How do you manage your wardrobe seasons? - YouLookFab Forum

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How do you manage your wardrobe seasons?

Helena

Veteran

Hi all, now that I've finished my summer clear-out, my fashion thoughts have turned to fall (even though it's still sweltering and there's time yet before the leaves turn!).

I had a (rather obvious, now that I've had it) revelation that I've been trying to manage wardrobe seasons in a silly way. Although I know that our weather tends towards extremes, I'm always trying to wardrobe plan on a quarterly basis. Duh.

Anyhow, now that I think of it, I think our seasons here in the GTA looks something like this:

- spring - mid April to early June (approx. 1.5 months)
- summer - early June to mid September (approx. 3.5 months)
- autumn - mid September to mid November (approx 2 months)
- winter - mid November to mid April (approx. 5 months, *sheds single tear slowly*)

What say you Canadians - does that seem about right for planning purposes (noting, of course, that it can not be divided quite so cleanly, and there are always weird years of hot Thanksgivings and blizzarding Easters). What would you correct?

Those from other locations, how do your seasons break-out for planning purposes? When are you doing your summer to fall (or winter to spring for those in the southern hemisphere) changeover?

General

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Sal

Veteran

Yes the seasons are not even!! I agree spring can be very short and often cold (windy here). I used to be freezing in spring until I worked out that sundresses with a light cardigan were not going to work.......

I feel happier since I started more of an all season wardrobe. I suspect my highs and lows temperature wise are closer together though.

Excluding gear and occasion wear:

Bulk of my wardrobe - about 45 pieces - worn all year
Spring/Summer - about 30 pieces
Fall/Winter - about 8 pieces

Summer (mid Nov-mid March) 4 months
Fall (mid March-May) 2.5 months
Winter (June-mid Sept) 3.5 months
Spring (mid Sept-mid Nov) 2 months

In mid-late Sept I will put away any true winter clothes that I am sick of and bring out a few of my spring pieces. Maybe my long sleeve linen blouses, midi dresses and sandals. I also review my summer needs more thoroughly.

In late October/early November I will remove all my winter pieces and bring forward all my summer pieces including shorts/sundresses etc

In mid March I tend to put away the high summer shorts/sundresses and make sure all my boots are out. And then I remove all the summer pieces and bring out coats etc again in early May,

It looks unbalanced with far more summer items than winter - and it is a bit - but my trans seasonal items are usually perfect from March-November with a few coats and boots added to the mix. Things like jeans, blazers, cotton sweaters tend to stay in the closet all year. I do a bit of swapping out if I am sick of something or in categories where I am well stocked (eg long sleeve tees where I have four, I might keep two out for summer and store two).

I don't really differentiate with fall and spring as the temperatures are similar with a couple of exceptions of blouses.

Helena

Veteran

This is a smart approach Sal - I want it to decide cleanly but of course it doesn't. I was going to ask about the spring/fall bit, so glad you mentioned ... I find they are functionally the same, but in spring I want to wear a lighter, brighter palette than fall, so I can differentiate a few accents items by colour (even though they might be the same otherwise). Your wardrobe is a little tighter than mine number-wise and you are inspiring me to look for excess as I go through the next few seasons!

Tammyb

What a great way to think of it!
Ours (NYC vicinity) is usually:
Spring: April- early June (2 months)
Summer: Early June - early September (3 months)
The Fall tease- when I am DYING to wear boots and sweaters but it’s still too hot but not yet soo hot that I can’t be tricked into it some morning gs while getting dressed : early September - early October (1 month)
Real fall: October - Mid December (2 months....not long enough!)
Winter: mid-December - early March (3 months)
The Spring tease and sometimes winter boomerang: March (1 month)

I had an all season wardrobe for a while but now I find that I like to have a circulation. The bulk of mine is for cold weather though, since I prefer fall and winter clothes.

Helena

Veteran

Tammy, 100 percent agree, fall and spring are too short and tease-y! I am going to work on accepting winter and buy at least one new coat so I don't want to start a bonfire with the one I have this year lol!!

