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Rushing seasons?

LoveSarahDub

(website)

I am a notorious 'season rusher'. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where all four seasons had a reasonably even amount of time each year, and weather was generally predictable within each season. Here in Arkansas, it feels more like a year consists of half summer and half winter, and maybe it feels like fall or spring for mere weeks in between. I have always preferred cold-weather style: boots, leggings, and fabulous jackets; it has always been easier for me to pull off a great look in the colder months. Not to mention, far less days of sweaty makeup and humidity-ravaged hair! I've been known to break out boots while others are still wearing shorts, but to me, even if it's still almost 70 degrees in early November, it is still time to wear your winter wardrobe. My family gets a kick of my dilemma (my face may be cherry red and I'm running a slight fever, but this sweater dress looks fabulous, darn it!) but to me, a season is a season, regardless of the weather. What does everyone else think?

Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from LoveSarahDub

Pawprints

Yep.

I also grew up with 4 solid seasons. I live south of you (but I love Arkansas) and have April 15-October 15 Summer with warm transition (hard to call it spring or fall) in November, February, and March. Winter can include shorts or tees for some during warm spells.

Like you I am so attracted to sweaters, layers, boots, all that good style stuff. I feel underdone all the long summer no matter what I do.

But I actually hate cold weather and love sun and palm trees and wouldn't go back to long snowy winters, so it's a dilemma by choice.

I always have too many winter clothes and not enough summer ones. I start putting together my "fall" wardrobe (can we say imaginary life) when the kids go back to school in early August and the Canadians and the Yanks near their border start actually wearing a sweater or little boot during cool evenings or days. I put on my aged breezy linen top, pull my hair back and dream about blazers, cashmere sweaters, and tights.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I go by weather, and sometimes that gets tedious, because even though fall/ winter dressing is my favourite, too, we have really LONG winters here in Canada! I guess that means we need to make the most of our short summers, even if they are difficult to dress for.

The other factor that's important, I think -- and often overlooked -- is light. The quality of light changes, or at least it changes here -- maybe not so much nearer the equator? Anyway -- I am drawn to, and even, to some extent, look good in, different colours in summer vs. fall and winter. So I understand your urge to switch up the clothing on that basis alone.

I guess in your position I would be hunting for autumn toned clothing that is lightweight. Linen instead of wool, or light tropical wools, for example. It might be difficult to find, but I know there is some of it out there.

Pawprints

Great point about light Suz. Even here it makes a difference.

It's not just the temp but the light that makes me crave the reds in winter that are too heavy in color in summer, and hate the navy blues in winter that I want to live in during summer.

Navy feels dulled and chilled in winter light to me, but a settling balm against the bright hot sun of summer. Grey is friendly with winter light, somehow. Pink can fade in winter light but then glow in summer. I'm not very visual or articulate about color, but light quality seems to get less credit than it deserves when we think about colors in season.

JulieJohn

Veteran

This is my exact problem right now, and every year at this time. Even as a kid, I remember sweltering in jeans at the start of the school year, because I wanted to wear my fall clothes before fall really came.

I am trying to accumulate some lightweight, fall-colored items. I don't use them in the summer because I want them to feel special when September rolls around.

So far I have a couple of lightweight fall blouses, one in orange and one in rust. A lightweight tee with 3/4 sleeves in purple. And a pair of lightweight skinny jeans in blue denim. I can see just by writing this that I need to keep beefing up this hot-fall wardrobe.

I could really use a lightweight plaid dress, just like I used to get for back-to-school, but this time I'll skip the knee socks!

rae

(website)

Veteran

Same as JulieJohn here! I would bundle up and suffer in September. Especially tough, because I never really liked "spring" colors anyway. I still have the same problem now, because I want to wear heavy boots and coats, but I don't spend much time outside at all anymore. Itching for some cool weather travel!

rachylou

Veteran

The light makes a big difference. I don't break out the spring gear until the sun is a certain height. Temps matter a lot too. Our hot weather comes in Fall, so it's summer until then.

Thistle

Veteran

I am all about the temperature outside. Although, I do tend to rush summer a little more as it is so darn short here!

