Adapt Your Wardrobe to a Changing Climate

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Adapt Your Wardrobe to a Changing Climate

— by Angie

on September 1, 2022

One of the biggest factors impacting our style is our climate. A wardrobe must reflect our dominant season in order to be functional. Shopping for an imaginary climate makes little practical sense.

When our climate changes, we must adapt our wardrobes accordingly. Sometimes the changes are subtle, and sometimes they are dramatic. Sometimes we enjoy the wardrobe changes, and sometimes we don’t.

For the last three years, Summers in Seattle have been hot and record-breaking. No longer mild, we are experiencing heatwave after heatwave, and it’s Summer weather right through to September. We used to be wearing boots and Fall clothing the second week of September, but not anymore.

Adapting to this new normal, I made it a style goal to embellish my hot-weather capsule. I added some pretty, breezy tops, a bias-cut skirt, two dresses, and two pairs of sandals. I’ve also been wearing my old long denim and white shorts from my beach capsule. I will continue embellishing my hot-weather capsule next year, because I’ve passed on some dresses that will need replacing. I hope to find fab non-neutral dresses, a white dress, another skirt, dip my toes into the soft wide pants trend, throw in another pair of long shorts, and refresh my beach and pool capsule.

The alarming impacts of climate change aside, I do enjoy Summer dressing and the wardrobe changes I’ve made. Our Winters are also wetter and snowier than they used to be. But I have my cold-weather dressing formulas down, and simply replenish and refresh as needed.

Over to you. Have you needed to adapt your wardrobe to a change in climate? Are you adding more hot-weather items like I am?

Climate · Wardrobe Planning

46 comments · Add a comment

April

Veteran

I am finding it a challenge to accommodate all of the following:
– hotter, stickier summer weather
– a desire to cover all skin for sun protection
– a medical condition that means I stay inside when it’s crazy hot.

Not a fun combo, but I’m learning.

I have, for example, been wearing my Coolibar full-length black leggings bathing suit as regular leggings. The fabric is lightweight and cool and give me SPF 50 without making me overheat.

Large sun-protective hats have come on board as well.

September 1, 2022 at 4:17 am

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Our hot and humid summers are getting longer, which does not make me happy. Summer is my least favorite season to dress for. I’ve learned that springing for a couple of pairs of updated sandals and a couple of breezy dresses each summer makes me happier with my hot-weather style, even though I never truly love it.

Winters are milder, on the whole. My warm winter sweaters get less and less wear each year. I have made a reminder to myself to not buy any terribly warm garments, instead favoring lighter items and fabrications that can be layered if needed. Even my heavier wool coats have been passed over in the last couple of winters (also because the pandemic took away dressier wearing occasions and I ended up in puffers most days I went out).

September 1, 2022 at 4:29 am

suntiger

I haven’t changed my wardrobe due to climate, as our summers have always been very hot and humid. 90+ days have always been the norm here.

There have definitely been changes in my climate over my lifetime though. When I was a kid, I remember Halloweens being cold enough I had to put a coat over my costume. Now it’s usually 75-80 degrees (not complaining).

We have less snow than I remember as a kid- though I do live in a different area. I think though that it’s been less since I bought this house. Again, not complaining cause I Hate snow. Unfortunately, the lack of freeze means that the bugs didn’t die off, and they killed 2 of our trees one year.

Rain is odd now, which is the biggest difference. There used to be lines of steady rain, now it’s random small intense patches. More tornados too in my state, which is frightening.

I worry about sea level rise. Quite a lot of my peninsula is projected to be underwater.

September 1, 2022 at 4:31 am

Tanya

Veteran

I live in the same part of the country as Janet, hence what she wrote is true for me as well: summers are getting longer and winters are getting milder. Having said that, since I tend to run pretty cold, there haven’t been many changes in my wardrobe needs. The only thing I have noticed is that I wear puffers less and wool coats more in the winter.