Joy

Veteran

I have mentioned before that I am happier identifying 6 seasons. Besides the 4 main seasons I found that hot summer became hot fall lasting until November. I made a capsule that I bring out in late August or early September, of items in breezy fabrics but in autumn colors and wear more earth-toned neutrals like browns and olive. Winter gets so long that right after Thanksgiving I bring out colorful and brights for the holidays. After New Years it is the coldest time. I tend to stick to neutrals in black and greys and hope to add some dark green. I wear these for two months, then in mid February switch to “cold spring “ items ( warm woolies in spring and brights). This is also a time I like to wear navy and whites as neutrals. Gradually I change over to transitional items as the weather warms up some. The cold spring and hot autumn items keep me feeling like my wardrobe is refreshed. I am even trying to cycle through neutrals although they were bought more with the idea of spanning seasons. Motifs in patterns and jewelry change too. Summer= shells and nautical and some boho. Fall is leaf patterns, dark florals. Winter is snow flakes and sparkle. Spring is florals in brighter colors, butterflies. I hope this helps. Suz deserves lots of the idea credit and Angie has had some great posts for adding touches to an outfit, especially for spring.

Sal

Veteran

I think it does depend so much on climate and even hemisphere. Holiday season here is summer so our needs for Christmas or other festive events are different. It does make winter long and dreary though...

Helena - I agree re the light too. And I quite like having a couple of things that I wear intensively for six weeks and then put them aside. My cornflower blue blouse is perfect in spring and does not feel right in summer (too hot) and winter/fall (wrong colour).

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Anonymous

I like what Joy does, and aspire to similar! To me its more weather needs based, since we have about 100 degrees of variation in temps. Starting to plan on a series of little weather and silouette based capsules.

Jan-Feb and sometimes early March: regular to bitter cold 40-below 0, sometimes snow, hibernating weather! All the cold weather stuff comes out, including hats/gloves
March-April: cold to transitional. 40s-some 60s. Often rain. I often buy some lighter colors, florals at this time, cause Summer Is Coming. But I carry about 6 different toppers/shoes in the car for changing conditions.
May-early June: Life is good Mid 70s-80s and not humid yet! Full on summer clothes without the sweating. Most likely to shop b&m, until DST ends!
June-September: Hot. Humid. Full stop. Rain only comes with thunderstorms. Not complaining Skirts, sleeveless, sandals 100% (+ little indoor topper as needed).
October: see May! Summer things + light topper for early and late. Mixed summer and winter things: ie skirt + sandals + sleeved blouse.
November, December: see April-but my colors are in the shops! And the holiday colections are in and make me happy! Generally fully covered, aside from one off warm days. Pants or skirts/dresses w tights, sleeves, usually boots/booties, coats. Usually hats, gloves aren't yet needed.

Helena

Veteran

Quite right Joy - we have chatted about this before haven't we ... Thanks for indulging me! Suntiger, the temperature swings are the hardest to manage!

Christina F.

Veteran

I’m laughing at Tammy’s accurate description of the nyc area.

I end up switching things out of storage four times a year - I do partial switches in early spring and early fall. That way, I have a range of items in my closet during transitional periods.

Anonymous

I’m almost identical to you , Helena , except I refuse to acknowledge winter after late March and will not wear anymore wool ,or anything remotely wintery at that point . I even start to abandon boots . I still go by a 4 season wardrobe , and often blur the lines as to what’s in my closet at any given point in the season . I’ll start phasing out light colours soon , and will likely switch out some foot wear as well . I’m not sure how else to manage a normal - size closet where I can’t have everything out at once .

Anonymous

Oh and I will generally put most my cold weather things away in May, though keep transitional things (mules, sandal booties, thin dresses w sleeves, short and 1/2 sleeves, crops) for the rare cooler day.
Hot weather things I put away in Dec, though skirts stay year round. Except transitional things and a couple sandals-sometimes its in the 70s for a few days in Dec

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, the season situation is a pure nightmare in the SF Bay Area. There is temperature and then there is light and there are the microclimates that change every two blocks.

I do two major closet switches every year - spring/summer and fall/winter. These collections are very complex. Cold Sun, Hot Days/Cold Nights, Hot All Day and Night, Cold All Day and Night, Hot Rain, Cold Rain, Wind, Hot Fog, Cold Fog, Hot Sun/Cold Shade, Long Days, Short Days... Right now I’m wearing a sundress, slides, and fuzzy jogger knee pants. Kids are going back to school and yet this is when the gardens take off and it’s time for dinner outside.

