Buying for fall in springtime? - YouLookFab Forum

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Buying for fall in springtime?

Anonymous

Just curious to know something: Do you buy things in the springtime with the intention of wearing them in both spring and fall?

I have a LOT of sweaters to replace (five or six) and am thinking that a lot of them could be replaced with spring sweaters. I am always disappointed by fall colours (except navy). I’m not a huge fan of warm muted colours, which don’t look that great with my complexion.

Thoughts?

Shopping

25 replies

Latest reply was from

LaPed

Veteran

I say go for it. Buy the colours you like when they are available. From what I've seen you have a very consistent palette. I bought a very springy striped cashmere last year, in May, and it got plenty of wear throughout the winter. Cheerful colours are great when it's cold and grey outside. Plus, most of the sweaters, even the spring colours, end up marked down as summer approaches, so maybe you can get a good deal too.

delurked

Veteran

I’m not opposed in theory. I think you should get colors and styles when they are available. If you keep your standards high they could be something to look forward to come fall. If you like to shop new for fall, leave some space to add at that point. One downside is if you have any quality issues the return window could be closed.

Bijou

Veteran

Yes most definitely. I prefer spring colours and so will buy spring sweaters, jackets and coats and wear them in fall, because my winters are mild. In fact, because I live in Australia, we get European imports at the same time as the Northern Hemisphere, so spring clothing is available in fall for us in designer and high street (Zara, Top Shop, Cos, Massimo Dutti etc) brand merchandise.

Helena

Veteran

Definitely Smittie - my spring and fall wardrobes are pretty interchangeable, although I often add something bright for spring and something cozier for fall - but the basics are more or less the same.

Sara L.

Veteran

I do this because sweaters go on sale in the spring sometimes. I know my taste in sweaters isn't going to change in 6 months when I'll be wearing them.

kkards

Veteran

I've actually thought about this a lot...i do think there is some spring and fall over lap, but...often I want a lighter fabric in the spring and a heavier on for fall....for example, i'll wear a dark linen sweater in the spring, but it feels "off" to me to wear for all but the early days of September. on the other hand. so I end up with some pieces that work for both, but then other pieces that don't....I'm still trying to find the right ratio....

Colette

Veteran

Yes! I realized a few years ago that my fall/early winter sweaters also get worn in spring so I don’t hesitate to buy ‘spring’ sweaters.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm like kkards -- I have to pay attention to fabrication. I'm not against it in principle but some things that feel right in spring to me feel less right in fall and vice versa. On the other hand, wintery sweaters (e.g. cashmere or merino) in spring colours are a slam dunk for our climate. You can bet there will be days when it will still be cold enough for sweaters here but we'll feel like "lightening up."

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Yep , I do.l think as long as you remember how cold it gets in the winter and buy accordingly it can work.I ve had some really good cashmere bargains bought in the heat of summer.

rachylou

Veteran

My only thing is spring sweaters are cotton - not as warm, that is.

Runcarla

Veteran

Doh! I don't think I differentiate between spring sweaters and fall sweaters. Most of my closet (with a few exceptions) gets worn year 'round.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I don't. Spring/Summer knitwear is VERY different - and I wear Winter knitwear - (although it's BRIGHT cashmere) - in the Spring too. I buy those items in Fall/Winter.

Sal

Veteran

Funnily enough spring here is often cooler than autumn.

I have a couple of lighter weight jackets and sweaters that mostly get worn in spring or autumn rather than summer or winter. If you buy them now you may well get a month of wear and then pull out again in a few months time. Sounds good to me.

Anonymous

Thanks Ladies.

I hear you on fabrication and think I will wait.

jussie

Veteran

I go for different colours in autumn. I like to start introducing some black, mustard, dark teal, black tights and footwear, orange.
In spring I like coral, yellow, cobalt etc. just a different vibe.
Of course I don’t stick to this everyday! In fact we’ve had an unusually warm autumn so far so we’re still wearing summer clothes at the moment. But as soon as it cools down I’ll start introducing the traditional autumn colours.
However I say do whatever makes you happy!! There’s no rules anymore yay! Good luck with the shopping.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I don't usually buy in spring at all, except for summer clothes, so I guess you could say that I buy in fall for three seasons. I'm not one who is ever eager to get into spring colors come March or April, so that makes sense for me.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I've decided to go for a year round wardrobe. The spring summer/ fall winter pack and unpack year after year was not fun for me and exhausting. I say buy what you love.

Anonymous

Interesting reads. I hear others ‘ take on seasonal weight, fabric etc and it makes a lot of sense but I think my actual behavior is probably closer to LeDonna’s. A good chunk of my wardrobe can span many months because I am big on layering. Since I limit my color palette I buy more for specific color and feel of fabric’s ability to layer and hence “seize the day” when I find it.

The Cat

Veteran

Where I live, spring and fall are short seasons, so I have in fact promised myself not to buy anything that will be worn in one of those seasons ONLY. A "spring item" or a "fall item" has to be wearable in at least one additional season.

That said, I enjoy wearing styles/colours/patterns/fabrics that somehow reflect or harmonize with the actual season. When it comes to sweaters, these are among the ones that I will happily wear in fall as well as in spring:

● thin turtlenecks in solid deep pink, red, blue, offwhite and medium grey
● thick offwhite turtleneck sweater
● thin floral turtleneck in wine + white + grey + black
● thin white turtleneck with black stripes
● thin cardigan in solid purple
● thick offwhite crewneck sweater with a sparse black pattern
● thin crewnecks in blue, light grey and medium grey
● thin stripey crewneck in grey + purple + offwhite
● long cardigans in offwhite, light grey, and icy white with black stripes

Brooklyn

Veteran

I do. I wear the same colours in both seasons. Both seasons I would wear mostly cotton sweaters so I wouldn’t differentiate. I divide my year up into:

Cold (June-August) -wool sweaters
Cool (May, September and maybe early October) - cotton sweaters
Warm (late October-April) - no sweaters!

As Sally says, we tend to have a warmer Autumn overall than Spring. Plus as Bijou says we get all the northern hemisphere stuff from spring in our autumn and vice versa.

Staysfit

Veteran

Many of my clothes cross seasons, but sweaters are harder for me to adapt across seasons unless they are light weight cardigans for indoor use when it chilly, in a neutral color, and there is a limit to how many of these one needs in a wardrobe.

LaPed

Veteran

Hmm, I definitely have not had difficulty finding wool and cashmere knitwear in late spring. I guess I'm thinking more of companies that specialize in knitwear, like Pure Collection and Woolovers -- both release spring collections that are warm enough for winter wear, just not your typical fall/winter colours. But it seems that companies like Boden, J Crew, BR, etc all do merinos and cashmeres in springy colours this time of year.

I really wish I could find more cotton sweaters -- I don't see a lot that catch my eye. I have a thick cotton cardi that I thought was a spring piece, but I wore it about a dozen times this winter...

Anonymous

Interesting to hear about your approaches to sweater-buying.

I think I might have been looking for permission to buy more stuff this spring, and I really shouldn’t

LaP: thanks for the woolovers mention. Had not heard of them but they seem like a great resource.

anchie

Veteran

I don’t. For me spring/summer and fall/winter are two very distinctive seasons and I rarely mix them up. Diifference is mostly in fabrics and colors. My fall/winter wardrobe is mostly neutral and heavily based on black, while my spring/summer wardrobe is very colorful and no black at all. But if you are more consistent within seasons, why not?

Anonymous

I absolutely buy in Spring and stock pile for Autumn/Winter. Jcrew for one, has appropriate weight sweaters marked down at Winters end and in Spring & I like lots of color year round.