September 1, 2022 at 4:34 am

Brooklyn

Veteran

Summers here have always been long, hot and sticky. But this year has also been very wet. Unusual for us. Drought is much more the norm. I’ve realised I’ve got virtually no clothing for warm, wet weather. I had some rain boots, but they died early this year. I definitely need new rain boots and some sort of light weight rain cape (a rain coat is too heavy for Summer).

September 1, 2022 at 4:43 am

Jori Maguire

I live in the midwestern US and the weather seems to go from cold to unbearably hot and very little in the way of in between seasons. It was far more humid this summer than in years past which made being outside unbearable most of the time. I’ve relied more on layers and will be adding to my “third piece” capsule for fall going into the winter.

September 1, 2022 at 4:54 am

Lesley

Veteran

Jokes about this serious topic aside, I can’t wait for global warming to warm the heck out of my very wintry home city!

I have learned not to shop for the imaginary life (amassing more formal items than my work-from-home lifestyle requires) but I think coming to grips with my dominant climate is a constant battle, as I prefer the other three seasons, ha. I have dealt with it by coasting on what I own for those seasons for the last few years to really see if I have a wardrobe hole, rather than just building because building is fun. It also helps that I keep lists of what I need and what I want on a sticky note from one season to the next, so I can’t be swept away by what looks fun rather than seeing in black-and-white what I really thought I needed the previous season.

September 1, 2022 at 5:00 am

gryffin

Veteran

Agree with you. Hotter summers than ever. I used to wear the same fall/winter pieces all year long, just using the lightest ones in high summer. I broke down and bought the vince coin pocket chino pants, which are very light, and bought two resale VB blazers (ada & lyda – b&w and blue,b&w plaid) in light cotton. Then winters are colder than ever and I added the Jenni kayne black puffer, the aritzia babaton slouch coat and the aritzia tnf powder dri parka long to replace a long black puffer that was past prime and not long enough. It’s really the extremes of weather that I find required fleshing out, I just can’t cut corners anymore. Too hot or too cold is the pits!!

September 1, 2022 at 5:01 am

Bijou

Veteran

My summer’s seem endless, but that has been the case on the West Coast of Australia since I was a child. I am happy that my wardrobe is well prepared for my summer needs other than sandals. I wore out my favourite sandals in 2020 and whilst I tried to find a replacement in 2021, none of the sandals made the grade. Comfy sandals are a HEWI for me and they get worn until they literally fall apart.

September 1, 2022 at 5:07 am

Sisi

Veteran

Summers in Italy have become extremely hot lately! 37-38 deg Celsius and high humidity. I am working to build what I call a “Tropical Capsule” – I am always on the hunt for breezy dresses and breezy tops. I also realized that I need fewer Summer pants than usual, because even the lightest pants bother me in these temperatures.
My ideal outfit for this weather is a bikini! But I cannot wear it to go to work ….

September 1, 2022 at 5:19 am

Helena

Veteran

I live in a spot known for having a very wide range of weather from extremely hot to extremely cold, so not much impact to my dressing requirements from that perspective. I empathize with everyone dealing with changing climate norms in their area. Hoping as we all see the effects more in our daily lives we’ll collectively make progress on improving things, especially for those most harshly impacted.

September 1, 2022 at 5:28 am

anchie

Veteran

It is not so much that climate has changed, but I just always forget how it can get hot so suddenly and I don’t plan and I am not prepared for that unfortunately. If I am in the office during the heat wave I still need to dress in layers because of AC, and don’t need separate wardrobe for that, but as I discovered this summer, when heat wave happens when I am traveling or on vacation, I have a major wardrobe hole.

September 1, 2022 at 5:38 am

LJP

Veteran

As Helena said. The major impact here has been more extreme weather events, which one doesn’t need to dress for …..

September 1, 2022 at 5:39 am

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I’ve had to adapt to being in a climate controlled area most of the time now. Light layering pieces are key for me, and I never seem to have enough!

