Sara CornellHaving just spent the last week packing, shipping and moving my daughter into her apartment for college I have come to the sad realization that summer is over. I know that we still have a full two weeks before Labor Day, and that the tomatos and corn have yet to come into their full abundance, but the fact remains that time is ticking, despite temperatures that linger in the 80’s (and warmer as I write this from North Carolina.) Lazy, hazy evenings will soon be a distant memory and all that beautiful eyelet and linen that has been our go-to fabric will get packed away until next season, or until an invitation to the Caribbean arrives…
The problem is, when you live in a northern climate, and particularly after a Winter like the one that we had last year, you want to make the most of summer months and carefree, casual dressing. Before packing away all your summer duds and breaking out the corduroy and cashmere, try some strategic use of accessories to get extra milage out of your summer duds.
Belts, booties, and metallic jewelry are great transition pieces that can help you dress to the calendar while remaining true to the mercury. Is your favorite gauzy summer dress too good to put away? Try belting it with a loosely slung leather belt to give it some shape and density. Or pair a striped sailor style shift with a an earthy toned leather or suede bootie. Replace the whispy silver hoops for an earring with a bit more heft, like a copper or rosegold drop earring, and your look will instantly have more of a later summer/early autumn vibe.
When shopping for belts, look for ones that have interesting patterns or detail. A woven leather, or one with brass or silver accents, gives a beachy/boaty attitude to fabrics and also transitions well to the denser materials that will adorn our bodies in the coming months.
Image courtesy of calleencordero.com
Image courtesy of Pinterest
If you are adding booties to a summer outfit, keep the tones lighter and more neutral/earthy…but avoid white and cream which tend to draw too much attention to your feet and cut your length. A taupe or mushroom will work well with many summer weight fabrics, and will also take you easily and stylishly into the fall. Cowboy boots, a perennial favorite, look great with shorts or light weight and light colored fabrics, as do their cousins, the cowboy shoes.
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Image courtesy of CountryOutfitter.com
With a few strategic pieces you can keep living in your summer clothes for another month or two. And once the temperatures really drop we can talk about layering if you really want to keep that Summer spirit going…