The Pre-Fall Wardrobe Reset: What to Wear When It’s Not Quite Fall Yet

How to transition your wardrobe from summer to fall without dressing for a season that hasn’t arrived

There’s a point every August when I mentally move on from summer long before the weather does.

The new-season collections are arriving. Suede, chocolate brown, rich red, deep purple and beautiful layers are suddenly everywhere. I’m ready for trousers, jackets and loafers meanwhile, the temperature outside is still very much saying linen.

This in-between period can be one of the trickiest times of year to dress for, but it’s also one of my favorites.

Pre-fall style isn’t about dressing for fall early. It’s about changing the mood of your wardrobe before you change the weight of it.

You don’t need to pack away your summer wardrobe or start wearing heavy knits. Instead, this is the moment to begin shifting your colors, textures, proportions and styling.

Here’s how I approach the transition.

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1. Start With Color, Not Layers

One of the easiest mistakes to make in August is assuming fall dressing means adding more clothing.

When it’s still hot outside, that simply isn’t practical. Instead, I start transitioning through color.

The whites, creams and lighter neutrals of summer can stay, but I begin introducing deeper shades alongside them: chocolate brown, burgundy, red, plum, navy, olive and camel. And don’t be afraid of unexpected combinations.

Brown with powder blue feels incredibly fresh. Chocolate with purple gives both colors more depth. Burgundy or red paired with soft neutrals instantly shifts an outfit toward fall without requiring a single extra layer.

A white skirt you wore with a linen tank and sandals in July might suddenly feel completely different with a chocolate brown top, leather belt and ballet flats in August.

Stylist’s Note: You don’t always need new clothes to make your wardrobe feel seasonal. Sometimes you simply need a new color story.

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2. Keep the Summer Piece — Change the Shoe

Shoes have an incredible ability to change the entire direction of an outfit.

This is the time of year when I slowly start retiring the very summery footwear and bringing back loafers, ballet flats, slingbacks, sneakers and closed-toe kitten heels.

Take a simple summer dress. With a raffia bag and sandals, it reads July. Add a leather shoulder bag, sleek ballet flat and belt, and suddenly it feels appropriate for late August and September.

The same applies to denim shorts, skirts and lightweight trousers. Before deciding an outfit feels “too summery,” change the shoe.

You may be surprised by how much longer you can wear what you already own.

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3. Introduce Fall Texture Before Fall Weight

Fall fashion is largely about texture — but texture doesn't have to mean warmth.

Instead of reaching immediately for wool and heavy knits, introduce materials that visually reference the season while still working with the weather.

Think:

• Lightweight suede accessories

• Leather belts and handbags

• Sheer knits

• Satin

• Dark denim

• Croc-embossed accessories

• Lightweight tailoring

A suede bag paired with a white cotton dress is exactly the kind of high-contrast seasonal styling I love right now. You’re borrowing from fall without committing to it completely.

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4. Bring Back the Third Piece

If you've followed my styling philosophy for any amount of time, you know how much I love a good third piece.

It’s often what takes an outfit from clothes to an actual look. During pre-fall, that doesn't necessarily mean a blazer or jacket.

Try a lightweight vest over a tank. Tie a sweater around your shoulders. Add a silk scarf. Belt an oversized button-down. Wear a lightweight jacket open over a simple base when the weather allows.

The goal isn't warmth. The goal is dimension.

Even something as simple as adding a belt, scarf or structured bag can give a basic summer outfit the visual weight it needs to feel more intentional.

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5. Shop Your Fall Wardrobe Before You Shop the Stores

This is the part I wish more women would do. Before buying anything for fall, take inventory. Pull out the pieces you packed away last year. Try them on. Look at what you actually wore and, perhaps more importantly, what you didn't.

Ask yourself:

Does this still fit?
Would I buy this again today?
Can I immediately think of three ways I want to wear it?
Does it work with the wardrobe I have now?
Is there something I already own that fills the same role?

Your style can change significantly in a year. Keeping something simply because you liked it last fall doesn't mean it deserves space in your wardrobe this fall. This is also when I look at the summer pieces I never wore. If an item spent the entire season untouched, I want to understand why.

Sometimes I still love the piece and simply didn't have the right opportunity to wear it. That gets archived for next year. Other times, the reason is obvious: the fit isn't right anymore, it doesn't reflect my style, or I consistently chose something else instead.

That information is valuable.

Your unworn clothes tell you just as much about your personal style as your most-worn pieces do.

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6. Identify the Gaps — Then Shop

Once you've taken inventory, then you can make a shopping list. Not before.

Maybe you realize you have beautiful trousers but no lightweight jacket that works with them. Perhaps you own several pairs of jeans but are missing a polished everyday flat. Or maybe your basics are strong and what your wardrobe actually needs is one interesting statement piece.

That is intentional shopping. You're not walking into a new season asking, What should I buy?

You're asking: What would make the wardrobe I already own work better?

Those are two very different questions and the second one will save you a lot of money and a closet full of clothes you don't wear.

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7. Don't Rush Fall

This may be the most important part. You don't have to dress like it's October because retailers have decided it's fall.

Some of the best outfits happen during this transitional period because you're mixing two seasons together: a summer dress with a suede bag, white denim with a chocolate knit, a lightweight skirt with loafers, a button-down with shorts and a structured leather belt.

Let your wardrobe evolve gradually. The goal isn't to perfectly match the calendar.

The goal is to make what you already own feel exciting again.

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The Stylist's Take

A great wardrobe shouldn't need to be reinvented every three months. It should evolve.

The strongest closets are built around pieces that can move between seasons, work together in multiple combinations and adapt as your personal style changes. So before the fall shopping frenzy begins, spend an afternoon with your own wardrobe.

Pull things out. Try things on. Build outfits. Take photos. Make note of what's missing. Pay attention to what you're excited to wear again and what you aren't. Because the goal isn't a closet filled with new clothes for fall.

It's a wardrobe that makes getting dressed feel easy. And if yours doesn't, that's exactly where I come in.

Ready for Your Own Wardrobe Reset?

Whether you need help editing what you already own, identifying the gaps in your wardrobe or creating complete outfits for the season ahead, LGStyling offers personalized wardrobe and styling services designed around your lifestyle, body and personal aesthetic.

Because you don't need more clothes.

You need more possibilities from the clothes you own.