive green sweater with white pants). Next I do handbags and accessories since they’re smaller details that also transiton nicely. After that I usually add in pants one day, skirts another, dresses after that, and then I finish with outwear and footwear since coats and boots are the last thing I’m wearing when the weather turns cool.
Shifting your color palette is an easy change to seamlessly take your outfit from summer to fall. I’m tending not to wear bright colors and leaning more towards deeper, neutral tones. I find this approach makes it simple to build an outfit around when you take out things that scream summer colors. I still wear bright colors but they look different – I have a thick yellow cable knit sweater that appropriate for fall, whereas my bright pink cardigan isn’t going to be worn until next spring.
Easy layers make a smart outfit choice. Much like the rest of the country, Michigan can have very unpredictable weather throughout the day. Layers are important to making sure you’re dressed comfortable and appropriately. I especially like layers that are easy to remove throughout the day, such as a light zip up jacket, long sleeve cardigan, quilted vest, or silk scarf.
What are some tips you have for transitioning from one season to the next?
Bianca
September 17, 2018 at 8:29 am (5 years ago)Thank you so much for sharing your tips! I find the summer/fall transition to be the hardest one. I am so tired of wearing bright colours and just want to wear plaid, but its been so hot the past few days that jeans and sweaters are not an option. I totally agree small changes like wearing a navy or olive dress can help you stay weather appropriate but also look like your dressing for the new season!
thedressdecoded
September 23, 2018 at 7:24 pm (5 years ago)thank you so much! it is definitely the hardest transition, and it’s sad putting summer stuff away because the cold months seem SOOO long (or at least they do in michigan).