Transitional Dressing: The Best of Both Worlds
The Fall Equinox. The Summer Solstice. On paper, these terms have a well-defined and clear-cut meaning. On a specific date, the seasons change. From summer to fall. From spring to summer. But in real life, we know this is rarely the way the seasons work – from one extreme to the other, one day to the next. The transition can last several weeks, even a month or more, from the heat and humidity of summer to the cool crispness of fall. These transition periods–summer to fall (sall? fummer?), winter to spring (wring? sprinter?)–are when you get to wear some of your favorite pieces from two seasons at the same time.
You can head outdoors again, after escaping to air conditioning for the last part of the summer. You can still wear your favorite summer dresses, just now add a lightweight topper to your outfit.
You’ve seen this dress a million times over the past two years, I know. Last year I put it away as soon as I felt the air start to change. “It’s a summer dress.” But this year I have the perfect thin duster length cardigan to wear over it as we head into cooler weather. So it can stay in my wardrobe and continue to be enjoyed until it’s too cold for bare legs.
This particular day was one of those days that started out cool in the morning and ended up quite warm in the afternoon. I was glad for two (two!) outfits in one.
I prefer easing into a new season this way. Taking the best of one season and just adding it to favorites from another. Booties with a sundress. A lightweight scarf with a tee shirt. A cardigan in an autumn color over a summer pastel.
Thinking this way you may find that many items can stay in your wardrobe from one season to the next. I find I have a core “all year round capsule” of clothing pieces that are always in my closet, no matter the season. Maybe you just need to “round out” your seasonal wardrobe with a few new key pieces.
I remember when I was young and my mother would take (or, later, send me with her credit card!) me clothes shopping at the start of each new season (well, hot season and cold season) and I pretty much got an entire new wardrobe. Out with the old, in with the new. Like getting new notebooks and pencils in September, those habits die hard. But we don’t need to replace everything every year.
Transitional dressing is just one way of extending the wardrobe. Of keeping favorite pieces around longer. And of easing into the new season and weather. Both literally and sartorially.
What is your favorite fummer (that is so never gonna stick, is it?) outfit?
What I wore:
- Junarose feather print dress. No longer available. But these have sort of the same vibe – plus size, straight size.
- Palomino (their color name, not mine) Old Navy duster cardigan, size 2x. This color no longer available, but it still comes in olive, light heather grey, camel and black (I have the black one and wear it All. The. Time.)
- Bracelet, reproduction vintage. Comparable here and here.
Photographs by Robert Mitchell Photography and She Who Shall Remain Nameless.
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Nancy
What a beautiful photos! And that dress is to pretty to leave in the closet all winter or fall. I still am wearing my summer clothes although it’s cold here. But I will not wear my fall clothing until the end of this month!
Fashion Schlub
Good for you! I love a holdout for a good cause!
IrisOriginals
Don’t know where you were, but it’s gorgeous. And, I love the outfit. I grew up totally changing wardrobes too. One never wore a summer outfit after labor day. I love your ideas, will try and incorporate a bit 🙂
Grace & Peace, Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
Fashion Schlub
This is a teaching garden at a local college. I shot a couple outfits there recently. It’s nice because it has very separate and distinct areas so different shoots don’t look the same…yet it’s actually quite compact so I don’t have to go traipsing around from one location to another.
I think with global warming, we may need to re-think seasonal clothing 🙂
Jodie
It does seem silly to think that just because a calendar says it’s a certain season, that the weather would do the same. I always love the idea of making our clothes so versatile. Sometimes I get crazy looks from my husband, but they are only clothes!!!
I think we all grew up with the idea that some clothes are for certain seasons…it almost seems wasteful. But I get into that thinking even with colors. I’m trying to change that though…funny, because that’s exactly what I’m talking about next week on the blog!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Fashion Schlub
Looking forward to reading your post about colors!
Barbara
Nice look, this summery dress with the duster. Great print and colors.
As a transition look I wear an oversized pink sweater with white jeans and sneakers. Here in Bavaria the temperatare dropped to 6 degree celsius in the morning, but still a lot of sun, so no bare legs at the moment.
Fashion Schlub
Your pink sweater over white jeans sounds lovely! I always forgot how to convert celsius to fahrenheit. Is the US the only country that still uses fahrenheit? I wouldn’t be surprised. I remember being introduced to the metric system in grade school and them being like THIS IS THE FUTURE and pretty quickly it was just dropped and we kept on using our old standard measurements. Now I feel like a dummy when I don’t know what the rest of the world is talking about.
