Extending Your Wardrobe from Summer to Fall

With the current economic situation, everyone could use a little break! Here's a quick tip for extending your wardrobe from summer to fall, thus extending your budget as well!

Everyone has basic summer t-shirts that can be layered under jackets and sweaters, but what about your favorite summer dress? How can you continue to wear it throughout the fall? Simple! By choosing a summer dress with slightly darker colors, you can easily take it from season to season with a few accessory changes.

Take a look at these two outfits based off an adorable summer dress from Lulu*s.

First we start with the basis of the outfit. This airy dress is a dark brown material with beige, purple and dark turquoise accents. To use it in summer, pair it with some flat, thong sandals in brown with beautiful chunky turquoise stones. Add a turquoise and brown necklace and earrings. Try jewelry with shades of turquoise in order to avoide being too "matchy". Cinch in the waist and bring out the colors of the dress by adding a multi-colored woven belt. Add a pair of light tan and beige sunglasses for a hint of glam. Then top off the boho-chic look with a fringed, tan bag with gold hardware.




To transition this dress into the fall season, add a cropped olive military jacket with gold buttons and knee-high boots with a military touch such as these buckles. The beautiful, distressed brown leather keeps the boots from being too goth and instead hints at a well-used riding boot. Avoid too chunky of a bottom and heel or else it will be too out of place with this soft dress. Keep it girly and soften the boots and military jacket, by adding a glam gold belt and feminine accessories like these pink and gold earrings and pink purse.



So before hitting the stores in search of new clothes for fall, just check your closet! You may be surprised to find things that can be easily transitioned from season to season by a few simple changes such as jackets and jewelry!

The Versatility of Denim

There is perhaps no other item in the closet that is as versatile as denim! Whether it be a great pair of jeans, a denim jacket, or a denim pencil skirt, they are equally versatile and easy to dress up or down!

Because you will most likely wear denim more than anything else, I recommend going for a good, quality piece. Although I'm all about a bargain, there are certain pieces that should be bought for quality's sake. Denim is definitely one of those pieces! When buying quality denim though, make sure to get something not too trendy that will quickly go out of style. When buying jeans for example, go for a dark wash, straight leg. The dark wash is easily transitioned from day to evening. Look at these two pairs of jeans- one is darker and more versatile. The other is trendy, but can only be used for a few basic looks.



Below are a few examples on the versatilty of denim. I started with a basic pair of jeans (you could use a skirt instead if you wanted) and designed 3 different outfits- one for class, one for work, and one for evening. Have a look and let me know what you think!

The first outfit is for the trendy college student. Starting with a pair of straight leg jeans from Levi's, add a tuxedo style blouse with black buttons and a black belt. The cap-sleeves keep the shirt from being too masculine. Add bulky red jewelry and shoes (here I used a fabulous pair of red heels, but they can easily be substituted for red flats or another pair of comfy shoes). Throw on a pair of big black glasses to keep your glam look as you walk from class to class. The outfit is completed with a great red purse with black details that is large enough to use as your school bag as well- throw in your laptop, a notebook, this beautiul black agenda and you will be ready for class!



For a cute, collegiate-type work outfit, start with the same basic pair of jeans from Levi's. Add a white camisole and this adorable gray, elbow-length blazer. It manages to be tailored and feminine, but still have the vibe of a boyfriend blazer. Add a splash of color with these great, yellow kitten-heels and yellow earrings. Pair it with a fabulous navy blue bag and blue belt. Tie it all together with this long, silk scarf in gray, white, yellow and blue. For those of us that wear glasses, top it off with a pair of cute, modern gray frames.



To take your jeans into evening (say for a girls night out or a date), pair it with a loose, geometric print top, such as this beautiful blue tunic-style shirt.
Get that hourglass figure with this modern, two buckle black leather belt. To dress up the jeans even further, add bold black accessories- chandelier earrings in solid black, a black clutch, and several heavy, black bangles. To complete this look for a fun evening out, add these fierce, black leather, platform heels with silver detailing.