Categories: Fashion

How To Get On Board With Transitional Fashion This Autumn

Ah, the Great British Summer.

Year on year, mere days after you have purchased your first summer dress the frigid wind of autumn arrives, and it’s time to pull out the 50 denier tights again. Whilst the move away from fast-fashion in favour of more sustainable shopping habits is a good thing, it only makes mastering transitional fashion that bit harder.

Whilst it’s not quite time to crack out the hats and scarfs just yet, much to my chagrin, my all-white-errythang OOTD is just no longer functional. Transitional fashion is all about dressing in anticipation of the worst – be it torrential rain, surprise hail or a freak storm. In that sense, the key to transitional fashion is in the layers.

And for the sake of #slowfashion, I’m not on about the £2 Primark thermals. In 2019, transitional fashion has a new dimension: it’s about curating a wardrobe that’s going to serve you the whole year through, come rain or shine. When shopping for your autumn wardrobe this year, be prepared to spend a little bit more on classic pieces worth the investment. I’m talking timeless pieces that will earn you serious style points whatever the weather – no need for a guilty conscience.

Shopping thoughtfully

There’s nothing worse than searching for the perfect summer tea dress only to get two wears out of it before autumn rolls around. Granted, I’m aware that black woolly tights and a floaty, frilly, floral sundress isn’t exactly a match made in heaven, but if you swap trend-led shopping in favour of curating a capsule wardrobe, you’ll find you’ll buy items that won’t look totally out of place when paired with the right (i.e. weather-appropriate) accessories.

Now, I appreciate resisting Topshop’s dress of the summer isn’t going to be easy. But for what it’s worth, I’m not suggesting you forgo florals; rather, consider your colour choices. Fluoro-brights have definitely been a major trend this summer, but when rich, deep autumnal rusts and khakis return, you’re not going to be reaching for neon.

Taking a leaf out of the Pinterest-girl’s book, when it comes to carrying your dresses into autumn, go for more classic colours. The red ditsy print is ubiquitous in high-street summer drops, and for good reason: red flatters every skin-tone, so it’s not just flattering on summer-bronzed skin. Red is a great choice when it comes to transitional fashion as it pairs well with denim-blue and black – aka the quintessential A/W colours.

Put your best foot forward

Whilst the idea of retiring your strappy sandals for the year might be a depressing thought, at least you don’t need to worry about what your feet look like anymore.

Functional footwear is synonymous with transitional fashion: the right shoes can totally transform a look into one that is both stylish and seasonally-appropriate. A timeless, transitional wardrobe will always contain a few pairs of fabulous footwear that can be mixed and matched with different pieces to take that pretty prairie dress from S/S through to A/W. Whilst transitional fashion advocates classic styling, that’s not to say you can’t make a statement with your autumn lewks. My favourite summer outfits almost always revolve around a girly, vintage-y dresses and blouses, usually worn with bare legs and strappy heels. Obviously, these won’t serve me well when it comes to dodging puddles.

Whereas in the summer months, I like to commit to a certain style, A/W – for me – is all about playing with contrast. When it comes to autumn, a pair of black chunky boots provide a punky edge to an otherwise super-feminine, super-summery outfit. Just chuck on a pair of nude tights for colder days. My shoes of choice? The classic Dr Martens. Whilst forking out £100-or-so on your feet might seem steep, you’re making an investment in something that will last forever. That said, for extra slow-fashion points, check out Ebay or Depop for a second-hand pair.

If you only wear one pair of trousers

Make them jeans. It’s no secret that we consider ourselves denim-devotees here at Society19, but you don’t need to be a fashion prodigy to appreciate the versatility of a good piece of denim.

Blue-toned jeans are a wardrobe staple all-year round. They’ll take you day to night, season to season. You’ll love them for beer-garden drinks on summer evenings at home or away, paired with dainty, elegant fabrics like satin or lace, but they’ll serve you just as well when paired with heavier styles like oversized knitwear, wool jackets and dark colours.

But the best thing about denim? The sheer range of styles. Any brand worth sourcing your transitional wardrobe from will have at least half-a-dozen cuts in an array of washes to suit any and all individual styles and preferences. I’m personally a straight-leg, preferably raw-hem, kind of girl – in the summer I’ll pair them with a pretty blouse and dad trainers by day, and with strappy sandals and lots of gold jewellery by night. Come autumn, they’re still my wardrobe staple, accept I’ll trade out my blouses for chunky jumpers and dress them up with tailoring and heeled boots for the dark autumn evenings.