Anyways, my closet is divided into these mini-capsules. Reaching for the top shelf this week. Looking at 100F temps.

Sal

Veteran

I actually love and look forward to the switcheroo.....

And I do agree for people with looooong winters or summers that having a little refresh can be so worthwhile. Light colour sweater for the end of winter, or maybe dark colour clothing for the end of summer.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm nodding along with you, Helena. I would say Kingston's seasons are identical to what you describe here, or nearly so. Our winter is actually a touch longer (SOB) and our spring slightly shorter or cooler.. Also, our fall isn't as long or pleasant. I used to do what Joy describes and subdivide seasons -- i.e. warm fall and cool fall. Cold spring and real spring.

Vancouver's more temperate and the light is different but I still can't get away with a largely "all season" closet as Sal manages. I do, however, have more items that cross seasons, and I also need to leave more of my wardrobe in the main closet in case of need mid season.

It's true that temperature wise spring and fall (or portions thereof) can be similar. (Although I find this is much more true in a temperate climate than in a climate of extremes like Ontario's.) But there's the angle of light to consider. Still, you can wear the same jeans in spring/ fall, and much of winter. Some of the same blazers and boots and sweaters and sneakers. So a lot of that wardrobe is true crossover. Whereas deep winter and true summer require a different set of clothes.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Summer = NOT long enough

Winter = TOO long

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Our summer and winter are distinct but I do keep all my clothes in my (very generous) Ikea wall closet all year. Roughly we have 6 months of summer (May-October) and 3 months of winter (Dec.-Feb.) and months that can go either way in between. It only rains in the winter, but not all the time and the temperatures never go below freezing and the highs are usually in the 60sF/upper teens C.
Clothes wise, everyone pulls out their boots as soon as it is below 80F though and so do I!

Gigi

Veteran

We have a similar seasonal division here. I like the "spring tease and winter boomerang"! Very apt.

I have to be careful not to buy too much spring stuff, because that season really doesn't last too long. I can be a little more generous with fall stuff, because a lot of it can work for winter with the addition of some silk underwear underneath.

I'm like you in that even though fall and spring can be similar temperature wise, I prefer wearing paler colors in spring and darker colors in fall.

Astrid

Veteran

I don't switch clothes with the seasons, I have everything in the same wardrobe. The change happens kind of naturally, because the things I'm wearing are of course also laundered and are then put into the wardrobe on top of the pile. So in the winter my long pants are automatically on top of the shorts...

I have a bit of a divide with my hangers, the left door is summer dresses, the right door more of all seasonal skirts, tops and jackets. And my wool sweaters have a pile of their own, they aren't mixed in with the others. Oh and my winter coats and jackets are stored in a box on top of the wardrobe.

SarahD8

Veteran

For me it’s:

High summer: early-mid July - early September (4th of July or bastille day through Labor Day)
Fall transitional/Indian summer: early September- fall equinox
Fall: equinox - late November
Holiday: American thanksgiving (late November) - New Years
Deep winter: early January- end of February
Cold spring: March- mid to late May
Summer transitional/June gloom: late May - whenever summer starts

Complicated, but all that is driven by quirky Pacific Northwest climate (with year to year variations) crossed with what “feels” right culturally.

Nitsirk

Toronto Girl - I live in your GTA geographical zone but grew up in New Brunswick. I have been in Ontario since 2002. I completed my undergrad in Quebec and my masters in Nova Scotia. Each spot has its special idiosyncrasies and challenges with respect to wardrobe. Your seasonal definitions and time demarcations for the GTA are spot-on. I find it challenging to keep up with wardrobe management because I live in a small house with precious little closet space. I love variety in my wardrobe and enjoy being responsive to the elements with my sartorial choices. This makes the management that much more complex. Thanks for capturing your metacognitive process above. It helps me to be more realistic in my thinking about volume of wardrobe items corresponding to length of season and the anticipatory component of timing the inevitable shifts in and out of my closet.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

