Wear Then, Now, and Later

This is the first installment of my new fall series of fashion posts I am calling, “Wear Then, Now, and Later”.  The idea behind this series is to find creative ways to stretch the items in our closets beyond the typical seasons for which we often wear our clothes.

I am originally from Columbus, Ohio, but Los Angeles has been my home for the past 15 years.  Growing up in Ohio, there is a very distinct change in seasons, as is in most of the world.  There was always a time in the fall where I would put my summer outfits in storage, and trade them for sweaters and boots.  This concept of rotating my closet every season is something I still do living in L.A., even though our change in weather is much less drastic. Because summer is much longer here (it usually doesn’t truly feel like fall until Thanksgiving), I find myself changing my closet later each year in the fall.

I decided this year to challenge myself to find creative ways to merge the two wardrobes that I typically think of as separate summer and winter collections.  In order to do this, I shopped my closet for some of my favorite summer pieces.   I then looked for accessories and add-ons that felt more fall like belts, shoes, bags, jackets and sweaters.  This is allowing me to think of my wardrobe in a whole new creative way.  I hope this series inspires you to look at your clothes in a whole new way, and to get more mileage out of your favorite pieces.

Look #1:

This yellow polka dot dress is one of my favorite warm weather dresses I purchased this summer.  It is made from a light cotton fabric that is fully lined and as a bonus, it has the feature we all love in dresses, pockets.  In the first pic, I am showing you how I wear this dress on the hottest summer days with a simple black sandal.  Once the weather cools off, it can be worn with an open toe suede bootie as shown.  I added one of my favorite black leather jackets from Just Fab, and a little belt to complete the look.  I discovered a few seasons back that Just Fab isn’t just for shoes, but they actually have cute, basic, quality clothes at a great price! Links for all of these pieces are featured at the bottom of this page.

 

Look #2:

This jumpsuit from Fabletics is one I really love, and wanted I get more wear out of going into fall.   I am a huge fan of Fabletics for their workout wear, but they also often have a great looks that go way beyond the gym.   This jumpsuit is extremely comfortable to wear, I love the fit, and like the dress, it too has pockets.  For summer, I can pair this with flat sandals or fun heels as shown here.  Normally I would have used black accessories for this look, but I discovered that the white shoes and bag make it look very summer and really make the print pop.  When the weather cools down, I can pair this piece with the same leather jacket and booties featured with the dress above.   By adding a black, more structured bag, it this look easily translates to fall.  See below for more information on where to purchase these pieces.

 

Shop the looks featured: