Struggling what to wear during the summer to fall transition? This post provides an example with explanation of how to style a summer dress for fall plus information where you can learn more on this subject.
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A Perfect Summer Travel Dress
I bought the summer dress below for social dances. Upon its arrival I liked it so much that I decided to use it for work. The fabric is perfect for travel as it does not wrinkle. Therefore, it was one of the dress to pack for a summer business trip to Boulder, Colorado.
On the side of the trip, I met Anna. If you are a regular reader of Ana’s blog Mrs. American Made, you know already about our meeting. She is such an interesting woman. Time ran way too fast. We also planned to meet again when I come thru town next time.
Layering is Key for Summer to Fall Transition
Fall lasts just a month in Fairbanks. Thus, I do not invest in fall clothes, but try to get away with a combination of summer and winter clothes. The printed dress has multiple colors. Thus, it is easy to add a variety of my cardigans. Here I took a black cardigan and black tights to get the insulation needed on a fall day in Fairbanks. I accessorized with my fall sandals that pick up a color of the dress and the bag. Look here for a guide on creating cold wet weather outfits.
Take-home message: Add items from the cold season to create adequate insulation.
How I Created This Fall Look
I paired a summer dress with black tight. The tight served to ground the look. There is black in the print of the summer dress I added. The cardigan is also in black. The turquoise fall sandals repeat a color of the dress. The color also is repeated in the bottom of the satchel.
Take-home message: Let the colors of a printed summer dress guide you to create a summer to autumn transitional look.
How To Transitioned This Summer Dress to Fall
While in Boulder, no tights and no jacket were needed, they were a must back in Alaska. In the outfit below, I paired the dress with black tights – a color that is included in the abstract print. To give the legs a long lean look the stiletto booties in black are a perfect match. To stay warm on the commute to work the quilted boxy leather jacket was just right. More tips on transition summer fashion to fall.
How To Style a Summer Dress in Winter
A couple of days later, we had some flurries in the forecast. Nevertheless, I decided not to give up on my beloved summer dress yet. I styled it for fall by “winterizing” it with a cardigan. Since the dress has some sort of fit-and-flare cut, the long cardigan wouldn’t work when worn open. However, its red matches the red in the abstract print. Thus, I made the combination work by knotting the cardigan.
Extra benefit: The knotted cardigan gives the look more shape than an open cardigan would do. For a lean sleek look of the legs I added red tights and red booties.
However, as the temperatures had dropped, a coat was in order for the commute to work. Because I grounded the indoor outfit with red, my red pea-coat was a good choices to create a monochromatic outfit as my outerwear.
Tip: When you are petite wear your tights and shoes in the same color to look taller than you actually are.
How to you transition your summer pieces to fall? What are your style challenges in the summer to fall transition time?
Photos of me: G. Kramm
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