Blogging about fashion in August sometimes feels like walking a tightrope. Many readers still want to see and hear about summer outfits. But others are ready to explore fall trends and plan their autumn wardrobe. So today I’m staying perched on that tightrope by sharing an outfit that is suitable for warm weather while sharing my thoughts on a topic that will help us prepare our closets for fall. I think August is a good time for a personal style check. Let me tell you why.
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The older we get the more we enjoy the warm days of summer. Am I right? But while August still brings us plenty of sunshine and warmth it’s also a good time to take stock of our style and our closet before heading into fall. Here’s why.
New Beginnings
For many of us August still feels like a month of new beginnings. At our ages many of us have no connections to the schools around us. We’re not going back to the classroom. But we can’t help but notice the big yellow and black buses driving down our streets again and the “free again” moms gathering in coffee shops after dropping off their children at school…at last! LOL!
It’s Time for Something New
Before we know it, it will indeed be time to wear new styles. Fall fashion is quite distinct from the spring and summer styles we’ve been wearing. We’ll be swapping out the linen blend fabric I’m wearing in this button down top and coordinating skirt for more denim and corduroy and later wool blends. So summer to fall is definitely one of those shifts that deserves a little forethought and attention.
Styles Change Significantly
We notice more extreme changes in style when new fall fashions are introduced than we do when Winter, Spring or Summer styles hit the stores. Fall seems to be the kick-off season for truly new aesthetics, style hacks, colors, silhouettes and more. That’s not to say we won’t see trends continue from previous seasons or even years. But if something new is going to show up in the stores for the first time, usually it’s during fall.
It’s Time for a Closet Clean-Out
I rarely clean my closet out between fall and winter or between spring and summer. But as Spring begins to bloom or Summer begins to fade into Fall I have to change my closet out completely. I know many of my readers do, too. Since we’ll be storing away favorites, disposing of worn-outs and passing on those things that no longer suit, now is the time to make those calls. If I wait until “wardrobe change-out day” to decide if something will earn a space in my closet this fall, I generally end up just hanging up clothes that are in the storage bins out of default rather than careful thought. That leads to a style rut before the season even begins!
Time for Meaningful Questions
So August is a good time to ask yourself some meaningful questions about your personal style. I suggest you read my blog post, How to Define Your Personal Style from last year’s style series, Define Your Style…Refine Your Wardrobe. In fact, you might want to review that entire series. I have. But that one blog post provides you with an easy (and fun!) roadmap to define your personal style in a way that truly reflects your personality and preferences. And as I remark in that post, “Taking the time and putting in the thought to define our personal style can help us shop smarter, dress more authentically, build a more cohesive wardrobe, feel more confident and enjoy getting dressed for our day.”
In that post I introduced Style Angles as a way to define your style in three easy-to-remember words. I even provided you with worksheets and step by step instructions. Style Angles make defining your style personal and fun. They help you pull away from the pack and determine what YOU really love. That’s important at a time when a lot of hoopla is building all around us about fall styles and trends.
Style Angles are what I call the descriptive words or very short phrases that say “what you want to look like” to other people. The Style Angles can change over time; you’re not locked into them forever. And they only have to make sense to you, no one else. But they need to be firm building foundations for you as you plan your seasonal wardrobes, shop and put together outfits.
~ How to Define Your Personal Style
Since your personal style can evolve with time and with the seasons of your life, it’s important to do this little exercise more than once. And your personal style angles should change to reflect those evolutions. August is a great time for a personal style checkup.
Looking Ahead
Finally, August is a good time to look ahead…before you absolutely have to. Don’t just review…but also think forward. This is an excellent time to:
- check out new arrivals at your favorite retailers, but also more upscale brands that you may not normally shop. They’ll have the most fashion forward options to open your eyes to possibilities.
- consider trend reports for the upcoming season. I’ll be sharing some fall trends in tomorrow’s YouTube video. You don’t have to wear all of them, but it’s wise to be aware of them.
- anticipate your calendar. As you plan your fall wardrobe, think about where you’re going and what you’re doing in the months ahead. It may shape your personal style thoughts.
- rethink personal preferences. If you’ve declared for the past three years that you HATE wide leg jeans or loafers or button-up shirts, etc. this is the time to rethink that. You may stick to your guns, but give yourself license to change your mind if you’re so compelled.
- try something new. Remember, style needs to evolve just like the seasons that are changing around you. Life is like that, and so is our personal style. Determine to make more modern choices in your wardrobe and outfits, and you’ll actually end up looking younger and more vibrant. So many readers have concurred that this works!
