Trans-seasonal dressing can be difficult if you live in a part of the world which has a mercurial climate. As weather patterns seem to be constantly changing that means most of us. Consequently, this can pose a problem for our wardrobes. Summer is not yet over yet Autumn is just around the corner.
Pre-season research
I have therefore been doing some internet surfing to get my eye in for the fast-approaching new season. September always reminds me of going back to school after the long Summer holidays. The smell of chalk on blackboards, sharpening pencils and new shoes. Shoes are always a good place to start. I currently have a pair of leopard print pumps on my radar. I will be covering that subject next week.
New Arrival pages
The “new arrivals” pages are a good place to start your exploration. Most brands have them and if you have the odd hour to spend they are good places to do some dreaming and virtual shopping. I have put a list of the bands I favour at the bottom of this post.
Details of above: Sunglasses // Drop earrings // Floral print dress // Small drop earrings // Classic black blazer // Burgundy bag // Black ankle boots // Lipstick // Black slip on mules // Black bead bag.
What I noticed in my travels was the continuing emphasis on dresses, especially midi styles with long sleeves. Great for those of us who prefer to cover up. Prints are very much in evidence, however the pastel colours of Summer have been replaced with Winter florals on darker backgrounds.
Floral dresses:-
A classic blazer is a good place to start when curating a sustainable wardrobe. It is worth spending as much as your budget will allow when purchasing this key piece. I have had my navy Theory blazer for about four years. Although at the time it seemed like a very expensive purchase it has more than earned its keep.
Classic blazers:-
NEW ARRIVAL LINKS:
Arket A new brand I have discovered. Well worth a look
Boden – A good place to start if you are looking for a dress
People Tree – I really like this Brand. They offer sustainable and fair trade fashion. I have just ordered the dress featured in the collage above.
You might like a previous post on transitioning your summer wardrobe here.
September has always been the start of the new year to me. January 1 is just a day on the calendar.
I hate to see summer go, but climate change means miserable smoky skies and hot days in late summer. When you can’t venture outdoors because of the unheallthy air, cooler, wetter days are most welcome.
Fall is short and quickly turns to winter, but it is my favorite clothing season. I can easily put together this look with items from my closet. And soon, I must.
Please add the always fine style and high quality of ME+EM. Quality price ratio is terrific.
Hi Jeannine
I am a great fan of Me+Em and have quite a few of their pieces in my wardrobe. I would agree that the quality is excellent. I included several items in my recent sale posts. I was not as impressed with this season as I have with some of the others. In my opinion, they are putting a bit too much detail on some of their styles. I do have one of their side stripe trousers but they seem to be putting side stripes on a lot of their pieces whereas I prefer their plainer styles.
I do like the flower print maxi dresses but I do think they are difficult to wear , especially if you’re 5ft 4” and they can
Make you look a sass bit “ granny – Ish “ . I think there are better options for the older stylish lady out there .
I have a friend who is 5’4″ and she wears floral dresses although she does wear them a bit shorter, just below the knee. I think it all depends on the style of the dress and how you accessorise it. I like midi and maxi dresses as they cover my legs (no longer my best feature).
FALL reminds me too of BACK TO SCHOOL although its been years since I had to do that DRIVE!!!!!
Fond memories!
i just walked through the Arket store in Amsterdam – very impressed with the classic styles and the quality! Hard to imagine autumn here in Aix, where it’s still very hot!
I visited the Arket store in Regent Street last week. I really liked there simple pared down styles a bit like Cos but not so voluminous.
It’s interesting to see which styles you choose, Josephine. I would guess that you have had your colours done and have been categorised as a Winter. I am slightly older than you and suit slightly more fitted styles than you tend to like. I have warm and soft colouring so my ‘go to ‘ colours are peach, coral, flamingo pink, that type of thing. I would look dreadful wearing the strongly contrasting colours that suit you so well.
Hi Sandra
An interesting question. When I first trained as an image consultant I was categorised as a “winter”. Under a more tailor-made scheme later I was a “summer” and then a “cool deep muted”. I now find that as my hair has turned grey I look best in cool bright but not too deep colours, the best ones being pinks and blues. I keep my basics navy, with some black and grey, however, I always try to add a bright scarf or jewellery when wearing these colours.
On the blog, I try to offer a variety of tones, not always the ones that suit me. I will try to remember to add some peach and coral although I have not seen many of those colours around at the moment.
Thank you for saying that, Josephine.
I have cool and warm tones in my complexion, but only clear colours suit me — nothing muted or muddy. As my hair lost its golden tones, I found that cooler colours now suit me best. Ivory used to work, but now white is better. I didn’t own anything white, but found that I have to rethink things. This was very frustrating, because most of my clothes made me look washed out. I am happy to say that charcoal gray has become a favorite that never worked for me before. My rule now is that I must hold garments up to my face in front of a mirror before judging. If the colors are muted or muddy, I can still walk away.
A good tip. Thank you for sharing. Always hold garments up near your face to check if they suit you. I nearly bought a nice Summer dress from Cos but the blue was just too muted. Like you I now need brighter colours as my hair has gone grey.