What’s the GTA? - guessing the Greater Toronto area? We call ours the “Auckland region”.
Sal has pretty much done my work for me in her post. I have found I’ve divided my year ( on my tracking lists) into a 3/4 which I’ve called Autumn/Winter/Spring, and a 1/4 which I’ve just called Summer. That’s because we have a pretty temperate climate here in northern NZ ( Sal is about 2 hours south of me, the next big city away). Essentially I can wear most of the same stuff for about 9 months. It’s only mid-winter that I wear the merino tops rather than the cotton ones, or wear skivvies- which might be called mock turtlenecks to you. Or jumpers/sweaters. When I was swapping out in our old house, it was hardest to fit the stuff I needed into my closest in those longer transitional times.
The best solution ATM was my beautiful new home and walk-in wardrobe that fits everything in the one space !

Mainelady

Veteran

We have 4 distinct seasons here, each with their own subsets:

Summer ranges from Cool Summer to Hot Summer. Mid June-Mid Sept.
Autumn ranges from Crisp mornings to Chilly Days. Mid Sept-late Nov.
Winter ranges from Cold to Colder to Coldest then back to Cold. Also toss in the inevitable Mud Season. Late Nov- end of March.
Spring ranges from Pretedning it’s Spring to an Actual Warm SprIng. Includes Blackfly Season. April- mid June.

My fall and winter wardrobes are much larger than my spring and summer wardrobes. I really don’t have much of a spring wardrobe. I just shift gears slowly from Actual Warm Spring to Cool Summer. I choose lighter colors and different accessories. I refuse to wear socks and forearms and ankles make their appearances.

Luckily I have plenty of closet space, so I don’t need to rotate clothing between seasons. Is it a sad comment that our coat closet is the largest one in the house? It also stores all of our rain, snow and work boots.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Just coming back to this. My tracking and Sal’s “wear all my winter clothes challenge” made me realise that I must limit certain categories. I have 5 merino tops that can have tunics or jackets over them, but also 3 warm jumpers that would be worn instead, because it would be too hot to wear the jumpers over the tops. And realistically perhaps only 40 days in midwinter that are cold enough to wear them. So that’s 8 items for 40 days. No wonder it is hard to wear things enough! They can’t get more than 5 wears a year each on average. And would have to be kept for 6 years to make 30 wears. So when some pass that mark or wear out, I need a mantra that says do not replace, do not replace. I should not own more than maybe 4 items like that. This helped me recently avoid buying another very nice merino top that was a beautiful rusty-bronze colour. Was tempted but thought hard and resisted!

Style Fan

Veteran

I am about 2.5 hours north of Toronto. I use to live near Toronto. I have noticed a few differences in the seasons. However, we travel more in the winter (thankfully).

Winter - November to April. That's right. 6 months. And to make it more interesting winter is colder and harsher that in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
Autumn - Late August to November. Sort of. We are already feeling a touch of Fall in the air. Fine by me. I love Fall.
Summer - Sometime in May to Late August. Sort of. We can have very hot days in September and even October.
Spring - A few weeks in April or May. Flooding usually occurs.

We travel for about 3 months in the winter. For the last 7 years we went South so I had 2 more months of warm weather. This year we are going to Montreal for the winter.

I have gone through this process before. I like fall clothes the best. Unfortunately, Fall is significantly shorter than my dominant season, which is winter. My winter wardrobe is in a sorry state. I really need to go out and buy some winter boots, bottoms, etc. I do not need more fall boots.

Jules

Veteran

I could go on about this in various aspects for a while! I think one of the most useful things for me is thinking in terms of silhouettes/formulas.
Winter is skinny jeans + boots. variety comes from toppers, scarves, etc, but the general theme is long over lean. I buy new skinny jeans every year but it’s not a stressful hunt because they are widely available for most of the year. I demote old pairs to wear at home as they get stretched out and worn thin.
Spring and Fall is when I can do more fun options like ankle pants and oxfords, and blazers and other bulkier toppers as outerwear. More layering, more experimentation. I probably overspend in this category proportionately, but it’s the most fun and items tend to last for many years. It’s also where I score the most interesting footwear on sale.
Summer is for dresses, plus pretty, gauzy or eyelet tops over cropped jeans. This year I added in trendier volume over volume with boxy shorter tops over wider pants. I guess I’m in a bit of a transition phase here with several formulas going. I tend to overbuy for summer because stock starts coming out in April and I know it will be gone when I really need it. Next year I may try waiting until June and dealing with whatever the consequences are...

