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Do you "change" before the temps do?

Peri

Veteran

Joy's post got me curious. We will not see even long sleeve blouse weather til about mid-late October, and most people in my area just don't even acknowledge Fall until then. We might notice a few early leaves turning, but no one makes much of an effort to "look Fall" before it gets cooler.

I am pretty consistent year round regarding the colors I wear, so I won't even be making a change to a more Fall color scheme, as Joy has shown. It's a cool idea, but I don't really have those colors. I have some red and some orange, but that's about it.

I wonder if this varies by climate? I imagine Fall might be a more pronounced season for some areas. In the south we just go by the temps, not the calendar. If it's still in the 80s, keep on wearing those summer things. How about you and your area?

General

38 replies

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Diana

Veteran

I just go by temps. It's too uncomfortable otherwise!

Mona

Veteran

I just dress up according to the temperature. If it is below 20 celcius, I always take a topper with me. Once it starts getting lower than 15-16 celsius, booties and socks come out.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Ditto. It doesn't start to cool down before October end-November beginning here. Real winters don't start until December. I don't wear any Fall colours either...just the same summer clothes, until it's time to wear layers. I really wish we had longer, or at least, more pronounced transitional seasons. I'll make 'some' effort this season hopefully....try to wear some layers like my blazers and denim jacket when the season cools a bit. Hope I do get a chance!

Aziraphale

Veteran

I don't wear fall clothes until the weather permits, but I do wear colours according to season. My closet doesn't have a whole lot of colour in the first place, but for me certain colours are seasonal. For example, I have some burgundy, but I never wear it in the spring -- only the fall.

rachylou

Veteran

It's a tightrope act! And ohmigosh, I can't tell you how hot it was at 9 a.m. this morning. Lilypup cut our walk short and took us on a circuitous route to be in the shade. But I digress.

Through September, generally speaking, I consider it summer because of the temps. After the midpoint of October, the light has changed enough and I'll transition to a more fall 'look.'

deb

Veteran

I wear the same colors all year long. I war long sleeves all year long also. The only changes I make are with toppers and boots and do not start wearing them until the temp is appropriate.

Anonymous

I live in a climate where calendar fall is in line with temperature fall, so I transition over to another wardrobe then. But it's interesting that there is a disconnect between actual fall and temperature fall in the south. I've never dealt with this issue where stores are selling fall clothes to you even though it's still balmy out.

Sara L.

Veteran

I go by temps. Like some others here, it won't start cooling off until October. Even then, it's just the nights that are cooler - it will be warm during the day until November. I'll start wearing light layers and closed toe shoes (pumps, oxfords, peeptoe booties - things I can wear without socks) when the mornings are cool.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Rachylou makes a good point - here the light starts changing and the days get noticeably shorter before it gets seriously fall temp-wise, so I tend to aim for some sort of "warm fall" in-between in my outfits. Colors and styles that aren't so full-on summer, but are still light enough to be comfortable in the middle of the day when it's warm. And layers to deal with the variation between times of day, and if you're traveling between microclimates.

The range throughout the day is what I've struggled with in spring and fall, even after living in the Bay Area for 15+ years. I grew up in a place that pretty much stayed warm when it was warm or cold when it was cold. I just looked up the weather for today and the high is supposed to be 93F and the low 63. Thirty degrees variation in temperature, how even do you dress reasonably for that? Even assuming most of us aren't out and about at 3 am in the morning, when it's coldest, it's still a 20+ degree temperature variation between early morning, midday, and evening.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I keep my whole wardrobe out year-round, because Colorado is weird. We're already having mornings in the 40s, with afternoons in the 90s. If we go up into the mountains, all bets are off. It can easily be snowing up there in July, and even down here, it's been known both to flurry and top 100° in June (though not generally on the same day).

kerry

Veteran

I live where there is a distinct fall albeit a short one. I love it! Having said that, I wear what's temperature appropriate rather than what season it says on the calendar. I will, though, start breaking out colder weather gear for temperatures higher than I would in Spring. It's all relative. In fall 70 starts feeling cool whereas in spring, it usually feels pretty balmy after a long, cold winter Oh, and I don't do fall colours well so that's out for me.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Great question Peri.
I dress for the temperature, and even then, I push things... my toes refuse to be put away until they are cold. Part of that is that covering up season is sooooo long, I don't want to head into those clothes before I have to. The other part is that I am generally in denial that yet another summer has flown by.

