As we approach Labor Day weekend, visions of cashmere and wool dance in our heads. Yes, we may be sad that the summer is coming to a close but the anticipation for fall clothing remains exciting. Yet, it will be a long time before we’re laying on the heavy sweaters, corduroy and and mohair. In the coming months, it will all be about transitioning our style from summer to autumn. The nice part about that is we can still get great use out of our warm-weather clothing as we start to break out our scarves, cardigans, tights and blazers. While may struggle with dressing during transitional times, I love it because I feel I can be the most creative about how I style myself.
Yesterday, on my Facebook, I asked followers of my Page how they transitioned their summer looks to autumn. The answers were all quite wise and unanimous–layers! Adding things like tights and scarves, cardigans and hats and other smart suggestions included choosing deeper, more autumnal colors and getting a manicure in a darker shade vs. a bright pop color were at the top of the list.
Inspired by these suggestions, I decided to style some looks to help you think about new ways you may be able to transition your summer looks into the early fall season.
Cropped Jeans and Tank Tops
There is one item that remains in my wardrobe all year long and never gets packed away– my tank tops. For summer, I wear them on their own and once I get into the cooler months they become an important layering staple. Once the very cold weather arrives, I often use them as layering pieces for extra warmth or to avoid sweater itchiness.
Cropped jeans are a great fall item. Here I’ve taken what is a very typical casual summer look and through the addition of a cardigan, bright scarf and different shoes, the look goes right you can go right into the fall season.
The Summer Dress
While you may be a bit tired of your summer dresses, it’s not the time to put them away just yet. Here I’ve taken an easy summer dress that works with summer wedges and a metallic bag. By just pulling the darker and lighter blue shade from the dress, I created a more autumnal look with a navy blazer and tights, a soft blue handbag, beret and necklace along with a pair of suede boots.
Summer Tunic Top
It may soon be time to put the white jeans away, but you can keep the summery tops in your closet a bit longer. By just layering a slim turtleneck underneath, going for a darker pair of pants, boots and richer accessories, you have a whole new look using a piece that has already gotten you a lot of mileage.
The Summer Skirt
If you flitted around in an easy skirt this summer, you can flit around right into fall. It’s easy to transition a lightweight skirt from summer to autumn, especially when it is printed.
To make the look more autumnal, I just focused on the richer colors in the skirt. You can see in the summer look that I used the turquoise and yellow more strongly. For the autumn look, I chose those two colors play more of a pop role against the anchored richness. I also chose a mustard colored yellow bag vs. a bright sunny yellow in the summer look. Throw on some tights and fall-friendly shoes and you’re ready for crisp days.
The Summer Tunic Dress
A tunic that you wore as a dress can easily be changed into a top for fall. By taking a crisp, dress and putting it together with some leggings, boots and a cardigan, your dress becomes a colorful layering piece for your more somber fall pieces.
