How to Wear Summer Dresses in Fall
This is the first post in a 3-Part Series on How to Transition Summer Pieces to Fall. Please see Part II on Summer Pants & Part III on Summer Florals (password protected for email subscribers – sign-up today!)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to get more mileage out of my wardrobe. You know I love KonMari Philosophy and lean towards a capsule-wardrobe mentality. Therefore, I needed my favorite summer dresses to transition into fall weather.
I know many of you probably have the same problem so here I share my thoughts on how to transition summer dresses into the fall season!
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Outfit: Bloomindale’s Aqua Lace Dress XS (review here); J. Crew Denim Jacket XX-Small (review here); Target Lakitia Sandals 5.5 (review here); Daniel Wellington Petite Watch c/o
1. Add a Jacket
This is my favorite way to transition a summer dress into fall weather. My personal favorite is adding a denim jacket to the dress. It’s still lightweight but pulls the outfit together for fall.
An alternative option is a leather jacket. Leather jackets are very versatile but I personally have difficulty finding ones that I truly love. My most recent find was from J. Crew and I reviewed it in this post. Other leather jacket recommendations are from LOFT, Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s.
A third option is a suede jacket. I’ll be honest and tell you I don’t own a suede jacket. Not that I don’t like them, but I also haven’t found one I truly love. A camel color would be great for fall transitions. Here are my recommendations.
A fourth option is a cardigan. I recommend wearing a darker color for fall and light and bright colors for summer. This a simple change for summer to fall.
2. Change your Shoes
I find changing shoes can drastically change the feel and look of an outfit. In summer, I love pairing dresses with sandals, block heels or wedges (my 4 favorites are discussed here). When transitioning to fall, I love wearing ballet flats with summer dresses.
Two alternative options are fall ankle booties or tall boots. See my recommendation for my favorite pair in this blog post and what socks to wear ballet flats & booties/boots in this post (coming soon).
3. Add different Accessories
An accessory that can be easily added is a belt. I recommend adding a belt to your natural waist when transitioning to fall. Of course it depends on what kind of dress we are styling – the navy lace dress in these photos does not pair well with a belt but a shift dress would definitely be an option for adding belts. Two of my favorite belts are discussed in this post and this post.
What are your favorite ways to transition a summer dress to fall? Let me know in the comments please!
Continuing reading Part II on Summer Pants & Part III on Summer Florals (password protected for email subscribers – sign-up today!)
Jessica Louie, PharmD, APh, BCCCP is the CEO of Clarify, Simplify, Align and Host of The Burnout Doctor Podcast. Dr. Louie uses her signature Burnout Doctor Method to coach burned out pharmacists & professionals to simplify because work-life balance is a LIE. Align work into your life & break free from people pleasing, perfectionism and thrive in life on YOUR TERMS.