September 1, 2022 at 5:52 am

RobinF

Veteran

Here in Michigan we get hot sticky summers and cold snowy winters. The temps and precipitation vary year to year so hard to notice a consistent difference without looking at a chart of trends. I actually like a hot summer because then I am ready for cooler weather come fall I will say we have gotten crazier storms and I really don’t like that.

That being said, my wardrobe hasn’t had to change since we have always gotten these extreme swings.

September 1, 2022 at 5:56 am

Joy

Veteran

I agree and am good shape for hot weather as my past home had dominant summer. Now summer does not start until at least mid June if not July. We had our usual Mid-May snow and frost. Gardening does not start until after Memorial Day ( May 31). I expect a September snow and then it will warm up a bit. Here November becomes wintery. I froze my first Thanksgiving in this place as it had been warm for me for years. Smart Wool long sleeved tops make sense. It cools off lots in the evening and early morning, making layering with toppers a necessity. Now, the first day of September, I will clean and put away most hot weather garments, keeping out those in fall colors for a bit longer. I am looking forward to trying on my winter things but suspect much will now be too large. I will probably need to add to full length bottoms for sure and hope my new-to-me-last-year sweaters still fit. If not, I will be doing a big wardrobe churn for cold weather. Hence my interest in Mountain Grandmother ideas. You are so right. Climate makes a huge difference. One must be comfortable. I heard a radio program predicting large migrations of people all over the world from places getting too hot to cooler climates this century. An example given was Egyptians moving to the Arctic and people in the US going back to where immigrant ancestors had settled in Minnesota and Michigan.

September 1, 2022 at 6:05 am

merwoman

Veteran

Nodding my head in agreement regarding extremes in temperatures. I feel I’m well sorted for that, but what can be challenging are the shoulder or transition seasons. Every year the length of spring in particular can vary widely, which can mean some wardrobe items barely see the light of day , while others are in heavy rotation. I try to keep this in mind when I’m thinking of wardrobe culling, just because an item wasn’t worn a lot this year doesn’t mean it won’t be well used next year.

September 1, 2022 at 6:19 am

Runcarla

Veteran

I’m in the Canadian group that still experiences four seasons, and so far seem to have the essentials covered.

September 1, 2022 at 6:29 am

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Yes! I really need to expand my hot-weather wardrobe capsule, but I don’t want to (she said in a whiny voice;-)

The weather situation in Belgium is very similar to what you’ve been seeing in Seattle. We had a very hot Summer last year, and experienced several heatwaves this year too. I really dislike that kind of heat (we’re also not used to it, and neither are the buildings and infrastructure) and want to stay in denial for a little longer

But I expect we’ll be dealing with hotter Summers regularly from now on (climate change, it is very worrying and scary!), so I will need more hot-weather clothing to make it through those months.

Not going to get anything new anymore this year, but next Spring I’ll be on the look-out for more flowy blouses and flowy wide-legged trousers (wore my Esprit items all the time). I’m hoping to find a few patterned wide-legged trousers in natural materials. And I’ll also be looking for breezy midi Summer dresses.

But all I want to do right now is shop for Fall clothing :-)))

September 1, 2022 at 6:37 am

JAileen

Veteran

This crossed my mind yesterday. We went to our local Patagonia store. I was returning something, and then we walked around looking at the big sale. And it occurred to me that I probably don’t need any big down coats. Right now we’re experiencing a heat wave, several days over 100F. It would be hot for July.

September 1, 2022 at 6:41 am

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Agree with Inge that the climate change is very scary. I have not noticed a big change in our already long hot summers, but do pay attention to how difficult it becomes for even someone that loves warm weather when temperatures are get closer to 37C/100F. Because I am assuming sun exposure will become more dangerous, I am focusing on long sleeve tops in super light cotton and linen when possible. And hats that are light and with wide brims. An important topic as we all learn to adapt.