Julia @ When The Girls Rule
Your photographers have outdone themselves! Love the artsy close-ups too! I was just grousing how I have two seasons of clothes out right now but can’t fit them all in my closet but don’t want to put some of them away. You never know here in Michigan if it’s going to be 70 one day then snow on the ground the next so I’ve got a couple of boxes stacked in my bedroom. You have a good attitude about mixing the seasons. Usually by now I’m really sick of my summer stuff and don’t want to wear it even if it means pulling out old fall clothing. And what a nice memory you have of your mother!
Fashion Schlub
I am lucky in this apartment to have a generous-sized closet in my bedroom…and I’ve gotten rid of SO much clothing over the years…that I’m able to fit all seasons into the closet and a vintage hamper with a lid that I use as a bedside table – so it’s all pretty accessible. I know I’m lucky in that. I used to keep out of season clothing in storage and THAT was a pain!
Susan Marinelli
Love it! You look great, Bettye! Loving the dress and duster, and the bare legs.
I am trying to ease into fall as well, not by choice, but as weather dictates. Today is so humid and warm (the weatherman called it tropical humidity) I am wearing shorts and a tank top—AGAIN. Sigh.
We did, however, have a lovely fall weekend last week with temps in the 60’s. I was actually able to don a light cardigan, albeit with sandals, and to wear a necklace without sweating to death.
I’ve been trying to extend my summer colors into fall (if it ever arrives), most notably, my turquoise tee shirts, blush whatevers, and pale yellow stuff. I’ve been trying on summer tees with fall cardigans (in the air conditioning of course), to see how things look. I, too grew up with the hot/cold wardrobe strictures, so this is a new thing for me, and I really enjoy it. The only downside is, I have my summer and winter clothes all over the place, since I haven’t put anything away yet, and my closet and bedroom is a bit overstuffed. In fact, it looks like the local Goodwill, with bins everywhere.
Fashion Schlub
I read your comment just after walking into the bank thinking it’s like I’m living in the tropics…misty rain and 200% humidity, ugh. I have to dress for the aircon situation in the office or I freeze…so when I go outside it’s BRUTAL. Yeah, I think the “certain clothes/colors for certain seasons” credo is definitely from an older generation. I don’t think “the young people” (ha ha I always feel so old saying that) live by those same rules.
Tina von Tinaspinkfriday
You look amazing in this dress Bettye! I like the colours and this wonderful Cardigan 🙂
Fashion Schlub
Thanks so much, Tina!
Debbie from Illinois
Lovely photos! 💜💚💙 The one with you and the fountain is very clever. 👍🏻
Fashion Schlub
Ha, the kooky photos are usually my favorites!
pawprintsandmint
I probably have an unfavourable opinion.. but I love dressing for fall and winter the most.. and I’m already excited to bust out my new wool coat haha. Love it, fummer.. could stick 😂
Fashion Schlub
Fummer: 2 people using it already! Oh, I don’t think loving fall and winter clothing is an unfavorable opinion – I’m seeing tons of bloggers already in cozy sweaters while I’m still sweating every day!
Hey, what brought you to NY? For how long are you here?? How’s Bear?
pawprintsandmint
( also the majority of my closet are full of sweaters lol, and every time I clothing shop I have to remind myself that I in fact own too many sweaters.. and then somehow manage to go home or order yet another sweater lol) so my husband is actually doing his clinical rotations in the Bronx for medical school year 3 – and I decided to come down with him to New York – where we got an apartment in uptown Manhattan. Bear is good!!! ( but it’s hard being away from him ) my parents are looking after him at their house ( they have a huge backyard and a lake nearby.. and so many parks and Bear is making my parents stay active.. so I’m lucky that he is being baby-sat for us until we finish up ms3, – but I’ll also be going back home solo to visit for a few months too in the future .. and I’m already trying to figure out what dog toys to bring Bear from petco lol ) I’m here so far until a bit after January. How are you ?? Are you coming down to the concrete jungle area anytime soon ???? And I don’t know if I should ask this because I haven’t seen any updates in a while and I don’t wish to upset you but…how is Caleb ???
Fashion Schlub
“And I don’t know if I should ask this because I haven’t seen any updates in a while and I don’t wish to upset you but…how is Caleb ???”
Ohhh…you must have missed the post back in May…but I lost my boy on May 5 this spring. I miss him so much. The loss doesn’t just hurt my heart, it’s changed my life – the things I do out in the world, the way I feel coming home – it’s really been an adjustment. But he let me know very clearly on the last day that he was ready to go…so I let him 🙁
Fashion Schlub
Oh. And on a brighter note, I do get into the city about once a month, in fact I was just in lower Manhattan yesterday on my way to Governor’s Island. Would you like to plan a meetup? That would be fun 🙂