I wear the same colours year round, although I do wear a LOT more navy and black in the winter, and white and colours in the spring/summer.

I always thought this "no white after Labour Day" thing was so strange... we can get some of our warmest days in September. Perhaps not warmer than August, but certainly warmer than July.

Sept/early Oct can be a visual hoot here actually, you'll get somebody with a sundress and flip flops walking with somebody in knee high leather boots.

cobalt

Here in northeast Wisconsin, Labor Day is the cue to transition to fall clothing -- and in fact with temps barely reaching 60 this week, I've already pulled out a handful of sweaters. How many days until spring?

celia

Veteran

I do change colors as the seasons change, kinda. I could tell you that it is because we have 4 distinct seasons with very different light and mood ( if not temperature sometimes ), and the cold seasons are so long that we have to make it feel like Spring somehow even if there is snow on the ground. My skin tone changes with seasons and I can wear different color , and my mood and color preferences change with the seasons. And this is all true. However I also do it because it's fun.

E

Veteran

When I lived in south Texas, I built a hot autumn capsule (summerweight fabrics/cuts in more autumnal colours) to keep my sanity in September and October. Now I can happily just follow the temperatures, since my new four season NE climate corresponds fairly well to my mental seasons (I did find a few cold spring pieces helpful in early April, but I love cold temps, so no matter how long winter wishes to last, my sanity was never in peril). I have to be careful though that my enthusiasm for layers and handknits doesn't make me bundle up at the first sign of cool temps, and then be stifled since my body runs warm. Lol

always trying

Veteran

Our hottest months here are August, September and most of October. I am so tied of hot and the hot weather dressing, but when it gets in the 90's not much choice. Hopefully as we get shorter daylight hours it will get cool enough in evenings for some more fall wear. I usually try to wear some more autumn colors after labor day when I can.

Word Lily

Veteran

I don't wear different colors for different seasons (at least not that I've noticed; I certainly don't wear many colors I've traditionally thought of as autumnal), but I do have a yen come this time of year to be wearing fall-ish clothes — I love layering, etc. — despite the tendency for September here to still be generally warm/summery.

Maybe because school has already been in session here for more than two weeks? Maybe because we're losing huge chunks of daylight every other day, practically? These are cues of autumn, even if the temps aren't (for the most part) agreeing with that yet.

I think for me, this translates to addressing the transitional fall/spring seasons, which I kind of ignored for years, but which we really have four months of (if you count spring and fall together) here.

I've started looking for pieces that communicate Fall without being suffocating when it's not actually all that cold. And, likewise, pieces that communicate Spring but that won't result in me getting frostbite.

gryffin

Veteran

Boots, I live for boots. I still wear booties all summer but short or cut out. Unless it's dreadfully hot, third week in september, I begain again....leather only. Suede won't come out till it cools down. I never last past that point. If we get a cold snap then labor day would be my cut off!! I'm hopeless!!

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

It depends on where I am. If I'm at home, it's hot well into September. By mid-November it finally starts to cool.

I have started to change my color palette in late August/September just to keep things fresh. I have olives and burnt oranges that I pull out, but the fabrics are still made for hot weather.

Elly

Veteran

Temp-based for me. However, if I moved to a hot climate I'd probably have to create a larger "transitional" capsule-- right now my warm and hot clothes are pretty much split 6 months and 6 months and I combine the two to cover most of my transitional weather. If I lived somewhere hot I would definitely have a 3rd season where I wore clothing like linen long-sleeves.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

A good part of my work wardrobe is all season, which I can wear in warmer weather without tights and in cooler weather with tights. Those are the kind of things I wear when transitioning from summer to fall and from spring to summer. Pencil skirts instead of very lightweight "high summer" skirts; blazers and jackets that are neither wool nor linen; bare legs but with closed toe shoes instead of sandals; ankle pants with lightweight long sleeve tops. I don't really do seasonal colors as much as fabrics. For work, the outside temperature is not really important as the a/c is frigid and the mornings are cool. The walk to the train (all of 5 minutes) after work may be a bit uncomfortable if I'm wearing long sleeves, but I can handle it. The buildings provide a lot a shade. For weekends, I'll be in shorts until October unless we get a really unusual cold snap.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I go by temperature and light.