September 1, 2022 at 6:46 am

Allora

After living in Florida for 50 years we moved to an area with 4 seasons about 5 years ago so I’m still trying to adapt my wardrobe to 4-season dressing. We have not lived here long enough to notice changes year to year, but I hear a lot of locals or others who have lived here for a number of years say that the summers are hotter and more humid than in the past. I fear that in another 10 years it will be like living in Florida again. Yuck. Actually, double yuck.

September 1, 2022 at 6:55 am

lyn67

Veteran

Summers are hot here so breezy clothes was always a need-I am well prepared in this compartement. On the other hand our winters were getting warmer and dryer. We just didn’t get snow and ice in the last few years anymore-so I had to switch from warm sweaters, big wool coats and furry boots to others more suitable for milder winters. Indoors heating was always more than satisfying -so didn’t have to bundle up that much. But as the EU is facing a potential supply crisis from Russia we (and think all those living in the EU) are now seriously concerned about what we will have to face/endure this speciffic winter (or even others to follow:-()….

September 1, 2022 at 7:05 am

Kathie

Veteran

Moving from Seattle to the mid-Atlantic area seven years ago required a big adjustment. It took me 3-4 years to have enough high summer clothing, but now my wardrobe is in a good place. I do find that I’m always looking for summer shoes, since they wear out within 2-3 years with my suburban/urban walking lifestyle.

September 1, 2022 at 7:29 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Sooo interesting! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Some themes are emerging, and greatly impacting our wardrobes, styles, and shopping plans:

– Hotter and longer Summers

– Wetter weather

– Colder Winters

– More warm weather year round

– Extreme weather patterns

September 1, 2022 at 7:31 am

Dana

(website)

Veteran

Denver weather has always been wacky! I grew up in St. Louis MO where the weather (as I remember it) was pretty reliable and there were 4 seasons. Here it seems, we have summer and winter. Oh yeah and in the middle of the winter we’ll get a week or 2 of 60 degree weather! Or in the spring one day nice and the next snow.

So I have lots of summer and winter clothes. I don’t feel like I’ve had to do any adjusting. My goal is to master fall and spring dressing…and spring in the middle of winter dressing.

September 1, 2022 at 7:51 am

Eliza

Veteran

So many more humid 90+ degree days recently. I have added more gauzy pants, midi dresses and lightweight tops to both address the heat and my need for variety. Tricky to find ‘breezy’ that has both structure and comfort.
Winters are always variable here; sometimes feet of snow accumulate over time, while there can be little with lots of slush. Temps are usually some version of cold; 0-45 F is a big range to dress for. Have a closet that usually morphs as needed year round.

September 1, 2022 at 8:02 am

cat2

Veteran

We have hotter longer summers. I have also stopped going to an air conditioned office every day, and so have not been wearing my light summer sweaters. They are now my light fall sweaters….

September 1, 2022 at 8:32 am

Mainelady

Veteran

Our summers do not seem much longer, but they do seem to be hotter and more humid. I purchased a couple of linen tops, 2 linen dresses and a pair of wide, long linen pants. All of these purchases have been in frequent rotation this summer. For next years hot and humid season, I will add a couple more pair of breezy linen pants in darker colors, for those hot days that sometimes show up in early September.

September 1, 2022 at 8:55 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I lived for most of my life in southern and eastern Ontario, where summer and winter are always extreme and the transitional seasons, as Merwoman mentioned, are variable in terms of temps and length. When I lived there, transitional season dressing was the hardest for me to get right — I never seemed to have the right items to make outfits that worked for the purpose.