I am trying to squeeze a few more weeks of wear out of my summer pieces as the long cold fall and winter of the frozen tundra that is Wisconsin is about to be upon me. I really, really want to keep wearing sandals!!

LoveSarahDub

(website)

JulieJohn, I went shopping yesterday and picked up a few things to get me started, but I feel like I should be beefing up as well! I bought 2 pairs of skinny jeans, one light blue denim and one dark blue denim; I probably won't wear them too often yet since I'm short and am not thrilled by the way my legs look in skinny jeans and flat sandals Maybe with heels, but those don't come out quite as often now that I have a 9 month old! I generally stick to a boyfriend or bootcut jean during the summer. But I also got a blue short-sleeved sweater (with spikes/studs all over the shoulders!) and two sheer button-downs with rolled sleeves, one black and one burgandy. They are light weight will work now and down the road.

I'll be hoping for some not-so-painfully hot weather in the next month. Come on fall!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Heh, I move from Tahoe to FL so much my seasons are mind boggling at this point. 8 months of summer followed by 8 months of winter is not uncommon. I dress to the temp, not the calendar month

JulieJohn

Veteran

Last year I was so hot for cooler weather, pun intended, that I made myself an 8-week challenge to get me through September and October, notoriously hot months in Southern California. Here it is, in a nutshell, if it helps anybody. I think I got the idea from somebody else on here, but I can't remember what brilliant person came up with it or I would gladly give her credit. This is for a casual wardrobe, MOTG-type person, so please adjust accordingly. It keeps things feeling fresh during the dog days of summer.

Week 1 - Sleeveless tops
Week 2 - Skirts
Week 3 - Dresses
Week 4 - No T-shirts (button downs, tanks, silk, chambray)
Week 5 - Pants (a different pair every day)
Week 6 - Toppers (such as vests/waistcoats, a button-down over a tank, light jackets)
Week 7 - Fall Colors
Week 8 - Halloween (this is one of my favorite holidays, so a whole week of it is great!)

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I struggle with this issue constantly, having grown up in the
Midwest in a four-season climate and now living somewhere more
mediterreanean without a proper winter, but with much cooler mornings and evenings. I know that Angie and some others don't swap out their wardrobe seasonally but I still do, and want to.

JulieJohn, that's a great idea, I might have to steal it this fall. Up here in the SF area it's not as hot but September is often as warm as August, and they're the hottest two months usually. June and July are weirdly odd to dress for because it's often still quite cool but you want to pull out the summer wear, while by early September you want to dress fall-like but it's still too warm.

And Suz mentioned the light - we have that change too - early summer is very bright but not so hot and winter is more marked by the darkness (and the rain) than any distinction in weather between it and early spring or late fall.

Suz brilliantly wrote about her idea to divide her seasons up into six instead of four, and even though we live in wildly different climates I've been mulling my own version of that. I need a "looks like summer, warm enough for spring" capsule for June-July and a "looks like fall, cool enough for summer" capsule for August-September. And then for the endless reaches of the spring and fall which are the dominant seasons here, some kind of gentle changes somehow, or perhaps two capsules, one for days when it's raining and one for days when it's not, all with layers to deal with the shifting temps.

Anonymous

Laura, I've adopted Suz's 6 season wardrobe divisions and the way you describe the spring/summer and summer/fall challenge is right on. For me those transition times are the hardest of all. I have moved my end-of-summer closet change from the beginning of September, which never worked because the weather is still summer, to September 15 or even the fall equinox. I think that will work better with the weather.
Sarah, I don't rush seasons but dress for the weather because here it could be very uncomfortable not to. In fact I need to remind myself to start wearing some things earlier than I do, like getting out the December holiday sparkle right after Thanksgiving rather than waiting until mid December.

Jeanie

Veteran

Seasons are exciting to me because I anticipate something new is coming so I do tend to rush a bit. I am excited to get out the clothes that I've stored in the basement because it feels a bit like I am getting new clothes. I am on Team Comfort (if that's a team?) so I wouldn't be putting on a sweater in September if it's still 90 but I do start putting away some items toward the end of the season. For example, I put away white linen at the end of August as I consider September to be fall. Suz is right on about the color and light changes. I feel very in synch with nature and start to crave fall colors and feel a need to start knitting. I think it's a weird nesting instinct!