For the most part I wear the same colours and neutrals all year -- but in different combinations/ doses and with different accent colours emphasized. So, there's always blue. But in summer, there is cobalt. In winter, there's more ink and navy and no cobalt. There's always white -- but in winter, it's cream or winter white. In summer, optic white for shorts and jeans. And so on.

Blue and white are my summer staple. I tend to go lower contrast in fall and winter.

I don't wear most of the traditional autumn colours very well, apart from cranberry/ burgundies and purples. So I try always to have an item or two that I can wear in those colours in a not-too-heavy fabrication. Or at least a scarf. I also wear my light plaid jeans a lot more often in autumn, and my light taupe jeans. Plus my light taupe booties.

I guess what I am saying is that I typically reserve a few items mostly for one season or another.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

ETA, when I talked about light...this is especially important for me in "spring." When the rest of the world has moved to wearing lightweight clothes, I am still in snow boots. Literally. So I have a few cashmere sweaters in light or pastel tones that look like "spring" to me. Along with cream jeans, light coloured booties, a silk blouse in spring like tones. In other words, winter weight stuff in spring like colours.

This is less vital for me on the autumn end, because it very quickly goes from summertime heat to boot weather. It usually happens by the third week of September, and then it's booties, boots, tights -- basically winter but at least no snow boots and puffer coat.

Peri

Veteran

Interesting answers! It does seem to be location based for most of us.

For me, I don't think of colors as seasonal..I just think of colors I like! I wear the same ones year round. I don't have much in the way of traditional "autumn" colors, and wouldn't think of buying lightweight things in these colors to be more autumn-ish. Same with Spring...I don't do pastels. As a result, I'm in summer clothes until it cools off, and then transition to some long sleeve things until it is time for sweaters.

Joy

Veteran

What Always Trying said. I get so tired of our long simmer season that I try to break it up. The school teacher in me demands autumn colors after years of putting up September bulletin boards (and leaves used to turn and fall in September). Otherwise I'd be in things I'd already worn for 3 months until late October or even November.

Anonymous

I'm like a retail store itching to change over the seasons a little early. I treat my home and my closet the same way subtly making changes to colours (first) and then fabrics and textures a little later as the temperature changes. I re-merchanise (the only way to describe it !) my house by the season too, changing up pillows, rugs, accessories, dishes etc according to the season. Even now, at the end of August, I'm done with summer brights and have moved into darker tones . I find the changing light and the shorter days bring new inspiration to change up things, and I've changed to a black pedicure, moved out the brights, and am ready to bring out some darker lightweight pieces now. White jeans get a pass into fall though My closet rotates around 4 times a year!

E

Veteran

Peri, I still wear my usual muted, cool colours, but my autumn wardrobe is heavier on the taupes and browns and reds while my summer one has more blues and soft whites. It's more of a ratio thing than complete change, though, as I wear all of the colours that I've mentioned, and several more, year round. Just in different combinations I suppose. Really, switching colours was as much to comfort myself when I was in a climate I loathed than anything else! But I also find a lot of inspiration from nature, so I reach for my oak leaf brown trench more in autumn and my raincloud grey one more in spring. This is part of why I have an extensive wardrobe.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I am in a similar weather situation. I will start wearing slightly different clothes as the weather goes from the 90s to the 80s. Around people start wearing boots when the temperatures hit 79!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ooh, Lisa, can you come and re-merchandise my home and closet? I always WANT to do this, and get further along towards it in my closet than in my home. You would have to persuade Mr. Suz...he has trouble with this idea for some reason. I have always wanted to switch up slipcovers in summer/ winter, as well as accessories. Hmmm.

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