How You Can Style Summer Skirts for Fall

This post provides tips, and  outfit inspirations how you can style summer skirts for fall during the summer-to-fall transition time.

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Summer Clothes Are Cheap, Remind of Good (Old) Times

Since our childhood summer meant some freedom. No school, days in the Sun, outside and no worries about homework. Even though, as adults we have to work in summer and there is no extended time of just living into the day, we still love summer. No wonder that we want to hold on to summer and our comfy summer clothes as long as possible. Especially, the flowy summer dresses and skirts. This post is devoted to get more wear out of your favorite summer skirt. The photos show suggestions of how to style summer skirts for fall without looking off-season and without feeling thermal cold stress.

Keep the Work Dress Code in Mind

In most workplaces, the dress code is a bit looser in summer than other seasons. It serves to accommodate employees during the heat of summer. Everyone knows that summer heat is a dressing challenge.

Since summer clothes are less heavy than winter clothes, they need less fabric and often less expensive material. Therefore, summer clothes are much cheaper than winter clothes. Thus, there are budget reasons beyond the dream of freedom to hold on to wearing them. Not only denial that fall means the beginning of the cold season! Thus, be aware of the dress code when HR expects your to dress in fashion forward corporate style.

Another reason is that more clothes mean more weight. Thus, summer clothes feel more comfortable on the shoulders than the layers or heavy coats we wear in the cold time of the year. This aspects will play more and more a role in midlife. Finally, most people prefer warm stress over cold stress. However, both are dangerous!

How to Get More Wear out of Summer Skirts

Especially, when you live in an area with six to seven months of temperatures below 50F (10^oC), you want to get more wear out of your summer clothes. Leaves start turning yellow in Interior Alaska in mid August, while people in the Lower 48s still wonder what to wear during the dog days.

Key Tricks to Wear Summer Skirts in Fall

Here is what to consider when wearing a summer skirt in fall.

• Knowing what to wear in cold wet weather is key. Add tights/pantyhose and/or an underskirt or half-slip.
• Shoes can change the vibe of an outfit. Sandals with chunky heels and/or wood soles work great as fall sandals with tight. Open-toe booties in tan or black create an Indian Summer vibe when worn with tights. Go for dress shoes with chunky or sturdy heels.
• Choose skirts in dark colors, warm colors, fall colors or classic color combinations like blue and white, or black and white. The floral skirt in this post, for instance, has flowers in yellow and burgundy, which are excellent colors for the onset of the shoulder season. Polka dots are an eternal classic for all season. Thus, a polka dot piece with dark background works well too.
• Wear a knit top or a cardigan.
• Go for silk knit tops or cashmere short sleeve sweaters. They both provide great insulation.
• Add gold color accessories and jewelry rather than silver.

The example outfit below creates thermal comfort with a fake twinset in cold seaon colors.

Discussed Examples: Polka Dot Skirt Looks

Here I styled the polka summer skirt with a sweater, cardigan and pumps for a fall office outfit. I mixed prints (stripes, polka dots) and structure (patent, cable knit) and kept the outfit in navy blue and white. Since the majority of the outfit is navy blue it works for fall.

To stay warm in the light skirt, I wore bikers and a half-slip under the skirt. I am not really ready to give up completely on my summer items.;)

The next example shows a short sleeve cable knit sweater in the grounding color of the skirt.

Pro tip: Add a non-visible layer for extra-insulation or a visible one for insulation and style.

Let’s break down the following look as another example how to not feel cold when wearing summer skirts in autumn. Here I am wearing my 3/4 sleeve cardigan as a top and my long sleeve striped cardigan for some extra insulation on a cool sunny fall day. I put a half slip under the pleated summer polka dot skirt. More on the use of slips. The blue patent leather pumps and statement belt add some shine. The cardigan worn as top and the pantyhose read autumn.

Stylist tip: When wearing summer clothing in fall, it is important to not look off-season. Check this guide how to transition summer pieces to fall.

Further Inspirations to Style Summer Skirts for Fall

Stylist tip: Re-purpose your beloved summer skirts, add a half slip. More on dressing with slips.

Photos of me: G. Kramm

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