Transitioning to Fall Tips and Tricks

The classic bi-annual dilemma: you leave your house in the morning and you’re freezing, you take a lunch break midday and you’re sweating, you head home for the night and once again you’re freezing. Every year we’re faced with the impossibility of dressing for those in between seasons that aren’t quite hot and aren’t quite cool. The transition into fall, for some, proves difficult because you may not know whether to lean more toward the summer side of style or the winter. How do you dress for cooler weather while maintaining the look of it being warm out? Or vice versa? Should we dress more like summer in September and more like winter in October? The truth is, it’s up to the individual. If you love summer style, keep it going for as long as possible! If you’ve got an extensive collection of sweaters you’re dying to break out, do it as quickly as you want! But either way, if you're stuck for inspiration or need some style ideas for the time being, Michaels is here to offer you some tips to transition your wardrobe and get ready for fall.

Style Your Summer Dresses

Giving up those flowy, floral prints you bought specifically for a summer getaway can be hard, especially if you’ve only gotten to wear them a handful of times. But despite what you may think, dresses can be worn in every season. We’ve come up with three ways to keep your summer dresses on trend and comfortable as we move into the fall. 

Our first tip: layer on the knits. Cardigans are always cute when paired with dresses, and they are sure to keep you warm with a fall breeze. Or, if you’d like to change the look of your dress entirely, throw a sweater on over the dress to turn it into a “skirt.”

The dynamic of the grey cardigan by The Great with a silk Lela Rose floral dress balances the need for warmth while maintaining the softness of a dress. Meanwhile, the Milly sweater on top of a full Bottega Veneta skirted dress keeps the brightness of the warmer months alive, while also turning a dress you own into something entirely new. Whether you have the sweaters or you have the dresses, Michael's has plenty of unique knits and dresses to create your own transitional pairings. 

The second summer-dress-transition tip revolves around switching up your soes. Our advice? Boots. Boots are your best friend as we move into fall. Sandals with a dress keep you in the summer spirit, but if you add some booties to a maxi dress it becomes an entirely different look. Another approach is dressing up a mini skirt or mini dress with taller boots to warm your legs and to help you stylishly accept the incoming fall weather. 

To turn this green cotton Vince dress into a more acceptable transitional piece, Michael’s recommends a chic pair of booties like these from By Far. And if you’ve got a mini dress you’re not ready to give up for the season like this Mary Katrantzou silk floral dress, sky high (or thigh high) boots from Valentino will add a fall edge to the look. 

Our final tip to get your dresses ready for fall is maybe an unusual pairing for some, but at Michael’s we love them: scarves. Scarves aren’t just cashmere and wool accessories for facing the bitter winds of the winter. They come in all shapes, sizes, materials, and most importantly, patterns. A scarf can tone down a summer dress with neutral shades, it can spice up a neutral dress as well, and it can be used in various ways to fight any breeze that may challenge a sleeveless look.

Embrace the name of one of our favorites, Louis Vuitton, with this reversible half black print, half pink print square scarf to incorporate into an edgier transitional look. For a more traditional approach to layering on a scarf for the fall, Michael’s also carries a burgundy fur trim scarf by Mark Snider. And no tip about scarves would be complete without mentioning the beloved Hermes scarves that grace the presence of our store. Always a classic, always a style elevation. 

If you're not super into dresses, another tip to transition your style is...

Keeping Your Top Half Light

And balance the look by embracing a heavier or material on the bottom part of your outfit. Whether that means tank tops or just a breezier material for a blouse, contrast the top half of your outfit with pants or even skirts of a thicker material and some fall-appropriate shoes. 

In this first look, we utilize a sleeveless Tom Ford blouse to cool down a pair of wool Gucci pants. To top it off, we paired the outfit with Christian Louboutin boots to ensure the look maintains aspects of both seasons. 

The second look follows a similar approach with a lightweight, cotton blouse by Vita Kin and a plaid Ralph Lauren skirt with ivory Chloe boots. Not only is the balance of materials perfect to move you into fall, it also follows the perfect color scheme for the upcoming months.

And to switch it up…

Heavy on Top, Light on Bottom

It’s safe to say that there are many different ways to transition to fall. This next tip is different, yet similar, as it reverses the technique of the above section. Instead of relying on a warmer bottom half of your outfit, you can also switch it so that you have a warmer top half. 

For this, Michael’s recommends a knit top like this orange cashmere Malo sweater to provide a pop of color when worn with an elegant Prada skirt and some chunky Robert Clergerie sandals. Cashmere and sandals? Who said it couldn’t be done!

Another trick of the trade? Trench coats. In this yellow monochromatic look, Michael’s has paired a cotton Bottega Veneta coat with linen Forte Forte pants to keep the outfit light, yet also full coverage. The coat-pant combo is completed with another transitional trick - the loafer (check out these from Tod’s). 

Fall is just around the corner. For some of us, we’re cringing at the thought of the impending cold. For others, we cannot wait to escape this heat. Regardless, the weather is changing and so must our closets. The good thing is, not all clothes must be tossed aside to make room for thick sweaters and coats. Instead, you can follow a few of Michael’s tips and tricks to make the most of your closet. And if you want to shake things up even more, we can help you with that too! Michael’s has an entire section online dedicated to fall style that is exclusive to online shoppers. Be the first to sneak a peek!

Before you get to styling (and shopping!), remember that through August 31st Michael’s is having our best sale of the year. Get 20 percent of all clearance in our red dot sale! Use code RED20, or click here to shop the discount.