Thoughts on Dominant Season - YouLookFab Forum

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Thoughts on Dominant Season

Thistle

Veteran

So, my dominant season is winter. And while the stores are bursting with beautiful spring things, I am trying to exercise some self control. The trees won't have leaves until the end of April to early May where I live. They will lose them in September. That really means only 3-4 months of warmer weather. Of that, we will have 2 months of intense, searing heat.

But, I work in an air conditioned office and live in an air conditioned home. Even if I wear a sleeveless or short sleeved top, I will be bringing a cardigan or jacket. I really, truly only need warm weather casual wear. I am feeling like I should be saving the Lion's share of my budget for fall. And I should wait on spring/summer clothes until I actually do my closet switch out sometime in Late April or early to mid May.

Of course, then these dresses come along to tempt me!!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ni.....n=wishlist
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ni.....n=wishlist
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/vi.....n=wishlist

All sleeveless, all would require a cropped jacket or cardigan to wear indoors. My head is telling me I won't get enough wear out of them.

Do you all shop your dominant season? What are your strategies for ignoring the beauty of the non-dominant one?

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from Sarah A

Karie

(website)

Veteran

Thistle, I am in the exact same boat as you! My dominant season is fall/winter, both because of our weather here and the fact that I am a teacher, so my summer wardrobe is very casual. I tend to shop primarily for fall and winter, buy clothes that will go across seasons, and make a lot of my own clothes for spring and summer.
The dresses are all fab, could you extend the season of the first two with a cami and a jacket or a cardi? I know it's tempting, but if you won't get enough wear out of them...well, maybe you could justify buying just one...

Glory

Veteran

I have a similar season to you but have worked from home for the past several years so my wardrobe is very very casual. In my mind I merge spring and summer so late April to mid September - this is really how I justify purchasing more for those seasons. I agree you will need a cardigan or jacket for any spring summer dresses that are tempting you. I still buy because I love the fresh bright colours. If you have 4 months wear perhaps you could consider a couple of items to brighten up your wardrobe?

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I think that Vince Camuto can be worn all year round with a black jacket and tights in the colder weather. The floral pattern is in neutrals and doesn't scream "spring/summer". Not to be an enabler or anything.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

The idea of shopping for your dominant season (and also the actual activities of your daily life) were eye opening for me. Otherwise I was shopping for my fantasy life with floral spring dresses and things ladies brunch in bulging out of my closet after 10 years of no purging. Well, I stomp around the mountains with my friends come spring! We get on our bikes or hike up waterfalls, etc.
Yes, I do have a couple of occasions for a springy dress, but do I need more than 2 or 3? Probably not. I need stuff that can straddle active casual and almost gear, like Athleta or prAna, etc.
So I would ask myself not only what you like in the spring offerings, but more specifically how and where you will wear those items, and how often.

Thistle

Veteran

Honestly, I would wear them to work. My weekend is very casual and centered around chasing a toddler. She wipes her face on me, and has taken to licking my pants for reasons unknown. Slurp. Giggle. Tear off. White is so not in the cards for me!

Do I want them, yes. Do I need them, no. Will I use them, not as much as 3/4 sleeved dresses which would serve for all but the darkest days of winter. It's just hard as I discovered my love for dresses just as the spring season started!

shedev

Veteran

My seasons run nearly equal so I try to get things that can be adjusted for multiple seasons. I think these are pretty adaptable, especially 1 and 2.

unfrumped

Veteran

I don't have the same problem in terms of a one long season, and in fact need to be spread more evenly across 4 seasons and have a fair amount of transitional or layering-multiseason wear.

One thing I hear is spring lust. You might find that it helps to identify a color palette shift or accessories shift so that you are still wearing covered-up clothing for cold spring/wintry temps, but feeling more springy. A not-sleeveless dress that can go darker or lighter in feel depending on tights, footwear, etc. Wrap tops in more juicy colors or pales that can mix with black or mix with grays or creams.
A very edited sleeveless dress collection with some accessories that mix it up. May want to resolve to repeat outfits more during your short summer and then feel you can replace or update each year, rather than having a large number of them and feeling like you need to keep each one for years. Have at least several jackets that work with both your sleeveless and sleeved tops so at least the jackets span more than one season. That sort of thing.

I am in a lot warmer clime but still we have crazy alternating temps. It helps for me to have a cashmere sweater or 2 in "spring" colors and I wear them more as winter is sputtering out. I can wear 3/4 sleeve tops across several months if add a jacket.

Anonymous

As a recent convert to dresses, I totally understand!

I decided recently that my dominant season is "transition". 35 degrees one day, 65 the next. I need short sleeves or 3/4 sleeves as well as another layer for many months.

