We all love fall, right? Pumpkin and apple flavored everything, colorful leaves everywhere, hot chocolate, fuzzy blankets, and cool crisp weather all work together to make autumn the most beloved season of them all. For some of us, though, fall presents a slight problem wardrobe-wise. Most of my clothing is considered “summer clothing,” right? Sundresses, t-shirts, denim capris — all my favorite summer accessories make up probably a solid 70% of my closet. If you, too, identify with this problem, fear not. Here’s a few easy ways to transition your summer favorites into fall-appropriate outfits in the blink of an eye.
1. Cardigans. I’m not even kidding you, adding a cardigan to your favorite summer outfit automatically makes it perfect for weathering a stiff wind on your way to class. The other lovely thing about cardigans is that they’re removable. In the early weeks of fall, the outside temperature can go from “pleasantly cool” to “scorching” in the matter of a few hours, so a piece of clothing that can be removed in case of sudden and extreme heat may be super handy.
2. Leg warmers. Listen, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: the 80s are back, complete with oversized sweaters, bad rock music, and my personal favorite accessory– leg warmers. To transition your capris into autumn-appropriate leg-wear, simply tuck them into the top end, and tuck the bottom of the leg warmers into your boots or high-top sneakers. If you don’t happen to have any leg warmers on hand and your mother already burned hers out of sheer embarrassment, long socks will work just fine as long as they’re thick enough and you scrunch them up around the ankles.
3. Half-and-half. If it’s not too frigid yet, you don’t have to transition your entire outfit; just maybe half. Pair a long-sleeve tee or blouse with high-waisted shorts for a modern, chic look. Or, go the other way. A tank top with harem pants or a long, flowy skirt will give you a cool, indie look. Some big geometric earrings and a scarf around your neck or head will add the finishingng touches to this funky look.
4. Leggings. If you aren’t ready to put your sundresses away just because it’s gotten a little chilly out, you need to close your laptop and go buy leggings right now. And by “leggings,” I do not mean “yoga pants.” I am on a personal march against the use of leggings as pants, but we’ll save that rant for another day. Invest in a few different colors, lengths, and thicknesses of leggings so you’re good to go no matter the temperature or color scheme of your overall outfit. If you layer your adorable dresses with leggings and a cardigan or blazer, you’ve suddenly extended their use to year-round instead of just a few months of summer. Well done, sunshine.
5. A warm beverage. In the fall, no outfit is complete without a steaming mug of something. Treat yourself to a travel mug to take your coffee, tea, cider, or cocoa with you wherever you go. My clothing is all extremely loud and colorful, so to ensure that I don’t clash with myself, I bought a grey travel mug and bedazzled my name onto it. But hey, you do you. Whatever color travel mug gets you and your hot drink dejure through the day.