How to Transition Your Wardrobe From Summer to Fall
Updated: Aug 21
That in-between season can be one of the hardest times to get dressed. You’re ready for fall, stores are full of sweaters and boots, but the weather is still very much saying summer.
The good news is you don’t need to completely switch over your wardrobe just yet. Transitional dressing is really about taking the pieces you’ve been wearing all summer and styling them in a way that starts to feel a little more like fall.
Here are some of my favorite ways to make the transition without dressing for a season that hasn’t actually arrived yet.
Start Shifting Your Color Palette
One of the easiest ways to make an outfit feel more fall appropriate has nothing to do with adding layers.
Start incorporating deeper or slightly richer colors into the pieces you're already wearing. Depending on your personal color palette, that might mean chocolate brown, burgundy, navy, olive, rust or deeper shades of colors you already love.
And no, transitioning into fall does not mean you suddenly have to stop wearing color or live in neutrals.
Try pairing a summer silhouette with a color that feels a little more seasonal. A burgundy tank with denim, a chocolate brown dress or a navy set can give you that fall feeling while still being completely appropriate for warm weather.
Keep the Summer Pieces, Change the Shoes
Before you start packing away your summer wardrobe, look at how you can change the feel of those pieces with your shoes.
Swap a strappy sandal for a ballet flat, loafer or sneaker. As temperatures eventually start to drop, bring ankle boots and other closed-toe styles back into the rotation.
A summer dress styled with a sandal reads very differently than that same dress paired with a ballet flat and a lightweight layer.
Shoes are one of the easiest ways to start shifting your wardrobe without changing the entire outfit.
Add Lightweight Layers
This is where the "transitional" part really comes in.
Instead of jumping straight into chunky sweaters and heavy jackets, reach for lightweight layers you can easily add or remove throughout the day.
Think:
Oversized button-downs
Lightweight cardigans
Denim jackets
Blazers
Lightweight knits
Wear them open, drape them over your shoulders or keep one with you for overly air-conditioned restaurants and offices.
The goal isn't necessarily warmth yet. It's adding another element to the outfit that makes it feel more styled and a little less summery.
Mix Summer and Fall Pieces Together
You don't need to dress entirely for one season or the other.
In fact, some of the best transitional outfits come from mixing the two.
Try a lightweight sweater with shorts. Pair a summer dress with a denim jacket. Wear jeans with a sleeveless top and ballet flats. Style a mini skirt with a lightweight knit instead of a tank.
That contrast is what makes transitional dressing work.
A good rule of thumb: if one part of your outfit feels very summery, balance it with one piece that feels a little more like fall.
Bring Denim Back Into the Rotation
If you've been living in dresses, shorts and linen all summer, denim is an easy way to start making outfits feel more seasonal.
You don't necessarily need heavy jeans right away, either. Denim skirts, lightweight jeans, denim dresses and relaxed silhouettes can all work while temperatures are still high.
Pair them with the tanks, tees and lightweight tops you've already been wearing all summer, then add more layers as the weather cools down.
Let Accessories Do Some of the Work
Accessories can completely change the season of an outfit.
Start swapping some of your very summery accessories for pieces with a little more structure or texture. A leather or suede bag, belt, closed-toe shoe or more substantial jewelry can instantly make an outfit feel more fall appropriate.
This is also a great time to start introducing some of the trends you're excited about for the upcoming season without buying an entirely new wardrobe.
One or two updated accessories can make pieces you already own feel new again.
Don't Rush to Put Your Summer Wardrobe Away
Especially if you live somewhere with a warmer climate, some of your summer pieces can stay in rotation much longer than you think.
Instead of looking at your closet as separate "summer" and "fall" wardrobes, look for pieces that can work across both seasons.
That sleeveless dress may work now with sandals and later with a jacket and boots. Your favorite tank can be worn alone now and underneath a blazer later. The skirt you've been wearing with a tee can eventually be paired with a sweater.
The more ways you can style each piece, the more useful your wardrobe becomes.
Shop My Transitional Styling Picks
If you’re ready to start transitioning your wardrobe for fall, I’ve already done some of the shopping and styling for you.
Inside my Transitional Styling Guide, you’ll find curated pieces along with outfit ideas that show you how to take key pieces from late summer into fall and even winter. I’ve focused on versatile additions that can work with what you already own and be styled more than one way.
Transitional Style Is About Working With What You Already Own
You don't need to buy an entirely new wardrobe every time the season changes.
Before shopping for fall, take a look at what you already own and figure out what can transition with you. Then identify the actual gaps in your wardrobe before adding anything new.
And if some of those pieces still technically work but your outfits are starting to feel a little dated, my Outdated vs. Updated Styling Guide breaks down the small changes in silhouette, proportion, footwear and accessories that can make them feel current again.
That's one of the biggest things I work on with my styling clients: creating a wardrobe where pieces work together and can be styled multiple ways, rather than constantly buying more without knowing what to do with it.
If you're ready for a fresh set of eyes on your wardrobe before fall, I offer both virtual styling nationwide and in-person styling in Charleston.
Comments