Transitioning to summer wear - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Transitioning to summer wear

AviaMariah

Veteran

This has been discussed on the forum before but I thought I'd bring it up again because it's something I have to revisit in my wardrobe quite often. I live in a four season climate where part of the winter is frigid cold and part of the summer is boiling hot. But most of the year is actually in between or transitional. One of the biggest aha moments for me was when I realized that I need to shop for transitional items much more that high summer or winter. For example - I just rotated my closet from winter to summer and I am finding that I'm having trouble getting dressed in the morning. Much of what I have for summer is just not warm enough for me to wear yet. What are your best pieces or practices for transitional wear? Or do you just tough it out in your summer wear?

Dressing

16 replies

Latest reply was from Joy

SarahD8

Veteran

I wind up doing the opposite — wearing winter clothes until late June (summer starts late in Seattle). That’s not super satisfying either!

(In part this is because our house tends to be on the cool side so it takes a while to warm up — on the other hand I can wear summery clothes well into early fall.)

One of my projects for the next few months is to really try to nail down what outfit formulas work in those transitional temperatures — say between about 55 and 70 F. It’s complicated because at least for me, in that range a few degrees make a big difference.

Christina F.

Veteran

I do the transition in two stages for this reason. I have shoulder season clothes (subbed in for heavy winter clothes) and high summer clothes. It sure is a pain in the butt, though.

kellygirl

Veteran

For me, it’s all about layering. My office can be frigid even when it’s warm outside. I like perforated shoes and sleeveless tops with a cardigan or indoor jacket.

Sisi

Veteran

I am in the same situation as you - 4-seasons climate and the dominant one is the Transitional. I wear short-sleeve cotton tops under lightweight cardigans, or cotton pullovers, pants and closed shoes. I wish I could wear a beautiful silk blouse under a fabulous velvet jacket but I know I would feel cold (and as much as I love jackets, I find them impractical).

nemosmom

Veteran

Our spring is usually cold, and our fall is warm, but the transitional period is usually short. I have a handful of lightweight and midweight pullovers, long sleeve tees that I can layer under light cardigans and/or jackets. It’s still too cold for me to think about skirts or dresses, so I’m in pants and closed toe shoes.

Anonymous

Angie's summer wardrobe is what I consider transitional/unicorn weather

There's only a few days of such weather here, but my strategy is to mix seasons: sleeved blouse + skirt or sleeveless blouse + pants. Spotted in the wild last week: flip flops + puffer!

Some things I consider strictly transitional:
Non boot/sandal shoes (mules, pumps, ballet flats, sandal booties, sneakers)
Short sleeves, one shoulder tops, cold shoulder tops
Cropped pants, lightweight pants (linen or such)
Sleeved lightweight dresses
Lightweight toppers, kimonos, ponchos, etc
Openwork sweaters
My "do not buy" list could be your "stock up" list!

The Cat

Veteran

For me, living in a 4-seasons climate, means that I feel the need--and actually prefer--to change the content of my closet 4 times a year, not just twice. Items that look or feel wrong for the actual season are stored in the attic. By the way, many of my spring items can also be used in fall, and vice versa. And several of them can be used in either summer or winter as well.

Right now, I am in spring season. The mornings are still very cool here, so I dress in layers and remove one or two during the day. Items like camisoles, (thin) turtlenecks, crewneck pullovers, cardigans, shawls and scarves are helpful. So are warm hosiery, sometimes worn on top of thin hosiery--or wearing 2 pairs of thin hosiery--and closed-toe shoes or booties.

My summer season will probably start in the middle of May. So real summerwear(like thin sleeveless dresses, breezy skirts and blouses, and sandals) will have to wait in the attic another few weeks.

kkards

Veteran

i was a couple of years into YLF before i realized that yes, half of the year i need "transitional" wear....and than another year before i realized that fall transitional and spring transitional are not 100% interchangeable....
so i've developed a wardrobe of long sleeve tees that i can layer a blazer/denim jacket/other indoor topper over...i've added cotton sweaters in fall colors as well as spring, and a couple of true neutrals...i have some dark silk shirts that can layer over uniqlo heattech that have been really useful for 50F/60F days, and they work for warmer days over a tank as well.

