I looooove fall fashion.

Like, love it.

Give me all the cozy sweaters, leather jackets and chunky boots. Give me brown and violet lipstick. Give me that gorgeous black + brown color combo. This is my time to shine.

For as long as I can remember, summer fashion never really appealed to me… It was always the same thing. A pair of shorts that normally didn’t fit me well, a few t-shirts and ill-fitting tank tops, or wearing jeans all-year long while hating TN humidity.

Until this year. I became a totally different person as I slipped into a hibiscus floral dress or put on my array of silk scarves. I consistently wore bright colors for the first time since middle school. My big tortoise shell sunglasses enveloped my face like a 1970s movie star.

In short, I felt unstoppable with my summer wardrobe.

The only downside? I couldn’t go anywhere… because COVID. I wasn’t spending my birthday on the beaches of Spain or Greece as I had hoped. But I did get to explore my own little corner of the world, and I took all my fun summery outfits with me.

**Disclaimer: Let me just say, because I know people might ask, that things are generally opened back up in France. I’m not sure how it is in the States, but pretty much everything is opened except for nightclubs/discotheques. It was a purely economic move on their part to do so because France desperately needed that tourism income after a crushing eight week lockdown. As a result, we are now seeing a huge spike in cases; as of Sunday September 20, there was a record of 13,498 new cases in 24 hours. I’m not getting into the “politics” of COVID in this post, but if you are interested in my experience with COVID/lockdown in France, click here.**

So… For the first time in my life, I’m kind of mourning the departure of my summer wardrobe.

Summer is over… But I didn’t wear my summer clothes. Now what?

Let’s talk transition wardrobes.

It’s hard.

You wake up to a cold, dewy morning. By 2 p.m. you’re sweating in your favorite cardigan, and all you want is to be wearing a flowy, breathable dress.

Then there’s that whole money factor. To be honest, I personally can’t afford to have multiple wardrobe styles 1) because I’m currently living out of one suitcase (which requires me to have a capsule wardrobe) and 2) because it’s not cheap to thrift here. I have to make all my clothes work for every season.

Here are some things I’ve found that work well for me when it comes to preparing for the summer-to-fall transition.

For those who are working from home

Working from home does not give you a pass to wear your pajamas all day (okay, it does, but also think about it… you would probably feel so much better if you put some real clothes on!). Try keeping that pajama shirt on, throwing on a blazer and some leggings. It’s comfy but functional. And you feel professional for all those Zoom meetings that await you. Now go make another pot of coffee.

For the on-the-go/never at home

I practically lived in my car my senior year of college. I had stacks of coffee cups (some of them still with coffee in them), all my music, and at one point more than half my closet was in my car. I would take naps in there, rush from class to class, etc. If you’re one of these people, grab a big bag. I’m talking big. Stuff your closet essentials in there. Favorite jeans, jacket, shoes, accessories. The works. Keep that in the car for when you need to spice up an outfit or if you, like me, often spill coffee on yourself when you’re in a rush to get to a meeting on time.

For the student

It’s tempting to roll out of bed and wear sweats to class. There’s technically nothing wrong with that, but I always felt uncomfortable wearing that to school. I would opt for a couple layers in case the air conditioning is turned on way too high in your least favorite professor’s room. Let’s be honest, it always ends up that way anyway.

For the no-car commuter

Let me just say: I feel you. It’s not fun trying to haul everything with you when you aren’t sure what time you’ll be home or what the weather will hold for you that day. If you’re taking the metro, bus, etc, throw on a backpack to keep everything you need secure. If you’re walking, a nice canvas tote bag should do the trick.

When it comes to style, much of it relies on preference. If you’re someone who rarely wears color, chances are your wardrobe will not change much. If you bring out the pastels in the spring, you might have to put them away now. They say not to wear white after Labor Day. Does anyone follow these fashion rules? How do we know what to keep and what to get rid of? It’s all so confusing!

The Verdict? You don’t have to throw out your floral print.

Whew. Glad we got that out of the way.

Fun patterns and bright colors are not just for summer. Have fun with it. Fall fashion is a great time to experiment so go ahead, throw on a leather jacket over that crazy patterned button-down you have. Grab your Doc Martens to pair with a pink silk scarf top. Who’s going to judge you? I certainly won’t.

How do you transition your wardrobe? What are your favorite styles for the seasons? For more outfit inspiration or fashion/beauty resources, head over to my Instagram! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for all my latest posts!