I think I would get a few dresses if I were you. I love the 2nd one listed, but I'm not sure how it would look with a layer over it. This winter I found that if I had a neutral dress, then I would wear it more often. The purple dress didn't get worn near as much as the navy one.

Anonymous

My dominant season seems to be "transition," too. Sigh...

rachylou

Veteran

Ohmigosh, everything around where I'm at is sleeveless. Everything. ALL YEAR LONG.

Don't give in, tho. I have boxes of things I just can't wear because it's simply too cold. Indoors and out.

Kalli

I try to shop my dominant season because shopping for a fantasy life has left me with 25 cocktail dresses. But hey, if/when I do start dating again I won't have to hunt for clothing. I'm getting to think it's money more wisely spent on clothing I need to wear more of and love a lot.

Tina.b

Veteran

Winter is definitely my dominant season. We will have snow through the end of April probably. My wardrobe is probably geared for that somewhat. But I do say that there is a shift in what I wear come spring (freezing temps or not). I'll choose lighter colours and different fabrications, just because I get so bored of the winter clothes and dark colours.

qfbrenda

Veteran

I feel for you since we have 9 months of fall. But I still make sure I have a few things for summer. With jackets, those summer things extend into spring and fall and give me a bit more variety throughout the year.

I really like dress #2 and would want to try it if I were you. Since you are a dress girl, I bet you would wear it a lot over the warm months and it would help shake things up a bit.

jayne

Veteran

oh absolutely not, I have 25 sandals and I live in the frozen land of the north with two winters, the white one and the green one! Be firm!

missvee

Veteran

Dress 1, the painted dream, is absolutely gorgeous. What a fabulous print. And stunning colours. I would try that one for sure. The others really don't look any nicer than what you already have, at least to my dress-challenged eye :-). I hear you about the short summer season, but it still doesn't hurt to have a special summer dress in case you get invited to a wedding or fancy party. And as you,say, you can always add a short jacket or cardi for coverage in the air conditioning, or to extend the season.
How's that for enabling...

Vildy

Veteran

Fall and winter, because I run cold. My husband says, though, that there is the briefest of windows between my complaining, "It's cold." and "It's hot." Spring here is always horrible.
You look forward to it so and then, where is it? Either it's cold, damp and blizzardy or you get protracted heat waves. And the humidity starts coming up real fast.

I love the idea of snappy looking spring clothes. Summer, too, for that matter. There really isn't much opportunity to wear them. I tend to have collected up plenty of unlined outerwear thinking Spring. But there isn't enough opportunity to wear it. So I'm curbing that. Plus I like jackets and have tended to forget that I want to rip lined jackets off. I try when shopping Spring and Summer to think Sauna. I usually end up wearing a couple of loose dresses but with a snappy print so I look like I tried. And either black or white pique pants.

I've also found that, restocking my sweaters some, I really don't need as many as I thought I would. Trying to teach myself there's nothing wrong with reaching for the same favorite all the time. And I did not wear most of my coats this year, either. Not only a mild winter but we got a car last year and I'm not stuck out there freezing as a pedestrian so much.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I'm another one with fall/winter as my dominant season. And I'm usually off for vacation 3-4 weeks during the summer so my work wardrobe needs much less tweaking for the summer season. I figured that out last year on YLF and adjusted my budget accordingly - much more set aside for fall and winter. Face it, if you're wearing the same sweater or dress from September through to April, you're pretty darned sick of it by then!

But I do still like to add a few new things each spring/summer to re-energize what I already have. And like you, my office is air conditioned to the point of feeling like a meat locker - toppers are absolutely essential and then they come off as soon as I walk out of the hospital.

I think one or two summer dresses can be justified

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I am a fall/winter dominant too - I just try to control the "spring urges" by buying one or two fun things and then wearing them to the bone over the season! By the end of the season, I'm so sick and tired of them, I'm glad winter is back!

Day Vies

Veteran

I agree with Karie I tend to shop with my dominant seasons (Spring and Fall) in mind but choose pieces that will work across all seasons. I am learning I can layer things to get more wear out of them in the winter so I am actually learning that I shouldn't over buy for winter or summer.

Beth Ann

Veteran

I'm just a little south of you, Thistle, but I consider my dominant theme "transitional." I tend to run warm, and I teach on a college schedule 3 days a week in a tiny music studio --- always warm. As a result, I tend to long sleeves or sleeveless with a jacket, but I'd swelter in woolens. I have a few heavier sweaters and wools, but mostly I rely on lighter layers with boots and booties from late November through March.

My summer is super casual, but I love the colors of the season!

Sarah A

Veteran

I am not much help, as I am living in a summer dominant climate and have a ton of fall & winter clothes! I did grow up in MN though so perhaps it is homesickness? I really chimed in to say, I love dress #1, sooooo lovely