Helena

Veteran

Oh my gosh friends, between the tears of laughter and the wise ideas, I'm so glad I asked this question, even if it's repetitive! I read every comment carefully; sorry if I miss anything but every word was read and appreciated!

Jules, what a helpful way of looking at it - silhouette seasons!
Stylefan, yes! Winter is the longest but most neglected season in my closet. Then I whinge that I'm cold and bored of my puffer. *sigh*
Jenni, sorry, yes GTA = greater Toronto area, and yes, you nailed it - overbuying for short seasons (or the fun ones, as Jules says) is an issue for me too - to be reconciled this year.
Mainelady, I'm dying at your description of spring Spring SUCKS in the north-east, doesn't it??
Nitsirk, glad you joined in!
Sarah, even though we are on opposite ends of the continent, actually your breakdown would be perfect for me too. I love the 'holiday season' idea - when I pretend I'm in a Hallmark movie and the snow's not really cold and Starbucks has the red cups lol!
Astrid, love your easygoing approach.
Gigi, yes - one purchase for spring is plenty really for me - one bright piece to cheer me up - whereas fall mostly works for winter once I've put a giant coat on top!
Shevia, who doesn't love boot season?
Angie, LOL! Well summarized
Suz and Sal, you've got me thinking of sub-dividing winter and actually scheduling a little refresh maybe around February - when the fatigue starts to set in and a little boost would be good!
Rachy, I am laughing my head off ONLY because of how astutely accurate your seasonal descriptions are - so true, cold rain, warm rain, cold fog lol ... it's a wonder we ever leave the house hahah!! Also, got me realizing I need to stop minimizing my jacket collections - I legit need a real variety of jackets!
Lisa, AMEN. There are no boots and puffers come April. I'd sooner freeze.
Christina, yes - it's the transitions that are tripping me up; whereas, why don't I just sub-divide them into two (mentally) to make my life easier? Smart.

Have a beautiful Tuesday friends! 28C and sunny today, so I can put fall dreaming aside for today

The Cat

Veteran

In "my" part of Scandinavia, my wardrobe seasons are like this:
● Spring starts mid March, or when the temperature at noon for several days is 5°C or more.
● Summer starts mid May, or when the temperature at noon for several days is 15°C or more.
● Fall starts late September, or when the temperature at noon for several days is below 15°C.
● Winter starts late November, or when the temperature at noon for several days is below 5°C.

Helena

Veteran

That's a very wise way of dividing it up!

Related - I happened upon a packing guide for Toronto; it sort of broke down the seasons by 'clothing-weather' pattern - another helpful resource for the seasonally frustrated!

nemosmom

Veteran

It's only my second year in Chicago, but it seems our seasons are not even either. Last year we had only a week or two of spring before it got crazy hot; and Halloween was in the 70's. This year, spring was cold and rainy well into June... We still get those wacky periods of snow in April and hot spots in the fall, but it seems to (roughly) break out like this:

Spring: Mid-may to sometime in June
Summer: mid-June to mid-September
Fall: late September to mid-November
Winter: late November to mid-May

My approach is similar to Sal and Joy's. The majority of my closet is essential year-round pieces (jeans, short and long sleeve tees or lightweight knits, a handful of jackets, sneakers or flats) then I switch accessories and add toppers depending on the weather. I am keeping a tighter palette these days and will bring out different supporting color capsules (thanks, LaPed!) in the spring and fall to help the year-round pieces feel fresh(ish).

In mid-September I will bring out fall layers (wool coats, velvet blazer, boots, woven scarves). Just before Thanksgiving I will clean and put away my sandals, linen pants, delicate bracelets, and tank tops and pull out the winter sweaters, knitted scarves, and parka. Those stay in rotation until mid-May when I FEEL like throwing every item out the window but instead, I edit out worn sweaters and clean all the snow coats and gear for storage. I wait until June to pull out sandals and summery pieces, since the rain is unpredictable.

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