- reconsider your lifestyle. Especially if you have undergone a big lifestyle change – like taking a parttime job or retiring or moving – take stock before you begin building your next wardrobe. See this post, Define Your Style for Your Real Lifestyle, for help.
Tell me, are you excited about building your fall wardrobe? I know we still have weeks of summer left, and I’m grateful. But as we anticipate the fall season and the clothes we’ll wear, how will you go about it? I’ll be sharing more posts in the coming weeks to help us all navigate this process gracefully and successfully. Stick with me!
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Blessed for My Day
Do you ever feel like it’s you against the world? Or maybe you just feel outnumbered on a matter of importance. Have you experienced times when you felt isolated, like no one was in your corner? I think we’ve all been there. Even in the crowds that surround us, we can feel alone. And when life gets hard, it’s easy to sense that everyone and everything is somehow out to get us.
But let me assure you that there is One who is always in your corner. The Lord God is for you. True, it may sometimes seem that what He is doing in your life is hard, maybe even unfair and unreasonable. But you and I both know that when you turn the corner down the road, you’ll look back and realize that He was with you and for you all along. Trust Him, dear sister. He loves you and He is always working on your behalf.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ~ Romans 8:31
Hello Kay and thanks for this and for yesterday’s blog which I also found helpful (and the DFMDs too). Sincerest good wishes and prayer for your eye surgery and I concur with another respondent – we love your videos and blogs but take the time you need and please don’t feel you need to rush things.
In the Southern UK we are having our fourth heatwave this summer (well, I recognise your other readers will be smiling at this, but for us 34C/92F is quite hot) and August is traditionally a family holiday time. I was intrigued that American children are going back to school already. This community is really educating me in all sorts of ways! Here, Scottish and Northern Irish children return to school in mid-late August but in England and Wales they never return earlier than the first week of September. That’s why for a Londoner like me, it’s definitely still summer and we’d like it to go on for as long as possible! (Well, most would.) What I have learned from you, Kay, over the past 4-5 years is that I still ought to be thinking about it so I am not caught out on the day the weather suddenly changes. Traditionally I do my wardrobe check on our national holiday weekend at the end of August but lately the weather has been very warm still in September so I have been putting it off. I like the idea of the pre-fall capsule – thank you!
I loved your beige and white striped outfit. So great for fall!
I refuse to let the school calendar end my summer fun! LOL This past weekend, I took a chunk of time in the early evening to iron everything that needed it (mostly linen and a few t-shirts) and then I put together outfits. About 85% of my closet right now is divided into outfits. I realized last week that I’ve been re-wearing the same outfits every two weeks because I had gotten lazy. I used this time to put the outfits together for two reasons (I normally don’t do the outfit prep thing): 1. I wanted to inspect my summer clothes and be sure I culled items I didn’t want anymore and 2. I wanted to be sure I wore everything before the season changes. I’m really happy I did it. I’m praying for your eye surgery. Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Seems too early to think about fall but it’s getting here. Trying to enjoy summer for a few more weeks! But your post is a good reminder to start “looking ahead”. Enjoyed those points! The BFMD was just what I needed to hear today. Pray your eye surgery goes well.
As usual, you are keeping me on my toes. I have been watching my favorite online stores for their “Fall Drop”, but nothing much yet. I am eagerly anticipating your Wednesday video to see what you have to tell me. And because I need a full wardrobe due to weight loss, making my purchases count is important to me. Thank you for reminding me about the seasons of life and what I am used to adding to my wardrobe may not be a good idea this year. Not only do I need to purchase new sizes, but entering semi-retirement means something different than working full time. I am eager to do the inventory and assessments you have given us as my guide. The BFMD is always, always appreciated and spot on. May your surgery be highly successful and your recovery quick.
I am thinking about fall a little bit because I’m realizing I have summer items I haven’t even worn once this year! I want to have what I need for whatever I am doing but I also want to avoid waste or buying things I won’t use – for example, I bought several pairs of fairly expensive sandals and did not wear them all that much – in fact, one pair I only wore one time. I want to be really careful about only having what I will use, so things have to coordinate very, very well – they really have to work. I tend to get excited at the beginning of every season and later find I have more than I need and I have to say, I’m a bit tired of feeling foolish for doing that!
What a great post! And yes, I love transitioning to fall and really giving my wardrobe a good going-through. In fact, this year I have been so excited that I already started wearing my fall colors, even though it’s still very warm out. 🙂