I moved to the west coast in 2018. What I’ve found is that the mid-sized but robust high summer capsule that I built in Ontario continues to serve me well here — somewhat to my surprise, and I’m sure that’s all due to climate change. The light cotton tops and skirts and dresses and the shorts remain 100% necessary. Ditto sandals. High summer starts later here (typically not until July, whereas on Ontario much of June can be hot and sticky) and it does not last quite as long. (It can be hot until the third week of September in Ontario.) It’s not as humid here, as a rule (and thank goodness for that). But the hot sunny days are persistent — I live in an area with high summer drought. Based on this experience, I will continue to replenish my high summer capsule, more or less on a one-in-one-out basis as items that appeal to me show up at retail.

What’s surprised me a bit more than summer dressing is the fact that it has been unexpectedly colder and snowier the past few winters! I have even had cause to wear my big winter parkas! I never expected that. Granted, I walk a lot at night (when it is colder) but even so. I have also started to build my PNW coat capsule. It seems impossible to have too many coats in this climate. It’s not that it is the coldest place — it’s more that the temps and the conditions are so variable and outdoor activities so varied (from hiking to dining out to commuting by bike to a meeting) and one or two coats per season just will not cut it!

September 1, 2022 at 9:19 am

Greta

Yes, in the Netherlands the climate has changed and summers are much warmer en dryer. I bought a lot more clothes that are airy and from cotton, viscose or linen. I also wear more sandals.
But in winter I focus on warm clothes especially with the gas prices due to the war in Oekraïne.

September 1, 2022 at 9:37 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for your thoughts!

April, we can thrash out those challenges in a forum post if you like.

Eliza and Mainelady, I keep a close eye on Boston, MA and noticed how much hotter and stickier the Summer is

Sisi, Inge, anchie, Greta, Lyn67, I keep a close eye on Western and Southern Europe, and YES. VERY HOT Summer this year. I empathize

Suz, we live in the PNW, and yup – hotter Summers and colder Winters for three years straight. This is our new normal. And longer Summers that start later.

September 1, 2022 at 9:49 am

pirouette

Active Member

In Ireland we always have rain throughout the year. It’s easy to dress for spring autumn and winter as there’s not a huge variation in temperature. But this summer has been hot for us in the 20’s C which I know isn’t hot for many people. I have very few high summer clothes and definitely need to buy more for next year as I found it difficult to dress for warm weather. I don’t like hot weather at all so I find it difficult to buy for this season.

September 1, 2022 at 10:01 am

Kate

Veteran

In DC, our always hot, long summers are getting even hotter and more humid. I hate it; summer is my least favorite season. A few years ago, I had to replenish my pretty sad sack summer wardrobe, which I did grudgingly, but it has served me well. I added nothing to it this year but shoes; two pairs of sandals, which have both been winners.

Our springs, which were pretty minimal, are getting wetter, and our falls are pretty much disappearing. We seem to go from summer directly to mild winter. I love winter and have the sweaters and the outerwear to prove it—sadly my outerwear has been woefully underused the past several years. We have had next to no snow here in the last three or four years. I would dearly love to live in a four season climate again.

September 1, 2022 at 11:19 am

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

It seems Seattle summers may be adjusting to my wardrobe. Typically I have had a disproportionate number of sandals for our climate. After moving to Seattle from the Bay Area in California, I kept buying sandals for a number of years as if I still had a long summer in which to wear them! Now I think the situation is balancing out. I am trying to update my shorts capsule, and I would like to add another easy, knee-length summer dress.

September 1, 2022 at 11:38 am

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Suz, I’m with you on the coats, too. Gradually I have accumulated the coats to handle Pacific Northwest weather in comfort and style. It took a while! (And extra closet space.)

September 1, 2022 at 11:43 am

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Our mild maritime climate ie drizzly and cloudy has become a lot more extreme.Only today it has been in the news that it’s been our hottest summer on record and it was our driest winter just gone.As much as discussing clothing purchases can seem trivial in the face of the climate emergency we all still do have to get dressed and this is a style forum.Discussing clothing is our jam.So in this spirit l shall share that having given up wearing shorts and vest tops last year,l bought anew pair of shorts and two vest tops this year.l shall be adding ,next year,a white cotton voile shirt and a light white romantic style shirt if l can find one l like.l may also buy a loose summer dress .