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

If you have ever read The Wind in the Willows, I am like Rat: I mourn to see the end of summer, bright light, warmth, and having my friends around more. Everyone always seems to have more time, more willingness to knock off, and take the time to enjoy going out, or just hanging out. Then fall starts and everyone disappears.

This may be the first year, though, that I can't wait for fall, and am feeling impatient so I can wear my cute cooler-weather clothes! I blame/credit all of you, with your exciting capsules and your gorgeous purchases and stylings

But at the same time, I remember that it makes me impatient and grumpy when I see Halloween candy in stores in July, and that Christmas is more exciting for me if I wait until December 1st to plunge into it. Delayed gratification, and season appropriateness. So I am taking a deep breath today - which is going to be one of the hottest days we've had in several weeks, and re-commit myself to summer

Beth Ann

Veteran

While I'm now in Chicago, I lived in Tulsa, and I well remember the long, hot Summers and short Autumns! I did love the fact that Spring comes in.........oh my goodness.....March! I think about the azaleas every year, when I'm still buried in snow and ice!

I like to solve this seasonal push issue by thinking at least 6 seasons, like Suz. I have lighter weight clothes in more Autumnal colors for September, when I'm tired of my Summer wear. I also have heavier weight clothes in Spring colors --- I wore raspberry, navy/kelly green, and white pants in April and May this year, when things were still quite cool. These two "swing season" capsules are more about my mood than the weather!

Aziraphale

Veteran

I'm a season rusher too. Within limits. Fall is my favourite season, closely followed by winter, so I'm particularly prone to rushing the end of summer. There's only a problem is the weather is uncooperatively warm, since there's nothing I dislike more than being hot and sweaty! But where I live, we tend to have a long, nice fall with moderate temperatures. I can't bundle up in my winter coat in September, but I can certainly wear jeans.

unfrumped

Veteran

Good post and good points.

I'm in a similar weather situation and so am trying to develop more color palette separation for seasons--trying to figure out how to have some seasonless neutrals but shift accessories and footwear to summer vs fall.
Also take a "fall color" and summerize it, and a summer color and winterize it, IYKWIM, and also layer over & under to combine colors so the look is more of a certain season.

I run really cold, so in true winter I can wear wool sweaters every day for almost 3 months, easy, and when I'm actually in the winter season I want to buy all really cozy stuff, but then in spring, summer & fall they're too hot.
So I'm trying to not go overboard with heavy winter wear--either tolerate more repeating, or figure out how to do more layering of my mid-weight pieces.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Unfrumped, I tend to overbuy for winter too, even though winter here is mild - maybe because I love sweaters and layering but then I have so many that with heating and such I don't really have that many days where I have to super-layer. I think it's OK to have some items that are winter-only, though, just like it's OK to have some summer-only items - I mean, you can wear three-season clothes all year round and layer, but if you live in temp extremes it's a lot nicer to have a few pairs of shorts and tank tops and a wool sweater or two, ykwim? I wonder if outfits that *aren't* mix and match would make more sense to you in winter, like ones Angie has done on the blog here her client only wears one top with one pair of pants, etc. Figure out how many days of outfits you need, then put that many outfits together and rotate through them, with maybe variations of accessories for interest?

Joy, I definitely need to work on the 6 season idea for mild climates. I used to want to pull out the fall clothes around the end of August, when kids go (/used to go) back to school, but waiting until the fall equinox makes a lot more sense around here. But there are things that to me 'read' high summer, like sundresses, and it feels weird wearing them in September even if it's still warm out. So I end up in reality wearing a smaller subset of clothes even though I haven't put the summer ones away yet.

LoveSarahDub

(website)

Thank you all for your great views, ideas, and opinions! I can't wait to mix my summer pieces with newer fall purchases!

Not sure if any of you are football fans, but here in the south, college football Saturdays are like epic events! I couldn't believe how the girls dress for gamedays at first, but now I enjoy dressing up a bit if I'm attending the game. Lucky for me, the University of Arkansas' colors are red and white so I have all sorts of choices in black, white and red. But while most of the girls wear strapless dresses to the first few games, I'll be the season rusher and break out my boots!