Plenty of us are thinking ahead to our fall wardrobes right now. But before we all get into autumn dressing in earnest, we’ve still got to make it through the purgatorial gantlet of transitional season. Warning: This is no easy task — for a handful of big reasons:
1. It’s usually still hot outside. So while the calendar says sweater and wool season, the weather may not cooperate with that.
2. After Labor Day, you’re back in action in the office, school, social events and so on. So while you’d be uncomfortable in prematurely heavy clothes, you also don’t want to show up in just-from-the-beach getups, either.
3. You live in New England, which means the weather swings between seasons at least three to four times a day.
All that said, here are a few ideas for navigating your way across the fashion bridge to fall:
• Get used to the art of layering. A sweater that you need outside in the morning looks just as good thrown neatly over your shoulders later on. But don’t do it haphazardly — try the sweater on your shoulders in a mirror to make sure the proportions are right and that the look is neat.
• Ditch the Miami-bright hues in favor of neutrals, and trade the psychedelic swirls for more structural graphics. The mood of summer is often about a freewheeling vibe, so reining it in a little makes sense. Witness the deeply saturated hue of this super-smart Proenza Schouler dress:
• Pay more attention to fit than in summer months. Loose or baggy pieces were fine and dandy back in July, but now they spell sloppy.
• Make medium-weight fabrics your friend. Ditto sharp cuts and clean-lined silhouettes. Even if you’re not quite ready to wear a suit yet, you’ll still look pulled together. Just as with this buckled Michael Kors buckled dress:
Rely on guidelines like these until you’re on solid (chilly) ground, and you’ll be fall dressing with the best of ’em.