AviaMariah

Veteran

Thank you for all your responses! You use many of the same strategies as I do. My most practical for spring and summer (frigid a/c) is a sleeveless blouse with a cardigan. I actually have a good supply of linen type cardigans that are great during high summer but still a little too thin for right now. So I think I'm going to be on the lookout for some heavier, but still springlike, cardigans. Loafers are my transitional shoe of choice so far.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Our high summer weather is quite often what others would consider transitional weather.l find layering with cardigans,lightweight jackets and scarves is the way I approach it with closed toe shoes/trainers.The temperature s got to be over 24c before my toes come out!

Barbara Diane

Veteran

At this time of year, on a warmer day, the morning is still colder, but it gets hot for a few hours in the middle of the day, and then cools down again. Earlier this week it was in the mid fifties and overcast.

Yesterday I dressed for the morning in long pants, midweight v-neck cotton sweater, and closed toe shoes. Well, I didn't go back home to change as planned, it heated up to 85 (significantly hotter than the forecast) and I couldn't wait to change my clothes when I walked in the door.

I just walked to the back of my house and it was significantly cooler than the front. No, it is not a big house, but the back is much more protected from the sun.

Even in summer, it usually cools down at night. So only my lightest and heaviest clothes get put away. The category I am most looking for is very lightweight breathable tops with sleeves that cover at least my elbows in colors and prints that don't wash me out. And similar dresses.
I found a new top yesterday-yay!

Joy

Veteran

I think it may have been Suz who suggested dividing wardrobe into 6 seasons. That has really helped me with the cold/cool spring and hot autumn days. I have collected pullover sweaters in cotton and linen in light colors and long sleeved tees to wear under them. Jackets and vests can be helpful. Full length pants and jeans in white, tan and colors work well with the light sweaters. Light indoor jackets (I am not a cardigan person) and closed toe flat like loafers are also good to have. I make use of knee high sheer stockings for extra warmth with a nude look. For spring I stick to springy colors. For fall I look for hot weather pieces in fall colors and try to save them u til at least mid August as a refresher. It is helpful to have light toppers to go with them to add for cool days and evenings.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I just posted about my seasonal switch. I kept a shelf of medium weight sweaters—pullovers and cardigans. I think they will be part of my wardrobe year-round.

Our spring days are either like BD’s—chilly in the morning and then warming up considerably during the day—or they’re just chilly. We’ve had a couple switches between those so far. In my mind, I was ending winter wear too early, so now there are several pieces I had thought were set for storage that I need to wash again, just as soon as I know we are done with the switches (I think we are).

On the back-and-forth days, I see a lot of people in winter coats. I assume that what they’re wearing underneath isn’t so warm. Do you have coats/jackets you could layer over your cardigans? Or camis/tanks/undershirts to layer under the blouses?

Sal

Veteran

I am in the same boat AviaMariah - true winter is about two months usually and high summer about the same. I don’t really differentiate between spring and autumn clothes but there are one or two pieces that I prefer in each season.

I keep 60 percent of my clothes in the closet all year, at the start of spring I remove true winter pieces and bring in often the spring footwear. About six weeks later I bring in high summer pieces ( beach dresses for example ) and store any transitional pieces I am over for the season - even if the temperature is right.

I like jeans, my perforated oxfords, long sleeve dresses that don’t need leggings or tights under, and tops that work with or without a jacket. This is my biggest battle. Light coloured boots are also good for me.

Realising this helped me a lot with buying pieces that get worn.

Anonymous

I have a 4 season wardrobe, and really couldn't dress well any other way. These shoulder seasons (Spring and Fall) don't require a ton of clothes, but I really like having pieces that are separate from Summer and Winter wear. Long cardigans, lined fine-gauge wool and poly unstructured jackets, striped long sleeve t-shirts, army jackets, jeans, white runners, floral blouses, cropped lightweight pants and mules make up my collection for Spring.

Joy

Veteran

It is helpful to divide up your longest seasons into two to feel refreshed without shopping as much. If you get bored with your wardrobe it is even more important to be able to switch. Some climates have hardly any transitional weather just very hot or very cold. For those climates, you may be able to have a very small capsule that can work for both spring and fall if you plan carefully. Some places like Southern California you can pretty much wear the same clothes year round. At least you wear them out and can buy something trendy that will be worn out about the time the next trend arrives.