Seasonal Style Swap 101: Summer to Fall

Shifting your closet from Summer to Fall can seem like a daunting task. But, a new season brings a fresh set of eyes on your existing wardrobe. It allows you to completely reinvigorate your closet and have some fun with the pieces you haven’t seen in a while. Well, you meet again….

Here are some tips to make the seasonal style swap a little less dreadful:

Closet Cleanse

The first step in transitioning your wardrobe from Summer to Fall is through a mini closet cleanse. It’s important to evaluate the current state of affairs in your closet. Comb through your current season’s wardrobe piece by piece and decide what needs to be tossed or tailored. This helps eliminate hard work in the future (aka next Spring when you are back at it again). Once you are left with all the so called “keeps”, you can begin identifying which of these pieces have legs to carry you through the next season…

Transitional Pieces

Transitional pieces are key to each season. It is important to keep layering pieces around this time of year, whether it’s your tees or tanks. Remember, the Summer to Fall transition means flip flopping between hot & cold temps, so you’ll want to be equipped with options. Here are some essential pieces I would consider holding onto for the season:

1. T-shirts (perfect for layering under a leather jacket, or wool blazer)
2. Tank Tops (ideal for layering under pull-over sweaters & cardigans)
3. Denim (a seasonless staple)
4. Loafers (the perfect in between to sandals & booties)
5. Midi Skirts & Dresses (you’ll want to start pairing these back to sweaters & booties or sneakers, but they’re worth holding onto)
6. Blazers, Bombers, Leather and other light weight jackets are the key to being prepared for all temperatures

Not So Transitional Pieces

The pieces that do not transition so well from Summer into Fall and beyond can now be packed away neatly. This would include your shorts, summer day-dresses, and sandals. It’s important to take the time up front to do this in an organized fashion. My best tip is to have labeled bins on hand and organize them by category. This will create an efficiency so next season’s swap is even easier!

Seasonal Style Shift

Now that your closet is equipped with your transitional pieces only, you should have plenty of room to bring in the chunky sweaters. Before jam packing the closet, a quick evaluation of this season’s wardrobe is a good idea for a fresh start!

1. Check for any pieces that need tailoring or repair (ie: booties to be re-soled, or pants that need hemming)
2. Ensure your sweaters have been dry cleaned appropriately (especially your Cashmere and Wool)
3. Have yourself a try on session to evaluate any pieces that can be tossed or donated (this is the time to rid of any clothing with sizing/fit issues, or are damaged/worn and past the point of repair)

Once your closet is stacked with your best existing items, you can identify any holes in your wardrobe. Are you missing a tailored black pant, a playful blazer, a great pair of lived-in denim, a staple Fall boot? Make a list of any needs so you can fill the voids and round out your closet. This also helps to mitigate over-spending on the season’s trends because you have identified your true needs, as opposed to wants.

Closet Curation

Once you complete your seasonal purchases, you can begin to set the stage. Mixing new pieces in with the old provides a fresh perspective on your existing wardrobe. You will think of outfitting in a completely new way and truly be able to reinvigorate your wardrobe with the injection of very few new purchases.

I always suggest organizing your closet in a “shoppable way”. To me, this means organizing by category, then color. Keep denim & bottoms together, organize button downs with shirts alike, going out tops should have their own section and keep sweaters and layering pieces folded on shelves whenever possible to avoid shoulder creases. PS: using slim hangers and fun, yet practical baskets for organizing always helps!

The best piece of advice I can leave you with is to have fun with the process of this transition. Style different looks as you go, take photos, throw yourself your very own private fashion show with your bedroom as the runway! This will help you build confidence for your future outfitting endeavors.