Summer is “officially” over in the northern hemisphere, and with that comes cooler temperatures. Over the next set of posts I’m going to talk about Autumn bridging pieces. These are pieces that increase the ROI of items already in your closet, thereby making your transition from Summer wardrobe to Autumn wardrobe cost effective. In some instances you will have all of the pieces and it’s just a question of putting them together; in other instances you might need to purchase a piece or two.

Here are some of your options:

• Layering up an existing Summer ensemble with a cardigan, which is available in all shapes, sizes and stitch types and is far from boring or frumpy.
• Layering up a Summer dress can end up becoming the most versatile and interesting option in your wardrobe.
• Adding a vest (or “waistcoat”) is a particularly fashionable choice this season and a trendy twist on office wear.
• Re-inventing a Summer ensemble with the appropriate accessories like hose, tights, scarves, hats, handbags and closed shoes can add the perfect Autumn dimension.

We’ll discuss each of these in more detail over the next few days so that you can get the best bang for your fashion buck as temperatures begin to cool. Particularly if your fashion budget is tight, a thoughtful bridging strategy is the way to go.

Tell us about your own bridging strategies in the comments.

Last season was all about the ankle bootie; this season is all about the Oxford. Once again it’s not quite a pump and not quite a boot, but somewhere in between. I thoroughly enjoy fashion trends that take a masculine silhouette and give them a feminine twist. This sassy lace-up is the perfect example and forms part of the androgynous trend you’ll be seeing more of as the season unfolds. Ideal for knee-length dresses, skirts, skinnies, suits, jeans and wide leg pants, the old-school Oxford will give any Autumn outfit a completely new and hip edge. If you fancy the style, it’s definitely the shoe to make an existing business casual wardrobe pop.

This particular ped is a 70’s flashback. I remember my late mother gliding through the streets of Hong Kong in a mushroom suede and patent pair much like the Steve Madden Oxford Pump (top left below). How she strode through a bustling city in shoes like that with children in tow and crowds to dodge remains a mystery. Impressive. As soaring heel heights continue to trend, my fashion hope is that this somewhat conservative looking “it” shoe comes out with a conservative heel height. A stable 2-inch stacked heel would be fab. My eyes are peeled!

I’m all for etiquette and manners, but this rule was made to be broken. I couldn’t find a single definitive version of the rule, but if Wikipedia is to be believed…

“In actuality, the etiquette originally stated that white shoes were the taboo while white or “winter white” clothes were acceptable. This custom is fading from popularity as it continues to be questioned and challenged, particularly by leaders in the fashion world.”

wiseGEEK provides two theories on where this custom originated: One, that the rule serves as a reminder that white clothing is impractical in Winter and two, that the rule was part of a program to educate the nouveau riche…

“Older society families were concerned about the fashion etiquette of more recent additions, and established a complex code of fashion rules to guide them.”

Something in common with all of the theories is that the original motivation is now outmoded. So by all means, wear white shoes or clothes before Easter and after Labor Day. White reflects the sun and keeps you cool, which makes it the perfect colour to wear in places where the weather is hot during this period.

We at youlookfab wish you a very happy Labor Day.

This Autumn season is for purple lovers. The writing was on the wall towards the end of the Spring 2007 season when glimpses of vivid violet started appearing in very small doses amongst the multitudes of black, white, red, yellow and cobalt items in stores. I distinctly remember seeing a magnificent, bright purple suede Prada ballet flat at Nordstrom in May. It stood out like a sore thumb and this was a sign. When top designers introduce “a new colour” into their collections at the end of a season, fashion buyers often test a few items of that new colour in stores almost immediately. This is precisely what happened to “it” colours like yellow and cobalt a few seasons ago. The early experiments make it possible to spot future colour trends. This was the basis of my hunch about purple being big for Autumn and sure enough, it’s by far the most popular jewel tone. There’s purple clothing everywhere at the moment.

This particular shade of blue-purple is the colour that reminds me most of my Flashdance 80’s fashion days. I personally like it best with magenta, warm mustard yellow, grey and black (but not all at once). Love it or loath it, purple is the “it” colour this season and its richness has certainly spiced up Autumn’s traditionally dark palette. If head-to-toe in this royal hue is a little too much for you, sport a shoe or handbag in purple instead.