As the summer months are coming to an end, we are lucky that we still have a long way to go before the cold desert air sets in. You have probably stocked your closet with new additions from your latest summer trips, and I for one had a blast checking out the stores in London this summer. Now that we are approaching the winter months, it’s all about transition! Focus on buying pieces that can transform from summer to winter with the simple addition of opaque tights or a light jacket. Let’s go through some of the pieces that every girl should have as we breeze our way into winter fashion.
Dresses that can transition from warm to cold weather are lifesavers when you are looking to salvage pieces from your summer closet, and this doesn’t mean they have to be black or grey. Invest in easy cotton shift dresses that you can wear now and add a coat and tights to in a few months. If you buy too many linen dresses, these won’t be useful to you at all in the winter season. Likewise, if you buy heavy wool and velvet dresses or skirts, these will never make it to your summer closet edit. Focus on more neutral fabrics and colors that are easily matched with winter hues, like jewel toned purple or deep red.
Just as fabric limits us on dresses and skirts, the same goes for pants. I try to pick pant fabrics that don’t have to be stuck in a certain season in order to work. The selection of jeans and dress pants at Harvey Nichols never lets me down, and they are always high quality as well as impeccably stylish. My most recent purchase was a two toned pair of pants that would probably remind you of a tuxedo; white with a thick black stripe down each side. They are not too heavy or light so I can easily pair them with a thin cotton top in the summer or a turtleneck in the winter. Also, skinny jeans are great for both seasons because you can tuck them under your favorite boots in colder weather. These don’t have to be boring either, as we always see in Topshop’s rainbow of jeans colors. Still, colored jeans should be worn within reason in the winter, since bright peach and light blue pairs will probably look out of place with your leather jacket.
Layering pieces are the smartest addition to your wardrobe for any season, and I advise to go with brands because buying quality really makes a difference. You have to have the perfect black, white and grey t-shirts which always save the day in summer when you don’t know what to throw over your jeans or in winter when you have your jacket ready and just need anything to wear under it before heading out the door. A great brand for this is LNA, which has the softest fabrics. I also found that COS has really useful neutral and basic wardrobe pieces.
Other than wardrobe staples like t-shirts, the most important layering piece in any wardrobe is a great scarf. I love bright scarves in the winter because the rest of your outfit is usually dark toned. Nowadays we can find beautiful scarves in any store, but there’s nothing like high quality pashminas and the highly coveted and ever so illegal shahtoosh scarves that we sometimes get our hands on. Wearing a simple black or grey top with a brightly hued, soft-as-butter scarf is always an effortless look.
Whether your style is edgy and daring or soft and feminine, the most important thing is to have fun and feel good in whatever you choose to wear. If I had one piece of advice to give, it would be to organize your closet by category and color because this makes your life 100 times easier when getting dressed.
Have a stylish September everyone!
