About this time of year I'm ready to ditch the shorts and sleeveless stuff and transition into a fall wardrobe.
Unfortunately, the climate doesn't cooperate because the days are still really warm while the nights are cool.
I think one of the first impulses of most girls our age is to throw a sweater cardigan on over anything to take it into fall evenings. Great to keep you warm, not always the best option to keep you stylish. Let me explain.
Thin knits — which are what many cardigan are made of — by their very nature tend to be clingy and simply follow the contours of your body. Most sweater cardigans have dropped, rounded shoulders and a jewel neckline: on busty or heavier women they are really unflattering and can even be matronly looking on thinner women.
You can combat the matronly look by going with a cardigan with some punch. I bought myself a leopard-print cardigan with bracelet-length sleeves to start off the season: the fun print outweighs any matronly vibe that the cardigan silhouette might have. Other ideas for keeping your cardigan look cute and young: buy a vibrant color, choose stripes, get one with a ruffle edge, buy a fun argyle print or belt it.
Here are more ideas for transitioning your wardrobe into fall:
- Add a leather jacket. A leather jacket is a chic way to keep warm on cool fall evenings. It looks right with everything from little black dresses (unless it's for a very formal event) to jeans. I happen to like brown and suede versions of the leather jacket because it seems a little softer than black leather, but have seen some great black leather jacket options, too.
- Wear boots. That same skirt and blouse you were wearing during the warmer months looks ready for autumn when you add a pair of boots. Tall boots work best with lightweight pieces that are in dark colors (a white eyelet dress with tall black boots just won't work.) And slim jeans tucked into boots really looks perfect for fall.
- Try a chunky sweater vest. While chunky cardigans add tons of bulk, the chunky sweater vest gets a sleeker look because it's without sleeves. I picked up a wrap sweater vest (which hits below the hips) for just $34.50 the other day.
- Layer with leggings. One of my favorite new tricks is to wear a pair of leggings under a tunic that I might have worn with shorts instead. That heavier layer (I like ponte knit leggings) gives my outfit more of a fall feeling.
- Switch out accessories. An easy way to give your wardrobe a fall feeling is to switch to heavier accessories. I like chunky jewelry, thick suede belts and bigger bags in suede or leather.
- Add rich color. This time of year colors like burnt orange, deep ruby red, rich teal and chocolate brown all look perfect. Even if you need to choose a short-sleeve tee to dress for warm days, the rich colors can give you a fall feeling.
