How To Transition Your Summer Wardrobe Into Autumn

Seasons come and go in a blink of an eye. Despite the bittersweet goodbyes to certain forecasts, holidays, and special treats, seasonal changes allow people to explore different fashionable styles. Each season has its own color palette, staples, and thematic embellishments that switch up fashion trends throughout the year, keeping your wardrobe interesting and versatile.

Prepare for one of the hardest seasonal changes to dress for with our guide on how to transition your summer wardrobe into autumn. Get ready for warm tones, cooler temperatures, and pumpkin-spiced everything.

Mix and Match Seasonal Pieces

Seasons in transition make dressing for the day a little more challenging, especially when the weather fluctuates. Like the change between winter and spring, summer to fall has many confusing forecasts and temperature changes. Prepare for both cooler and warmer hours by mixing and matching seasonal pieces. When you don’t know if you’ll get a wind chill or endless sunshine, why not dress for both?

A classic transitional outfit includes wearing summer shorts with a cozy cold-weather sweater—a little bit of everything in one fashionable look. Another staple transitional look that involves a mix and match of seasonal attire includes leggings and a cami top paired with a light cardigan and sneakers. This sporty, comfortable, and versatile outfit is suitable for summery and autumnal vibes.

You can mix and match seasonal pieces in many ways. However, a key unspoken styling rule many people follow is to go heavy on the top or bottom half and go light on the other.

Add Tights and Underlayers

Layers also give you a versatile outfit that’s functional in many seasonal settings. You get to mix and match pieces while also giving yourself the flexibility to change the practicality of your outfit throughout the day. When the morning chill fades to a warm, sunny afternoon, you just shed some layers to be ready to take on the rest of the day properly dressed. If the evenings cool off again, the layers come back on. Essentially, layered looks are flexible.

Tights and underlayers are simple staples of a layered outfit. Tights come in many variations, differing in texture, thickness, and design. No matter the type, all tights provide some form of leg coverage, offering warmth. Pairing tights with your shorts, dresses, and skirts makes tights more practical for autumnal forecasts while still giving you the flexibility to return to bare legs for warmer weather. Underlayers also come in many forms, providing either a warm-weather alternative when you remove the top layers or extra coverage for warmth. Popular variations include long-sleeved tees, camis, and bodysuits. Overall, tights and underlayers make your summer and autumnal clothing more practical as the seasons transition.

Slip On Cozy Outerwear

Other layerable garments worth adding to your look during the summer-to-fall transition are cozy outerwear pieces. Slipping on a cardigan over your T-shirt and shorts, a denim jacket over your floral dress, or a hoodie over your jumpsuit makes your summery outfits more fall appropriate. With a cozy outerwear piece on, you get to enjoy the summer aesthetic with autumnal practicality.

Here are some outerwear items to keep on hand during transitional seasons:

• Oversized blazers
• Cardigans
• Japanese hoaris
• Denim jackets
• Puffer jackets
• Zip-up hoodies

Accessorize With Scarves

Scarves are functional accessories that come in both warm- and cold-weather designs. Lighter and skinnier scarves made from silk, cotton, or satin provide little warmth but still add some neck coverage. These spring and summer scarves accessorize warm-weather outfits with added prints, colors, and textures. Conversely, wool and cashmere scarves are thicker and more cold-weather appropriate. These scarves provide more coverage and warmth.

Whether you need minimal or maximum warmth as the temperatures fluctuate during the summer-to-fall transition, all scarves accessorize your outfits and give you some weather practicality. You can wear scarves in many different ways—traditionally looped around your neck, as a head cover, or cloaked over your shoulder. Aside from embellishing your outfits with practicality and added color, textures, and prints, the best part about scarves is that you can easily remove or add them. Scarves are perfect for seasonal transitions, allowing you to effortlessly adapt your look.

Embrace More Autumnal Hues

Every season has a distinct color palette. Traditionally, cool tones embody winter, pastels represent spring, vibrant hues encapsulate summer, and warm tones symbolize fall. As the seasons change from summer to fall, let your wardrobe mirror the transition by slowly adding autumnal hues.

Implement more oranges, reds, and earthy tones to your outfits to embrace and assimilate the fall color palette. Wearing summer staples, from shorts to flowy dresses, in warm autumnal tones gives you transitional outfits that merge summer and fall aesthetics.

Switch Out Your Hats

Each season has staple hats. As summer turns to fall, switch out the straw hats and baseball caps for felted fedoras and cozy cabbies. With sunshine still beaming in the sky but cooler temperatures rolling in, autumnal hats are a great seasonal transition styling element, as they provide sun protection and warmth. Fall hats include many style and design variations, from floppy wide-brims to knitted beanies. These seasonal hats give you plenty of styling versatility to pair with mix-and-matched transitional outfits.

Opt for Closed-Toed Footwear

Another small switch you can make to your wardrobe choices during the summer-to-fall transition is opting for closed-toed footwear over sandals and flip-flops. Keeping your feet covered provides more warmth, allowing you to stay cozy as the fall chill settles in.

Many closed-toed shoes provide practical warmth while still being suitable for summer festivities. Our selection of boutique sneakers online offers a diverse collection of closed-toed shoes fit for lingering summer fun. Sneakers keep your feet concealed and warm while also giving you casual footwear with full mobility for any summer-inspired adventure.

Transition your summer wardrobe into autumn with ease. Implement these transitional fashion tips and style outfits that give you the best of summer and fall closets. Don’t let the changing seasons dampen your mood with bittersweet sadness. Instead, embrace the chance for new fashionable opportunities and nuance in your outfit selection.

Prep your wardrobe for any season with Two Cumberland. We are a Southern boutique with a variety of fashionable items for sale that you’ll enjoy throughout the year. Check out our selection and fill your wardrobe with the perfect pieces for any outfit creation!