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I’m going to start off this post by being brutally honest: I hate this time of year. I’m not a summer person, I’m a Fall/Winter person. So this time period when it’s super hot and fall is close, but still out of reach? It’s torture for me. Maybe if I didn’t live in overly humid DC, I wouldn’t mind it as much, but I can’t change that right now.

Even if you like this time of year, it can get really awkward style wise. Back to School styles are being thrown in your face and while you might want to indulge in it all, it’s still too hot for fall styles! For a lot of people, this is where they make the mistake of either switching to their fall clothes too soon (and being overheated) or waiting too long (and suddenly you’re freezing in a tank top). It can be even more frustrating if, like me, you have to do a full warm weather clothes to cold weather clothes swap in your wardrobe (I miss having a big closet).

To make everyone’s life a little less frustrating (including my own), I’m going to use this post to talk about what a smart seasonal wardrobe transition actually looks like. You’ll learn how to start pulling out the correct pieces, putting together outfits that work, and how to make the transition a lot less challenging.

How to Transition Your Wardrobe From Summer to Fall

You Don’t Need a Whole New Wardrobe

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: just because there are back to school sales doesn’t mean you need to start shopping for new pieces. Similar to this post, where you have clothes, but nothing to wear, the solution is never actually to go shopping first.

Since you were wearing clothes last fall, there’s a good chance that everything you need is already in your closet. (Unless you threw everything out at the end of last fall, which I would never actually recommend.) When you’re transitioning your wardrobe from summer to fall, the goal is to use the pieces you already have and layer outfits appropriately. If some shopping needs to happen after that, then that’s okay. But hold off on the shopping first.

Start With a Quick Wardrobe Audit

Any time you are facing an issue with your wardrobe, an audit and edit should be the first step. After all, if you don’t know what you have, it’s going to be pretty hard to figure out what you actually need.

Similar to when you pack a suitcase, build a capsule wardrobe, or just figuring out why you feel like you have nothing to wear, you’re going to start by sorting your clothes into two piles:

• What you actually wore during the summer
• What you didn’t touch during the summer

From there, you’ll examine each pile. For the pieces you actually wore, pull out the pieces that could work going into Fall and those that are strictly summer. The strictly summer pieces will be moved to the back (for next year) and the ones that could transition will come front and center.

The Pieces You Didn’t Wear

For the ones you didn’t wear, let’s talk about why you didn’t wear them:

• Was the item “almost right” but not actually right, so you never wanted to wear them?
• Did the clothing not actually fit your lifestyle?
• Could you not find any pieces that would work with that item?
• Would you wear it in the fall?

If the reason you didn’t wear it fell under the first two questions, it may be time to let go of the piece. But, if it fell under the last two, it has potentially to be carried over. However, we need to actually think through each piece. If you will actually wear it in the fall (it just didn’t feel right during the summer), then perfect! Great, keep it!

If you can’t find anything that works with it, do you have something in your “fall” clothing that would work? No? Then do you know what you need to make that piece work? If the answers to both of those are “no,” then it’s time to move one. If you can answer yes to one of them, keep it!

The Pieces That Bridge Summer and Fall

If you aren’t sure what pieces work well for a transition from Summer to Fall, here is your quick cheat sheet:

• Linen and lightweight fabrics are great because they’re easy to layer. You can also wear them in dark tones (as opposed to bright summery colors) to give it more of a Fall vibe.
• Any light layer. This is slightly different from the first one. In this case, you’re focusing more on the piece itself and not necessarily the fabric. For example, a utility jacket (or barn jacket) is a perfect lighter layer, while a puffer jacket would not be. Additionally, a blazer could be good, but you don’t want a heavier wool blazer. Cardigans are also a great option, but aim for the more cotton based, lighter ones.
• Transitional colors: This is probably the easiest one to figure out. Instead of wearing bright yellow, switch to a softer, more mustard yellow. Instead of a neon green, start adding in more forest green shades. One of the things I love about fall shades is that they actually pair really well with their pastel counterparts. For example, burgundy and pale pink, mint green and forest green, or baby blue and navy blue.
• Ankle Boots: These can be touch and go, but getting to pair ankle boots with bare legs is such a treat. If you’re not quite sure how to pull this off, you want to aim for two things: a lighter color boot that has a lower top. Think right around or slightly below your ankle.
• Denim: If it’s cool enough to wear denim, start pairing them with your summery tops! Then you can just layer with a light jacket and you’re good to go.

How to Layer Without Overheating

There’s a reason I said “light layers” earlier in the post. It’s important for the days when it’s chilly in the morning and the sun is blazing by the afternoon. Remember, when you’re doing the summer to fall transition, you really don’t need more than one layer over your top. A light jacket, cardigan, or button up (in a lightweight fabric) should really be all you need. And, they’re great to add as that third piece in your outfit during the summer. In fact, I recently wrote a whole newsletter about it.

What to Actually Shop For (If Anything)

As I said before, you most likely DON’T need to do any shopping. You probably have all of the pieces you need. But if you want to add a few pieces to give you a little more variety, below are the pieces I would suggest. These are pieces that are useful year round, not just in this mini transitional period.

• Light Jacket (Utility, Jean, Trench): These are all perfect layering pieces, however, I would spend more money on a trench coat than I would the other two. You can find a lot of really good utility jackets and jean jackets at lower prices. You can also find trenches at a lower price point, but I think it’s worth it to pay a little bit more for these.

• Lightweight button up: The piece that you want when you need an extra layer, but a jacket is too much. Think cardigans, button downs, and a light blazer.

• Loafers: I love loafers and I happily will wear them year-round. I love wearing them with a pair of jeans to help me feel a little more put together. I would say that they’re worth spending a little more money to get a leather pair that will last years. They’ll also typically provide more arch support and you can wear them with socks when it gets colder.

• Sneakers: I’m the biggest fan of a cute sneaker. They’re comfortable, you can walk everywhere, and they look cute with non-activewear. Plus, you can find cute pairs at a lower price point. I will always support a white sneaker (because they go with everything) but I also love a colorful, patterned sneaker.

As I’ve mentioned and shown in a lot of my posts, you can make a lot of outfits out of only a few pieces. So you really shouldn’t go overboard with new pieces. In fact, I would suggest trying to limit yourself to three pieces MAX and that’s only for pieces that you can wear into the fall. You don’t want to (and shouldn’t) buy pieces that you’re only going to wear for the four to six-ish weeks this transition lasts.

When to Put Summer Away for Good

• Practical signals that it’s time to rotate your closet
• How to store summer pieces so they’re ready for next year
• What to edit out vs. what to keep for next summer

When to Get Help With Your Transition From Summer to Fall

Are you reading this post and thinking “ugh, all of this sounds like a pain” or “this sounds great, but I have zero time to do it”? If you are, then it’s the perfect time to start working with a stylist! A stylist can help you with those seasonal transitions and figuring out what to keep and get rid of. In fact, a lot of my clients find that they have a much easier time getting rid of things when they have me being able to look logically at each piece. The whole process can (and will) go much faster when you have someone working with you.

Did you know that I work with clients in Washington, DC and virtually? If you’re ready for a closet that actually works for your life, you can visit this page to learn more about the services I offer or reach out directly at dana@sg-style.com.

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