September 1, 2022 at 11:50 am

rachylou

Veteran

It’s been different. You can see the effects on the vegetable garden most – a struggling harvest. We haven’t had a real, long, 100 degrees, hot summer nights streak yet (that may be this weekend tho). But it’s been generally warmer and more humid and with very little gloom (‘coldest winter I ever spent was summer in SF’ was not a thing this year). Just not so hot I’m in my cotton skirts at the bakery. This year I added the puffer vest from NAS, which never made sense before; now it does.

September 1, 2022 at 12:54 pm

kj2008

I like the wide leg pants!
We have 4 seasons, but lately summers are longer, winters shorter with less snow & more rain. I have mostly been working in the office. My warm weather wardrobe has taken a beating, but I’m really more worried about fall because I can make summer tops and skirts and dresses but my khakis are discontinued, my sweaters look tired, and my ankle boots and leather shoes fell apart.

September 1, 2022 at 1:44 pm

The Cat

Veteran

I haven’t needed to adapt my wardrobe to a changing climate. Being used to living in a four season climate with notable swings from year to year and even within each season, I make sure to have my basics and essentials covered at the beginning of each season. Among my priorities are comfortable underwear and hosiery, appropriate tops and outerwear plus practical footwear. Year round I prefer dressing in (light) layers that can easily be added or removed during the day.

September 1, 2022 at 2:51 pm

Sal

Veteran

NZ weather has always been unpredictable and changeable. The main difference is more extreme weather – droughts at times, bad storms with high rainfall and winds causing damage. Where I live is not badly affected but some regions definitely are. In terms of my closet – no special extra needs but on a wet winter my suede and nubuck boots don’t get much wear, and on a hot summer, toppers are rarely needed. It’s why I need to like pieces for several years and not edit too quickly.

September 1, 2022 at 3:25 pm

Katie

(Long, long-time lurker, possibly first-time commenter here!) I’m in the Chicago area, so while I have a wardrobe that covers all four seasons, I’ll echo others in saying that our summers are getting hotter and stickier, and I have less need for my warmest coats and sweaters. We seem to get less and less snow over the years, so my snow gear also gets less use.

While I have no great love of bitter cold weather, these changes break my heart. Thank you for bringing this topic up, Angie!

September 1, 2022 at 6:46 pm

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

Even during just the time I’ve been living here, the winters have become milder & the summers hotter than ever (still 90%+ humidity though) – I had to wear at least a jacket during my first Mid-autumn Festival here, but this year’s festival is next week yet I’m still sweating through my breezy dresses here!

Even back home, we had a record breaking 39C degrees – at least I was (somewhat) prepared for it

Clothing wise, I definitely need to stock up on more breezy yet work appropriate clothes, for the sake of avoiding laundry bottlenecks (I used to be able to rely on it becoming cooler by the time I went back to work, but not anymore!)

September 2, 2022 at 4:18 am

Joy

Veteran

I forgot about drought and then flooding. Fire and wind are not a good combination. More snow means snow boots and non skid soles are essential. I need to plan for power outages more than my wardrobe. I want a new wool winter coat. After reading responses here, I’m going to stick to puffers. My only wool coat was not worn at all last year. I need to rethink wool coats.

September 2, 2022 at 6:38 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Very, very interesting. Lots of similar experiences.

September 2, 2022 at 9:11 am

Tillie

Recently I moved from the tropics back home to a more temperate area. I was looking forward to being reunited with my cold weather clothes only to realise that they sucked! I had a few nice items but was very lacking in basics. I’ve spent the last few months getting some good essentials, and a couple of things I regret buying.
I can’t tell if it’s colder than previous years or if I’m just not used to it anymore; I ordered some thermal underwear the day after I got back.

September 3, 2022 at 8:36 pm

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