When Summer Is Still Here… But Your Closet Is Ready for Fall

There comes a point every August when I am completely confused about what season I’m dressing for. It’s still hot outside. Very hot. But mentally?

I’m already in fall.

I’m ready for sweaters, boots, jackets, darker colors and all those beautiful fall fabrics.

The weather, unfortunately, has not received the memo.

This is actually one of my favorite times of year for clothes because I start looking at my summer pieces a little differently. Instead of putting everything away and waiting for cooler weather, I start thinking about what I can carry into fall.

A dress I’ve been wearing with sandals all summer suddenly looks completely different with ankle boots and a soft cardigan.

A favorite pair of summer pants gets a lightweight sweater instead of a tank.

Jeans come back out. Jackets start appearing. The colors get a little deeper.

Sometimes you don’t need a completely new outfit. You just need to change one or two things.

I think that’s something I appreciate more now than I did years ago. I used to think of clothes as belonging to a season.

Summer clothes.

Fall clothes.

Winter clothes.

Now I look at my closet and think, how much longer can I wear this?

Maybe that comes from owning a boutique. I’m constantly looking at clothes and imagining them different ways.

Or maybe I’ve finally learned that I don’t need to reinvent myself every time the calendar changes.

Probably a little of both.

This is also why I love a good cardigan or jacket.

You can take something you’ve worn all summer, add that one extra layer, change your shoes and suddenly it doesn’t feel like the same outfit anymore.

And right now, that’s exactly how I want to dress.

I’m not ready for heavy sweaters and coats.

I’m also getting a little tired of dressing like it’s July.

I want that little hint of fall without pretending it’s 55 degrees outside when it’s actually 85.

Because we’ve all done that.

You put on the cute new fall sweater because you’re determined that fall has arrived.

Then you're sweating before you make it to the car.

No thank you. 😊

So for the next few weeks, I’m somewhere in between.

Sandals with deeper colors.

Summer dresses with a cardigan nearby.

Jeans with lighter tops.

Maybe ankle boots when the weather gives me permission.

I’ve been styling some of the pieces at Edge & Ivory this way too. Showing how something can work now and then showing how I would change it once those cooler days finally arrive.

Because I want the clothes in my closet to work a little harder.

And I want the same thing from the pieces I choose for Edge & Ivory.

Fall will get here soon enough.

Until then, I think I’ll just borrow a little bit of it.

One cardigan at a time.

— Joanna

Edge & Ivory Boutique